Arianespace
Swiss startup ClearSpace wins ESA contract to deorbit Vega rocket debris
The mission, dubbed ClearSpace-1, is slated to launch in 2025 to capture and deorbit a 100-kilogram Vespa payload adapter an Arianespace Vega left in orbit after deploying ESA’s Proba-V remote-sensing satellite.
Globalstar borrows $199M with EchoStar’s help • Measat buys Ariane 5 launch
Globalstar is borrowing $199 million through a loan arranged by its controlling shareholder Thermo and fleet operator EchoStar.
Ariane 5 launches satellites for Egypt, Inmarsat
An Ariane 5 rocket from European launch provider Arianespace successfully lifted off Nov. 26, carrying a communications satellite for the Egyptian government and Inmarsat’s newest Global Xpress satellite.
OneWeb’s first big deployment launch slips to January
OneWeb has delayed the beginning of its regular launch campaign by a month to allow more testing of its small broadband satellites.
Arianespace targets 2023 for lunar Ariane 6 rideshare mission
Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël said the Ariane 6 rideshare mission will be able to deliver 8,500 kilograms into a lunar transfer orbit.
SpaceX says rideshare missions will launch on time, even if partly empty
SpaceX plans to launch regular Falcon 9 rideshare missions starting in March and won’t delay launches for tardy customers, a company executive said Oct. 8.
Smallsat launch services feel pricing pressure
Companies that provide both dedicated and rideshare launch services for small satellites say that price remains a major factor for their customers, with pressure from growing competition to lower them.
Launch companies look to government customers for stability
With the size and growth of commercial markets uncertain, launch companies are looking to government agencies to varying degrees for stability and funding for the development of new vehicles.
Arianespace reveals manifest, notes launch market variety
Orders for geostationary satellites are beginning to rebound in a market is far more varied than in the past.
Second stage blamed as Vega targets early 2020 return to flight
Investigators think Vega’s failure originated in the forward dome area of the Zefiro-23, the second of three solid-fueled stages the rocket expends to deliver satellites to orbit.
SpaceX loses Falcon Heavy customer Ovzon to Arianespace
Satellite broadband company Ovzon said Aug. 24 that a better offer from Arianespace for a 2021 launch aboard an Ariane 5 prompted it exit an agreement to launch its first fully owned satellite on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy.
Big rockets cutting in as little launchers vie for smallsat business
As SpaceX turned its attention to the larger Falcon 9 and programs like commercial cargo and crew, its presence at the annual Conference on Small Satellites, and the overall smallsat industry, faded. At this year’s conference, SpaceX retained its low profile but also announced its return to the smallsat market.
OneWeb disputes Virgin Orbit lawsuit, says LauncherOne is too expensive
Megaconstellation startup OneWeb asked a court to dismiss a June lawsuit by Virgin Orbit, claiming that it doesn’t accurately portray a 2015 launch contract.
Satellites for Intelsat, European lasercomm launch on Arianespace rocket
The Ariane 5 took off at 3:30 p.m. Eastern from Europe’s Guiana Space Center in South America, carrying the Intelsat-39 communications satellite and the EDRS-C laser relay satellite to geostationary transfer orbits.
Arianespace and SpaceX offering new dedicated rideshare services
Two of the largest commercial launch providers separately announced plans Aug. 5 to provide dedicated launches of small satellites to sun synchronous and geostationary orbits.
Arianespace Vega launch fails, Emirati satellite lost
The fifteenth launch of a European Vega rocket ended in failure July 10, resulting in the loss of an imaging satellite for the United Arab Emirates.
