News on key developments at SupremeSAT, and general news on the Space and Satellite industry from across the web
Rocket: Electron; Payload: seven smallsats; Date: 29 June 2019, 0430 UTC; Launch site: Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand. At approximately 56 minutes after lift-off, the payloads were successfully delivered to their precise individual orbits by Electron’s Kick Stage. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019063000
The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the AEHF-5 mission for the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems is now targeted for Wednesday, 17 July 2019 at 1112 UTC, with a two-hour launch window. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019063001
Aerojet Rocketdyne recently delivered four RS-25 engines to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) forintegration with the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) in anticipation of the rocket’s first flight on the Artemis 1 mission. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019063002
Tunisian company TELNET Holding and Russian companies SPUTNIX and GK Launch Services have signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding under which the parties intend to co-operate in building of smallsat components and entire satellites, their orbiting and deployment of constellations. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019063003
China’s two ocean observation satellites, HY-1C and HY-2B, have completed their in-orbit delivery, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019063004
NASA announced that it has selected Dragonfly, a rotorcraft-lander expedition to Saturn’s large moon Titan as the next mission in its New Frontiers programme. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019063005
SpaceX said that of the company’s 60 Starlink satellites launched last May, so far 45 have actually reached their intended orbits, and three have even completely failed. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019063006
Preparations are continuing for Arianespace’s second Vega flight in 2019 (and sixth overall this year for its launcher family), which will orbit a high-performance optical Earth observation satellite for the United Arab Emirates on 5 July from the Spaceport in French Guiana. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019062700
An Irish space company will design, develop and deliver on-board live telemetry for Europe’s next-generation Ariane 6 launch vehicle. Réaltra Space signed the agreement with ArianeGroup, the prime contractor to ESA for the development of Ariane 6. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019062701
The thermal vacuum test campaign of the first Spacebus Neo satellite was completed on 25 June. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019062702