Satellite News

Northrop Grumman Corporation successfully conducted a full-scale static fire test of the second stage of its OmegA rocket in Promontory, Utah. Developed to support the U.S. Space Force’s National Security Space Launch programme, the OmegA Launch System remains on track for its first certification flight in spring 2021.

Northrop Grumman Corporation, along with NASA and Lockheed Martin, successfully completed its third and final qualification test of the Attitude Control Motor (ACM) for NASA’s Orion spacecraft Launch Abort System (LAS).

ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F10) will launch the Geo Imaging Satellite (GISAT-1) from the Second Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. The launch is tentatively scheduled at 1213 UTC on 5 March 2020, subject to weather conditions.

SpaceX is now targeting 7 March at 0450 UTC for launch of its 20th commercial resupply services mission (CRS-20) to the International Space Station.

Roskosmos reached the end of last year without a single accident, which was the first time in 16 years, thanks to its new corporate policy, Roskosmos head Dmitry Rogozin said at a conference of aerospace insurers.

The maiden flight of the Chang Zheng-5B rocket carrying a trial version of China’s new-generation manned spaceship is expected to take place in April, indicating the imminent start of construction of China’s space station.

Russia, Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates are planning to sign an agreement on upgrading launch site No. 1 at the Baikonur spaceport in the first half of this year, Chairman of the Aerospace Committee at Kazakhstan’s Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry Ministry Baubek Oralmagambetov was quoted as saying.

Rocket: Falcon 9; Payload: 60 Starlink satellites; Date: 17 February 2020, 1505 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. While the satellites were successfully deployed, the rocket’s first stage failed to land on a platform as planned.