October 2019

The Next Generation OPIR Geosynchronous Earth Orbiting (GEO) satellite programme, commonly referred to as NGG, achieved another major milestone in 2019 by completing its system/ground and space vehicle preliminary design review (PDR) on 27 September 2019. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019101302

Astroscale Holdings Inc. has entered the assembly, integration and test (AIT) phase of its End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-demonstration (ELSA-d) mission, following completion of rigorous design reviews and subsystem testing. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019101303

International Launch Services (ILS) successfully inserted the Eutelsat 5 West B and the Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1) satellites into their planned super-synchronous Transfer Orbits (SSTO) for Eutelsat of Paris, France, and SpaceLogistics LLC of Dulles, Virginia. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019101000

Maxar Technologies announced that it will open a new facility in St. Louis, Missouri, to support growth in several U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) programmes. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019101001

Khrunichev State Space Research and Production Center, majority shareholder of International Launch Services, Inc. (ILS), announced the resignation of Kirk Pysher as President of ILS. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019101002

Rocket: Proton M/Briz M; Payload: Eutelsat 5 West B [Eutelsat 5WB], Mission Extension Vehicle-1 [MEV-1]; Date: 9 October 2019, 1017 UTC; Launch site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The delivery of the satellites into a supersynchronous transfer orbit was to take a record 15 hours and 54 minutes [too late for this issue]. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019100900

Raytheon Company said it will develop new space systems and flight software, and provide engineering, training and operations support for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed by Caltech, under a five-year, $150 million contract. The contract could potentially be worth US$300 million over 10 years if all options are exercised. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019100901

US-based EOS Data Analytics Inc. (EOS), a space portfolio company of Noosphere Ventures, has unveiled EOS SAR – a project to develop its own synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors intended for deployment in a constellation of microsatellites. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019100902

Russia’s Roskosmos state space corporation has launched the operation of its Kanopus-V satellite system to monitor natural and man-made disasters. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019100903

Russian space agency Roskosmos patented a spacecraft which can change its shape if approached by a foreign spy satellite, according to a descriptive note attached to the patent. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019100904