Eumetsat

Eumetsat shifts two tardy satellites to Ariane 6
Program delays have forced Eumetsat to reserve a pair of Ariane 6 rockets for two European weather satellites originally anticipated to launch on Ariane 5 rockets.

Arianespace says full Ariane 6 production held up by missing government contracts
With the maiden flight of the Ariane 6 now 18 months away (in July 2020), Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël said the company had anticipated signing a manufacturing contract with ArianeGroup in the second part of last year to begin production beyond the first rocket.

International focus on greenhouse gas monitoring satellites, sensors
Greenhouse gas monitoring was a hot topic at the American Meteorological Society’s annual conference. International agencies shared plans for a global constellation and companies showcased a new generation of sensors.

Soyuz launches European weather satellite
A Soyuz rocket successfully launched a European weather satellite Nov. 6, completing a constellation of polar-orbiting satellites and providing additional reassurance about the reliability of the Soyuz.

Arianespace Soyuz launch schedule unaffected by Russian MS-10 failure
An Arianespace Soyuz mission will launch Nov. 7 without any delays resulting from the failure of a crewed, Russian-operated Soyuz launch earlier this month, Arianespace said Oct. 30.

Thales Group reports boost in space revenue
Government demand for space systems drove a “recovery of space orders” for Thales Group this year, offsetting a slump in commercial telecom satellites, Chief Financial Officer Pascal Bouchiat said Oct. 18.

Arianespace assessing impact of crewed Soyuz failure on satellite-launching variant
Arianespace said Oct. 11 it’s too soon to say whether the Soyuz-ST rockets it uses to launch satellites from South America will be grounded following the failure of a Russian Soyuz-FG rocket carrying crew to the International Space Station.

Eumetsat launching two, possibly three Metop-SG satellites with Arianespace
Arianespace is contracted to launch Metop-SG A1 and Metop-SG B1, two replacement polar satellites, between 2021 and 2023.

Eumetsat to continue gap-filler role over Indian Ocean region
Europe’s 30-nation Eumetsat meteorological satellite organization on June 29 said it would move its aging Meteosat-8 satellite eastward to cover a gap in weather coverage over the Indian Ocean to be created when Eumetsat’s older Meteosat-7 is retired in 2017.

ESA, Eumetsat Finalize Contract for Next-gen Weather Satellites
The six Metop Second Generation satellites will be manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space under a 1.3 billion-euro contract signed in October.