Posted: Sun, Jun 23 11:31 AM ET (1531 GMT)
Rocket Lab launched the first satellites for French startup Kinéis on the 50th flight of its Electron rocket Thursday. The Electron lifted off from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 2:13 pm EDT (1813 GMT) and placed five smallsats for Kinéis into low Earth orbit. The satellites are the first of a constellation of 25 spacecraft that will provide Internet of Things services. Kinéis signed a contract with Rocket Lab in 2021 for five Electron launches to deploy the constellation. The launch was the 50th for the Electron, which made its debut in May 2017. Rocket Lab says Electron made it to 50 launches faster than any other commercially developed rocket.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  NASASpaceFlight.com article
•  Space.com article
•  Rocket Lab press release

Posted: Sun, Jun 23 11:28 AM ET (1528 GMT)
SpaceX launched a new broadcast satellite for SES Thursday. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 5:35 pm EDT (2135 GMT), after two days of weather delays, and placed the Astra 1P satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit 35 minutes later. Built by Thales Alenia Space, Astra 1P will use electric propulsion to reach its orbital slot at 19.2 degrees East, where it is slated to complete health checks in time for services to start in January. SES currently provides TV services to around 119 million households from four satellites at this orbital slot, mostly in Germany, Spain and France, and Astra 1P has enough Ku-band capacity to replace all four.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  Florida Today article
•  AmericaSpace article
•  SES press release

Isar Aerospace raises $70 million
Posted: Sun, Jun 23 11:23 AM ET (1523 GMT)
Isar Aerospace has raised more than 65 million euros ($70 million) in an extension of an earlier Series C round. The company announced Thursday that...

Lockheed Martin wins GeoXO satellite contract
Posted: Sun, Jun 23 11:21 AM ET (1521 GMT)
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Posted: Sun, Jun 23 11:19 AM ET (1519 GMT)
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