SSI News
Falcon 9 launches 15 v2-Mini Starlink satellites from Vandenberg as part of Group 6-15
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 part-reusable rocket from Vandenberg, California, USA at 0409 GMT on 20 July 2023. The launch vehicle was carrying Starlink Group 6-15 to orbit: a total of 15 v2-Mini Starlink communications satellites for SpaceX's...
Rocketlab launches Electron KS for satellite transport and first stage splashdown test
Rocket Lab achieved a successful launch – dubbed “Baby Come Back” – with an Electron KS at 0127 GMT on 18 July, from Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand. The launch vehicle carried seven satellites into orbit: a Telesat LEO 3 Vantage experimental communications satellite –...
Not a one-off: B1060 joins B1058 reusable stage on 16 landings as SpaceX puts the final set of initial v1.5 comsats (Group 5-15) into orbit
Following its launch from Cape Canveral, Florida, USA, the reusable Falcon 9 stage B1060 has joined B1058 on 16 successful launches and landings - the current record for SpaceX. It successfully landed on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas located downrange in the...
India’s Chandrayaan-3 lander/rover mission is launched on its way to the Moon
An LVM3-2 (GSLV 3-2) rocket successfully launched the Chandrayaan-3 mission from the Sriharikota (Satish Dhawan Space Centre), India, at 0905 GMT on 14 July. The ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) mission consisted of a propulsion module, lunar lander and lunar...
Viasat-3 Americas antenna risks US$420 million insurance loss
Arcturus suffers unrelated solar array drive troubles GEO satellite operator Viasat Inc has finally confirmed that its recently launched Viasat-3 Americas High Throughput Ka-band communications satellite has suffered a serious blow. The satellite failed to properly...
Zhuque-2 wins “Methalox race” as it achieves orbit on second attempt
While the industry trend is to move to “methalox” – liquid methane/liquid natural gas and liquid oxygen (LOX) as propellants – no rocket using this combination had achieved orbit…until now. The Chinese privately run company Landspace has successfully launched its...
China launches at least one experimental comsat on Long March 2C rocket
At least one experimental communications satellite was reportedly launched into a circular 1100 km orbit inclined at 86.5 degrees inclination at 1100 GMT on 9 July 2023 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in North West China by a CALT-operated Long March 2C/3/YZ-1S...
SpaceX puts two Starlink launches up – one a reusable record breaker
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 rocket from Vandenberg, California, at 1929 GMT on 7 July. The launch vehicle was carrying Starlink Group 5-13, a total of 48 Starlink v1.5 satellites for the second-generation constellation. The B1063 reusable...
Analysis: jet and spacecraft full-screen cockpits are loved by crews but not touch-screen switches
The introduction of “full screen” cockpits is evident both in fighter jets and on human carrying spacecraft. For example, the latest F-35 stealth jet fighter in its various vanilla F-35A, hooked carrier F-35C and vertical landing F-35B guises has no HUD (Head Up...
Ariane 5 finale: last launch sends Heinrich Hertz and Syracuse 4B satellites safely on their way
The 117th and last Ariane 5, flight VA261 using the Ariane 5 ECA+ variant, successfully lifted off from the ELA3 pad at Kourou, French Guiana, at 2200 GMT on 5 July. The rocket was carrying two communications satellites: Germany’s H2SAT (Heinrich Hertz) and France’s...
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