March 2018

The U.S. Air Force announced the award of two Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) launch service contracts. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018031500

Orbital ATK has been given approval to begin building the NASA Landsat 9 spacecraft after completing a comprehensive design review of the mission. Landsat 9, a land surface mapping satellite, will collect space-based images and data that serve as valuable resources for researchers in areas that include agriculture, land use mapping, and disaster relief. Orbital…

Airbus has launched the OPTIMA project, which will deliver a proof of concept demonstrator for the use of photonic payloads in telecommunications satellites. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018031502

Thales Alenia Space has shipped the broadband radiometer (BBR), a scientific instrument for the European Space Agency’s Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) satellite mission. Designed and built by Thales Alenia Space in the United Kingdom, it was shipped to satellite prime contractor Airbus integration centre in Friedrichshafen, Germany. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018031503

ILS announced multiple launch assignments for Proton Medium launches that will include the use of both the 4.35 meter and the new 5.2 meter payload fairing. The missions will take place beginning in late 2019 from Pad 24 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018031400

DigitalGlobe said that the initial block of the company’s multi-satellite WorldView Legion constellation will be launched by two flight-proven Falcon 9 rockets in 2021. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018031401

Deep Space Industries announced that it has signed a contract with Astro Digital to provide several Comet water-based satellite propulsion systems. Comet is a simple electrothermal propulsion system that can be customised for nearly any small satellite application. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018031402

ILS and UK headquartered Effective Space announce their intent to contract to deliver two of Effective Space’s "Space Drone" spacecraft into orbit. The Proton Briz M rideshare launch is planned for 2020 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018031200

The Antenna Systems Division (ASD) of Communications & Power Industries LLC (CPI) announced it has signed an agreement to purchase the limited-motion satellite antenna family from Viasat Inc. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018031201

Viasat Inc. announced the availability of ViaSat-2 satellite communications (SATCOM) service for government, defence and military applications. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2018031202