Launch

Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved SpaceX’s request to fly more than 1,500 of its Starlink satellites at an altitude of approximately 342 miles (550 kilometers) — an orbit lower than before. The FCC also authorized SpaceX to slightly reduce the number of satellites in the constellation, and to include the use of Ku-band...

Lockheed Martin completed its AEHF-4 spacecraft on-orbit test and available for Satellite Control Availability (SCA). The AEHF-4 on-orbit test (A4 OOT) successfully activated the payload, built by its subcontractor, Northrop Grumman, and demonstrated that AEHF-4 met all of its requirements. A4 OOT was the first ever test to have all six AEHF operational terminals communicating over...

Following the successful completion of payload and bus integration, Boeing will begin antenna range testing and core testing of Kacific‘s Kacific1 satellite. Kacific’s first satellite is a High Throughput Satellite (HTS) currently in production at Boeing’s El Segundo, California facility for satellite technology. It is 75 percent through module level testing and about to move...

Relativity, partnered with mu Space, a Thai satellite and space technology company, to launch a satellite to Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) on Relativity’s Terran 1 rocket, the world’s first 3D printed rocket. Relativity’s 3D printing technology platform together with Terran 1’s flexible architecture aims to provide mu Space a faster and more reliable launch at a lower...

Canadian rural broadband provider Xplornet Communications entered into a contract with Hughes Network Systems, agreeing to a lifetime capacity agreement on the next-generation JUPITER3 Ultra High Density Satellite (UHDS), designated EchoStar XXIV. In a contract valued at more than $250 million over 15 years, the agreement is for approximately 50 Gbps of Ka-band capacity reaching more than...

Intelsat revealed that the anomaly previously disclosed on April 10 has resulted in the total loss of the Intelsat 29e spacecraft. A failure review board has been convened with the satellite’s manufacturer, Boeing, to complete a comprehensive analysis of the cause of the anomaly. Late on April 7, the Intelsat 29e propulsion system experienced damage...

Nepal Thursday successfully launched its first satellite into space from the US to gather detailed geographical information of the Himalayan nation, evoking unbridled excitement among the people and scientists. Developed by the Nepalese scientists, NepaliSat-1 satellite was launched at 2:31 am (Nepal time) from Virginia in United States, according to Nepal Academy of Science and...

Northrop Grumman successfully launched its Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus spacecraft yesterday at 4:46 p.m. EDT from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A on Wallops Island, Virginia, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. The launch marks Northrop Grumman’s 11th cargo mission carrying supplies to the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA. Following the release of...

Kepler Communications, a Canadian satellite telecommunications provider, and Magellan Aerospace have signed a letter of intention to fly an Smart Radiator Device (SRD) on Kepler’s third satellite, scheduled for launch later this year. The SRD, designed to improve temperature management on-board future satellites, is being developed by MPB Communications (MPB) in partnership with Magellan Aerospace. This...

Alta Devices‘ gallium arsenide solar cells are powering 60 small satellites, called ThinSats. These small satellites will launch on the NG-11 mission from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on the Cygnus cargo spacecraft. ThinSats will carry various electromagnetic, radiation, and inertial sensors for scientific analysis of the atmosphere. These ThinSats are part of a program...