Satellite News

This week’s Ariane 5 flight that will send BepiColombo on its way to the planet Mercury has been approved for lift-off on 20 October (UTC) following the launch readiness review held at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

US orbital launch provider Rocket Lab has confirmed it will build its first U.S. launch pad for the Electron rocket at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, USA.

Rocket: Atlas V 551; Payload: AEHF-4; Date: 17 October 2018, 0415 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. The satellite successfully separated from the launch vehicle three hours and 32 minutes after lift-off. Satellite Manufacturer Lockheed Martin confirmed signal acquisition at 0747 UTC.

Arianespace is to launch the National Advanced Optical System (NAOS) under the term of a turnkey contract between OHB Italia and the Luxembourg’s Directorate of Defence.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 3B/YZ1; Payload: Beidou-3M15, Beidou-3M16 [Beidou-39, Beidou-40]; Date: 15 October 2018, 0423 UTC; Launch site: Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, China. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed the mission to be a success four hours later, following direct insertion of the satellites into their intended medium Earth orbits (MEO).

The U.S. Air Force announced the award of three Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Launch Service Agreements to (in alphabetical order) Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (formerly Orbital ATK), and United Launch Alliance.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 2C/YZ-1S; Payload: two Yaogan-32 reconnaissance satellites (Yaogan Weixing-32 Group-1); Date: 10 October 2018, 0243 UTC; Launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, China. Success of the launch was confirmed within 40 minutes by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

Japan’s ELSA-d satellite intended to demonstrate the project of capturing and removing space junk from orbit is expected to be launched aboard a Russian Soyuz-2 rocket from the Baikonur spaceport in early 2020, the Glavkosmos Launch Services operator said.