ONEWEB'S SATELLITE PLANT RETURNS TO FULL-SCALE PRODUCTION - Florida-based OneWeb Satellites has returned to full-scale production of spacecraft after its big client and part owner, OneWeb, emerged from bankruptcy. The high-tech factory near Kennedy Space Center churns out eight satellites a week, which is the average pace it was on before the bankruptcy, CEO Tony Gingiss said in an interview Friday.    More
(Source: UPI.com - Dec 2)

SOLAR SUPERSTORMS OF THE PAST HELP NASA SCIENTISTS UNDERSTAND RISKS FOR SATELLITES - At the edge of space, the ever-growing fleet of satellites in low-Earth orbit are locked in a constant, precarious battle with friction. These satellites orbit in a normally quiet region hundreds of miles above the surface, at the edge of Earth’s atmosphere. Usually, the satellites only feel a gentle push due to the headwinds of the rarified air there, but extreme storms from the Sun can change Earth’s atmosphere enough to pull a satellite farther off orbit in one day than they’d normally experience in a year.    More
(Source: NASA - Dec 2)

SOYUZ ROCKET LAUNCHES EMIRATI MILITARY SATELLITE AFTER LENGTHY DELAY - After months of delays caused by launch vehicle issues and the coronavirus pandemic, a Russian Soyuz rocket and Fregat upper stage took off from South America and delivered the French-built Falcon Eye 2 military observation satellite to an on-target orbit Tuesday night for the United Arab Emirates. The kerosene-fueled Soyuz ST-A launcher lifted off from the Guiana Space Center on the northeastern coast of South America at 8:33:28 p.m. EST Tuesday (0133:28 GMT Wednesday) with the UAE military’s Falcon Eye 2 reconnaissance satellite...   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 2)

RUSSIA MAY COMMENCE DEPLOYMENT OF ITS ORBITAL STATION AFTER 2024 - Russia may deploy its own service orbital station, manned by two to four cosmonauts, after 2024, said Vladimir Solovyov, the first deputy CEO of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, according to the Scientific Russia website. "[Vladimir Solovyov] also presented the project of a Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS), currently in development by RSC Energia," the website reads. "According to Solovyov, its deployment is planned after 2024."   More
(Source: TASS - Dec 2)

EUROPE AND RUSSIA SCRUB EMIRATI MILITARY/CIVILIAN EARTH IMAGING SATELLITE FOR SECOND TIME - Arianespace was to use — with Russia’s support — a Soyuz ST-A rocket to launch a joint military and civilian Earth imaging satellite for the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces from the Guiana Space Centre near Kourou, French Guiana. Liftoff of the Falcon Eye 2 satellite was to occur at 20:33:28 EST on Monday, 30 November (01:33:28 UTC on Tuesday, 1 December) to ensure the satellite reaches the proper sun-synchronous orbit. This was scrubbed with less than 2 minutes to go when a telemetry transmission issue happened.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Dec 1)

JAPANESE DATA RELAY SATELLITE LAUNCHES ON H-2A ROCKET - A Japanese satellite designed to relay data and imagery from civilian and military Earth observation spacecraft launched Sunday aboard an H-2A rocket. The dual-use communications satellite rode an H-2A rocket into orbit at 2:25 a.m. EST (0725 GMT; 4:25 p.m. Japan Standard Time) from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. A live video feed from media spectators at Tanegashima showed the 174-foot-tall (53-meter) H-2A rocket soaring into broken clouds over the spaceport.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Dec 1)

AN INSIDER’S LOOK AT ISRAEL’S NEXT SATELLITE: A ‘SMARTPHONE IN SPACE’ - Work is on track to develop and build Israel’s next-generation communications satellite, ensuring that Israel will retain its independence in the critical domain of space-based communications, executives from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which is building the satellite, told JNS. IAI announced on Jan. 3 that it had signed an agreement with the Israeli government for the development and construction of Israel’s next communications satellite, dubbed Dror 1 (Hebrew for “freedom”).    More
(Source: JNS.org - Nov 27)

ROCKET LAB TO LAUNCH SATELLITE FOR JAPANESE COMPANY SYNSPECTIVE - Satellite launch provider Rocket Lab has announced Japanese earth-imaging company Synspective as the customer for its 17th Electron launch, and its seventh mission of the year. The dedicated mission for Synspective is scheduled for lift-off during a 14-day launch window opening on December 12 and will launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula to a targetted 500km circular low earth orbit.   More
(Source: SatelliteProME.com - Nov 26)

CHINA TO BEGIN CONSTRUCTION OF ITS SPACE STATION NEXT YEAR - China is set to begin construction of its orbital space station next year, deputy head of the Chang Zheng 5 (Long March 5) launch vehicle project of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), Qu Yiguang, told reporters. "Since the appearance of the Chang Zheng 5 launch vehicle, it has been determined that it will carry out the mission of launching China's largest spacecraft," Qu said.   More
(Source: Space Daily - Nov 26)

Previous Next