Finance

[Via Satellite 02-25-2016] EchoStar is positioning for 2017 to be a major growth year after a slew of new satellites reach orbit in 2016. The company has five satellites/payloads launching this year, including the long awaited EchoStar 19/Jupiter 2, bringing fresh room for the operator to grow. In addition to preparing for these new satellites,...

[Via Satellite 02-25-2016] SpaceX has delayed the launch of the SES 9 satellite aboard the Falcon 9 rocket, scheduled for Wed., Feb. 24 from Cape Canaveral, Fla. SpaceX reported the suspension on its Twitter account yesterday night before the 6:46 p.m. launch window opened, saying that the rocket and spacecraft remain healthy and the company...

[Via Satellite 02-16-2016] Spire, a satellite company focused on providing weather and maritime data to public and private customers, has signed a launch services contract with Rocket Lab to fly payloads on up to 12 missions with the Electron vehicle. The missions are scheduled to take place from Rocket Lab’s private launch site on the...

[Via Satellite 02-09-2016] Eutelsat’s next satellite, Eutelsat 65 West A, landed in Kourou, French Guiana on Feb. 6 for an upcoming Arianespace Ariane 5 launch March 9. The 6.5-ton Space Systems Loral (SSL)-built satellite will be located at 65 degrees west, a premier position for the Brazilian TV market, ahead of the 2016 Rio de...

[Via Satellite 02-08-2016] SpaceX and SES have established Feb. 24 as the mutually agreed date for the launch of SES 9, with Feb. 25 as the backup date. SES 9 is slated to launch aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The mission was previously expected in 2015, then in mid-January this year. SpaceX is currently completing...

[Via Satellite 02-02-2016] Airbus Safran Launchers (ASL) has signed a contract with Thales Alenia Space Belgium on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) to participate in development of the range safety system for Ariane 6, including a qualification launch. The main function of the range safety system is to neutralize the launcher if its...

[Via Satellite 02-01-2016] On Jan. 30, International Launch Services (ILS) launched the Eutelsat 9B satellite carrying the first European Data Relay System (EDRS) payload into orbit using a Proton rocket. Built by Airbus Defence and Space, Eutelsat 9B carries 56 Ku-band transponders for the 9 degrees east orbital position. The satellite spreads capacity across five...

[Via Satellite 01-29-2016] QB50, a project to launch 50 CubeSats for researching the Earth’s atmosphere, has shifted plans from launching with the Brazilian-Ukrainian Cyclone 4 rocket to instead launching with NanoRacks and Kosmotras. The mission, scheduled to begin this year, split into a series of multiple launches after Alcantara Cyclone Space’s Cyclone 4 project stalled...

[Via Satellite 01-28-2016] Intelsat 29e, the first of Intelsat’s EpicNG High Throughput Satellite (HTS) series, launched Jan. 27 from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 vehicle. With C- and Ku-band coverage over the Americas and North Atlantic region, the satellite will be placed into service at 310 degrees east, where it replaces Intelsat 1R. The...

[Via Satellite 01-28-2016] The U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) released the last award notice Jan. 27 under the Booster Propulsion Technology Maturation Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) solicitation. The purpose of the BAA is to support technology maturation and risk reduction for rocket propulsion system development with the ultimate goal of effectively...