Launch

Iridium Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Matt Desch discussed the company’s Iridium-8 launch preparations during a press call this morning. He highlighted the launch’s significance, which will complete the Iridum Next constellation. In most cases, “the ending doesn’t seem as big as the beginning, but it is for Iridium,” said Desch. “The final launch in a...

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) reported that China was the first nation to successfully touch down on the far side of the moon. Chinese probe Chang’e 4 made a landing on Wednesday at 10:26 a.m. Beijing time within the South Pole-Aitken basin, in the Von Karman crater on the moon. This moon landing “marked...

China successfully launched six atmospheric environment research satellites and a test communication satellite into orbit Saturday. The satellites were launched by a Long March-2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 4:00 p.m local time. The six Yunhai-2 satellites will be used to study atmospheric environment, monitor space environment, prevent and...

China launched a test satellite as part of its Hongyun Project, a low-orbit broadband communication satellite system, on Dec. 22. A Long March-11 rocket carrying the satellite lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 7:51 a.m. local time, before successfully entering its preset orbit. As the first satellite of the Hongyun...

On Dec. 27, Russia successfully launched a Soyuz-2.1a rocket at 11:07 a.m. local time from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. The rocket carried the Kanopus-V-5/6 Earth remote sensing spacecraft along with 26 other satellites. In accordance with the flight program, the Fregat upper stage injected primary and other payload satellites into a Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This...

After prior technical difficulties, SpaceX launched the Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellite for the U.S. Air Force. The satellite was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 8:51 a.m. local time on Dec. 23 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. GPS III Space Vehicle 01 (GPS III SV01) is receiving and responding...

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched the GSAT-7A communication satellite on Thursday at 4:10 p.m. local time. The satellite was carried using India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F11), and lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, India. According to the release, GSAT-7A is the heaviest communications satellite India has launched....

Spaceflight was awarded a contract to provide launch services for Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE,) the research unit of the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation, and Communications. The company will be launching the Amazonia-1 satellite, and is targeting a mid-2020 launch. INPE’s Amazonia-1 satellite is the first Earth observation satellite to be...

For its 11th and final launch of the year, Arianespace‘s Soyuz medium-lift launcher lifted off from Guiana Space Center (CSG) in French Guiana at 1:37 p.m. local time today. Arianespace successfully orbited the CSO-1 military Earth observation satellite for the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES) and the French Government Defense procurement agency (DGA)...

According to the Wall Street Journal, SpaceX is set to raise $500 million to strengthen Starlink, its satellite internet service business. This funding would bring the company to a total $30.5 billion valuation. A source from SpaceX said that the company is raising capital from Baillie Giffard and Company, a new investor, as well as from...