The latest batch of O3b satellites, called mPOWER, are all malfunctioning. The problem is in the power supply of the four in orbit and two others due to be launched on November 12th. Manufacturers Boeing is having to supply two additional satellites to compensate SES for the problems. SES temporary CEO, Ruy Pinto, admitted to […]
Two years ago Boeing received a licence from the FCC for a satellite broadband mega-constellation of 147 low Earth orbiting satellites. It has now cancelled its scheme. Boeing’s initial scheme – formally proposed in 2017 – was for a V-band constellation of 132 satellites operating ln Low-Earth Orbit and 15 non-Geostationary orbiting craft to supply […]
Boeing’s aerospace division is being sued for alleged theft of IP concerning the counterfeiting of highly specialised tools used on NASA projects. The action comes from Colorado-based Wilson Aerospace which is suing Boeing over what Wilson alleges is its ‘Fluid Fitting Torque Device-3’ developed by Wilson, and which Boeing used to attach four main engines […]
It isn’t so very long ago that electrical propulsion for satellites was a very new kid on the block. Boeing’s Xenon-Ion Propulsion System (XIPS) was introduced on the (then) Hughes 702 versions its high-power versions of its popular HS-702 craft and used for final orbital insertion. December 1999 saw the launch of an HS-702 with […]
Boeing has delivered to Florida what it describes as the “most powerful” satellite platform it has ever built in the shape of ViaSat-3 Americas, a new-generation craft for operator Viasat of California. It will be able to harness well over 30 kW of solar power when it reaches orbit. That’s 1/4+ of the power generated […]
SpaceX successfully launched two mPOWER satellites for SES and its O3b division on December 16th. Despite a heart-stopping interruption to the launch rocket’s video signal which would normally have shown the rocket’s booster on its floating landing barge, but everything was “nominal” in the booster’s landing and the deployment of the two satellites. Confirmation soon […]
Viasat’s latest satellite, the first of the new ViaSat-3 Ka-band class, has completed its integration and is now in ‘flight configuration’ mode. However, the craft now has to be processed through the vibration, environmental and acoustic testing phases. ViaSat-3 is a huge beast of a satellite. Each of the trio is capable of handling more […]
Aerospace company Boeing has delivered two satellites for connectivity service provider SES to their launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida, ahead of the upcoming launch of the twin spacecraft on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. “SES-20 and SES-21 are the first commercial satellites we’ve delivered since the start of the global pandemic,” […]
Viasat of California’s giant, powerful Viasat-3 satellite is making progress in preparation for its launch next year. Viasat has itself been working on the satellite’s vital payload and the craft has now been delivered to Boeing for integration into a Boeing 702 satellite. This second ViaSat-3 class satellite is expected to provide broadband service over […]
Aerojet Rocketdyne has won an order from the United Launch Alliance (ULA) for the delivery of 116 RL10C-X rocket engines that will be used in the giant Vulcan Centaur rocket. Aerojet Rocketdyne says the order is a direct result of the deal between ULA and Amazon “as part of the largest commercial launch contract in […]