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ArianeGroup’s Sprint reflector equip Airbus’ OneSats

Paris, 14 April 2021. - ArianeGroup will supply ultra-light Sprint antenna reflectors to Airbus for its OneSat satellite, the group said. The first Sprint reflectors will equip Inmarsat, Optus, Intelsat, and SKY Perfect JSAT satellites produced by Airbus, ArianeGroup said. ArianeGroup developed the latest generation of ultra-light Sprint antenna reflectors “in just two years”, the company says

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Marlink got green light to acquire ITC Global

Paris, 13 April 2021. – The Norwegian network provider Marlink Group can close the acquisition of ITC Global, the company said. Backed by Apax Partners, Marlink obtained final regulatory approvals to acquire 100% of ITC Global from Panasonic, the group said. Marlink and ITC Global are preparing for a swift closing of the transaction in the coming weeks, the company said.

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Exolaunch offers ‘green’ space tug system

Paris, 13 April 2021. – The rideshare provider Exolaunch launched a new “environmentally responsible” space tug system, the German new space company said. The program dubbed Reliant features a new line of orbital transfer vehicles (OTV) that bring satellites into their custom orbits are that Exolaunch considers “fully sustainable” – “the first of its kind in the OTV industry.”

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DARPA asks industrial trio to develop nuclear propulsion

Paris, 13 April 2021. – The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded General Atomics, Blue Origin, and Lockheed Martin as prime contractors to demonstrate a nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) system in 2025. The agency selected the industry team to design, develop and demonstrate a nuclear thermal propulsion system in space, above low Earth orbit, DARPA said.

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OneWeb and Starlink came “dangerously close”, The Verge reports

Two satellites from the OneWeb and Starlink constellations came dangerously close – as close as 60 meters – last week but could avoid a collision, The Verge reported. The Verge quoted representatives from the US Space Force and OneWeb who said that two satellites from the fast-growing constellations of OneWeb and SpaceX’s Starlink dodged a dangerously close approach with one another in orbit last weekend.

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NASA postpones Ingenuity’s maiden flight on Mars

Not yet: NASA rescheduled Mars helicopter Ingenuity’s maiden flight to “no earlier than April 14”, the agency said. Based on data from the Ingenuity Mars helicopter that arrived late Friday night from a high-speed spin test of the rotors, NASA has chosen to reschedule the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s first experimental flight, NASA said.

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Biden supports NASA with $24.7 billion 2022 budget proposal

The U.S. Government’s budget for fiscal year 2022 requests $24.7 billion for NASA, a 6.3 per cent increase compared to this year’s spending bill, the White House said. The President’s “discretionary request” includes $6.9 billion for NASA’s human exploration of Moon, Mars and beyond, an unspecified amount for its robotic exploration of the solar system

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Emirates name first female Arab astronaut

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) named its first female astronaut, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said. “Today we announce two new Emirati astronauts, among them the first female Arab astronaut. We congratulate them and count on them to raise the name of the UAE ever higher in space.”

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U.S. investment firm pays hefty 52% premium for Orbcomm

Going private: The IoT specialist Orbcomm agreed to be acquired by the U.S. investment firm GI Partners, valuing the company at $1.1 billion, Orbcomm said. The Nasdaq-listed firm, a global provider of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, said it entered into a "definitive agreement" to be acquired, in an all-cash transaction, by GI Partners, a private investment firm based in San Francisco.

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