SSI News
Russia launches Bars-M 4 electro-optical area surveillance satellite using Soyuz 2-1a
On 23 March 2023 at 0640 GMT a Soyuz 2-1a rocket successfully launched what is believed to be the Bars-M 4 military electro-optical area surveillance stereoscopic cartography satellite, from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia. The last BARS-M satellite (Cosmos 2556 aka...
Relativity Space’s Terran 1 fails on maiden flight – but first stage works well
The Terran 1 rocket, built by Relativity Space, failed to achieve orbit after suffering an ignition anomaly with its second stage during its maiden launch. As it was purely a test mission, the rocket was not carrying a satellite payload or releasable fairing. The...
Italian government gives Vega C vote of confidence with a three-launch order for its IRIDE constellation
Arianespace has won a contract for up to three Vega C launches for IRIDE, the Italian government’s Earth observation constellation. The European Space Agency (ESA), acting on behalf of the Italian government, signed a contract with the French company for at least two...
China launches four meteorology satellites to LEO, part of Tianmu-1 fleet
At 0909 GMT on 22 March, a Kuaizhou-1A rocket built by CASIC affiliate ExPace Technology Corp carried four meteorological microsatellites into LEO. The mission took place from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China, in service of another CASIC-related entity...
Falcon 9 makes two launches: for Starlink Group 2-8 and SES-18 and -19 respectively…but recently launched Starlink Group 6-1 appears to be sinking
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg, California, at 1926 GMT on 17 March. The vehicle was carrying 52 satellites of Starlink Group 2-8 for SpaceX’s own low Earth orbit communications satellite constellation. The B1071 first stage, on its eighth...
Chinese Long March 3B/E launches earth observation satellite into orbit
China successfully launched a Chinese Long March 3B/E rocket carrying the a new geostationary Earth observation satellite, Gaofen-13 02. The lift off from Xichang Satellite Lunch Centre took place at 0833 GMT on 17 March. Officially, Gaofen-13 02 will be used for...
Astranis gets order for two GEO sats from Mexico’s Apco Networks
Spacecraft manufacturer Astranis has received a construction order from Apco Networks, a Mexican telecoms firm, for a pair of small communications satellites. The units, which weigh in at circa 400 kg and will use electric propulsion, will be operated in geostationary...
Rocket Lab successfully deploys two Capella Space radar satellites after Electron launch
Rocket Lab successfully launched its Electron rocket and deployed two Capella Space radar imaging satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO). The vehicle lifted off from the company’s launch site on Wallops Island, Virginia, at 22:38 GMT on 16 March, five days after its...
NASA uses CLPS programme to contract lunar ride for Firefly’s Blue Ghost 2 lunar lander and ESA’s Lunar Pathfinder comms relay spacecraft
Firefly Aerospace has been awarded a second CLPS transportation order to the Moon, this time for the Blue Ghost 2 lander mission which NASA has payloads on under a US$112 million contract made under the NASA CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) programme. Blue...
SATELLITE 2023: Many different paths towards space sustainability, all it takes is time and money
During the last session of the SATELLITE 2023 conference in Washington DC was the Space Sustainability Services panel. This saw representatives from Slingshot Aerospace, OneWeb, SpaceLogistics, Astroscale, and George Washington University, discuss the different...
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