August 2014

Artist’s rendition of Cosmo-SkyMed. Photo: Thales Alenia Space [Via Satellite 08-28-2014] Thales Alenia Space has received an $87 million contract from the Italian Space Agency for the Second Generation Cosmo-SkyMed Earth Observation (EO) satellite program. The contract is split between Thales Alenia Space Italia and Telespazio. Thales Alenia Space Italia will use approximately $57 million…

An Airbus Zephyr test flight. Photo: Airbus [Via Satellite 08-28-2014] Airbus Defence and Space has completed a nonstop 11-day flight test of its Zephyr 7 High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS). The Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) runs on solar power, making the shorter winter days a much more challenging test. The vehicles were also controlled and monitored…

Saber Astronautics’ Predictive Interactive Group Interface (PIGI). Photo: Saber Astronautics / Delta-V [Via Satellite 08-26-2014] Delta-V, a new space industry accelerator, hopes to create a $1 billion commercial space industry in Australia. Ranked by the World Bank as a high-income country with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $1.561 trillion in 2013, Australia has high…

Falcon 9 on the launch pad. Photo: SpaceX [Via Satellite 08-27-2014] SpaceX has decided to reschedule the launch of AsiaSat 6, previously slated for today, in order to review all potential failure modes and contingencies. The company expects the inspection will take one to two weeks to complete. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, said that…

Artist’s view of Galileo Satellites 5 & 6. Photo: ESA / J Huart [Via Satellite 08-27-2014] The European Space Agency (ESA), having established control of the latest two Galileo satellites launched Aug. 22 by an Arianespace Soyuz rocket into an unintended orbit, is preparing to continue using the satellites. Intended for a circular Medium Earth…

A WorldView 3 image of Madrid at 40-cm resolution. Photo: DigitalGlobe [Via Satellite 08-27-2014] DigitalGlobe has released the first images from its high-resolution satellite WorldView 3, launched on Aug. 13 aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket. The satellite carries an Exelis super-spectral imaging system comprised of a sensor, a telescope and a…

Iridium’s Satellite Network Operating Center. Photo: Iridium [Via Satellite 08-27-2014] Iridium has completed its Launch and Early Operations (LEOP) control center for Iridium NEXT. Located next to the Iridium Mission Control Center, the LEOP facility will be used to manage the NEXT constellation, test on-orbit functionality, and maneuver and monitor satellites as they are transferred…

[Via Satellite 08-27-2014] ViaSat reports it has received 3,150 orders for fixed-site Machine to Machine (M2M) and airborne terminals for its upcoming L-band network. The company is also selling vehicular, maritime and asset tracking terminals in advance of the network. ViaSat announced its new L-band network in May 2014, predicated on agreements reached with LightSquared…

An AeroMexico Boeing 737-752. Photo: Wikipedia [Via Satellite 08-26-2014] Global Mexican airline Aeromexico has signed a definitive agreement with Gogo for the company’s new 2Ku In Flight Connectivity (IFC) solution. The new agreement solidifies discussions from December 2013, where the principal terms and conditions were established. Gogo will connected a minimum of 20 of Aeromexico’s Boeing 737 aircraft…

Lockheed Martin’s Space Fence. Photo: Lockheed Martin. [Via Satellite 08-26-2014] Lockheed Martin and Electro Optics Systems have agreed to build a space object tracking facility in Western Australia. Through the use of both lasers and sensitive, telescope-like optical systems, the companies plan to use the site for a combination of government and commercial customers. Lockheed…