Satellite News

Rocket: Falcon 9; Payload: COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM2; Date: 31 January 2022, 1111 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, USA. Fifteen minutes after the separation from its launcher, the satellite was acquired and controlled by Telespazio’s Space Centre based in Fucino.

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On 27 January 2022, scientists from the two premier laboratories of India’s Department of Space (DOS), viz. Space Applications Centre (SAC) and Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), both from the city of Ahmedabad, have jointly demonstrated quantum entanglement based real time Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) over 300 m atmospheric channel along with quantum-secure text, image transmission and quantum-assisted two-way video calling.

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Thales Alenia Space announced that it has signed a contract with the South Korean aerospace manufacturer and defence company, LIG Nex1 Co., Ltd., to provide a Digital Processor for the GEO-KOMPSAT-3 communications satellite.

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Russia’s Tactical Missiles Corporation is developing a manoeuvrable vehicle capable of deorbiting space junk, company deputy CEO for corporate development and investment Vadim Khromov was quoted as saying.

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NASA conducted its first RS-25 engine hot fire test of the new year on 19 January on the Fred Haise Test Stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

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Honeybee Robotics announced that it will be acquired by Blue Origin. With major operations in Longmont, Colorado and Altadena, California, Honeybee will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Blue Origin, headquartered in Kent, Washington.

D-Orbit S.p.A., an Italy-based space logistics and transportation company, announced that it will become publicly listed through a business combination with Briz Holdings Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company [SPAC]. The transaction values the company at an enterprise value of approximately US$1.28 billion (€1.13 billion) post-money.

Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc. and JAXA, as part of the agency’s Space Innovation through Partnership and Co-creation (J-SPARC) programme, have successfully conducted an experiment to transfer a complete data file in a simulated low-quality and error-prone communications environment.