News on key developments at SupremeSAT, and general news on the Space and Satellite industry from across the web
The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin the GPS Control Segment Sustainment II (GCS II) contract to continue to sustain and further modernise the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite constellation’s ground control system through 2025. This is the follow-on contract to Lockheed Martin’s current GCS contract awarded in 2013. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019011405
Maxar Technologies announced the appointment of Daniel Jablonsky as President and Chief Executive Officer of Maxar, effective immediately. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019011406
Rocket: Chang Zheng 3B; Payload: Zhongxing-2D [ChinaSat-2D]; Date: 10 January 2019, 1711 UTC; Launch site: Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, China. People’s Liberation Army Daily, a military newspaper, confirmed the payload’s delivery into geostationary transfer orbit 70 minutes later. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019011200
Rocket: Falcon 9; Payload: 10 Iridium NEXT satellites; Date: 11 January 2019, 1531 UTC; Launch site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, USA. Falcon 9’s first stage delivered the second stage to its targeted orbit followed by deployment of all 10 Iridium NEXT satellites approximately 1 hour and 12 minutes after launch. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019011201
Roscosmos said its specialists are attempting to fix problems that have blocked control of the Spektr-R satellite radio telescope. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019011202
Building on operational success in 2018, payload preparations for Arianespace’s first flight in the new year are moving ahead with this week’s delivery of the mission’s second satellite, GSAT-31, to French Guiana – joining the Saudi Geostationary Satellite 1/Hellas Sat 4 (HS-4/SGS-1), which arrived earlier in January. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019011000
SSL announced that it is leveraging Maxar’s combined capabilities for a contract to define requirements for a small form-factor satellite that will monitor and measure methane emissions from oil and gas facilities around the world. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019011001
China’s Chang’e-4 probe has started carrying out a series of scientific research tasks involving multiple countries and organisations since it landed on the far side of the moon on 3 January, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019011002
Arianespace and the French space agency CNES announced that they have signed a launch contract for the first nanosatellite completely built by French industry, called ANGELS (ARGOS Néo on a Generic Economical and Light Satellite). http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019010900
Arianespace and the French CNES space agency announced the signature of a launch services contract for the EyeSat Cubesat, an astronomy mission that will study zodiacal light as well as image the Milky Way. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019010901