Satellite News

SSL announced that it is leveraging Maxar’s combined capabilities for a contract to define requirements for a small form-factor satellite that will monitor and measure methane emissions from oil and gas facilities around the world.

China’s Chang’e-4 probe has started carrying out a series of scientific research tasks involving multiple countries and organisations since it landed on the far side of the moon on 3 January, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced.

China’s Chang’e-4 probe has started carrying out a series of scientific research tasks involving multiple countries and organisations since it landed on the far side of the moon on 3 January, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced.

ESA’s Hera mission concept, currently under study, would be humanity’s first mission to a binary asteroid: the 800 m-diameter Didymos is accompanied by a 170 m-diameter secondary body. The spacecraft will carry two tiny CubeSats for deployment around – and eventual landing on – the Didymos asteroids.

The University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) announced the successful launch of three formation-flying microsatellites built by SFL under contract to Deep Space Industries for HawkEye 360 Inc. The microsatellites were launched last year into low Earth orbit on 3 December 2018, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

Maxar Technologies Inc. reported that its WorldView-4 satellite (formerly known as GeoEye-2) experienced a failure in its control moment gyros (“CMGs”), preventing the satellite from collecting imagery due to the loss of an axis of stability.

The launch of Russia’s Progress MS-11 to the ISS has been rescheduled to 4 April, a space industry source was quoted as saying.

Frost & Sullivan forecasts an estimated launch demand for 11,746 small satellites for new constellation installations and replacement missions by 2030. Such demand would take the small-satellite launch services market past the US$69 billion mark and present significant growth opportunities throughout the industry.