October 2019

Iran plans to send three satellites into orbit in the next three months, Iran’s state TV reported. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019100301

Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft has released a small rover that will land on the surface of asteroid Ryugu as part its final mission before heading back to Earth, Japan’s space agency JAXA said. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019100302

United Launch Services has been awarded a $99 million firm-fixed-price contract for Atlas V Completion launch services. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019100200

Operation of the basic version of the Rokot carrier rocket may be discontinued on 29 November after it is launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome with three Gonets satellite systems, first deputy head of the JSC Gonets Satellite System Oleg Khimochko said. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019100201

The Quantum satellite – Europe’s reprogrammable telecommunications satellite – built through an ESA Partnership Project with its operator Eutelsat successfully completed thermal vacuum testing on 28 September. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019100202

Space debris endangers active satellites and space stations. The aim of international and national efforts is therefore to prevent collisions and damage to satellites more effectively in the future. This can be achieved by constantly monitoring as many potentially dangerous objects as possible on different Earth orbits. To this end, SCISYS already started in mid-2018…

CubeRover, an ultralight, rechargeable planetary rover developed by Astrobotic, has been awarded a US$2 million NASA Tipping Point contract. The rover, roughly the size of a shoebox and with a mass of approx. 2 kg, can carry its own payloads or team up with other CubeRovers as "scouts" for larger rovers and landers. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019100204

The Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), in partnership with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), awarded a sole source, five-year, US$1.18 billion Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) modification of the Delta IV Heavy contract, saving US$455 million. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019100100

Rocket Lab announced Astro Digital as the customer for Rocket Lab’s ninth Electron mission, and fifth mission of 2019. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019100101

Russia will send only two manned Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2020, instead of four it has been sending every year since 2009, according to insurance broker RK-Insurance, a subsidiary of Russian State Space Corporation Roskosmos. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2019100102