Satellite News

Rocket: Astra Rocket 3.3; Payload: Astra-1 (three smallsats); Date: 15 March 2022, 1622 UTC; Launch site: Pacific Spaceport Complex Kodiak, USA. The payloads were deployed successfully in their target orbit.

GMV has signed a new contract with Spain’s INTA (Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial) for the corrective maintenance of the main elements of the Paz satellite’s ground segment.

On 14 March 2022, GOES-T executed its final engine burn, placing the satellite in geostationary orbit. Upon reaching this milestone, GOES-T was renamed GOES-18. GOES satellites are designated with a letter prior to launch and a number once they achieve geostationary orbit.

The ground testing of the newly developed solid booster stage (SS1) for the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), the new launch vehicle of ISRO, was carried out on 14 March 2022 at Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota.

Astra Space, Inc. and Spaceflight Inc. announced a multi-launch contract. The first launch under this contract was planned for 14 March 2022 but has been delayed to 15 March owing to bad weather. This agreement provides Spaceflight with launch opportunities using Astra’s launch services through 2025.

The CO2M mission, a key mission in the European Earth observation programme Copernicus, has successfully completed its satellite Preliminary Design Review (PDR). This milestones confirms that the preliminary design of the CO2M satellites is in line with the customers’ requirements and the mission can proceed to the C/D development phase.

Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), the prime institution responsible for defence-related research in Norway, has awarded a contract to Exolaunch to launch its ARCSAT satellite aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9.

MDA Ltd. announced that it is receiving C$269 million from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) for the next phase of the Canadarm3 programme.