Satellite News

Northrop Grumman Corporation and Ball Aerospace successfully completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) Geosynchronous (GEO) mission payload.

Maxar Technologies announced another delay to the launch of its next-generation imagery satellites. “We have decided to delay the launch from the fourth quarter of 2021 into next year,” Maxar CEO Dan Jablonsky was quoted as saying.

Maxar Technologies announced the company will manufacture a new geostationary communications satellite for longtime customer SiriusXM. The SXM-9 satellite will be based on Maxar’s proven 1300-class platform and built at the company’s manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California. It is expected that SXM-9 will launch in 2024.

India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-F10 (GSLV-F10) will launch the Earth Observation Satellite, EOS-03 from the Second Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 6; Payload: KL-Beta-A and KL-Beta-B; Date: 4 August 2021, 1101 UTC; Launch site: Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, China. State media said the two multimedia satellites were deployed into pre-set orbit. According to U.S. tracking data, they achieved orbits of 899 km x 908 km x 88.99 degrees.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 3B/E; Payload: Zhongxing-2E; Date: 5 August 2021, 1630 UTC; Launch site: Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China. The satellite was likely placed into geostationary transfer orbit. No tracking data were immediately available.