Satellite News

Airbus Defence and Space has finished construction of the first of the two GRACE-FO (GRACE = Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, FO = Follow-On) satellites in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The satellite will now be transferred to Ottobrunn near Munich for several months of operational testing in the IABG test centre.

ESA has selected Italian company Leonardo to build the main instrument for the upcoming FLEX satellite to study the health of Earth’s vegetation.

The launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V carrying the GOES-R weather satellite for NASA and NOAA is being rescheduled.

Orbital ATK said it has responded to NASA’s needs for enhanced schedule assurance for cargo deliveries and maximum capacity of critical supplies to the space station in 2017 by once again partnering with United Launch Alliance to launch Cygnus aboard an Atlas V for the upcoming OA-7 mission in the spring timeframe.

Antonianna, Lisa, Kimberley and Tijmen – the latest Galileo spacecraft for Europe’s satellite navigation constellation – have been integrated with their Ariane 5 launcher in French Guiana for a 17 November Arianespace mission.

The U.S. Navy’s fifth Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite has reached operational orbit and has successfully deployed its arrays and antennas.

Globalstar, Inc. announced its financial results for the quarter ending 30 September 2016.

Rocket: H-IIA No. 31; Payload: Himawari-9; Date: 2 November 2016, 0620 UTC; Launch site: Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. The launch vehicle flew as planned, and at approximately 27 minutes and 51 seconds after lift-off, the separation of Himawari-9 was confirmed.