Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO) was formally chosen by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as the prime contractor for the Engineering Test Satellite 9 (ETS-9). The experimental communications spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2021 and will test...
Starting a small launch vehicle operation remains a risky business. US start-up small launch vehicle firm, Firefly, which laid off staff last year after a withdrawal of a major investor, is now having its assets sold off. While there were doubts about its first stage...
It was again the case of “always the bridesmaid but never the bride” for the US aerospace giant Northrop Grumman Corporation, as during March, the firm, along with its team partner BAE Systems (formerly British Aerospace), formally withdrew its entry for...
When SpaceX first achieved the recovery of its Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage in late 2015 (admittedly after a few failed attempts), the world hailed it as a new step in spaceflight. However, the truth is that nothing practical for actual space operations was proven...
The recent security move to end the carrying of laptops and table computers in the cabins of commercial aircraft flying from certain “high risk” middle eastern countries, may become a global ban which has major implications for satellite operators. The...
While many have concerns over the Orwellian prospect of being spied on by our own appliances ranging from smart televisions to more bizarrely, sex aids, the “Internet of Things” was viewed as a positive development by the leaders of satellite operators at the...
