An Aerojet Rocketdyne subsidiary has tested a five-kilowatt Hall Thruster in the U.K. with a Thales Alenia Space-built power processing unit. European Space Propulsion will next transfer the production capability of the XR-5 thruster from Aerojet Rocketdyne and develop the XR-5E, Aerojet Rocketdyne said Wednesday. Paul Sinton, managing director of European Space Propulsion, said the […]
Aerojet Rocketdyne Subsidiary Tests 5-KW Hall Thruster; Paul Sinton Comments
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Thales Alenia Space to Build New Oceanographic Satellites for ESA Under $500M Contract
Thales Alenia Space has been awarded an estimated $500 million contract to produce additional environmental monitoring and oceanographic satellites for the European Space Agency’s Earth observation program. The company will design, develop and test the Sentinel-3C and Sentinel-3D satellites under ESA’s Copernicus program headed by the European Commission, Thales Alenia Space said Feb. 9. Jean Loic […]
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Matt Desch: Iridium NEXT Launch Pushed Back to July on Russia Approval Process Delay
Iridium Communications has delayed the launch of its 66-satellite Iridium NEXT constellation from April to July after the launch provider notified of delays in obtaining government approvals for the launches, Iridium CEO Matt Desch told investors Thursday. SpaceX will launch 10 Iridium NEXT satellites in December on its Falcon 9 rocket and joint Russian-Ukrainian spaceflight company Kosmotros will subsequently launch two […]
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Thales-Finmeccanica JV-Led Team Gets French Govt Support on Stratobus Airship Development Project
A team led by a joint venture of Thales Group and Finmeccanica has received approximately $19.2 million in funds from the French government to conduct research and development work over two years on an autonomous airship. Thales Alenia Space will collaborate with French companies CNIM, Solutions F, Airstar Aerospace and Tronico-Alcen on the structure, electric propulsion system […]
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Space News: Iridium NEXT Constellation on Pace for July Launch
Iridium Communications remains on schedule to launch the first 10 satellites of the Iridium NEXT constellation in July aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Space News reported Friday. Peter de Selding writes the initial launch date may change by a few weeks based on SpaceX’s availability and will be followed by six sets of 10 satellites that are expected to […]
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Iridium to Launch First NEXT Satellite Batch in September; Matt Desch Comments
Iridium Communications will launch the first line of its NEXT satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base on September 12. The company said Tuesday Thales Alenia Space and Orbital ATK have completed assembly, integration and testing of the 81 satellites on the assembly line, which includes 66 operational satellites to replace the current Iridium network. “After more than seven […]
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Space News: Thales Alenia Space & Partners Seek Contract for High-Altitude Platform Station
Industry partners will invest in and work to develop a contract for the Thales Alenia Space-led Stratobus high-altitude platform station, Space News reported Thursday. Peter de Selding writes the French-Italian group expects to add telecommunications payloads when HAPS systems become authorized to operate in Ka- and Ku-band. “We expect to have our first contract in 2017 to develop […]
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Orbital ATK Orders Thales Alenia Space Cargo Modules for ISS Resupply Missions
Thales Alenia Space will provide nine more pressurized cargo modules for future International Space Station resupply missions onboard Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft under a new contract between the two companies. The companies inked the contract at the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K. for the transportation of crew supplies and science experiments to ISS, Orbital ATK said Monday. […]
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Thales Alenia Space-Orbital ATK Team Completes 1st Batch of Iridium NEXT Satellites; Matt Desch Comments
A team of Thales Alenia Space and Orbital ATK has finished construction work on the first batch of communications satellites for Iridium‘s NEXT program, Spaceflight Now reported Wednesday. Stephen Clark writes the satellites are set for delivery to Vandenberg Air Force Base for fueling and mating with a SpaceX-built Falcon 9 rocket prior to the launch of initial satellites on Sept. 11, […]
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Orbital ATK Ships Initial Iridium NEXT Satellites to Vandenberg AF Base; Matt Desch Comments
Orbital ATK has transported the first two next-generation Iridium satellites to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California as part of preparations for the scheduled liftoff on Sept. 19, Spaceflight Now reported Wednesday. Stephen Clark writes the satellites were shipped via truck from an Orbital ATK-run manufacturing facility near Phoenix to Vandenberg, where eight additional message transmission […]
