May 2020

Bankrupt satellite operator OneWeb submitted a modification request to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to increase the number of satellites in its constellation up to 48,000 satellites. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020052701

Virgin Orbit said its LauncherOne rocket did ignite during its launch demonstration on 25 May, but this was followed seconds later by an anomaly. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020052600

ISS-Reshetnev company will produce two more Meridian-M military communications satellites under a newly-signed contract with the Russian Defence Ministry, a space industry source was quoted as saying. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020052601

The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a contract with Airbus for the construction of the third European Service Module (ESM) for Orion, the American crewed spacecraft. The contract is worth around EUR250 million. Some service module systems will be supplied by subcontractor Thales Alenia Space. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020052602

Thales Alenia Space and partners announced the launch of PROMISE (PROgrammable MIxed Signal Electronics), a three-year project conducted through the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Research & Innovation programme. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020052603

The first flight of Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket ended in failure shortly after release from its carrier aircraft. The launcher carried a dummy mass. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020052500

The unpiloted Japanese HTV cargo spacecraft has been installed to the Earth-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module on 25 May at 1213 UTC, where it will remain for two months. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020052501

The Russian private space firm Sputnix has signed a memorandum with the Japanese company Mitsui & Co. Moscow on co-operation in producing and exporting microsatellite components and providing microsatellite-based services, Sputnix announced. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020052502

Rocket: Soyuz-2.1b/Fregat; Payload: Tundra No.4 (Tundra 14L, EKS No. 4, military designation: Kosmos 2546); Date: 22 May 2020, 0731 UTC; Launch site: Plesetsk, Russia. The early warning satellite was deployed into a 1,655 km x 38,507 km x 63,82 degrees Molniya orbit. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020052400

The first flight of Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne has been postponed out of "an abundance of caution" following a sensor fault. It was originally scheduled for 24 May at 1700 UTC. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020052401