Finance

[Via Satellite 05-08-2014] Spaceflight Inc., a company dedicated to launching small satellites, has nearly filled all the slots for the maiden flight of its Sherpa hosted payload and in-space transportation system. Sherpa is a free-flying platform that uses an oversized Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) ring exclusively for small satellites ranging...

[Via Satellite 05-01-2014] The United States Court of Federal Claims has restricted the joint Boeing–Lockheed Martin launch provider United Launch Alliance (ULA) from purchasing RD-180 engines manufactured by Russia’s NPO Energomash. The decision comes after an April 28, 2014 filing by SpaceX stating that the U.S Air Force has entered into an “unlawful contract” by creating a...

[Via Satellite 05-01-2014] Arianespace signed a contract with Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) for the launch of the bank’s first satellite, BRIsat. The contract ceremony took place in Jakarta, Indonesia. Jacques Breton, SVP of sales and customers at Arianespace, stepped in to sign the contract on behalf of Stéphane Israël, chairman and CEO of Arianespace, who...

[Via Satellite 04-30-2014] Due to rising tensions with Russia after the events in Ukraine, the Canadian government has decided not to continue with the Russian Soyuz launch of Com Dev’s M3M satellite, which was scheduled for June 2014. Com Dev built the satellite under a contract from the Canadian Space Agency/Public Works Government Services Canada...

[Via Satellite 04-30-2014] A Proton-M rocket has successfully launched the communication satellites KazSat3 and Loutch 5V from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Thales Alenia Space provided the payload for KazSat 3 to ISS-Reshetnev. Kazakhstan will operate the satellite to provide commercial telecommunications services throughout the country. Thales also supplied the transponders for Loutch 5V. KazSat...

[Via Satellite 04-30-2014] Space Systems Loral (SSL) has successfully delivered the Optus 10 satellite, designed and built for the Australian satellite provider Optus, to the spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Teams for both companies had completed pre-shipment reviews of the spacecraft, and the satellite is scheduled to launch aboard an Arianespace Ariane 5 launch vehicle....

[Via Satellite 04-30-2014] Kazakhstan’s first Earth observation satellite, KazEOSat 1, built by Airbus Defence and Space, was successfully placed into orbit on board an Arianespace Vega launcher from the spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. KazEOSat 1 will provide Kazakhstan a variety of civil applications, such as monitoring natural and agricultural resources, providing mapping data and...

[Via Satellite 04-29-2014] Citing key synergies between the two companies, Orbital Sciences and Alliant Techsystems (ATK) have announced a $5 billion merger to create one unified aerospace and defense company. Orbital ATK, as the new company is to be called, pools together ATK’s aerospace and defense groups with Orbital Sciences. Together, Orbital ATK will employ...

[Via Satellite 04-29-2014] United Launch Alliance (ULA) released a statement addressing the SpaceX suit against the U.S. Air Force’s block buy of 36 cores from ULA for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program (EELV). In the statement, the company reinforced the position that, “The recent five-year block buy contract was the result of a best...

[Via Satellite 04-28-2014] SpaceX is filing suit in the United States court of federal claims against the U.S. Air Force’s block buy of 36 cores from United Launch Alliance (ULA) for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program (EELV). The decision to procure additional launches from ULA was made before SpaceX was able to complete the...