Author: starpathwp-production
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ESA’s Earth Return Orbiter Successfully Completes Critical Design Review
ESA’s Earth Return Orbiter, the first spacecraft that will rendezvous and capture an object around another planet, passed a key milestone to bring the first Mars samples back to Earth. The critical design review for the spacecraft’s platform was completed with the involvement of European industry and NASA. A critical design review is one of…
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Aerospacelab to Provide Subsystems for MDA Space Aurora Supply Chain
MDA Space selected Aerospacelab to provide battery charge regulators (BCRs) for the supply chain for its Aurora digital satellite product line. This includes the Aurora anchor customer, Telesat’s Lightspeed Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation. Aerospacelab is contracted to deliver more than 200 units over three years. The first deliveries are scheduled by 2026. Belgium-based Aerospacelab announced…
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Launch Roundup: SpaceX flies more customer payloads and Ariane 6 debuts
As many as four SpaceX Falcon 9 missions and the long-delayed inaugural flight of Ariane 6 make up the roster for this week’s launch schedule. The four SpaceX missions will be split evenly between Starlink and two payloads for other customers. At least one of the SpaceX missions is likely to be affected by the…
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ISRO’s Aditya-L1 Spacecraft Completes First Halo Orbit Around Sun-Earth L1 Point
ISRO’s Aditya-L1 spacecraft has completed its first halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 point. The Aditya-L1 mission is an Indian solar observatory at Lagrangian point L1, launched on September 2, 2023 and was inserted in its targeted halo orbit on January 6, 2024. Aditya-L1 spacecraft in the Halo orbit takes 178 days to complete a…
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Airbus Wins German Deal for Military Satellite System
Airbus has won a large new military contract in Europe. The German Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr, has awarded Airbus the SATCOMBw 3 prime contract for the next generation secure military satellite system which includes Geostationary (GEO) satellites as well as ground segment, launch, and operation for 15 years. Airbus announced the 2.1 billion euros ($2.3…
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SpaceX launches Türksat 6A satellite, Turkey’s first domestically-built satellite
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It carried the TÜRKSAT 6A satellite to a geosynchronous transfer orbit. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Update 8:10 p.m. EDT: SpaceX confirms deployment of the Türksat 6A satellite. Turkey launched its first home-grown communications satellite aboard a SpaceX…
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Airbus Secures German Armed Forces Prime Contract for Next Generation Military Satellite System
Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces, has awarded Airbus the SATCOMBw 3 prime contract for the next generation secure military satellite system which includes geostationary satellites as well as ground segment, launch and operation for 15 years. The spacecraft are due to be deployed before the end of the decade and the contract value amounts to €2.1…
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SpaceX’s Starship Set for Fifth Test Flight in Four Weeks
SpaceX is gearing up for the fifth test flight of its ambitious Starship rocket, set to take place in the coming weeks, according to CEO Elon Musk’s recent announcement on Friday via his social media platform, X. “Flight 5 in 4 weeks,” Musk stated, underscoring the imminent schedule for the 400-foot-tall Starship, comprising the Super…
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InSight reveals high meteoroid impact rate on Mars
Scientists have calculated the rate of meteoroid impacts on Mars using seismic measurements NASA’s retired InSight lander took during its mission. Two companion studies published on June 28, independently estimate substantially higher rates than were previously derived from images taken by spacecraft orbiting the red planet. The studies show that seismic measures promise to be…