On 16 September Northrop Grumman received a contract from the US Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) to develop a next-generation “jam-resistant” military communications satellite. The contract was awarded through the Evolved Strategic Satellite...
On 15 September the European Space Agency (ESA) awarded the construction contract for their HERA mission to German manufacturer OHB Systems. The contract is valued at EUR€129.4m (US$153.3m). OHB will be the lead in a team with 17 other companies from ESA member...
AAC Clyde Space, Saab and ORBCOMM announced plans, on 24 August, for a space-based VDES constellation. VDES (VHF Data Exchange System) is seen as the second-generation of maritime identification, building on the foundations laid out by AIS (Automatic Identification...
Airbus announced on 18 August, that Arabsat had contracted with the manufacturer for a dual C-/Ku-band GEO communications satellite. It is to be based on its new, all-electric, Eurostar Neo bus. Arabsat intends to call the satellite BADR-8 and locate it at its 26...
NASA and Virgin Orbit have announced that the ELaNa 20 mission will fly on the upcoming second orbital test flight of the LauncherOne rocket. NASA and Virgin Orbit issued a press release on 3 August. In which it stated that NASA is happy for the 11-satellite mission...
Airbus DS, France, has been selected to build the Earth Return Orbiter (ERO), part of the, NASA/ESA, Mars Sample Return project. The ERO will transport recovered Martian rock samples – some of which will be prepared by the recently launched Perseverance rover...
