Satellite News

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its commercial space policy, which sets a broad framework for use of commercial space-based approaches for the agency.

Kymeta Corporation announced it has closed a US$62 million Series D financing. The funds will support the company’s ongoing efforts to build innovative, smart antennas that will bring high-speed and high-bandwidth satellite connectivity to anything that moves.

Roskosmos will cut spending on servicing the International Space Station (ISS) in 2016-2025 by almost RUB30 billion [US$394 million], the Izvestiya daily reported.

China will conduct more than 20 space missions this year, including a manned one and the maiden flights of two rockets, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CAST).

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. announced that it has signed a contract in excess of C$20 million with Thales Alenia Space, prime contractor for the O3b constellation, to provide 96 communication antenna subsystems.

A British consortium led by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has been awarded a grant from Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, to co-fund the development of a novel High Test Peroxide (HTP) propulsion system.

Rosetta’s lander Philae has remained silent since 9 July 2015. With every passing day, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is getting further and further away from the Sun, and as such, temperatures are falling on the comet’s surface. Things are getting critical for Philae: conditions are predicted to be “lander-hostile” – too cold – by the end of January.

The first 2016 delivery of an Ariane 5 to French Guiana has occurred, with elements of the heavy-lift vehicle arriving for an early March launch of Eutelsat’s Eutelsat 65 West relay satellite.