Satellite News

The Independent Inquiry Board formed to analyse the causes of the anomaly occurring during the orbital injection of satellites in the Galileo constellation by a Soyuz rocket launched from the Guiana Space Center on 22 August has announced its definitive conclusions.

Communications with the STEREO Behind spacecraft were interrupted on 1 October immediately after a planned reset of the spacecraft performed as part of a test of solar conjunction operations.

Airbus Defence and Space has been selected by ESA to design and build the ICI (Ice Cloud Imager) instruments to be launched on-board the future MetOp-SG (Second Generation) series satellites. The contract, worth a total of around EUR90 million, has been awarded to supply the ICI instruments for the MetOp-SG series of satellites.

Venezuela’s third satellite, named after independence hero Antonio Jose de Sucre, will have remote sensing capacities and support such strategic areas as health, energy, food security, border surveillance and agricultural planning, according to Venezuela’s head of planning and information, Ricardo Menendez.

China plans to launch of a series of maritime surveillance satellites to monitor ships, drilling platforms, coastal and sea resources and natural disasters in 2019.

Eutelsat Communications and Orange have concluded a multi-year agreement for C-band capacity on the Eutelsat 3B satellite that broadens Orange’s satellite capabilities across Africa.