Satellite News

The first launch of the Soyuz-ST-A rocket from the Kourou spaceport this year is scheduled for 28 November, the Progress Rocket and Space Center announced. The Soyuz-ST-A/Fregat-M is to loft the FalconEye 2 satellite.

ESA has signed the first three contracts with European economic operators arising from its permanently open call for proposals for commercial space transportation services.

Rocket Lab has announced its next Electron mission will feature a diverse range of payloads from the United States, France and New Zealand. The mission, which will be Rocket Lab’s 16th Electron launch, will lift-off from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula during a 14-day launch window that opens on 15 November UTC.

A decision on resuming launches of Start-1 rockets converted from Topol intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) is expected in the next twelve months, Chief Designer of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology (the Topol developer) Yuri Solomonov was quoted as saying.

The next three Gonets-M satellites are scheduled for launch on 24 November, two days ahead of the previous date, a spokesman for satellite operator Gonets was quoted as saying.

The second test launch of the Angara-A5 heavy rocket from the Plesetsk space centre in northwestern Russia was tentatively postponed from 24 November to 28 November, according to a rocket and space industry source.

Rocket: Electron/Curie; Payload: CE-SAT-IIB, nine SuperDove satellites; Date: 28 October 2020, 2121 UTC; Launch site: Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand. The Electron launch vehicle successfully deployed the 10 commercial small satellites to approx. 510 km x 524 km x 97.50 degrees Sun-synchronous orbits.

ISRO said its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C49) will launch the radar imaging satellite EOS-01 as a primary satellite along with nine international customer satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, on 7 November.