Satellite News

The U.S. Space Force will take over satellite communications billets, funding and mission responsibility from the U.S. Army and Navy, the U.S. Department of Defense announced.

Honeywell has added three new products to its lineup of space offerings. The newest additions include Honeywell’s X Band Downlink Transmitter and Optical Communication Terminal (OCT), which enable high-bandwidth data to be transmitted both down to Earth and between satellites. Additionally, Honeywell is debuting a new line of Commercial Series reaction wheel assemblies (RWAs) specifically designed for commercial space satellites.

NASA has selected Aerojet Rocketdyne to build the Orion Main Engine (OME), the primary propulsion element for NASA’s Orion spacecraft that will be used to explore deep space.

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has signed two contracts with ArianeGroup to deliver technology to Europe’s new Ariane 6 launcher, managed and funded by the European Space Agency (ESA).

5G satellite operator OQ Technology has revealed six pending patent applications in the USA and in Europe that will improve satellite-based IoT and M2M communications in remote locations.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has awarded Kymeta Corporation a U.S. Patent for its multi-beam antenna configuration, enabling redundant, simultaneous, multi-orbit satellite connectivity.

Xplore Inc., a commercial space company providing Space as a Service, announced it has received a US$2 million contract from National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC) within the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). This funding will accelerate the development of the Xcraft spacecraft platform, culminating with launch in 2023.

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) concluded a successful two-year on-orbit research mission for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).