Satellite News

Reports suggest that the launch of Japan’s Superbird 8 aboard an Ariane 5 ECA, previously scheduled for 26 July, will be delayed after the satellite was damaged during its transport to French Guiana.

According to TASS news agency, Russia is close to an agreement with China that will allow the Chinese space programme to buy RD-180 engines. This agreement would in turn give Russia access to Chinese “micro radio electronics” for space purposes.

SES S.A. said it is pushing satellite innovation further to create new services and applications for customers. The future of satellite service is described in the new White Paper “Satellite Evolution Sparks a Service Revolution,” which focuses on the upcoming customer applications of new satellite technology, including Digital Signal Processing, satellite modularity, and satellite life extension services.

Spaceflight Industries announced it has secured $18 million of Series B financing led by technology growth investor Mithril Capital Management of San Francisco, in a round that is expected to raise up to US$25 million. The company also announced it has acquired Herndon, Virginia-based OpenWhere, Inc. to further enhance and execute on its BlackSky geospatial data platform for satellite imagery.

The 48-hour countdown for the launch of India’s Cartosat-2C and 19 other satellites, slated for 22 June UTC, has begun, the Indian space agency said.

Space Systems Loral (SSL) announced that the satellites launched on 18 June aboard an Ariane 5 ECA were both successfully performing post-launch manoeuvres according to plan.

Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo-Finmeccanica (33%), announced that it has signed a contract with RSCC (Russian Satellite Communication Company) to supply payloads for the Ekspress-80 and Ekspress-103 communications satellites.

RSC Energia specialists have successfully completed the manufacturing and developmental testing of the additional equipment to be installed in the Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) Nauka for the International Space Station (ISS). The module’s launch, however, has slipped another six months.