Satellite News

The Vulcain 2.1 engine, developed by ArianeGroup to power the main stage of the Ariane 6 launcher, for which the maiden flight is scheduled for 2020, has just been successfully tested by the DLR (German Aerospace Center) on the P5 test facility at its site in Lampoldshausen, Germany on behalf of ArianeGroup.

Iridium Communications Inc. announced that the fifth Iridium NEXT launch has been targeted by SpaceX for 18 March 2018 at 1519 UTC from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced that it has assumed responsibility for the marketing and sales of Atlas V from Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 11; Payload: Jilin-1 Video 07, Jilin-1 Video 08; Date: 19 January 2018, 0412 UTC; Launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China. The rocket also carried four small piggyback satellites.

Rocket: Atlas V; Payload: SBIRS GEO Flight 4; Date: 20 January 2018, 0048 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. Signal acquisition was confirmed approximately 37 minutes after lift-off .

Rocket: Electron ‘Still Testing’; Payload: one Dove, two Lemur-2 satellites; Date: 21 January 2018, 0145 UTC; Launch site: Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand. Following successful first and second stage burns, Electron reached orbit and deployed customer payloads at 8 minutes and 31 seconds after lift-off.

The Ariane 5 for Arianespace’s upcoming mission from French Guiana is now complete following integration of its two satellite passengers: SES-14 for operator SES and Yahsat’s Al Yah 3 – both of which will be delivered to geostationary transfer orbit on a flight planned for 25 January.

Rocket: Epsilon-3; Payload: ASNARO-2; Date: 17 January 2018, 2106 UTC; Launch site: Uchinoura Space Center, Japan. The launch and flight of Epsilon-3 took place normally. Approximately 52 minutes 35 seconds into the flight, the separation of ASNARO-2 proceeded, with confirmation as successful.