January 2020

The United States Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) and its mission partner, NASA, successfully deployed the Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program Satellite-4 (STPSat-4) from the International Space Station on 28 January 2020. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020013000

ISS-Reshetnev’s GLONASS-M navigation satellite has successfully flown from Krasnoyarsk to the Plesetsk cosmodrome. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020013001

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. and Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. jointly announced that Comtech has agreed to acquire Gilat in a cash and stock transaction for US$10.25 per Gilat ordinary share of which 70% will be paid in cash and 30% in Comtech common stock, resulting in an enterprise value of approximately US$532.5 million. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020013002

Rocket: Falcon 9; Payload: 60 Starlink satellites; Date: 29 January 2020, 1406 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. The satellites were successfully deployed into a circular 290 km altitude orbit, inclined at 53 degrees, a little over one hour after lift-off. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020012900

GMV has signed a contract with Northrop Grumman for development and supply of the Satellite Operations Center for Space Norway HEOSAT’s ASBM-1 and ASBM-2 satellites. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020012901

Engineers for NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft are working to return the mission to normal operating conditions after one of the spacecraft’s autonomous fault protection routines was triggered. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020012902

The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS)’s Council for Space Exploration plans to recommend that the country’s relevant ministries and departments keep a more watchful eye on nuclear-powered objects in outer space, so as to predict possible risks of their falling on Earth, according to a Council statement signed by RAS head Alexander Sergeyev. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020012903

Tethers Unlimited said it has successfully demonstrated on-orbit operation of the Terminator Tape, a solution for removing space debris from on orbit. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020012904

The Boeing Company reported financial results for the fourth-quarter 2019. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020012905

Weather concerns have prompted SpaceX to push back a launch attempt of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station by another day. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020012800