Satellite Launch Business

Eutelsat Quantum, the first sophisticated telecommunication satellite was launched on board of an Ariane 5 on 30th July at 23:00 CEST from French Guiana Space Centre. The launch marks Arianespace’s 6th successful mission of the year. The commercial, fully flexible satellite can be repurposed completely during its time in space thanks to its configurable software-defined design.

A software failure caused a thruster misfiring and tilted the International Space Station (ISS) during the docking of the Russian science module Nauka, space agencies and media reports said on Friday. Nauka inadvertently started to fire its thrusters after its successful docking to the ISS and tilted the station, causing a loss of attitude control for around 45 minutes, the reports said.

The British watchdog Ofcom wants to tighten the rules that govern satellite mega-constellations, Bloomberg reported. Satellite systems would be checked in the U.K. for whether they risk degrading other services, and if they could harm competition, Bloomberg said.

Isar Aerospace extended its series B funding by €63 million to over €140 million, the company founded in 2018 and specialising in small and medium satellites said. With a total financing volume of more than €150 million, Isar Aerospace now sees itself as "the most well-funded space start-up in the European Union".

Rocket Lab has opened a launch window for U.S. Space Force`s Monolith mission for 29 July, the company said. Rocket Lab aims at launching the Air Force Research Laboratory-sponsored demonstration satellite called Monolith into low Earth orbit (LEO) on its Electron rocket from its Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand.

As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and Orbital Gateway Consulting we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and texts. We are pleased to present “Dongfang Hour China Aerospace News Roundup 19 – 25 July”. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Dongfang Hour China Aero/Space News Roundup! A special shout-out to our friends at SpaceWatch.Global,

The German aerospace startup Polaris signed a four-month €250,000 contract with the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) to examine applications of its Aurora spaceplane for military observation missions, the company said. The contract allows for testing and validating the potentials of the reusable Aurora spaceplane in defense activities

Astroscale works with Mitsubishi on active debris removal and projects for improving space environmental protection, the Japanese company said. The collaboration with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will leverage Astroscale’s on-orbit servicing technologies and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ launch vehicle manufacturing and launch services capabilities.

The launch service provider Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has successfully tested its staged combustion engine and thus marked the entry of the first European player in this technology segment, the company said. RFA’s eight-second engine test was conducted in Kiruna, Sweden, the company said.

In the latest Space Café “Law Breakfast with Steven Freeland”, Steven Freeland and Torsten Kriening welcomed Elina Morozova and Andrzej Misztal at the wonderful ‘Coffee-Desk’ Café in Warsaw. Over blueberry cake, home-made cookies, croissants, and coffee, the panelists, along with a lively audience engaged in a revealing