Satellite News

China has successfully tested technology that can control the landing sites of falling rocket fairings, according to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT).

The launch of first Russia’s next-generation GLONASS-K2 navigation satellite has been postponed until 2022, a rocket and space industry source was quoted as saying by Tass news agency.

ESA will further increase the competitiveness and environmental sustainability of Europe’s Vega launch system beyond 2025 through a contract, worth €118.8 million, signed with Avio in Italy.

Rocket: Proton M; Payload: Nauka (‘Science’) a.k.a. Mnogozelewoi Laboratorny Modul (MLM); Date: 21 July 2021, 1458 UTC; Launch site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The Nauka module separated from the rocket after a flight of less than 10 minutes as planned and will now ignite its engines to approach the International Space Station (ISS).

The launch of Landsat 9 is scheduled to launch 16 September 2021, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket from Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

ESA said that companies with small satellites are set to benefit from a new end-to-end space transportation service offering additional in-orbit flexibility proposed by D-Orbit and supported through the agency’s Boost! programme.

The sixth Arianespace launch of 2021 with the first Ariane 5 of the year, scheduled for 30 July, will orbit two geostationary telecommunications satellites, Embratel’s Star One D2 and Eutelsat QUANTUM.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 2C; Payload: three Yaogan-30-10 satellites, Tianqi-15; Date: 19 July 2021, 0019 UTC; Launch site: Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China. The spacecraft were deployed into approx. 590 km x 601 km x 35.00 degrees orbits.