Satellite News

Aerojet Rocketdyne has been selected by the NASA Advanced Exploration Systems Division to start negotiations for a contract to design and demonstrate an advanced propulsion system that would enable human spaceflight to cislunar space and beyond to Mars.

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC) has signed a sponsored research agreement with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for the development of the Space Solar Power Initiative (SSPI). Under the terms of the agreement, Northrop Grumman will provide up to US$17.5 million to the initiative over three years.

Orbital ATK, Inc. announced it delivered the SKY MEXICO-1 (SKYM-1, formerly also knopwn as DTH) satellite to the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana for its DirecTV customer.

Thales Alenia Space announced the successful completion of the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the Koreasat-7 and Koreasat-5A satellites.

COM DEV International Ltd. announced that it has signed a contract to provide payload equipment for a commercial satellite that will offer a range of communications services to a portion of the Asian market.

NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have started work on Landsat 9, planned to launch in 2023, which will extend the Earth-observing programme’s record of land images to half a century.

NASA’s MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) will impact the planet’s surface, most likely on 30 April after it runs out of propellant.

Northrop Grumman Corporation reached another major milestone for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope this week, with the delivery of the Deployable Tower Assembly (DTA).