Satellite News

The U.S. Air Force announced the award of the second competitively sourced National Security Space (NSS) launch services contract in more than a decade. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) was awarded a contract for Global Positioning System (GPS) III Launch Services.

Eutelsat 172B, the first high power all-electric telecommunications satellite, is now ready for shipment on 20 March from the Airbus satellite assembly facility in Toulouse to Kourou, French Guiana for Eutelsat. The satellite will be launched into orbit on an Ariane 5 in April, and will provide enhanced telecommunications, in-flight broadband and broadcast services for the Asia-Pacific region.

SES announced that the SES-15 satellite has arrived at the European space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, in preparation for its launch by a Soyuz vehicle in April 2017.

Zero 2 Infinity, a company specialised in Space transportation systems based in Barcelona, Spain, said it successfully launched its first rocket from a balloon on 1 March.

SpaceX has postponed the launch of EchoStar 23 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center, scheduled for 14 March (UTC), owing to high winds.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has delayed the launch of an H-IIA rocket with the Information Gathering Satellite (IGS) Radar 5 reconnaissance satellite from Tanegashima Space Center.

Activity is continuing for Arianespace’s next flight – an Ariane 5 dual-payload mission on 21 March (UTC) with the SGDC and Koreasat-7 telecommunications satellites, to be performed from the Spaceport in French Guiana.

United Launch Alliance has announced new tentative launch dates for the company’s Delta IV and Atlas V rockets.