Satellite News

The launch of the Russian-German Spektr-RG astrophysics observatory aboard a Proton-M with Blok DM-03 upper stage is planned for the first 10 days of April 2019.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 3B; Payload: Chang’e 4; Date: 7 December 2018, 1823 UTC; Launch site: Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China. The lunar rover is expected to make the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon sometime in January.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 2D; Payload: SaudiSat 5A, SaudiSat 5B, 10 microsatellites and nanosatellites; Date: 7 December 2018, 0412 UTC; Launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China. Officials declared the launch successful, according to China Great Wall Industry Corp.

For two times in a row, technical troubles have forced ULA to scrub a Delta IV Heavy launch attempt at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The rocket is to carry a classified U.S. National Reconnaissance Office satellite.

Inmarsat has entered into an agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) to be the first commercial customer to place an order for the new H3 launch vehicle.

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying a payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) will lift-off from Vandenberg Air Force Base on 8 December at 0419 UTC. The mission is designated NROL-71.

Rocket: Falcon 9; Payload: CRS-16; Date: 5 December 2018, 1816 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. The CRS cargo vessel successfully made it to orbit, which was the primary goal of the launch. However, the rocket’s first stage missed its goal of securing an upright landing on solid ground at Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1.

US small satellite launch company Rocket Lab is gearing up for the company’s third orbital launch of the year, the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa)-19 mission for NASA.