Finance

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) plans to reach a launch cadence of 18 liftoffs per year by 2018 or 2019, according to officials. To accelerate launch operations, the agency intends to outsource to more companies in the Indian space industry, including the possibility of building a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) with industry partners....

#ICYMI yesterday we successfully launched 10 @planetlabs satellites aboard our #MinotaurC rocket from @30thSpaceWing! pic.twitter.com/pkLlbV7ZXo — Orbital ATK (@OrbitalATK) November 1, 2017 Orbital ATK announced that its Minotaur C rocket — formerly known as Taurus — successfully launched 10 commercial spacecraft for Planet in the afternoon hours of Halloween, Oct. 31. The rocket lifted off...

SpaceX successfully relanded yet another Falcon 9 first stage booster after delivering the Koreasat 5A satellite to orbit for South Korean operator KT Sat on Oct. 30. The rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:34 p.m. EDT, deployed the satellite to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), and then gently touched down...

Iridium has reached an agreement with SpaceX to use flight-proven first stages for its next two satellite launches. The company announced it confirmed with its insurers that there is no increase in premium for the launch contract, reflecting Iridium’s conclusion that the risk profile is unchanged. “I believe that reusability is the future for satellite...

Nanosatellite launch provider Vector has entered into an agreement with Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority (Virginia Space) to conduct three commercial orbital missions out of Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) in the next 24 months with an option for five additional launches. According to Vector, these initial flights from MARS — which is located...

First hotfire of our BE-4 engine is a success #GradatimFerociter pic.twitter.com/xuotdzfDjF — Blue Origin (@blueorigin) October 19, 2017 After more than five years of development, Blue Origin has successfully completed a hot-fire test of its liquid natural gas-powered BE-4 rocket engine. Blue Origin Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jeff Bezos’ grand scheme is to use the...

NASA announced it has selected launch providers for both its Sentinel 6A and Landsat 9 missions. SpaceX plans to launch the Sentinel 6A mission from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in November 2020. United Launch Alliance (ULA) is targeting a launch date of June 2021 for Landsat 9 on an...

Israel-based satellite operator Spacecom has selected SpaceX to launch a new satellite in the second quarter of 2019, and potentially another satellite the year after. According to an Oct. 18 press release, Spacecom will use the funds from SpaceX’s failed attempt to launch Amos 6 last year to cover the costs of launching the first...

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filings have revealed that SpaceX plans to launch an undisclosed payload for Northrop Grumman sometime in November. While it is assumed the satellite will be used for government operations, no official agency has stepped forward to claim the payload, including the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which has launched multiple spy satellites...

After a number of launch delays due to weather and technical malfunctions, United Launch Alliance (ULA) orbited a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in the early hours of Oct. 15. Designated NROL 52, the mission is in support of national security, and as such NRO declined to release further details about the payload....