News on key developments at SupremeSAT, and general news on the Space and Satellite industry from across the web
Airbus has validated and demonstrated photonic satellite payload technology to Technology Readiness Level 6, the last level before prototype in orbit, through the OPTIMA Horizon 2020 project. This proof of concept demonstrator brings the use of photonic payloads in telecommunications satellites one step closer. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019121503
In its latest research titled, "FSS Capacity Pricing Trends," Euroconsult details pricing for traditional C-band, Ku-band and High Throughput Satellite (HTS) capacity broken out by contracts, regions, spectrum bands, and applications. The report shows that as the growth of satellite capacity on orbit slows, pricing levels per megahertz (MHz) for regular capacity and per megabits…
The Soyuz vehicle for Arianespace’s year-ending mission has arrived at the launch zone in French Guiana, where it stands ready to receive the multi-satellite payload that will be lofted on this 17 December flight. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019121200
Northrop Grumman Corporation announced that Saturn Satellite Networks has selected the OmegA space launch vehicle to launch up to two satellites on the rocket’s inaugural flight scheduled for spring 2021. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019121201
Kepler announced that it has selected SpaceX as launch partner to deliver a portion of its first Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation into space onboard SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 launch vehicle. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019121202
Rocket Lab has officially opened Launch Complex 2, the company’s first U.S. launch site, and confirmed the inaugural mission from the site will be a dedicated flight for the U.S. Air Force. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019121203
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has begun preparatory works for setting up a third rocket launchpad in the small coastal hamlet of Kulashekhrapattinam in the Thuthukudi district of Tamil Nadu. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019121204
Payload: PSLV-C48; Payload: RISAT-2BR1, nine smallsats; Date: 11 December 2019, 0955 UTC; Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, India. About 16 minutes and 23 seconds after lift-off, RISAT-2BR1 was injected into an orbit of 576 km at an inclination of 37 degrees to the equator. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019121100
Rocket: Soyuz-2.1b; Payload: Uragan-M No.759; Date: 11 December 2019, 0854 UTC; Launch site: Plesetsk, Russia. The GLONASS-M class navigation spacecraft was accurately placed on the target orbit. (Tracking data were not immediately available.) http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019121101
Satellite remote sensing has widely been used to monitor and characterise the spatial and temporal changes of the Earth’s vegetative cover. Satellites used in these analyses have conventionally been polar-orbiting satellites. The utility of these polar-orbiting satellites has, however, often been limited because frequently occurring clouds block their view of the land surface. New-generation geostationary…