News on key developments at SupremeSAT, and general news on the Space and Satellite industry from across the web
Maxar Technologies announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of 3D data and analytics firm Vricon for approximately US$140 million, or approximately US$115 million net of estimated cash at closing. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020070205
NSR’s Global Satellite Capacity Supply and Demand, 17th Edition (GSCSD17) report finds COVID-19 having a deep, near term impact on key satellite capacity growth areas, but the industry will bounce back to 2019 revenue levels in three years. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020070206
On 30 June at 2010 UTC, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 successfully lifted off, carrying the U.S. Space Force’s GPS III Space Vehicle 03 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020070100
Due to the persistence of exceptionally unfavourable winds at altitude over the Guiana Space Center, Vega Flight VV16 – originally scheduled for 18 June 2020 – was repeatedly postponed, despite full availability the launcher and the 53 satellites on this Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) mission. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020070101
An Airbus developed next generation retaskable software defined radio payload, Prometheus 1, will be launched on the Faraday-1 cubesat from New Zealand on 3 July. The Faraday-1 mission is part of In Space Missions Ltd’s in-orbit demonstration programme. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020070102
The newly-launched last satellite of China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) successfully entered long-term operation mode on 1 July, the Xi’an Satellite Control Center announced. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020070103
Viasat Inc. announced the official launch of its Real-Time Earth (RTE) facility in Alice Springs, Australia. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020070104
Rocket: Falcon 9; Payload: GPS III SV03; Date: 29 June 2020, 2010 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. The spacecraft was to be separated from the rocket’s first stage about 89 minutes after lift-off (too late for this issue). http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020063000
The two payloads that will ride together on Arianespace’s upcoming Ariane 5 heavy-lift mission have arrived at the Spaceport in French Guiana to begin their pre-launch processing. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020063001
As winds at altitude above the Guiana Space Center remain unfavourable, the final chronology operations for Vega’s Flight VV16 mission have been suspended. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020062900