Satellite News

Six Space Systems Loral (SSL)-built small satellites for Planet’s Earth observation constellation have arrived at Vandenberg AFB for launch.

Boeing said it will design and build seven super-powered medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites for SES, delivering efficient high-performance data communications services.

Orbital ATK announced significant progress on the industry’s first commercial in-space satellite servicing system. The Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1) spacecraft successfully completed its critical design review earlier this year and is now in production with about 75% of the platform and payload components already delivered to the company’s Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Virginia.

SSL announced that NASA has awarded the next phase of funding for its Dragonfly on-orbit satellite assembly programme.

The Atlas V carrying the NROL-42 mission scheduled for 14 September from Vandenberg Air Force Base, USA, has been postponed. The launch vehicle and spacecraft are healthy and secure.

Rocket: Falcon 9; Payload: OTV-5 (X-37B); Date: 7 September 2017, 1400 UTC; Launch site: Kennedy Space Center, USA. The Boeing-built X-37B spaceplane arrived in orbit shortly after lift-off. No orbital parameters were released.

ULA is expected to confirm plans to buy five previously banned Russian rocket engines by late September, the Kommersant business daily reported, citing unidentified sources close to the Russian engine manufacturer Energomash.

Just after the ignition of Ariane 5’s main stage Vulcain engine, the on-board computer detected an anomaly affecting electrical equipment on one of the two solid-propellant boosters. This anomaly led to an interruption of the automated lift-off sequence.