Movements on ISS: Dragon CRS-19 is unhooked to return to Earth, then astronauts make spacewalk…and then another (Updated)
Having been unberthed at 0500 GMT on on 7 Jan 2019, the Dragon CRS-19 cargo spacecraft was fully undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) when it was released from the Space Station Remote Manipulator System at 1005 GMT on the same day. During its...
Ariane 5 ECA launches comsat pair Eutelsat Konnect and GSAT-30
A pair of communications satellites, Eutelsat-Konnect and GSAT-30, were successfully launched by an Ariane 5 ECA rocket into a 35764 x 245 km orbit six degree inclination geosynchronous Transfer orbit (GTO). The launch of the VA251 flight took place from the Kourou,...
China launches Yinhe 1 satellite on a Kuaizhou 1A launch vehicle
China launched the Yinhe 1 satellite on a Kuaizhou 1A aunch vehicle from Jiuquan satellite launch centre at 0300 GMT on 16 January 2019. Built, owned and operated by Galaxy Space, the 227 kg Yinhe 1 is a technology test satellite for the forthcoming 5G standard mobile...
Launch arranger TriSept orders/books Orbex Prime rocket for its client satellites
While its launch site has yet to be even started yet, and while its rocket is still in prototype form, there was good news for nascent UK launch provider Orbex. The US-based launch arranger/integrator TriSept Corp. has ordered/booked a Orbex Prime launch in...
China launches four satellites on Long March 2D/2 including a Jilin 1 Earth observation satellite
China has launched four satellites on a Long March 2D/2 from the launch site at Taiyuan at 0253 GMT on 15 January 2020. The spacecraft were placed into a relatively low Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit of 491 x 477km at 97.4 degree inclination. The main payload was...
Dynetics and Sierra Nevada Corp team to bid for NASA human lunar lander
While Boeing, Lockheed Martin and the Blue Origin-led "National Team" et al., have submitted their own bids to build the next human carrying lunar lander(s) for NASA, while its bid has been in for months, a new entrant into the competition was formally announced...
Companies News: Maxar to sell core Canadian business MDA to private investors…as Audacy is confirmed as shut-down
The now fully "domesticated" American company Maxar Technologies inc. is to sell its legacy Canadian, business MDA (MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates, Ltd.). This is following an announcement made at the end of 2019. The intended recipients of the Canadian business...
Thales Alenia Space gets Amazonas Nexus GEO satellite construction order from Hispasat
The European spacecraft and communications payload manufacturer Thales Alenia Space has received an order from the European satellite operator Hispasat to build the Amazonas Nexus spacecraft. The spacecraft is designed to operate in geostationary Earth orbit over the...
Following US assassination of Iran’s top general US satellites witness its missile retaliation and its later accidental shooting down of airliner (Updated)
There had already been indignation within Iran that USA had imposed draconian economic sanctions on the nation over Iran's increasing belligerence in the region, walking away from a deal preventing Iran's development of a nuclear weapon as it did so. However, the...
MethaneSAT bus to be built by Blue Canyon but Ball remains prime contractor…as ESA desides to fund ClearSpace-1 debris clearing mission
While Ball Aerospace is the payload manufacturer and also the main "Prime" contractor as integration constructor of the MethaneSAT spacecraft, the nano-satellite manufacturer and kit maker Blue Canyon Technologies has just received a surprising order to build the...
