SSI News
SATELLITE 2024: US launch providers put industry concerns about launch site availability to bed, for the most part
During the Launch Services Executives panel session, Stephanie Bednarek, of SpaceX, said that the company intended to conduct 148 launches during 2024. If achieved, this would be an increase of more than 50 per cent on its tally for 2023. Fellow panellist Mark Peller,...
SATELLITE 2024: Launch providers reveal how new rockets will meet market demands
On the first day of the Satellite 2024 conference in Washington DC, executives from global launch providers sat down to discuss launch supply and demand forecasts. Taking part were Stephanie Bednarek, VP Commercial Sales at SpaceX; Josh Brost, CRO, Relativity Space;...
SATELLITE 2024: Intelsat CEO hints at in-orbit expansion plans and a terrestrial investment
Matthew Wilson, Seradata Reporter and Data Manager, reports from the Satellite 2024 conference in Washington, US, starting with the opening day keynote made by Intelsat’s CEO David Wajsgras David Wajsgras, CEO of Intelsat, began his address with a reminder of the US...
Good launch for Super Heavy/Starship on third flight…but re-entries and approaches did not go well
After two failed launches, hopes were high that the Super Heavy first stage and its Starship upper stage/reusable spaceship would work well on the combinations's third flight. And the hopes were not misplaced. At 1325 GMT on 14 March 2024, the giant rocket assembly...
Two launch failures: Japan’s new KAIROS rocket has not-unexpected maiden failure but unusual one for China’s Long March 2C (corrected)
At 0201 GMT on 13 March 2024, the maiden flight from the Kii Space Port, Japan, of the Japanese commercial KAIROS (Kii-based Advanced and Instant ROcket System) launch vehicle carrying a dummy satellite ended in failure after only five seconds of flight. The solid...
Human Spaceflight in March: NASA’s Crew 8 reach ISS, Roscosmos aborts mission at the last moment and Chinese astronauts take a spacewalk
Crew Dragon Endeavour, with NASA Crew 8 onboard, was successfully launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Centre, US at 0353 GMT on 4 March. The crew comprised Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin. The initial orbit was 215...
New Space Orders in March 2024: smaller GEO sats are the plate du jour but LEO shows the future
GEO satellite contracts Typifying how the GEO market has moved to small spacecraft for smaller regional operators, GEO satellite manufacturer Astranis has received an order from Thai space operator Thaicom for a small microGEO 'Block 3' bus communications spacecraft....
OSAM-1: an obituary of the US$2.4 billion NASA refuelling mission that never made it to the launchpad
Farah Ghouri looks back at the life, barely begun, of OSAM-1 after the refuelling demonstration mission is axed by NASA The idea for OSAM-1 (On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing 1), first known as RESTORE-L, was conceived in 2015, in a bid to help extend...
Launches in March 2024
Mel’s Good Space: International Women’s Day
March marks International Women’s Day (March 8th), and Women’s History Month, and here in the space industry we are fortunate to have amazing females blazing new paths. However, less than 25% of the workforce is female, and at a leadership level it is even fewer, with...