CNES
FIRST UP Satcom | Argos constellation completed • S7 Group wants reusable launcher • GetSAT releases new antenna
After completing the purchase of Sea Launch in April, S7 Group now views expendable rockets as uncompetitive.
FIRST UP Satcom | Telesat tests Newtec modem with LEO satellite; Satellite IRG changes name; Maxar in home stretch on US domestication
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CNES seeks 80 to 100 million Euros for CosmiCapital venture fund
The French space agency CNES plans to raise 100 million Euros ($1.16 million) by the first quarter of 2019 for CosmiCapital, a venture fund to support 50 European space-related startups.
French space agency pledges 10-million-euro boost to French Guiana economy
The French space agency CNES has agreed to allocate an additional 10 million euros ($11.7 million) to further the economic and social development of French Guiana, the South American territory home to Europe’s spaceport.
CNES creating a space startup fund
The French space agency CNES is creating an investment fund of 80 to 100 million euros ($95 to $119 million) to spur innovation in the space sector.
Fleet details 100 nanosat constellation for Internet of Things connectivity
The space industry has at least 10 startups all wanting to use cubesats or other small satellites to help keep all manner of interoperable devices connected to a rapidly expanding Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem.
ESA kickstarts Prometheus reusable engine with first funding tranche
The European Space Agency began funding a reusable rocket engine anticipated to be ready for a test-fire demonstration in 2020, the same year as the first launch of the future Ariane 6 rocket.
French Guiana accord sets stage for Arianespace to resume launches
An agreement between France and its restive South American territory French Guiana, home to Europe’s spaceport, has resolved a month-long dispute that had prevented any launch activity since mid-March.
Le Gall confident French Guiana launches will resume “in the coming days”
The head of the French space agency expects launch activity will resume soon at the European spaceport in French Guiana, where political protests have grounded Arianespace launches for the past two weeks.
France’s Prometheus reusable engine becomes ESA project, gets funding boost
A French reusable rocket engine program is getting a boost from the European Space Agency, which is ready to sign a contract with Airbus Safran Launchers that would lead to an engine test three years from now.
CNES supplying cameras to Indian X Prize team, talks reusability with ISRO
The French space agency, CNES, will supply two spacecraft cameras to a team from India competing for the Google Lunar X Prize, and has tightened its partnership with India to study reusable launch technology.
European Commission OK’s Airbus Safran Launchers takeover of Arianespace
The European Commission on July 20 approved the Airbus Safran Launchers (ASL) takeover of launch-services provider Arianespace, saying companies had accepted conditions the commission imposed to minimize the chance of anti-competitive behavior.
France’s CNES backs space station, hedges bets on reusable rockets
The French space agency, CNES, on July 8 updated its policy direction including investment in a U.S.-led environment-monitoring satellite, a recommitment to the International Space Station and a nuanced view of whether reusable rockets would take the commercial market by storm and make the future Ariane 6 rocket obsolete.
French space minister calls for European rocket R&D effort, says SpaceX victory still TBD
France’s space minister on June 1 urged a redoubled European effort in space research, and specifically in next-generation rockets, in the face of what he said were increased investments by the United States and other major space powers.
CNES Vows To Get to the Bottom of Leaks that Forced Mars InSight Delay
The French space agency created an outside board of inquiry to examine the circumstances surrounding the discovery of multiple leaks in the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure instrument.
Mars InSight Lander Won’t Launch until 2018 — If it Launches at All
If it isn’t canceled altogether, NASA’s Mars InSight lander will now launch more than two years later than planned, thanks to a balky seismometer, the agency’s top science official told reporters Dec. 22.