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Thales Alenia Space to Supply Satellite Navigation System to South Korea; Jean Loic Galle Comments
Thales Alenia Space will supply a satellite navigation system to the South Korea’s national space agency in an effort to help enhance the country’s positioning system. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute will use the KASS system built based on Thales Alenia Space’s European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System to provide aeronautical applications and extend its use to maritime, […]
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Iridium Sets Satellite Constellation NEXT Launch Date for Dec. 16; Matt Desch Comments
Iridium Communications has scheduled the launch of its next-generation global satellite constellation Iridium NEXT for Dec. 16 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will carry 10 Iridium NEXT satellites to low-Earth orbit to replace an existing commercial satellite network in space, Iridium said Thursday. The planned launch announcement follows […]
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Thales Alenia Space’s ELiTeBUS 1000 Satellite Added to NASA Goddard’s Rapid III Catalog
Thales Alenia Space’s ELiTeBUS 1000 satellite system has been added by the rapid spacecraft development office to the Rapid III catalog managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The satellite platform’s inclusion in the catalog would allow the joint venture of Thales and Leonardo-Finmeccanica to respond to future request for proposals for platforms and services under […]
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European Space Agency Taps Thales Alenia Space for ExoMars 2020 Mission Support Contract
The European Space Agency has partnered with Thales Alenia Space to carry out the final stage of activities for the ExoMars 2020 — a joint mission of ESA and its Russian counterpart to explore life on Mars. Thales Alenia Space will design the ExoMars mission and lead a European industrial consortium under a contract with ESA, Thales said Friday. The ExoMars 2020 spacecraft […]
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NASA to Deploy Ozone Measurement Payload to ISS
NASA plans to launch an instrument designed to measure Earth’s ozone as part of SpaceX‘s 10th cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The agency said Saturday the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III on ISS payload will launch with the SpaceX-built Dragon spacecraft this month from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SAGE III will be attached to […]
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Matt Desch: 1st Iridium ‘NEXT’ Satellite Batch Entered Service
Iridium Communications CEO Matt Desch has said eight of the first 10 Iridium NEXT satellites that took off in January began to provide data and voice transmission service between March and mid-April, Spaceflight Now reported Friday. Stephen Clark writes Desch said at a quarterly earnings call Thursday that engineers have begun to reposition the two other satellites […]
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SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Launches 2nd Iridium ‘NEXT’ Satellite Batch Into Space; Matt Desch Comments
Iridium Communications’ second batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites lifted off Sunday aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to join the initial batch of satellites that took off in January. The launch brings the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in space to 20 and marks the second of […]
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Iridium Sets Sept. 30 Launch Date for 3rd ‘NEXT’ Satellite Batch
Iridium Communications plans to launch the third batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites on Sept. 30 aboard a SpaceX-built Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The scheduled launch would bring the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in space to 30 as part of a potential $3 billion program to replace an existing constellation with 75 new communications satellites […]
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Telespazio-Thales Alenia Space JV Enter Satellite Tech Partnership With Spaceflight Industries
The Space Alliance, a joint venture of Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space, has partnered with Spaceflight Industries on a number space technology-related efforts. The partnership would include an investment in Spaceflight Industries as well as the creation of a U.S.-based joint venture between Thales Alenia Space and Spaceflight Industries that would focus on small satellite production, Spaceflight Industries said Friday. […]
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Iridium Preps 3rd NEXT Satellite Batch for October Launch; Matt Desch Comments
Iridium Comxmunications has rescheduled to Oct. 4 the launch of a third batch of 10 NEXT communications satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, aboard a SpaceX-built Falcon 9 rocket. The company said Wednesday it began pre-launch processing activities on the satellites and the Falcon 9 rocket stages and components. The third Irdium NEXT launch was originally slated […]
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