Satellite News

NOAA looks to test the capabilities of privately funded small satellites because a new NOAA Satellite Observing System Architecture study shows that future satellite instruments with lower cost and/or increased performance could provide significant benefit in NOAA’s future observing systems.

Airbus Defence and Space has been selected by Telesat as a major industrial partner to support their System Design and Risk Management phase for Telesat’s LEO constellation now in development.

Russia’s Energomash Scientific and Production Association will soon begin work with the RD-191 engine to boost the capacity of the Angara-A5M heavy carrier rocket, State Space Corporation Roskosmos Chief Dmitry Rogozin was quoted as saying.

Russia has signed a deal to sell more rocket engines to the United States despite heightened tensions between the two countries.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 4B; Payload: Gaofen-11; Date: 31 July 2018, 0300 UTC;Launch site: Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, China.

NASA and the U.S. Air Force have certified Russia’s RD-180 engines for Atlas V carrier rockets to used for manned spaceflight by U.S. astronauts, Igor Arbuzov, director general of Russia’s major rocket engine manufacturer JSC NPO Energomash, was quoted as saying.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 3B/Y1; Payload: Beidou-3M5, Beidou-3M6 [Beidou-33, Beidou-34]; Date: 29 July 2018, 0140 UTC; Launch site: Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China. The twin navigation satellites entered Medium Earth Orbit more than three hours after the launch.

Europe’s first mission to Mercury will target the early morning of 19 October for launch, Arianespace and ESA announced. Lift-off is anticipated for around 0145 UTC.