Space

HawkEye 360 Inc. has successfully commissioned its three Pathfinder satellites and begun geolocating radio frequency (RF) signals. HawkEye 360 satellites fly in a commercially unique formation that independently pinpoints the geographical origin of a wide range of RF signals.

Airbus and Japanese telecommunications satellite operator SKY Perfect JSAT have signed a cooperation agreement for the design preparation of the EDRS-D node.

NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD., a manufacturer with over 80 years of experience in spark plugs and ceramics, headquartered in Nagoya, Japan, and lunar exploration company, iSpace Inc., have announced that NGK SPARK PLUG has agreed to participate as a Corporate Partner of the world’s first commercial lunar exploration program “HAKUTO – R”.

Thuraya Telecommunications Company, a subsidiary of the Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), has partnered with ITC Global to set up Thuraya VSAT+, the ground-breaking maritime satellite service.

Space Systems Loral (SSL), a Maxar Technologies company, and a leading provider of innovative satellites and spacecraft systems, has announced that the Nusantara Satu communications satellite, built for Indonesian satellite operator PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN), is successfully performing post-launch maneuvers according to plan.

On 21 February 2019 in Paris, France, in the presence of Frédérique Vidal, the French Minister for Higher Education, Research and Innovation, the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) President Jean-Yves Le Gall and ArianeGroup CEO André-Hubert Roussel signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to create an acceleration platform dedicated to the preparation of future launchers.

Space IL has successfully launched the first private spacecraft to the Moon. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Thursday, 21 February 2019, carrying the Beresheet spacecraft. Beresheet, meaning beginning or genesis in Hebrew, will land on the lunar surface in approximately sixty days and will make Israel the fourth country to land a spacecraft on the Moon.

Egypt’s latest high-resolution Earth observation satellite, EGYPTSAT-A, was successfully launched on board a Soyuz launch vehicle with a Fregat upper stage from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan late on 21 February 2019.

Eutelsat Communications and Afghanistan Broadcasting System (ABS) have signed a multi-year, multi-transponder contract for video capacity on the EUTELSAT-53A satellite.

By Blaine Curcio and Tianyi Lan .Many would correctly say that much of the innovation in the Western space industry over the past decade has occurred because of the private sector.