The UK Ministry of Defence has formally ordered (on 19 July) an interim communications satellite, Skynet 6A, from Airbus Defence and Space (Airbus DS) for use in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO). The contract is valued at GBP£500 million (US$628.5 million). The...
The NRO L-129 mission was successfully launched at 1346 GMT on Wednesday 15 July using a Minotaur IV launch vehicle from the Wallops Island launch (aka MARS) in Virginia, USA. The mission consists of four satellites which are owned by the National Reconnaissance...
Former journalist Ivan Safronov, communications assistant, Dmitry Rogozon, the Head of Roscosmos, the part conglomerate/part space agency that is the Russian space programme, and a key ally of President Putin, has been arrested by the Federal Security Bureau (FSB) of...
While it might be premature to say this, it appears to be the “half-time” point in the Covid-19 pandemic. Those countries that have managed to control the outbreak – even those with very bad starts (e.g. Italy, Spain, France, UK) – are starting...
Israel has launched a military reconnaissance satellite called Ofeq 16 (Ofek 16) at 0100 GMT on 6 July 2020 from its Palmachim launch site using its Shavit solid rocket launch vehicle westward, given its overflight launch restrictions, into a retrograde low Earth...
While Rocket Lab had been enjoying recent success, both in terms of launches and sales, the wheels suddenly came off with the failure of its Electron rocket on 4 July. The launch vehicle took off from the Mahia Peninsula launch site in New Zealand at 2116 GMT. All...
