Satellite News

More than 100 days after it launched, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite has reached its orbit position about 1.6 million km from Earth.

exactEarth Ltd., a majority-owned subsidiary of COM DEV International and provider of Satellite Automatic Identification System (AIS) data services, and Harris Corporation have formed an alliance to provide a new level of AIS data service that will deliver real-time global coverage for maritime vessel tracking.

Thales Alenia Space has expanded its presence in Europe by creating a new subsidiary in Poland, Thales Alenia Space Polska.

Airbus Defence and Space has signed a four year framework agreement with the Norwegian Defence Logistic Organisation (NDLO) for the provision of X-band satellite capacity and has committed to deliver up to 30 MHz of capacity annually on the Skynet military satellite constellation.

Rocket: Soyuz-2.1a; Payload: Kobalt-M #10 (Kosmos-2505); Date: 5 June 2015, 1524 UTC; Launch site: Plesetsk, Russia. The successful mission marked the return to flight for the Proton-2.1a after the loss of a Progress supply vessel on 28 April.

The Sentinel-2A satellite has been fuelled as preparations continue for its launch on Arianespace’s next Vega mission, which is scheduled for lift-off from French Guiana on 22 June.

Egypt has lost control of the remote sensing EgyptSat 2 Earth observation satellite. The spacecraft, constructed by RSC Energia for Egypt’s National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS), was launched from Baikonur on 16 April 2014.

COM DEV International Ltd. announced a new order to develop ferrite switch networks for an environmental satellite for a European customer. The initial Authorisation to Proceed (ATP) is valued at C$1.2 million, and is expected to lead to a full contract valued in excess of C$5 million. Work will be carried out at the company’s facilities in the United Kingdom through to the end of fiscal 2017.