June 2018

Eutelsat Communications S.A. said it noted the recent speculation and confirms that it is currently evaluating a possible offer for Inmarsat. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018062503

The U.S. Air Force has announced the award of an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) launch service contract. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018062400

SSL announced it shipped the first of three satellites that SSL will deliver to the SpaceX launch base at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida over the next month. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018062401

With just one year before Vega-C lifts off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, preparations for Europe’s next launcher are gaining momentum, ESA said. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018062402

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s Geosynchronous Earth Orbiting 5 Wide Area Augmentation System navigation payload, developed by Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information and Services business, is now operational and fully integrated into the WAAS network. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018062403

EchoStar said that it had a near 3% shareholding in Inmarsat, as well as a 10.4% position in its convertible bonds. The disclosure, which was made in a stock exchange filing, comes after Inmarsat announced earlier this month that it had rejected a takeover approach from EchoStar because it "very significantly undervalued" its business. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018062404

RSC Energia specialists have patented a system of iodine storage and feeding for an advanced electrical rocket engine (ERE). http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018062100

Northrop Grumman Corporation has successfully powered up the two main parts of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a significant event in the test and integration phase of the programme. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018062101

Designed for a three-to-five-year mission, the joint U.S./European Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM) on the Jason-2 satellite has marked its 10th year in orbit . http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018062102

The space debris removal technology mission RemoveDEBRIS, led by the Surrey Space Centre (SSC) at the University of Surrey, has been launched into orbit from the International Space Station (ISS). RemoveDEBRIS will demonstrate a range of technologies to clean up space debris, with the first Airbus designed and built experiment due for deployment in October…