Finance

[Via Satellite 07-08-2014] Dauria Aerospace, a Russian startup company, has encouraged radio enthusiasts to locate and track its newest satellite, DX 1, launched aboard a Soyuz rocket on July 8, 2014. The company has provided the necessary information, including the transmitter designator, receiver designator and other details on its website. DX 1’s beacon will begin...

[Via Satellite 07-07-2014] Arianespace has selected RUAG Space to manufacture payload fairings for all Ariane 5 launches out to 2019. The contract is valued at more than $111 million. “Payload fairings are an important source of revenue for RUAG Space, which is why this contract is so vital,” said Holger Wentscher, senior vice president of...

[Via Satellite 07-03-2014] Iridium and SpaceX have completed all four types of testing for the satellite dispensers to be used in launching the Iridium NEXT constellation. The testing was comprised of static loads testing, a modal survey, fit check, and separation and shock testing. The dispensers are mission-unique and serve the purpose of holding the...

[Via Satellite 07-02-2014] Inmarsat has chosen the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket to launch its upcoming joint-satellite, and furthermore has opted for up to two additional missions. A launch date for the double-satellite Europasat / Hellas Sat 3 — Inmarsat operating Europasat and Hellas Sat operating Hellas Sat 3 — has not been released, but Inmarsat...

[Via Satellite 07-02-2014] A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta 2 rocket successfully carried NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO 2) into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Orbital Sciences, the satellite’s manufacturer, is responsible for in-orbit operations for the duration of the program. The OCO 2 launch is the first of two Delta 2...

[Via Satellite 06-30-2014] The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched five international satellites on June 30, 2014 using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). India’s Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, emboldened by the launch’s success, has called for further strengthening of India’s launch program along with the development of a new satellite project. Airbus...

[Via Satellite 06-27-2014] SpaceX filed a Motion for Leave to include a second complaint in its lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force over last year’s order for 36 rocket cores from the joint Boeing–Lockheed Martin venture United Launch Alliance (ULA). Prompted by a letter Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) sent to Under Secretary of Defense Acquisition,...

[Via Satellite 06-26-2014] Dauria Aerospace successfully launched two Perseus M spacecraft into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on June 19, 2014 aboard a Kosmotras Dnepr rocket. These two satellites will co-locate with Dauria’s upcoming DX1 spacecraft and eight Perseus O imaging satellites to form the Perseus space monitoring and remote sensing constellation, which will track and...

[Via Satellite 06-25-2014] Aerojet Rocketdyne successfully performed a series of hot-fire tests on a Bantam demonstration engine made entirely through additive manufacturing. The engine consisted of only three additive-manufactured components: the injector and dome assembly, the combustion chamber, and a throat and nozzle section. This engine is normally comprised of dozens of parts. This liquid...

[Via Satellite 06-24-2014] Surrey Satellite Technology Limited’s (SSTL) medium resolution Earth observation satellite for the Republic of Kazakhstan, KazEOSat 2, was successfully launched into sun-synchronous orbit onboard a Kosmotras Dnepr rocket from the Russian launch pad in Yasny on Thursday, June 19, 2014 at 7:11 p.m. local time. The ground station in Kazakhstan’s capital of...