SSI News
Can Elon make it work? A short history of staged fully reusable aerospace vehicles (Updated)
While staging in rocketry has been around since the 1940s, culminating in the first orbital success with Vostok rocket’s flight of Sputnik 1, stages were not truly reusable until the arrival of the Space Shuttle in 1981. Even then, one major part of its stack – the...
China launches ZhuQue-2 rocket carrying three technology development sats (Corrected)
The Chinese successfully launched a ZhuQue-2 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, China at 2339 GMT on 8 December 2023. The launch vehicle was carrying Tianyi-33, Honghu 1 and 2. All three appear to be technology research satellites. The Honghu 1 and 2 satellites...
Three Yaogan 39-05 satellites are launched on Long March 2D from Xichang
At 0158 GMT on 10 December three Yaogan 39-05 reconnaissance satellites related to signals intelligence (Yaogan 39-05-A, -B and -C) were launched on a Long March 2D/2 (CZ-2D/2) rocket launched from Xichang in China. China has never formally admitted to launching...
SpaceX operated Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 rocket sends Starlink group 7-8 into orbit
A SpaceX operated Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 rocket sent Starlink group 7-8 into orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA at 0803 GMT on 8 December 2023. The group consisted of 22 v2 Mini spacecraft for the second...
Space Insurers wither from ‘worst year’ in over twenty years as claims get close to US$1 billion (Updated and corrected)
Space insurers are still licking their wounds after what has been the worst year in over two decades in terms of claims, with a total of close to US$1 billion for the industry. In the early part of the year there were few insurance losses and, although they received a...
Starlink Group 6-33 of 23 satellites is launched by a Falcon 9 rocket
At 0507 GMT on 7 December 2023, 23 v2 Mini communications spacecraft were launched into orbit from the Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on a Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 rocket. The are part of the SpaceX Starlink second generation...
Space Arts Review: Tom Hanks’ Moonwalkers show in London wows
David Todd, Head of Space Content at Seradata, was invited to the opening night of The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks, a new audio visual show at The Lightroom in London. It is said that each generation thinks that its music is the best and that they invented...
Sea launched Jielong-3 rocket carries Chinese internet communications test satellite
The four-stage solid rocket Jielong-3 (aka Smart Dragon-3) was launched from a launch platform in the sea off the coast near Yangjiang, Guangdong Province, China, at 1924 GMT on 5 December 2023 carrying the Weixing Hulianwang Jishu Shiyan 03 (WHJS-03) satellite for...
ESA signs development order with Airbus DS for TRUTHS solar radiation/global warming research mission
ESA has awarded a development contract to the UK arm of Airbus Defence and Space (Airbus DS) to create key technologies to allow the TRUTHS (Traceable Radiometry Underpinning Terrestrial- and Helio-Studies) satellite mission to measure solar radiation and the Earth's...
Ceres-1 rocket launches two sats into LEO
A Ceres-1 rocket built by commercial Chinese company Galactic Energy has carried two satellites into LEO. The launch took place at 2333 GMT, 4 December, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China. On-board were Xingchi-1A and Jihneg-1 (Tainyan-16) a...
Stay Informed with Seradata
Stay informed on the latest news, insights, and more from Seradata by signing up for our newsletter.