Tag: Thales Alenia Space
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Exploration Company Completes Debris-Shield Tests for Nyx Spacecraft Ahead of 2028 Debut
European space logistics startup The Exploration Company said it has completed the first test campaign of the micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) shielding for its Nyx spacecraft, a modular vehicle scheduled to make its debut in 2028. The tests were performed under the European Space Agency’s (ESA) LEO Cargo Return Services initiative, which is funding…
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South Korea’s IBS Orders Cubesat to Study Venus, Supporting Planetary Science Amid Budget Uncertainty
South Korea’s Institute for Basic Science (IBS) has placed an order for the first of five cubesats aimed at studying Venus from low Earth orbit (LEO), marking a growing role for small satellites in planetary research as flagship missions face uncertain funding. Lithuania-based NanoAvionics announced it secured a contract to build an 8U cubesat for…
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France Awards Thales Alenia Space Contract for Satellite Capture and Inspection Mission
France has contracted a consortium led by Thales Alenia Space to develop a mission aimed at capturing and inspecting a small satellite. This demonstration mission is slated for launch towards the end of the decade. Supported by undisclosed funding from the French space agency CNES and state-owned investment bank Bpifrance, the mission will employ two…
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SpaceX launches SWOT ocean research mission
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched the joint NASA/CNES Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite mission from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 3:46 AM PST (11:46 UTC) on Friday, Dec. 16, after a 24-hour delay to allow teams to complete further data review and analysis after moisture was identified in two of…
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LeoStella takes on assembly role for NorthStar’s space traffic-monitoring satellites
An artist’s conception shows NorthStar’s Skylark constellation at work. (CNW Group / NorthStar Illustration) Tukwila, Wash.-based LeoStella will oversee the assembly of the first three satellites for a constellation that’s designed to keep track of space traffic. LeoStella’s new project is part of a bigger contract between Canada’s NorthStar Earth and Space on one hand,…
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Newly-launched Russian telecom satellite relying on backup thrusters
The Yamal 601 communications satellite during final assembly and testing at Thales Alenia Space’s facility in Cannes, France. Credit: Thales Alenia Space A French-built communications satellite for Russia’s Gazprom Space Systems launched May 30 is maneuvering toward its final operating location in geostationary orbit using a set of backup thrusters after the spacecraft encountered a…
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LeoStella satellite venture hands over CEO reins to aerospace executive Mike Hettich
Mike Hettich has taken over as LeoStella’s CEO. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) TUKWILA, Wash. — Mike Hettich has finally completed his transition from chief learning officer to chief executive officer at LeoStella, the satellite manufacturing joint venture headquartered here. Hettich came to LeoStella from Kirkland, Wash.-based Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems, where he served as vice…
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With Spaceflight’s help, LeoStella moves ahead with Seattle-area satellite factory
LeoStella’s satellite manufacturing facility will be in a business park in Tukwila. (Sabey Photo) TUKWILA, Wash. — Today it’s an empty office building in a business park south of Seattle, not far from a Mexican restaurant and an organic nursery. But within just a few months, the place will be turning out two to three satellites per…
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Spaceflight Industries firms up European satellite alliance and $150M funding round
Workers assemble BlackSky’s Global-1 Earth observation satellite. (BlackSky via YouTube) It’s official: After receiving all government approvals, a French-Italian joint venture has taken a minority stake in Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries as part of a $150 million funding round. The French and Italian partners in The Space Alliance, Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio, have also joined…
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Turkey’s military gets a new eye in the sky with successful Vega launch
The Vega rocket soars into a mostly clear sky above the Guiana Space Center on Monday. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace – Photo Optique Video du CSG – P. Baudon A European-built, Turkish-owned spy satellite rocketed into orbit Monday aboard a Vega booster launched from French Guiana, part of a $300 million project to feed improved surveillance imagery…