The European Space Agency (ESA) says that a September test firing of the Ariane 6’s powerful engine went well. However, ESA’s DG Josef Aschbacher says the agency has cancelled a planned October follow-on test because of an “anomaly”. “Ariane 6 task force update: great data and results from the hot-fire September tests for #Ariane6 both […]
RIDE! is something of a clearing house for satellite manufacturers. Arianespace has signed a contract with the startup RIDE! to integrate its launchers into their on-demand digital launch platform. Founded in 2021, RIDE! offers a service that allows satellite manufacturers and operators to easily identify available slots on launchers based on their satellite’s technical characteristics […]
Intelsat has signed a launch contract for their Intelsat IS-45 satellite. The flight will see the Intelsat craft sharing the cargo bay with a co-passenger, as yet unnamed. The launch target is H1 2026. This year marks the fourth decade since Arianespace began its storied relationship with Intelsat. Arianespace launched Intelsat 507 aboard an Ariane 1 […]
In December 2022 an Italian-made Vega-C rocket failed to launch a pair of satellites for Airbus. The rocket was subsequently grounded while further tests took place. A test firing of the rocket’s engine has just failed. Avio SpA is the rocket’s builder and the engine firing test was supposed last 97 seconds but the engine […]
Arianespace has provided a detailed timetable for the introduction of the new Ariane 6 version. The final Ariane 5 rocket will launch on July 4th. Ariane 6 is already extremely late and the original objective was for the rocket to seamlessly take over the launch missions from Ariane 5. While managers have stressed that there […]
Arianespace and UK-based launch company Orbex have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore possible joint offerings for small satellite launch customers. In May 2023, Orbex began construction of Sutherland Spaceport (formerly Space Hub Sutherland) on the North coast of Scotland. It is the first vertical launch spaceport to be built on the UK […]
Arianespace will launch its final Ariane 5 rocket on June 16th. The mission aims to launch two satellites: Syracuse 4B, built by Airbus Defence and Space for a French government defence role, and the Heinrich-Hertz-Mission, built by OHB for the German space agency DLR. The flight represents the end of the Ariane 5, a system […]
ArianeGroup’s CEO and Executive Chairman, Andre-Hubert Roussel, is reportedly stepping down, according to French newspaper La Tribune. Roussel heads up Ariane Group, which is the joint-venture between Airbus Defence & Space and Safran. His departure is because of recent failures by the company and, in particular, the recent third failure out of eight launches for […]
Arianespace says that a faulty component caused the loss of one of its Italian-made Vega rockets on December 20th 2022. The problem was probably caused by a faulty carbon component – in effect, a nozzle – which Italian aerospace group Avio had purchased from a supplier in Ukraine, Arianespace revealed as it published findings of […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has formally approved Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband-by-satellite low Earth orbiting system. The FCC said it os happy with Amazon’s mitigation plan in the event of potential collisions while in orbit as well as a mechanism to de-orbit failed or dead satellites. The FCC had previously approved the scheme (in 2020) […]