Satellite News

Planet Labs PBC has partnered with SynMax, a Houston-based satellite analytics and intelligence company, to provide data-informed insights on the energy industry within the United States and monitor the movements of dark vessels around the globe.

TransAstra, a provider of orbital logistics and space domain awareness solutions, and ReOrbit, a provider of software-defined small satellites for beyond LEO missions, announced that they have signed binding contracts for initial spacecraft development and orbital logistics services.

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Kleos Space S.A. confirmed the first two Patrol Mission satellites (KSF2-C and KSF2-D) have been successfully deployed from D-Orbit’s orbital transfer vehicle, ION Satellite Carrier, and contact has been established. The remaining two Patrol satellites (KSF2-A and KSF3-B) are expected to be deployed into a different orbit from the transfer vehicle in the coming weeks to establish the four satellites’ formation.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, built in partnership with Northrop Grumman Corporation, is one step closer to being fully commissioned. Enabled by Northrop Grumman cryocooler technology, the system has cooled the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to its operational cryogenic temperature.

MSG-1 (also called Meteosat-8) has broken all records for longevity, logging 19 years, 7 months and 12 days in orbit to date. MSG-1 was launched back in August 2002, followed by MSG-2, MSG-3 and MSG-4 in December 2005, July 2012 and July 2015, respectively.

Astra Space, Inc. and LeoStella LLC announced a contract for Astra to provide multiple Astra Spacecraft Engines for LeoStella satellites. Astra is expected to begin delivering the propulsion systems later this year and into 2023.

L3Harris Technologies has been awarded a contract by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) for an advanced study which will significantly improve the accuracy and timing of Japan’s weather forecasting.

Orbit Fab and Neutron Star Systems (NSS) established a co-operative agreement for co-development of satellite refuelling solutions with green propellants. The agreement lays the foundation to increase the range of refuellable propellants by combining NSS propellant-agnostic electric propulsion technology with Orbit Fab’s refuelling interfaces and tankers.