Satellite News

The launch of an Astra Space rocket from Florida was aborted by onboard systems on 7 January after the ignition of the rocket’s engine, moments before lift-off. A new date has not been announced so far.

Sidus Space, Inc., a Space-as-a-Service satellite company focused on commercial satellite design, manufacture, launch, and data collection, announced a strategic partnership with Red Canyon Software, Inc. (Red Canyon) to support the LizzieSat constellation of 100 satellites.

A new type of large, fully-composite, linerless cryogenic fuel tank, designed and manufactured by Boeing, passed a critical series of tests at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center at the end of 2021. The successful test campaign proves the new technology is mature, safe and ready for use in aerospace vehicles.

The planned launch of an Astra Space rocket from Florida was scrubbed on 5 January after the failure of ground equipment needed to launch. A new date has not been announced so far.

Rocket: Soyuz-2.1a; Payload: Kosmos 2553; Date: 5 January 2022, 0700 UTC; Launch site: Plesetsk, Russia. According to the Russian Defence Ministry, all pre-launch operations and the launch itself went normally.

Leaf Space, a provider of ground segment as-a-service (GSaaS) solutions, announced that it has established successful communications with all 13 satellites from five different customers including D-Orbit, NanoAvionics, Kepler Communications, Sen and Fossa Systems, that the company supported on SpaceX’s latest Transporter-3 rideshare mission.

Rocket maker Skyroot Aerospace Private Ltd’s Vikram-1 rocket is slated to lift off from a mobile launch pad or transporter, erector and launcher (TEL), a company official said. The Hyderabad-based company is planning to test launch its rocket with a couple of satellites by the end of this year, he added.

Orbex has submitted its application to the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for a launch licence, the latest stage on its roadmap to beginning commercial space launches from the UK.