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[Via Satellite 01-27-2016] The U.S. Air Force has certified the baseline configuration of SpaceX‘s Falcon 9 launch system to Falcon 9 Upgrade, for use in National Security Space (NSS) missions. The new certification letter, approved Jan. 25, makes SpaceX eligible for award of NSS launch missions using this rocket. SpaceX received certification for the regular...

[Via Satellite 01-26-2015] Spacecom, operator of the Amos satellite fleet, announced that SpaceX has scheduled the launch of the Amos 6 satellite for May aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Amos 6, to be collocated with Amos 2 and Amos 3 at the 4 degrees west prime orbital position, will provide services...

[Via Satellite 01-25-2016] Blue Origin has launched and landed its New Shepard booster for a second time, demonstrating reusability by crossing the Karman Line twice. New Shepard first entered space in November, reaching an altitude of 100.5 kilometers. This second mission reached an apogee of 101.7 kilometers before both capsule and booster gently returned to...

[Via Satellite 01-20-2016] The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched the fifth of seven satellites in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) today aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The satellite entered an elliptical orbit very close to its intended orbit, separated from the PSLV fourth stage and automatically deployed its solar panels. ISRO’s master...

[Via Satellite 01-19-2016] Belintersat 1, the first satellite of Belarus’ new national operator Belintersat, launched Jan. 16 aboard a Long March 3B rocket from China’s Xichang Satellite Launch Center’s LC3 pad. The satellite’s orbital location is 51.5 degrees east, where it covers Europe, Africa and much of Asia to provide telecommunication services such as TV...

[Via Satellite 01-19-2016] SpaceX launched the joint U.S.-European oceanography satellite Jason 3 on Jan. 17 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, successfully delivering the satellite to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The launch company almost landed the first stage on an ocean-faring barge. Following the launch, SpaceX attempted to land...

[Via Satellite 01-15-2016] NASA revealed Orbital ATK, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) and SpaceX as the winners of the long-awaited Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS 2) contract on Jan. 14. With a maximum potential value of $14 billion from now until 2024, the contract guarantees a minimum of six missions for each supplier to deliver and...

[Via Satellite 01-15-2016] International Launch Services (ILS) is scheduled to launch the Eutelsat 9B satellite on Jan. 28 aboard a Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Built by Airbus Defence and Space, the satellite also carries the first European Data Relay System node, EDRS-A, as a hosted payload. Eutelsat 9B is a high-capacity Ku-band satellite...

[Via Satellite 01-14-2016] The Air Force Space Command’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) has awarded SpaceX and Orbital ATK with the first two Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) for shared public-private investments in Rocket Propulsion System (RPS) prototypes. SpaceX received an initial contribution of $33.6 million for development testing of the Raptor upper stage engine,...

[Via Satellite 01-13-2016] Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MH) hopes the successful launch of Telesat’s Telstar 12 Vantage satellite on the H-2A rocket will be the precursor to more international business. Ko Ogasawara, vice president and general manager at MHI Launch Services, told Via Satellite that the company hopes to do more launches for international customers in...