Satellite News

The production of Airbus’ four new very high resolution satellites, which together will form the Pleiades Neo constellation, is well on schedule for launch in 2020.

Arianespace and EUMETSAT have announced the signature of a contract entrusting Arianespace with the launch of the first two Metop-SG satellites of the EUMETSAT Polar System of Second Generation (EPS-SG), plus an option for the launch of a third satellite, to be performed from the Guiana Space Center – Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Six Space Systems Loral (SSL)-built small satellites for Planet’s Earth observation constellation have arrived at Vandenberg AFB for launch.

Boeing said it will design and build seven super-powered medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites for SES, delivering efficient high-performance data communications services.

Orbital ATK announced significant progress on the industry’s first commercial in-space satellite servicing system. The Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1) spacecraft successfully completed its critical design review earlier this year and is now in production with about 75% of the platform and payload components already delivered to the company’s Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Virginia.

SSL announced that NASA has awarded the next phase of funding for its Dragonfly on-orbit satellite assembly programme.

Tesat-Spacecom GmbH & Co. KG and BridgeSat, Inc. announced an agreement to jointly develop a solution enabling interoperability between Tesat’s heritage Laser Communications Terminals (LCT) and BridgeSat’s global optical communications ground network.

The Atlas V carrying the NROL-42 mission scheduled for 14 September from Vandenberg Air Force Base, USA, has been postponed. The launch vehicle and spacecraft are healthy and secure.