Satellite News

Rocket: Antares; Payload: Cygnus; Date: 3 October 2020, 0116 UTC; Launch site: Wallops Flight Facility, USA. After the nine minute ascent, the S.S. Kalpana Chawla, named for the first woman of Indian descent to fly in space, was deployed into orbit.

SpaceX scrubbed the launch of a GPS III satellite from Florida on 3 October (UTC) two seconds before the planned lift-off, just as the engine ignition sequence was beginning.

Momentus Inc. announced a launch service agreement for deploying Skykraft’s microsatellite on Vigoride’s mission in June 2021. Skykraft’s spacecraft is a pathfinder for a future large LEO constellation, and will be deployed via a new separation ring named EOS and developed by MECANO ID under a CNES contract thanks to the partial financing of the Future Investment Plan.

The qualification test of the Zefiro 9 VT3 engine, an advanced version of the third stage propulsion system already in use on the Vega launcher and specifically enhanced and customised for the new Vega C, was successfully completed recently.

Russia’s new GLONASS-K2 satellites will guarantee navigation accuracy of less than 30 centimeters, the general designer of the GLONASS system, Sergey Karutin, was quoted as saying. Also, a high-orbit segment will be added to the navigation satellite system starting in 2025.

Boeing has received one of three development contracts to build a satellite payload prototype and develop a new secure, resilient satellite communications architecture for the U.S. Space Force’s Evolved Strategic SATCOM (ESS) programme.

Thales Alenia Space has delivered a Ka-band transponder (KaT) to the European Space Agency (ESA) for integration in the 3GM, or Gravity & Geophysics of Jupiter and Galilean Moons radio package.

GomSpace A/S and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed a contract to continue the development of the GOMX-5 mission. focused on demonstrating new nanosatellite capabilities in space, particularly for next generation constellations in Low Earth Orbit.