Aero Linx: Royal Aeronautical Society The guiding principles of the Royal Aeronautical Society are embodied in this extract from the Society’s Royal Charter: “The objects and purposes are the general advancement of aeronautical Art, Science and Engineering and for promoting that species of knowledge which distinguishes the profession of Aeronautics (which expression includes Astronautics)”. As the world’s only professional body dedicated to the aerospace community, it exists to further the advancement of aeronautical art, science and engineering around the world. Established in 1866, the Society has been at the forefront of developments in aerospace ever since.

Opposition Configuration in which one celestial body is opposite another in the sky. A planet is in opposition when it is 180 degrees away from the sun as viewed from another planet (such as Earth). For example, Saturn is at opposition when it is directly overhead at midnight on Earth.

"Arianespace milestones during the 2012 Spaceport mission activity included Ariane 5’s heaviest-ever payload: the ATV Edoardo Amaldi, weighing more than 20,000 kg. on its flight in March; along with the 50th consecutive success for this heavy-lift workhorse launcher, achieved in August – subsequently increasing to 53 by year-end, underscoring a reliability level that a benchmark in the commercial launch services sector." Source: From an Arianespace report in which the entity notes that it achieved an a record-breaking year of activity during 2012, employing its complete launcher family to perform 10 total flights from the Spaceport in French Guiana along with a Soyuz mission from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome.