Launch

Intelsat’s newest C-band broadcast satellites, Galaxy 31 and Galaxy 32, are in good health after SpaceX launched the pair in a Falcon 9 mission over the weekend. Manufacturer Maxar Technologies confirmed after the Saturday launch that the satellites are performing as expected.  SpaceX launched the satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space...

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency believes it will meet a scheduled launch next March for four Tranche 0 Tracking Layer satellites by L3Harris, but the agency is eyeing the risk of a launch delay due to COVID-19 related delays in deliveries of microelectronics and space system components, the SDA director said on Nov. 10....

United Launch Alliance lifted a weather forecasting satellite to orbit on Thursday morning for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA.  The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)-2 launched in the mission is the third in a series of five advanced polar-orbiting satellites. The satellite and its predecessors collect data used for weather forecasting,...

Viasat’s first ViaSat-3 satellite launch has slipped to 2023, and the operator adjusted its 2023 fiscal outlook due to the delay. The company announced this week in its financial results that the satellite is now expected to launch in the first quarter of calendar year 2023, “with a target of earlier in that period.”  The...

Maxar Technologies expects for its first batch of WorldView Legion satellites to launch in January 2023, the company reported last week in its third quarter financial results. Maxar plans to ship the first two satellites to the launch facility in December.  The highly anticipated WorldView Legion constellation will provide a boost to Maxar’s Earth observations...

After being delayed a full year due to pandemic-related slowdowns beyond its control, European operator Eutelsat has finally sent its long-awaited Hotbird 13G satellite into space. Hotbird 13G rode on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 1.22 a.m. Eastern time on November 3. It is now on its...

Commercial launch services company Rocket Lab will attempt to catch the mid-stage engine of the next rocket it launches into space with a helicopter as it returns to Earth. The company said on Wednesday that it will attempt the complex maneuver during its 32nd Electron rocket mission, “Catch Me If You Can,” which is scheduled...

SpaceX launched a Falcon Heavy rocket on Tuesday morning in a mission for the U.S. Space Force — the first Falcon Heavy mission in more than three years.  The Falcon Heavy took off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9:41 a.m. ET carrying multiple satellites on the classified USSF-44 mission....

Virgin Orbit will launch satellites for Spire Global, including three satellites dedicated to the NorthStar Earth & Space space situational awareness (SSA) constellation, in mid-2023.  NorthStar is using Spire’s space services to deploy its constellation of 24 satellites through the Spire space infrastructure. It aims to monitor all near-Earth orbits from space and to deliver...

Beyond Gravity announced a contract from United Launch Alliance (ULA) to supply 38 payload fairings for its Vulcan rockets for launches for Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites. This follows after Beyond Gravity previously won an Amazon contract to develop and build the dispenser system for the Kuiper satellites.  The company said it will double its production...