Launch

Made In Space Europe (MIS EU) is partnering with Momentus to develop a robotic spaceflight mission planned for 2022. The companies announced Tuesday that the mission will pair the technologies of Momentus’ Vigoride in-space transportation vehicle and Made In Space Europe’s robotic arms. The companies plan to equip a Vigoride orbital transportation platform with a...

Airbus Defence and Space selected L3Harris Technologies to build a space reflector antenna for Thuraya 4-NGS, a next-generation satellite which will provide mobile telecommunication services throughout the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Central Asia. Last week, Yahsat chose Airbus to build Thuraya 4-NGS. The reflector antenna will be manufactured and tested at L3Harris facilities in...

A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched Capella Space’s first public Earth Observation (EO) satellite late Sunday in the smallsat launcher’s return to flight after a failure in July. The mission – “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Optical” — took off from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula on Sunday at 11:05 p.m. EST....

On Sunday evening, a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster launched SAOCOM 1B, an Earth Observation (EO) satellite for Argentina’s National Commission on Space Activities (CONAE). The Falcon 9 took off Sunday at 7:18 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.  SAOCOM 1B was placed into a Low-Earth, Sun-Synchronous...

Rocket Lab has signed a launch contract with European space technology company OHB Group for a dedicated launch on an Electron rocket. The mission will launch a communications satellite for an OHB customer. It is scheduled for lift-off six months from now, in early 2021 from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia...

Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) has selected Airbus to build Thuraya 4-NGS, the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) next-generation L-band telecommunications satellite. This milestone order will come with an overhaul of Yahsat’s space and ground platforms. The satellite is scheduled for operation in 2024. The satellite will increase capacity and coverage over Europe, Africa, Central Asia,...

Congressional negotiators are considering whether NASA contracts awarded to Elon Musk’s SpaceX represent a potential national security risk due to Chinese financial support for the billionaire owner’s electric car company, Tesla. “What is there to stop them from going to Musk directly and saying, ‘We’ll call your line of credit early, unless you give us X,...

Rocket Lab’s first mission since its launch failure in July is slated for later this week, and it will carry Sequoia, the first publicly available satellite in Capella Space’s planned constellation.  The two-week window for the launch from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula opens Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 11:05 p.m. EST. The...

PredaSAR is cleared to begin fabrication, testing, and launch of its Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) spacecraft after completing its Critical Design Review (CDR). Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems is building the satellites for the planned constellation of 48 satellites. Both PredaSAR and Tyvak are Terran Orbital corporations.  PredaSAR said its spacecraft have a proprietary radar payload to...

AAC Clyde Space AB, Saab AB, and Orcomm Inc. on Monday revealed the development of a next generation, space-based VHF Data Exchange System (VDES) for maritime communications. AAC Clyde Space AB will receive approximately $1.9 million (17 million SEK) in total, of which approximately $1.4 million (12.2 million SEK) is in the form of a...