Satellite News

The Russian space agency Roskosmos is suspending co-operation with Europe on launches from the Kourou cosmodrome and is recalling its employees from French Guiana in response to sanctions imposed by the European Union. In related news, the United States may be excluded from the Venera-D joint project with Roskosmos due to the U.S. sanctions affecting the Russian space industry. The impact on OneWeb launches aboard Soyuz rockets from Russia remains unclear so far.

Intelsat S.A. announced that it has successfully completed and emerged from its financial restructuring process as a private company with a substantially strengthened capital structure.

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket is in final preparations to launch the GOES-T mission for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA. The launch, managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) based at Kennedy Space Center, is on track for 1 March from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Launch is planned for 2138 UTC.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 8; Payload: 22 smallsats; Date: 27 February 2022, 2344 UTC; Launch site: Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, China. The spacecraft were deployed into approx. 525 km × 574 km × 97.52 degrees Sun-synchronous orbit.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 4C; Payload: L-SAR 01B; Date: 26 February 2022, 2344 UTC; Launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China. The satellite was deployed into a 595 km × 601 km × 97.81 degrees Sun-synchronous orbit.

Rocket: Falcon 9; Payload: 50 Starlink satellites; Date: 25 February 2022, 1712 UTC; Launch site: Vandenberg Space Force Base, USA.