RUAG Space extends its partnership with the United Launch Alliance (ULA) to produce payload fairings for the Atlas and the Vulcan Centaur rocket programs, the Swiss company said. RUAG Space and ULA modified and extended their existing development and production contract until 2024.
Read More »ESA and NASA partner in Earth science to respond to climate change
The European and the American space agencies, ESA and NASA, formed a strategic partnership to further Earth science and combat climate change. The aim of the partnership is to advance science and ensure that data from Earth-observing satellites are used to their best advantage, ESA said.
Read More »NASA pushes nuclear thermal propulsion systems
NASA supports nuclear space propulsion technologies and pushes for the design of nuclear thermal engines, the agency said. Together with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), NASA has selected three reactor design concepts for a nuclear thermal propulsion system. The 12-month contracts go to three consortia and are valued at approximately $5 million each.
Read More »ispace’s lunar lander fit for assembly at ArianeGroup Germany
The Japanese lunar exploration company ispace has begun the assembly of the flight model for its lunar lander, which is to be used in the company’s first mission scheduled to launch in 2022, the company said. The final assembly of the flight model lander will be carried out in cooperation with Ariane Group at its facility in Lampoldshausen, Germany.
Read More »Kongsberg opens new Ka-band antenna at Antarctica
Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT), provider of space-ground network and Earth observation (EO) services, has opened a new Ka-band antenna at its Antarctic station Troll, the company said. The antenna is part of the KSATlite network and will augment KSAT's Ka-band polar network to eight antennas by the end of the year, the company said.
Read More »Eutelsat’s Quantum ready for launch while SES leads quantum consortium
Double quantum, different quantums: Eutelsat’s Quantum, the first in a new generation of software-defined satellites, will be launched on 27 July from Kourou while SES said it pushes a Luxembourgish consortium to develop a super secure quantum key distribution system.
Read More »ArianeGroup Germany gives Ariane 6 a new kick-stage: Astris
ArianeGroup in Germany will develop a new, optional kick-stage for Ariane 6 called Astris, the company announced. The new, additional stage will “further increase the versatility of Ariane 6 and enhance performance for new types of mission”. ArianeGroup was picked as prime contractor by the European Space Agency (ESA). The contract is worth €90 million.
Read More »Masten develops Moon positioning and navigation network
Masten Space Systems, the Californian Moon and Mars mission specialist, will develop a positioning and navigation network for the Moon, the company said. Masten was awarded a Phase II contract, through the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, “to develop and demonstrate a lunar positioning and navigation network prototype”, the company founded in 2004 said.
Read More »Thales and Hellas Sat test satellite 5G in Greece
Thales Alenia Space and Hellas Sat demonstrated the operation of a 5G satellite-backhauled network in Greece, Thales said. The experiment consisted in backhauling the connection between a 5G core network and the Hellas Sat 3 / Inmarsat S EAN satellite, Thales said.
Read More »NASA and Northrop Grumman conclude Moon outpost contract
The U.S. space agency NASA and Northrop Grumman of Dulles, Virginia, concluded their contract to develop the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) for the Moon gateway, NASA said. As part of NASA’s Artemis program, HALO will be a critical way station and outpost in the orbit around the Moon. The firm, fixed-price contract is valued at $935 million, NASA said.
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