Launch

U.S. small satellite launch company Rocket Lab is gearing up for the company’s third orbital launch of the year, the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa)-19 mission for NASA. The launch is a significant moment for the small satellite industry, as it’s the first time NASA cubesats will enjoy a dedicated ride to orbit on a...

Inmarsat entered into an agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to be the first commercial customer to place an order for the new H3 launch vehicle. The maiden flight of H3 is scheduled for 2020 with Inmarsat planning to deploy the new launch vehicle after 2022. This is the second agreement entered by Inmarsat and MHI,...

Arianespace launched India’s next generation high throughput communication satellite, GSAT-11, today from Kourou launch base, French Guiana. The satellite was carried on an Ariane 5 rocket, and this mission marks Arianespace’s 5th launch this year. The rocket also carried the KOMPSAT-2A satellite for the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). GSAT-11 was launched into a Geosynchronous...

SpaceX successfully launched Spaceflight‘s SSO-A: SmallSat Express mission on Monday. The payloads were carried on a Falcon 9 rocket, which blasted off at 10:34 a.m. PST from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SmallSat Express is the largest single rideshare mission from a U.S.-based launch vehicle, and it is SpaceX’s 19th launch of the year....

The Slovenian Center of Excellence for Space Sciences and Technologies (SPACE-SI) chose Arianespace to launch its NEMO-HD microsatellite. It will be launched on the Vega launch vehicle, as part of the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) Proof of Concept (POC) flight in 2019. NEMO-HD is an Earth monitoring microsatellite, which aims to provide real-time imaging...

Orbital Micro Systems (OMS) is partnering with NanoAvionics, a developer of nanosatellite bus and subsystem technologies, to conduct a rideshare mission to fly one of OMS’ miniaturized passive microwave sensors. The mission will utilize the NanoAvionics M6P 6U satellite bus. OMS is on track to launch multiple weather observation satellites in 2019. This mission will...

According to the star-gazing horoscope aficionados, Leo is action-oriented, loves to be in the limelight and has a distinct strength, able to earn “king of the jungle” status. Applied to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, there are some similarities. There certainly is a lot of activity in LEO, and with it being such a buzz...

Fleet Space Technologies successfully launched its Centauri I nanosatellite aboard the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) PSLV-C43 mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Centauri I is the third commercial satellite launched in the past three weeks by the global Internet of Things (IOT) startup, after having deployed two cubesats, Proxima...

SpaceX delayed the scheduled launch of the SSO-A: SmallSat Express mission, which was set for Wednesday Nov. 28. The satellites would have been carried on a Falcon 9 rocket, lifting off from Vadenberg Air Force Base in California. According to SpaceX’s twitter, “Wednesday’s launch attempt of Spaceflight SSO-A from Vandenberg Air Force Base is currently...

Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) is designing a low cost 35 kilogram lunar communications satellite mission called DoT-4, targeted for a 2021 launch. DoT-4 aims to provide the communications relay back to Earth using the Goonhilly Deep Space Network, and will link up with a rover on the surface of the Moon. SSTL is currently in...