Satellite News
Eutelsat raises its shareholding in OneWeb
Eutelsat Communications has exercised a call option on a portion of the latest OneWeb funding round subscribed by Bharti, for a consideration of $165 million,
Weather Satellite MetOp-SG B Rockets Ahead
The first “B” model of the next generation polar orbiting weather satellite series MetOp-SG has received its rocket pack. In a tricky, millimetre-precise crane operation at Airbus’ satellite integration centre in Friedrichshafen (Germany), the six metre high satellite structure was integrated with its propulsion system. The propulsion system, built by Airbus in Stevenage (United Kingdom), can accommodate 760 kg of hydrazine fuel to maintain the satellite’s attitude and orbit.
Airbus Delivers 2nd European Service Module for Nasa’s Orion Spacecraft
The second Airbus-built European Service Module (ESM) for NASA’s Orion spacecraft is ready for delivery from the Airbus site in Bremen, Germany. An Antonov cargo aircraft will fly the ESM-2 to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected Airbus as the prime contractor for the development and manufacture of six ESMs with the first ESM soon to fly on NASA’s Artemis I mission. The ESM is a key element of Orion, the next-generation spacecraft
Maxar still confident Legion constellation will be in orbit in 2022
Maxar remains confident that it will launch all six of its next-generation WorldView Legion imaging satellites in 2022,
Exploration News
Thomas Pesquet Takes Commanding Role on Space Station
Today ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet became commander of the International Space Station, taking over from Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut and fellow Crew-2 member Akihiko Hoshide. Thomas will hold this role until shortly before Crew-2 return to Earth in November. Thomas officially accepted his new position during a traditional ceremony, broadcast live from the International Space Station,
Russian Actor and Filmmaker are On the Space Station to Shoot Scenes for a Film
Earlier this week, a Soyuz spacecraft launched to the International Space Station with three people on board. But only one of them was a cosmonaut. The other two crew members were Russian actress Yulia Peresild and film producer Klim Shipenko. They will be on the ISS for 12 days to film scenes for an upcoming … Continue reading “Russian Actor and Filmmaker are On the Space Station to Shoot Scenes for a Film”
NASA swaps two astronauts from Boeing missions to SpaceX crew flight
NASA has reassigned two rookie astronauts from missions on Boeing’s troubled Starliner crew capsule to a SpaceX crew mission to the International Space Station late next year, a move agency officials said will allow the astronauts to gain spaceflight experience for future lunar expeditions.
It’s Official, William Shatner Will be Flying to Space With Blue Origin
Star Trek meets star reality as William Shatner, the iconic 90-year-old actor, will fly on the next Blue Origins suborbital launch on October 12th. The famous actor, who portrayed Captain James T. Kirk in the short-lived but much-loved original 1966 Star Trek series, will become the oldest person to fly to space, surpassing the record … Continue reading “It’s Official, William Shatner Will be Flying to Space With Blue Origin”
Launcher News
Japanese satellite launch facing weeks-long delay
The launch of a solid-fueled Japanese Epsilon rocket with nine small satellites, originally scheduled to blastoff last week, has been grounded until after the flight of a larger H-2A launcher later this month, Japan’s space agency said Friday.
Japanese carmaker Honda developing reusable rocket for LEO satellites
Honda says its core automotive technologies for combustion, fluid, remote control and guidance will be applied to a rocket it aims to test launch by 2030.
NewSpace News
Finland’s Kuva Space raises funds for hyperspectral constellation
Finland’s Kuva Space raised 4.2 million euros ($4.85 million) to fund its campaign to establish a constellation of commercial hyperspectral cubesats.
Project Kraken Revealed: Satellite Manufacturer to Invest $300M on Space Coast,
Terran Orbital Corp. will invest $300 million in a Space Coast satellite manufacturing facility that will create 2,100 high-wage jobs, a project previously referred to as “Project Kraken.”, to the Space Coast by bringing its commercial spacecraft and constellation facility to Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility. The new project is expected to create more than 2,000 new jobs with an estimated annual wage of $84,000 by the fourth quarter of 2025, Gov. DeSantis said.
Chinese partnership to create Tianxian SAR satellite constellation
A Chinese state-owned enterprise and a private firm are partnering to establish a 96-satellite SAR constellation, with the first launch set for February 2022.
Hiber abandons plans for IoT satellite constellation
Dutch company Hiber is dropping plans to deploy an internet-of-things smallsat constellation, electing instead to provide similar services through a third-party system.
Earth observation company Satellogic expands partnership with Amazon Web Services
Earth observation company Satellogic announced Oct. 6 it will be using Amazon’s ground station service to control its satellites and download data from space.
