Satellite News

The UK Space Agency has selected Lockheed Martin to help implement its vision for the UK Spaceflight Programme.

NASA awarded Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information and Services business US$59 million for additional work on NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System Common Ground System project. The changes are necessary to launch America’s next polar satellite, JPSS-2, in 2021.

Europe’s next Galileo satellites have been put in place on top of the Ariane 5 launcher due to lift them from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on 25 July.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have announced a launch date for the H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 7 (H-IIB F7) which carries aboard the H-II Transfer Vehicle “KOUNOTORI7” (HTV7), the cargo transporter to the International Space Station (ISS).

A high thrust version of the Vikas Engine was successfully qualified through a ground test for a duration of 195 seconds at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri, Tamilnadu.

NanoRacks successfully completed the 14th CubeSat Deployment mission from the company’s commercially developed platform on the International Space Station. Having released nine CubeSats into low-Earth orbit, this mission marks NanoRacks’ 185th CubeSat released from the Space Station, and 217th small satellite deployed by NanoRacks overall.

Northrop Grumman chairman and chief executive officer Wes Bush announced that he will step down from the position of chief executive officer effective 1 January 2019. He will remain chairman through July 2019.

U.S. orbital launch provider Rocket Lab has confirmed plans to expand its launch capability by developing a U.S. launch site, with four U.S. space ports shortlisted to launch the Electron rocket.