Satellite News

The Angosat spacecraft built by Energia under a contract with the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technologies of the Republic of Angola has been delivered to the Baikonur launch site.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced that it has a prototype flight with Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne as a demonstration of the new launch service.

China is expected to complete its first sea launch for commercial payloads in 2018, said Yang Baohua, vice general manager of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASTC).

The second attempt to launch NOAA’s JPSS-1 satellite on 15 November at 0947 UTC was scrubbed due to excessive upper level winds. The team is working to establish a new launch opportunity.

SpaceX’s planned launch of a secret Zuma payload for the U.S. government has been delayed at least 24 hours to 16 November. SpaceX said that “Both Falcon 9 and the payload remain healthy; teams will use the extra day to conduct some additional mission assurance work in advance of launch.”

The launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta II carrying the JPSS-1 mission for NASA and NOAA was scrubbed today due to a red range and a late launch vehicle alarm.

Thales Alenia Space has signed a contract with ArianeGroup, prime contractor and design authority of Ariane 6, to design, develop, qualify and manufacture the telemetry transmitter of the new European launcher.

Russia’s State Space Corporation Roskosmos will receive the final design of a new RD-171MV engine intended for the first stage of the Soyuz-5 rocket until the end of the year, Head of Energomash Scientific and Production Association Igor Arbuzov was quoted as saying.