Satellite News

Orbital ATK, Inc. has been awarded a contract by NASA to design and build Landsat 9, an advanced land surface mapping satellite to be operated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Mission controllers commanded Juno to exit safe mode on 24 October with confirmation of safe mode exit received on the ground at 1705 UTC.

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has identified new markings on the surface of the Red Planet that are believed to be related to ESA’s ExoMars Schiaparelli entry, descent and landing technology demonstrator module.

Thaicom Public Company Limited announced that its subsidiary, International Satellite Company Limited (ISC) has entered into a satellite procurement contract with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC).

Essential data from the ExoMars Schiaparelli lander sent to its mothership Trace Gas Orbiter during the module’s descent to the Red Planet’s surface yesterday has been downlinked to Earth and is currently being analysed by experts.

The Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) of ESA’s ExoMars 2016 has successfully performed the long 139-minute burn required to be captured by Mars and entered an elliptical orbit around the Red Planet, while contact has not yet been confirmed with the mission’s test lander from the surface.

Thales Alenia Space has opened a facility in Belfast, Northern Ireland, that will expand Europe’s capability with satellites that rely wholly on electric propulsion.

NASA’s Juno spacecraft entered safe mode on 19 October at about 0547 UTC. Early indications are a software performance monitor induced a reboot of the spacecraft’s onboard computer.