Finance

[Via Satellite 07-14-2014] On Sunday July 13, 2014 Orbital Sciences completed the second resupply mission for the International Space Station as part of the company’s $1.9-billion Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA. Orbital’s Antares rocket lofted the Cygnus cargo spacecraft, which is expected to berth with the ISS on July 16. Besides carrying 1493.8...

[Via Satellite 07-11-2014] O3b Networks, the company dedicated to reaching “the other three billion” with high-speed satellite connectivity, yesterday completed the launch of its second batch of four Ka-band satellites. An Arianespace Soyuz rocket carried the spacecraft into Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) at an altitude of 8,062 kilometers, or roughly 5,010 miles, releasing the satellites...

[Via Satellite 07-09-2014] On July 8, 2014 a Russian Soyuz-2.1b rocket carried Russia’s Meteor M2 weather satellite along with six small satellites for domestic and international customers. The launch took place at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Built by VNIIEM Corporation JSC, Meteor M2 has a design life of five years and will study a...

[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,...