Satellite News

The ULA Delta IV NROL-37 launch was scrubbed on 9 June owing to violation of multiple launch weather criteria.

Space Systems Loral (SSL) announced that the Intelsat 31 high-power satellite is successfully performing post-launch manoeuvres according to plan. The satellite, Intelsat 31, deployed its solar arrays on schedule following its launch aboard a Proton Briz M vehicle provided by International Launch Services (ILS). It will begin firing its main thruster tomorrow in order to propel it toward its final geostationary orbit.

Eutelsat Communications announced a multi-year agreement with Liquid Telecom, an independent data, voice and IP provider in Africa for multiple transponders on the Eutelsat 7B satellite.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) recently awarded Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) Space Systems multiple contracts to supply critical hardware for the Mars 2020 mission.

Airbus Defence and Space has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to build its next Earth Explorer mission, the Biomass satellite. Biomass is due to launch in 2021 and will measure forest biomass to assess terrestrial carbon stocks and fluxes for five years.

Paragon Space Development Corporation (Paragon) and partner Thin Red Line Aerospace (TRLA) received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from NASA to provide a unique solution that will extend the life of cryogenic upper stage rockets.

Airbus Group SE and Safran have signed an agreement for the second and final phase of their 50/50 joint venture, Airbus Safran Launchers.

Built for ESA by GomSpace in Denmark, the GomX-3 CubeSat was ejected from the International Space Station on 5 October 2015, along with a Danish student satellite. Since its launch, it has been tracking aircraft in flight across the entire globe.