Satellite News

NovelSat, a technology company that develops and manufactures satellite-based video and content transmission solutions, announced that it has received a grant from the BIRD Foundation for its co-operation with igolgi, which specialises in developing compression solutions for video delivery.

Virgin Galactic and Social Capital Hedosophia, a public investment vehicle sponsored by Social Capital and Hedosophia, announced that the boards of directors of each company have approved a definitive agreement under which VG and SCH will merge, with the current shareholders of SCH expected to own up to approximately 49% of the combined company. Upon closing of the transaction, which is expected in the second half of 2019, VG will be introduced as a publicly traded company.

The second next-generation, Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellite – nick-named “Magellan” by the U.S. Air Force — is sealed up and ready for its planned launch on 25 July.

NASA has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for the agency’s Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission, which will allow astronomers to discover, for the first time, the hidden details of some of the most exotic astronomical objects in our universe.

The French Space Agency (CNES) has awarded the CO3D (Constellation Optique 3D) contract to Airbus. Under this agreement, Airbus will deliver a global high-resolution Digital Surface Model (DSM).

The latest ESA Partnership Projects mission has launched two tiny supercomputing nanosatellites aboard a Soyuz rocket from Vostochny in Russia.

The ESAIL microsatellite developed under ESA’s programme for tracking ships at sea is going through its final tests ahead of launch.

The Defense Innovation Unit of the Pentagon has announced a call for ideas for a small, autonomous military space station.