Civil aerospace news and insights from Forecast International
Late last week, Europe’s Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched the third Sentinel-1 satellite . The Sentinel-1C mission, launched aboard a Vega-C rocket, will extend the capabilities of its predecessors, providing …
New Sentinel-1 Satellite Launched to Monitor Earth and Maritime Traffic Read More
Between the CZ-5B and CZ-6A (Long March 5B and Long March 6A respectively), China has been in the news for less-than-desirable reasons. The latest, space debris from a CZ-6A upper …
China’s Rocket Woes Highlight Growing Space Debris Threat Read More
The successful launch of Ariane 6 on 9 July, 2024 from Kourou, French Guiana has effectively brought Europe back to the table as a go-to launch provider. Originally, Arianespace had …
Ariane 6 Soars, Propels Europe Back into the Competitive Space Race Read More
Poland officially entered the space age on July 3rd, successfully breaching the Kármán line – the internationally recognized boundary of space at 100 kilometers altitude. The historic launch took place …
Poland Breaks Space Barrier with Eco-Friendly Rocket Read More
Ariane is poised for its first flight in July thus bringing Europe back to the medium-lift market. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and technical issues, the inaugural launch of Ariane 6 had …
Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket set for July launch Read More
The much-awaited Boeing Starliner (CST-100) mission, Boeing Crew Flight Test (Boe-CFT), was scrubbed on the night of May 6 due to a valve issue on the Lockheed Martin Centaur upper …
Boeing Starliner Launch Delayed by Valve Issue on Centaur Upper Stage Read More
On April 20, Starship and the Super Heavy booster were mated for the first time for an orbital test of the Starship system. Although the rocket cleared the launch pad, …
Starship Fails to Separate; Mission Hailed as a Success Read Moreby Bill Ostrove, Space Systems Analyst, Forecast International. International Launch Services (ILS) has successfully delivered the Amazonas 5 satellite into orbit on an ILS Proton for HISPASAT. The ILS Proton launched …
ILS Proton Getting Back on Track Read Moreby Bill Ostrove, Space Systems Analyst, Forecast International. Two years ago, Forecast International published a blog post about a trend toward decreasing launch mass in commercial communications satellites. Since that post …
Commercial Communications Satellite Launch Mass – It’s Complicated Read Moreby Bill Ostrove, Space Systems Analyst, Forecast International. U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and U.S. Representative John Culberson (TX-07) have introduced a bill in Congress to require NASA to develop …
Cornyn, Culberson Restart Debate on Future of NASA’s Human Spaceflight Efforts Read More