SpaceNews Paris Bureau Chief Peter B. de Selding is covering the Paris Air Show for us in Le Bourget, France, this week. What follows is a roundup of his coverge of the show. Click on the headline to read the full article.
Mon., June 17
Booz & Co. Exec To Succeed Bausch at Helm of SES
LE BOURGET, France — Satellite fleet operator SES of Luxembourg on June 17 said its chief executive, Romain Bausch, will be retiring in April 2014 and will be replaced by an SES board member and 15-year executive in the Dubai office of global consulting firm Booz & Co.
Antares First-stage Engines Available Long Term, Aerojet Rocketdyne Chief Says
LE BOURGET, France — The president of the newly formed Aerojet Rocketdyne propulsion provider on June 17 said the company has secured an agreement with the manufacturers of Russia’s NK-33 engine, which powers the U.S. Antares rocket’s first stage in a version called AJ-26, to assure its long-term supply.
With Chinese Option Blocked, European-built Satellite To Fly Atop Falcon 9
LE BOURGET, France — Franco-Italian satellite builder Thales Alenia Space has selected a Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) Falcon 9 rocket to launch Turkmenistan’s first telecommunications satellite after being blocked by U.S. export rules from shipping the satellite to China for launch, European officials said.
At Paris Air Show, ESA Signs Final Contract for 2016 ExoMars Mission
LE BOURGET, France — The European Space Agency (ESA) on June 17 signed the final industrial contract needed to complete ESA’s work on a 2016 mission to Mars with a telecommunications orbiter and entry, descent and landing module, and to continue development of a companion 2018 mission.
Tues., June 18
Eutelsat Picks Sea Launch for April 2014 Launch of Eutelsat 3B
LE BOURGET, France —Satellite fleet operator Eutelsat will launch its Eutelsat 3B C-, Ku- and Ka-band telecommunications satellite aboard a Sea Launch AG rocket from Sea Launch’s floating platform in the Pacific Ocean next April under a contract announced June 18 by both companies.
Arianespace Inks Deal for 2015 Vega Launch of Turkish Imaging Satellite
LE BOURGET, France — Turkey’s Gokturk-1 high-resolution optical Earth observation satellite will be launched into low Earth orbit in 2015 aboard Europe’s new Vega small-satellite launch vehicle under a contract announced June 18 by the Arianespace launch-services provider and Gokturk-1 prime contractor Telespazio of Italy.
EADS Astrium To Bid for Avio Space Business
LE BOURGET, France — EADS Astrium Space Transportation will enter the bidding for Italy’s Avio, which makes solid-rocket motors and is prime contractor on the Vega small-satellite launcher, as part of a play to consolidate Europe’s rocket-manufacturing sector, the company’s chief executive said June 18.
Arianespace Expects To Order 18 Ariane 5 Rockets this Year
LE BOURGET, France — Europe’s Arianespace commercial launch consortium expects to purchase 18 new Ariane 5 heavy-lift rockets and five Vega small-satellite launch vehicles this year, Arianespace Chief Executive Stephane Israel said June 18.
Europe’s Rocket Designers Crafting a SpaceX Defense
LE BOURGET, France – Designers of Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket are crafting a defense against U.S. startup rocket builder Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) even before the next-generation Ariane 6 rocket – itself spurred in part by SpaceX – has been approved for production.
Wed., June 19
Europe Faces Obstacles in Pooling Military Satellite Telecom Resources
LE BOURGET, France — Persuading European governments to pool their resources in their next-generation military satellite telecommunications programs will be a lost cause if the sales pitch focuses on the savings a single European system would offer over today’s five separate national systems, the chairman of the European Union Military Committee said June 19.
Thurs., June 20
Astrium Services Poised To Bulk Buy Ka-band Capacity from Inmarsat
LE BOURGET, France — Astrium Services expects to sign a bulk-purchase agreement with mobile satellite services operator Inmarsat in July to secure Ka-band capacity aboard Inmarsat’s three Global Xpress mobile communications satellites, Astrium Services Chief Executive Evert Dudok said June 20.
Workshare To be Divided on Germany’s Next-generation Military Radar Satellites
LE BOURGET, France — The German parliament is scheduled to meet the week of June 24 to approve a billion-dollar second-generation radar reconnaissance satellite constellation, with components to be provided by both of Germany’s satellite prime contractors, industry officials said.
Electric-propulsion Satellites Are All the Rage
LE BOURGET, France — Interest in all-electric-propulsion satellites has reached levels that might lead one to think vast swarms of them will be orbiting the Earth in the coming years.
Falcon 9 Selected to Launch German Military Radar Satellites
LE BOURGET, France — It appears that Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), whose Falcon 9 rocket’s book-to-bill ratio is taking on astonishing proportions, will be launching all three of Germany’s next-generation radar reconnaissance satellites under an agreement that makes use of long-dormant options held by Astrium of Europe for the now-shelved Falcon 1 rocket, industry officials said.
Fri., June 21
Launch Schedule Emerges for Europeanized Soyuz
LE BOURGET, France — The race among six payloads for the four launch slots this year aboard the Europeanized version of Russia’s Soyuz rocket appears to have been settled by delays encountered by two of the six, European government and industry officials said.
