Launch

New OneWeb satellites joined its constellation for the first time over the weekend since February after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) resumed launches for the broadband operator.  OneWeb launches had been suspended since March after Russian space agency Roscomos placed intense demands on OneWeb, launcher Arianespace, and the United Kingdom government, amid the war...

Ireland is getting set for a historic moment as it has moved a step closer to launching its first satellite – Educational Irish Research Satellite 1 (EIRSAT-1). It was announced on Oct. 17 that Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail Damien English have signed an Exchange of Letters with...

Eutelsat’s HOTBIRD 13F satellite has been successfully launched into orbit. The all-electric satellite was launched by SpaceX on Oct. 15 from Cape Canaveral. It is the first of two new satellites to be placed at Eutelsat’s flagship 13 degrees East position. The satellite is one of two satellites built by Airbus Defence and Space for...

Skyrora has experienced a setback in its plans to have its first orbital launch in the United Kingdom next year. The company announced Thursday that its suborbital Skylark L rocket experienced an anomaly during a launch attempt from a site in Langanes, Iceland. The Skylark rocket landed in the Norwegian Sea approximately 500 meters away...

Amazon announced Wednesday that it will launch two prototype satellites for its Project Kuiper Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation next year on the first United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan mission.  ULA separately confirmed that the first Vulcan launch has slipped to the first quarter of 2023, “to align with a request from customer payload” from Astrobotic,...

Virgin Orbit announced the full manifest for its upcoming mission from the United Kingdom and said it is targeting launch in November, pending full regulatory approval. Virgin Orbit announced Tuesday the mission will be called “Start Me Up,” named after the Rolling Stones song. The first of the company’s hardware will begin its transport to...

Smallsat launcher Astra Space could be delisted after Nasdaq sent Astra a deficiency notice that its closing bid price has been below $1 for 30 consecutive business days.  According to SEC filings, Astra has 180 calendar days, or until April 4, 2023, to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. If Astra’s share price...

SpaceX launched three separate missions over four days between two coasts, culminating with a double-satellite mission for Intelsat on Saturday evening. The Oct. 8 mission launched Intelsat Galaxy 33 and 34, two Geostationary Orbit (GEO) C-band satellites as part of Intelsat’s work to clear C-band spectrum for 5G use.  A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying...

Rocket Lab launched a satellite on Friday afternoon for General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) to support the Argos constellation, a network of polar orbiting satellites that collect data on the Earth’s physical and biological environment.  The U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command awarded General Atomics the contract in early 2019 on behalf of National Oceanic...

Virgin Orbit has completed a full wet dress rehearsal ahead of its first flight from Spaceport Cornwall. The window for the launch is still to be determined by the launch permitting regulatory process. Virgin Orbit said Wednesday that this rehearsal marked the final major acceptance test of the rocket prior to mating to its carrier...