A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 on Oct. 15 at 3:28 a.m. EDT. Designated NROL-52, the mission is in support of national security. "Today's launch is a testament to the tireless dedication of the ULA team, demonstrating why ULA continues to serve as our nation's most dependable and successful launch provider," said Laura Maginnis, ULA vice president of Government Satellite Launch. "Af...

The first Copernicus mission dedicated to monitoring our atmosphere, Sentinel-5P, has been launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. The 820 kg satellite was carried into orbit on a Rockot launcher at 09:27 GMT (11:27 CEST) today. The first stage separated 2 min 16 sec after liftoff, followed by the fairing and second stage at 3 min 3 sec and 5 min 19 sec, respectively. The upper stage then fired twice, delivering Sentinel-5P to its final orbit 79 min after liftoff. ...

The first full-scale model of the rocket motor that will propel Ariane 6 and Vega-C into orbit has been cast and filled with inert propellant for testing at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. The P120C is the largest solid-propellant rocket motor ever built in one segment. Each P120C will hold over 140 tonnes of propellant in a carbon fibre casing almost 11.5 m long and about 3.4 m in diameter. It is derived from Vega's current first stage motor, the P80, which holds 88 tonnes of propell...

There's no map showing all the billions of exoplanets hiding in our galaxy -- they're so distant and faint compared to their stars, it's hard to find them. Now, astronomers hunting for new worlds have established a possible signpost for giant exoplanets. A new study finds that giant exoplanets that orbit far from their stars are more likely to be found around young stars that have a disk of dust and debris than those without disks. The study, published in The Astronomical Journal, focused on ...

Our 4th Space Resiliency Summit is designed as an educational and training ''Town Hall'' forum, where thought leaders and key policy-makers across military services, defense agencies, and civilian organizations can come together for actionable discussions and debate. This year's summit will focus on technology and innovation needed to defend critical space assets against increasing and new threats. Download Conference Agenda | Register to attend this Conference 2017 Summit Topics to Includ...

EchoStar Corp. (NASDAQ: SATS) announced today that the EchoStar 105/SES-11 satellite was successfully launched on October 11 at 6:53 PM EDT on a SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. EchoStar 105/SES-11, a dual-mission satellite for EchoStar and SES, is a hybrid Ku and C-band communications satellite that provides EchoStar with 24 Ku-band transponders of 36 MHz, marketed as EchoStar 105, and SES with a C-band payload of 24 transponders, marketed under the name S...

Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) was recently selected by DigitalGlobe, Inc. as the next-generation WorldView Legion satellite imaging constellation payload provider. Under the contract, Raytheon will deliver the telescopes, detectors and combined electronics to Space Systems Loral, the WorldView Legion space vehicle integrator. Raytheon's new payload doubles DigitalGlobe's capacity to capture multispectral and 30 cm imagery, while tripling to quadrupling the company's capacity to image high-dema...

Mission controllers completed a critical final rehearsal today, confirming that everything and everyone on ground are ready to take over control of Sentinel-5P in the harsh environment of space. A 'team of teams' working at ESA's control centre in Darmstadt, Germany, today conducted a final rehearsal for this week's launch of Sentinel-5P. They were joined by engineers working at ground stations on three continents and by teams responsible for the launcher and its payload in Plesetsk, Russ...

Ushering in a new era of advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, the U.S. Air Force declared the first Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT)-built GPS III satellite "Available for Launch." The Air Force's "AFL" declaration is the final acceptance of Lockheed Martin's first GPS III Space Vehicle (GPS III SV01) prior to its expected 2018 launch. GPS III SV01 will bring new capabilities to U.S. and allied military forces, and a new civil signal that will improve future connectivity worldwide ...

With four days to liftoff, the next Sentinel satellite is now on the launch pad at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. The rocket will be fuelled two days before launch, set for Friday at 09:27 GMT (11:27 CEST). The Sentinel-5P satellite has been at the cosmodrome since early September going through a series of tests and being readied for the big day. After being sealed from view in the rocket fairing last week, it was rolled out to the launch pad on Saturday. "This point in any...

