News on key developments at SupremeSAT, and general news on the Space and Satellite industry from across the web
Rocket Lab has signed a launch agreement with the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) for two back-to-back dedicated small satellite missions aboard an Electron launch vehicle. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020061802
PredaSAR Corporation announced that it will launch a constellation of 48 commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites across multiple orbits. According to the company, the constellation will be the world’s largest and most advanced commercial SAR satellite constellation http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020061803
Microsatellite developer Astranis successfully concluded thermal-vacuum testing of a qualification vehicle developed for their MicroGEO product line of small communication satellites. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020061804
Leonardo announced the conclusion of transactions aimed at purchasing 988,475 Avio’s shares. Following the transactions, Leonardo increases its stake in Avio by 3.75%, reaching 29.63% of the share capital. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020061805
Rocket: Chang Zheng 2D; Payload: Gaofen 9-03, Pixing-3A, HEDE-5; Date: 17 June 2020, 0719 UTC; Launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China. The satellites were deployed into an approx. 486 km x 503 km x 97.32 degrees Sun-synchronous orbit. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020061700
Spaceflight Inc. announced it inked an agreement with SpaceX to secure rideshare capacity on multiple launches. This agreement between the two companies secures Spaceflight capacity to launch manifest payloads on several SpaceX launches through the end of 2021. In addition, Spaceflight will launch two rideshare payloads aboard SpaceX’s upcoming tenth Starlink mission. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020061701
With the successful integration of the ATLID-Instrument the EarthCARE satellite (Clouds Aerosols and Radiation Explorer) has passed a crucial milestone, as it concludes the "onboarding" of the three European instruments. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020061702
Xplore Inc., a commercial space exploration company providing Space as a Service, announced they have been awarded a U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) study for a solar observatory at the Earth-Sun L1 Lagrange point to monitor the Sun and provide early detection of solar events that can disrupt power grids and telecommunications on…
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced that it will acquire CPI ASC Signal Division (ASC) from Communications & Power Industries LLC (CPI) for US$35 million in cash. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020061704
China on 15 June indefinitely postponed the launch of the final satellite of its Beidou navigation network because of technical problems in the rocket meant to launch it into orbit. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020061600