Finance

[Via Satellite 11-28-2016] Orbital ATK has completed its sixth cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station for NASA the company announced on Nov. 28. Known as OA-5, the mission marked the company’s return to flight operations from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia, and the second time Cygnus has been used as...

[Via Satellite 11-23-2016] NASA has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for the agency’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission. NASA targets launch for April 2021 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, according to a statement released by the agency. The total...

[Via Satellite 11-23-2016] China successfully launched its Tianlian I-04 satellite on Nov. 22, from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, according to the country’s state-run news organization Xinhua. The satellite launched on a Long March-3C carrier rocket at 11:24 p.m. Beijing time, sources with the Xichang Satellite Launch Center told Xinhua....

It’s no secret that every launch services provider is working on new rockets. The industry has entered a time of accelerated change, with SpaceX being a far from inconsequential reason. But more factors than just SpaceX are stirring up change. Satellites, as well as operator expectations, are evolving, and as a result, launch services must...

[Via Satellite 11-21-2016] Vector Space Systems, a micro-satellite launch company currently trialing 12-foot prototypes of the company’s planned 42-foot launch vehicles, has received an additional $1.25 million in angel funding led by Space Angels Network, a New York-based investor in early-stage space companies. With this additional seed financing, Vector aims to accelerate development efforts toward...

[Via Satellite 11-21-2016] The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R-Series (GOES-R) spacecraft, successfully took to the sky on Nov. 19, as the first satellite in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites for the U.S. government. The 6,280-pound, Lockheed Martin-built satellite carries six instruments that fit into three classifications:...

[Via Satellite 11-11-2016] Vector Space Systems, a micro-satellite launch company currently trialing 12-foot prototypes of the company’s planned 42-foot launch vehicles, is now moving into tracking capabilities with the aim to bolster its launch profile and continue lowering the cost of launch for smallsat operators. Vector has partnered with Atlas Space Operations, a company that...

[Via Satellite 11-14-2016] DigitalGlobe has successfully launched its WorldView 4 satellite, the company’s newest high-resolution commercial imaging satellite. DigitalGlobe has acquired signals from the Lockheed Martin-built satellite indicating its proper position and health 45 minutes after its launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California aboard an Atlas V rocket. Aerojet Rocketdyne propulsion on the Atlas...

[Via Satellite 11-10-2016] Despite a vision from top Air Force officers that reusable rockets can play roles in future military missions, a conservative safety culture on launch ranges and institutional bureaucracy are slowing the service on its path to embracing the technology and, accordingly, low cost launch, when it is ready in four to five...

[Via Satellite 11-03-2016] Vector Space Systems has finalized a strategic partnership agreement with Atlas Space Operations to integrate Atlas’ network of capabilities into Vector Space Systems’ existing product offerings, diversifying the company’s launch tracking capabilities. As early as 2018, Vector Space Systems will be able to provide a space-to-ground communication network from the Galactic Sky...