News on key developments at SupremeSAT, and general news on the Space and Satellite industry from across the web
PredaSAR Corporation has successfully completed its Critical Design Review (CDR) to begin fabrication, testing and launch of its Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) spacecraft, in partnership with Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems Inc. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020082404
The Space Dynamics Laboratory, a nonprofit research laboratory with Utah State University, announced that it has been awarded a contract by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to build six spacecraft for NASA’s Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment mission, known as SunRISE. The contract value was not disclosed. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020082405
In the article "Rocket Lab sets return to flight launch window" it was erroneously claimed that the launch customer was the U.S. Air Force. The customer actually is Capella Space (cf. separate article in this issue). The mission for the U.S. Air Force will be flown no earlier than September. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020082406
Rocket: Chang Zheng 2D; Payload: Gaofen-9 05, Tiantuo-5, multifunctional test satellite; Date: 23 August, 0227 UTC; Launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China. The satellites was deployed into a 486 km x 506 km x 97.50 degrees Sun-synchronous orbit. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020082300
Rocket Lab said it will open a 13-day window next week for the launch of a dedicated commercial mission from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020082301
Exolaunch and Glavkosmos, the single operator of foreign commercial activities of the State Space Corporation Roskosmos, have initiated a launch campaign for 15 international small satellites onboard a Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle with a Fregat upper stage. As soon as September 2020, Soyuz-2 will deliver a cluster of small satellites into orbit as rideshare payloads on…
Russia’s Angara-A5 heavy rocket was recently delivered to the Plesetsk space centre in northwestern Russia for pre-launch preparations. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020082303
The cost of launching a new Russian Amur rocket (a.k.a. Soyuz 6) powered by methane with a reusable first stage and without an upper stage will reach US$22 million, according to the tender documentation for a new rocket published on the Russian government’s procurement website. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020082304
Ball Aerospace has successfully completed on-orbit testing of NASA’s Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM), which included ASCENT, a non-toxic, high-performance propellant developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), on board a Ball-built small satellite. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020082305
A new launch date of 1 September 2020 has been announced by Arianespace for Vega flight VV16. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020082000