SSI News
Satellite Anomalies
Recent satellite anomalies: Express-80 has suspected debris strike Russian media reports have indicated that the Russian Express-80 communications satellite has suffered a serious anomaly during its slow orbital climb to its operational geostationary location after...
European newspace industry gains more financing
Finland-based, ICEYE, announced on 22 September 2020 the completion of its Series C round of financing, raising US$87 million. ICEYE was formed in 2014 to develop SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) capabilities in a microsatellite package. Its first satellite, ICEYE X1,...
Bridenstine needs NASA lunar lander money if 2024 landing date is to be achieved, but will cryogenic technology also cause delays?
NASA has published its Project Artemis plan to return crew, including female astronauts, to the Moon’s surface by the Trump Administration’s target date of 2024. Under the plan, Artemis I will be a one-month unmanned mission in 2021 and Artemis II will be a crewed...
AFRL NTS-3 sat to launch on a ULA Vulcan
The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has confirmed that its experimental satellite NTS-3 will be launched by a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket in 2022. The satellite NTS-3 (Navigation Technology Satellite 3) is to test experimental technologies...
PocketQube sat maker FOSSA Systems makes Falcon 9/Vigoride launch booking via Momentus
Picosat manufacturer FOSSA Systems signed a service agreement deal during September 2020 with the launch arranger Momentus for the firm to have two of its PocketPod deployers to be launched on the second "Vigoride" mission on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch early in...
Hai Yang 2C ocean sensing satellite is launched by Long March 4B for China
China has launched an ocean study satellite Hai Yang 2C (HY-2C) marine remote sensing satellite to a Sun-synchronous near polar low Earth orbit, using a Long March 4B (CZ-4B) rocket. The launch took place from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on 21 September 2020...
Intelsat secures manufacturer for seventh C-band replacement sat as well as launches for all seven
Intelsat has brought to an end its extraordinary year of satellite and launch orders. On 17 September, it placed a construction order for its seventh (and likely final) C-band replacement satellite GALAXY 13R – previously known as GALAXY 37. SSL, part of Maxar, was...
Northrop Grumman given contract to design “jam-resistant” follow-on to AEHF
On 16 September Northrop Grumman received a contract from the US Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) to develop a next-generation "jam-resistant" military communications satellite. The contract was awarded through the Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications...
OHB receives prime contract from ESA for HERA mission
On 15 September the European Space Agency (ESA) awarded the construction contract for their HERA mission to German manufacturer OHB Systems. The contract is valued at EUR€129.4m (US$153.3m). OHB will be the lead in a team with 17 other companies from ESA member...
China conducts a sea launch placing nine Jilin-1 Earth Imaging satellites into LEO
China conducted a second sea-based launch at 0123 GMT on 15 September. The mission utilised the De Bo 3 converted rescue and salvage ship as a launch platform in the Yellow Sea. Using a four-stage, solid, Long March 11 (CZ-11H) rocket, the launch carried nine...
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