Satellite News

Aerojet Rocketdyne was awarded a contract by NASA to restart production of the RS-25 engine for the Space Launch System.

NASA has selected Virgin Galactic as a partner in its Collaborative Opportunities programme.

Aerojet Rocketdyne has signed a contract with Boeing valued at nearly US$200 million. Under its Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) subcontract to Boeing, Aerojet Rocketdyne is completing the design, development, qualification, certification and initial production of the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 “Starliner” service module propulsion system.

Telstar 12 VANTAGE, built by Airbus Defence and Space for Telesat, is scheduled for launch on 24 November between 0623 and 0807 UTC on an H-IIA launch vehicle from Japan.

The U. S. Air Force awarded launch services contracts for the National Reconnaissance Office’s NROL-52 and NROL-71 missions to United Launch Alliance on the existing Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Phase 1 Block Buy contract.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 3B/G2; Payload: LaoSat-1; Date: 20 November 2015, 1607 UTC; Launch site: Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China.

The latest satellite for the European Commission’s Copernicus environmental programme has left France bound for the Plesetsk launch site in Russia and launch late next month.

NASA placed its first mission order from SpaceX to launch astronauts from U.S. soil. This is the second in a series of four guaranteed orders NASA will make under the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts. Boeing received its first crew mission order in May.