Satellite News

Iridium Communications Inc. announced the successful completion of the first testing phase of the Iridium NEXT platform software. Developed by Thales Alenia Space, the platform software will manage all flight functions on Iridium NEXT satellites, including such systems as power management, solar array positioning, propulsion operations, navigation and attitude control.

China has successfully de-orbited its geostationary Fengyun-2C weather satellite.

ATK and NASA have announced an agreement to support near-term core technologies for Satellite Life Extension, Robotic Satellite Repair, and Satellite Refuelling.

The latest Galileo navigation satellite will undergo a full checkout in Europe’s largest satellite test facility to prove its readiness for space.

Millennium Space Systems announced the completion of structural qualification of its AQUILA M8 satellite structure. AQUILA M8–under development for a confidential customer–joins Millennium’s AQUILA platform product line, supporting missions of up to 3000 kg total mass in low, medium and geostationary Earth orbits (LEO, MEO and GEO).

Inmarsat-2 F2, the second Eurostar satellite designed and built by Airbus Defence and Space, was retired from operational service and safely decommissioned this week after completing a record breaking flawless commercial mission in geostationary orbit of 23.5 years.

NASA’s planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft makes a comeback with the discovery of the first exoplanet found using its new mission — K2. The discovery was made when astronomers and engineers devised an ingenious way to repurpose Kepler for the K2 mission and continue its search of the cosmos for other worlds.

Researchers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center recently assembled an engineering model Stirling power system using valuable assets that became available after the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) flight project was cancelled in late 2013.