L3 Technologies (NYSE:LLL) announced today that it has been awarded a contract to provide Hawkeye(tm) III Lite VSAT satellite communications terminals and on-site training to the U.S. Air National Guard's Joint Incident Site Communications Capability (JISCC) teams. These terminals will facilitate direct communication from remote locations in all 50 states and U.S. territories. Additionally, these Army Strategic Command (ARSTRAT)-certified terminals will enable access to the Wideband Global SATCO...

The third batch of Iridium(r) NEXT satellites built by Thales Alenia Space has been successfully launched by SpaceX from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. After the perfect commissioning of the first 20 satellites launched in January and June, thirteen of which are now interconnected and operating in full compatibility with the initial Block One Constellation, with seven being maneuvered to an adjacent plane, this new milestone allows to continue the fantastic Iridium(r) NEXT adventure. ...

Astronomers have identified a bumper crop of dual supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies. This discovery could help astronomers better understand how giant black holes grow and how they may produce the strongest gravitational wave signals in the Universe. The new evidence reveals five pairs of supermassive black holes, each containing millions of times the mass of the Sun. These black hole couples formed when two galaxies collided and merged with each other, forcing their superma...

As preparations for the launch of Sentinel-5P continue on track, the team at Russia's Plesetsk site has bid farewell to the satellite as it was sealed from view in the Rockot fairing. Liftoff is set for 13 October at 09:27 GMT (11:27 CEST). Since its arrival at the launch site at the beginning of September, Sentinel-5P has been through a series of stringent tests to confirm there was no damage during the flight from the UK. These tests have made sure that everything is in good working orde...

Though an emerging market, the global nanosatellite market is highly competitive, with major players competing against each other to make a mark in the global market. The companies are adopting both organic and inorganic market strategies such as business expansions, partnerships, agreements, collaborations, product launches, and acquisitions, among others, to strengthen their position in the market. The high growth of the nanosatellite market is unprecedented for the satellite industry and will...

After years of development, Lockheed Martin completed the first flight build of its new Multi-mission Modular (MM) Solar Array. This new flexible array advances Lockheed Martin's significant heritage flying flexible arrays on such programs as the International Space Station and a constellation for the U.S. Air Force. The new design is a major component of Lockheed Martin's multi-year modernization of its LM 2100 satellite bus, which is part of its newly-enhanced family of buses. The MM Array ...

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope now is planning to launch between March and June 2019 from French Guiana, following a schedule assessment of the remaining integration and test activities. Previously Webb was targeted to launch in October 2018. "The change in launch timing is not indicative of hardware or technical performance concerns," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at Headquarters in Washington. "Rather, the integration of the various...

Spaceflight, the leading satellite rideshare and mission management provider, today announced it was awarded its first NASA Kennedy Space Center Contract (KSC) for launch and integration services. The multi-year contract covers launch services in 2018 for a maximum of 24 payloads, with options to provide launch services for up to 24 additional payloads in 2019 and 2020. The potential total contract value is more than $5 million. U-Class payloads are miniature space research satellites that ty...

A molecule once thought to be a useful marker for life as we know it has been discovered around a young star and at a comet for the first time, suggesting these ingredients are inherited during the planet-forming phase. The discovery of methyl chloride was made by the ground-based Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, and by ESA's Rosetta spacecraft following Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It is the simplest member of a class of molecules known as organohalogens, whi...

Observations made with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and ESA's Rosetta mission, have revealed the presence of the organohalogen Freon-40 in gas around both an infant star and a comet. Organohalogens are formed by organic processes on Earth, but this is the first ever detection of them in interstellar space. This discovery suggests that organohalogens may not be as good markers of life as had been hoped, but that they may be significant components of the material from wh...