Satellite News

Rocket: Chang Zheng 11; Payload: Bufeng-1A, Bufeng-1B, five smallsats; Date: 5 June 2019, 0406 UTC; Launch site: floating platform in the Yellow Sea at 34.90 deg. N, 121.19 deg. E. The two technology experiment satellites and five commercial satellites were successfully launched.

The two satellite passengers for Arianespace’s upcoming Ariane 5 flight – AT&T T-16 [DirecTV 16] and Eutelsat 7C – are advancing through their payload preparation phases during parallel activity at the Spaceport in French Guiana.

ESA said it is working with industry towards the maiden flight of Europe’s new Vega-C launch vehicle in 2020 for more launches, with increased performance, to more orbits.

Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. has launched a Space & Sensing Systems division at its Cypress, CA headquarters. The new division will sell satellite on-board equipment, including solar array panels, lithium-ion batteries, and RF equipment.

A pair of space sails designed and manufactured by the University of Surrey team behind RemoveDEBRIS – a project that demonstrated a number of world-first active debris removal technologies – have been successfully deployed.

Packed with about 1,890 kg of cargo and science, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft departed the International Space Station on 3 June.