Satellite News

The European Space Agency (ESA) has approved Airbus Defence and Space’s system design of the European Service Module (ESM) for the American human Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) Orion, containing the critical propulsion, power supply and components of the life-support systems of the spacecraft.

The flash memory Solid-State Recorder (SSR) products of Airbus Defense and Space have passed all NASA space qualification test requirements successfully. In addition, the company’s flash-based SSR has exceeded 20 months of operation in orbit onboard SPOT 6, the first commercial satellite to deploy this technology.

After eight years in orbit, ESA’s Venus Express has completed routine science observations and is preparing for a plunge into the planet’s hostile atmosphere.

QinetiQ has been awarded a contract extension for servicing the hardware components in the Columbus module, a component of the International Space Station (ISS) that houses various science laboratories and is the European Space Agency’s (ESA) biggest contribution to the ISS.

Thales Alenia Space announced that it has signed a contract with the Korean satellite service operator KT Sat, subsidiary of KT Corporation, to build two telecommunications satellites, Koreasat-7 and Koreasat-5A, winning the contract against an international field of competitors. The two satellites will provide Internet access, multimedia, broadcasting and fixed communications services.

The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) has announced two new satellite platforms, DFH-4E and DFH-5.

Dauria Aerospace, a multinational aerospace company providing global data, communication and remote sensing information, and Elecnor Deimos, the technology-focused subsidiary of Elecnor, announced a joint partnership to develop Deimos Perseus, the first satellite constellation to provide frequent imaging of the entire Earth.

Thaicom Public Company Limited, Thailand’s satellite operator, announced that its planned Thaicom 8 satellite will be launched in the first half of 2016.