Satellite News

The Progress Rocket and Space Center (RCC, part of Russian space corporation Roskosmos), together with S7 Space (operator of the Sea Launch project), have begun to work on the parameters of a rocket for the Sea Launch project, a spokesperson with the centre said.

China’s heaviest and most advanced satellite, Shijian-20, has reached its fixed position in geosynchronous orbit, marking the first successful flight of DFH-5 satellite platform, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said they were last able to communicate with their ASTERIA cubesat, designed to search for planets outside the solar system, on 5 December.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is ready to launch its GSAT-30, a heavy communication satellite on 16 January (UTC) from Kourou, French Guiana. GSAT-30 will launch on board an Ariane-5.

Russia’s state space corporation Roskosmos has scheduled launches of over 40 space rockets in 2020, Roskosmos said. Chinese space launches are also expected to exceed 40, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said on Thursday it signed with the Israeli government to build the country’s next communication satellite.

The Shenyang Institute of Automation (SIA) announced that China’s first solar sail, SIASAIL-I (aka Xiaoxiang 1-07 and TY 1-07), has successfully verified a number of key technologies in orbit, a big breakthrough in China’s solar sail development.

China will finish the construction of the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3), with another two geostationary orbit satellites to be launched before June 2020, according to BDS spokesperson Ran Chengqi.