Boeing
Coronavirus adds to ViaSat-3 launch delay
The coronavirus pandemic has slowed some work on the first ViaSat-3 broadband satellite, making a launch in mid-2021 unlikely, Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg said Aug. 7.
SES orders four more O3b mPower satellites from Boeing
Boeing will build four additional O3b mPower satellites for SES under an order announced Aug. 7 to expand the constellation to 11 satellites in medium Earth orbit.
NASA safety panel has lingering doubts about Boeing Starliner quality control
Members of a NASA safety panel expressed continued concern about quality issues with Boeing’s commercial crew spacecraft while cautiously supporting SpaceX’s plans to fly reused spacecraft on future crewed missions.
NASA completes reviews of Boeing commercial crew test flight
NASA announced July 7 that it has completed two major reviews that stemmed from Boeing’s flawed commercial crew test flight last December as the agency and company prepare for a second test flight later this year.
Boeing reshuffles space program management
Boeing announced late June 19 several changes in management of its work on the International Space Station and CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle.
Boeing, Northrop Grumman win SES C-band satellite orders
Boeing and Northrop Grumman will each build two geostationary communications satellites for SES designed specifically for C-band services in the United States, SES announced June 16.
Safety panel concludes May launch of commercial crew test flight is feasible
A NASA safety panel believes the agency’s plan to launch a SpaceX commercial crew test flight in late May is feasible, although some issues still need to be resolved before the launch.
SpaceX beat Gateway cargo contract competitors on price and performance
SpaceX won a NASA contract to deliver cargo to the lunar Gateway by offering what the agency determined to be the most effective solution and at the lowest price.
Boeing to fly second Starliner uncrewed test flight
Boeing announced April 6 that it has decided to fly a second uncrewed test flight of its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle later this year to confirm it has corrected problems encountered in a test flight last December.
NASA selects astronauts for Crew Dragon mission
NASA has completed the crew for the first operational SpaceX commercial crew mission to the International Space Station, one that will not include any Russian cosmonauts after Roscosmos officials said they would not fly on what they consider an unproven vehicle.
No decision yet on need for second Starliner uncrewed test flight
Although an independent review team has wrapped up its investigation into issues with last December’s uncrewed test flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, NASA says it will be some time before it decides if a second uncrewed test flight is needed.
Boeing implementing more rigorous testing of Starliner after software problems
As the independent review of last December’s test flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle nears completion, the company said it will perform more rigorous testing to catch errors that slipped through on that flight.
Intelsat revises IS-29e replacement plan, preps second-gen Epic order
Intelsat has abandoned plans to order a one-for-one replacement for the Intelsat-29e satellite that failed last year and will rely instead on leased capacity, a borrowed satellite, and the newly ordered Intelsat-40e spacecraft to fill a coverage gap over North and South America.
DirecTV’s defunct Spaceway-1 reaches high graveyard orbit in one piece
DirecTV’s Spaceway-1 satellite has been retired to a graveyard orbit 500 kilometers above the geostationary arc, eliminating the risk of the malfunctioning satellite exploding in an orbit populated by active satellites.
