[Via Satellite 03-03-2015] Rocket Lab, developer of the dedicated small satellite launch vehicle Electron, has closed its Series B funding round, which the company expects will complete the Electron launch system, enabling commercial operations in 2016. Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP) along with previous investors Khosla Ventures and K1W1 supported the round, and Lockheed Martin has...

[Via Satellite 01-28-2015] With nine flights booked and three more in negotiations, Arianespace is confident it will have regular launches of the Vega small satellite rocket starting this year. The long-awaited demonstration of the European Space Agency’s Intermediate Experimental Vehicle (IXV), is currently planned for Feb. 11. Two more launches, one for a Sentinel satellite...

[Via Satellite 01-06-2015] Strong demand for satellite services will continue to drive the need for satellites and launchers, upping the competition for satellite and launch contracts over the next 10 years, according to new research from Frost & Sullivan. In the research firm’s new “Global Launch Systems and Satellites” report, the number of launches and...

[Via Satellite 10-23-2014] Rocket Lab, manufacturer of the Electron small satellite launch vehicle, has set its sights on launching no less than once per week when commercial operations begin. The company grabbed headlines after announcing that it had already signed 30 customers for the as-of-yet proven launch vehicle. With a price tag of $5 million...

[Via Satellite 10-21-2014] ViviSat will soon begin orbiting a constellation of Mission Extension Vehicles (MEVs) with room to carry hosted payloads into Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO). Jim Armor, Vice President, ATK Space Systems Division, which has invested in the in-orbit servicing venture, as has U.S. Space, said they are planning regular launches starting in three...

[Via Satellite 09-12-2014] Small satellite manufacturer SpaceQuest is looking to accelerate the pace of launches for its satellites. In December 2013 the company launched AprizeSat 7 and AprizeSat 8, and in June 2014 it launched two more satellites. But the limited availability of cost-effective launch options for small satellites, or SmallSats, has become a hindrance....

[Via Satellite 07-29-2014] Rocket Lab revealed plans to build a carbon-composite dedicated small satellite launch vehicle named Electron. Currently under construction in New Zealand, the company anticipates launching payloads of up to 100-kg to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for less than $5 million. Silicon Valley venture firm Khosla Ventures is the principal funder. The Electron...