WASHINGTON — The Department of the Air Force announced Aug. 7 that incumbents United Launch Alliance and SpaceX have been selected to receive five-year contracts totaling $653 million to launch national security satellites for the U.S. military and intelligence agencies. The companies beat Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman in the four-way […]
Northrop Grumman
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Updated 7:30 p.m. Eastern with Blue Origin comment. WASHINGTON — Six years ago, SpaceX was the upstart launch company seeking to break United Launch Alliance’s monopoly on national security space launches. Now, it’s part of the establishment. When the U.S. Air Force announced Aug. 7 that SpaceX and ULA would […]
WASHINGTON — Satellite fleet operator SES has selected Thales Alenia Space to build two C-band satellites, making the Franco-Italian manufacturer the first European company to win one of nine replacement satellite orders placed this year as a result of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s upcoming C-band spectrum auction. Thales Alenia Space […]
WASHINGTON — The launch of a NASA astronomy smallsat mission next year will be postponed by several months after the pandemic delayed assembly of key elements of the spacecraft. NASA had planned to launch the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft in May 2021 on a SpaceX Falcon 9. The […]
WASHINGTON — Commercial satellite operator SES has selected SpaceX and United Launch Alliance to each launch two geostationary satellites designed to replace C-band capacity in the United States that the Federal Communications Commission is repurposing for 5G cellular networks. SpaceX’s agreement includes room to launch one additional “contingency satellite” that […]
WASHINGTON — Xtar, a company that provides satellite communications services to the U.S. government, has sold its only satellite to Hisdesat, one of its shareholders. Virginia-based Xtar signed a leasing agreement that allows it to retain the same amount of capacity on the satellite, Xtar-Eur, despite the change in ownership, […]
To receive FIRST UP Satcom, a weekly SpaceNews newsletter for satellite and telecom professionals, sign up here. TOP STORIES Arianespace’s first launch since the pandemic began is scheduled for July 28. An Ariane 5 rocket carrying three spacecraft is set to launch from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, between […]
The GEM 63 rocket motors were developed under a cooperative agreement with ULA. WASHINGTON — Northrop Grumman announced July 21 it has delivered three custom designed solid rocket motors that will fly later this year on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 vehicle. The performance of these strap-on boosters on the […]