February 2020

Channel network and content distributor AfricaXP has signed multi-year agreements with Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) for Ku-band capacity on two Eutelsat satellites, positioned at 16° East and 7° East. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020021302

Astranis announced a US$90 million financing round to launch its first commercial satellite. The round was led by Venrock, with significant participation from existing investor Andreessen Horowitz. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020021303

The U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center Development Corps signed a US$253.6 million payload development award with Northrop Grumman for the first of up to four separate payload development awards for the Protected Tactical SATCOM (PTS) acquisition. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020021304

The Russian weather satellite Meteor-M No.2-3, previously scheduled for launch in 2020, will be launched next year, the Roskosmos press service was quoted as saying. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020021200

There are plans to carry out 18 space launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in 2020, Roskosmos General Director Dmitry Rogozin said. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020021201

Kleos Space S.A, a space-powered Radio Frequency Reconnaissance data-as-a-service (DaaS) company, confirms it has dispatched its four Scouting Mission nanosatellites to Chennai, India, in preparation for launch aboard PSLV C49 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020021202

For its third flight of 2020, Arianespace will orbit two satellites using an Ariane 5 launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Center: JCSAT-17 for the Japanese operator Sky Perfect JSAT Corporation; and GEO-KOMPSAT-2B for Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020021100

The third next-generation GPS III satellite – and the first delivered by Lockheed Martin to the new U.S. Space Force — has arrived in Florida for an expected April launch. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020021101

Rocket: Atlas V 411; Payload: Solar Orbiter; Date: 10 February 2020, 0403 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. Signals from the spacecraft were received at New Norcia Station ground station at 0500 UTC, following separation from the launcher upper stage in low Earth orbit. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020021000

The launch of the Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus spacecraft has been postponed to 13 February, NASA said in a statement. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2020021001