NEWS
ATRIUM INSURES SATELLITES! by David Wade
One Night Two Rockets - 106 Satellites 89 Insured By Atrium!
A
new record for the most number of satellites launched on a single rocket was set in the early hours of the 15th February, 2017; 104 satellites on a single launch. This number far surpasses the previous record of 33 satellites launched on a Dnepr vehicle in June, 2014, and illustrates the proliferation of cubesats being adopted for commercial missions. Cubesats are very small satellites, typically weighing just 1 – 3 kg. At 03:58 GMT an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifted off from Sriharikota on the eastern coast of India. On board were a total of 104 satellites for institutions and companies in India, the US, Israel, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UAE and Kazakhstan. This was the 39th launch of the PSLV and the 35th consecutive success.
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David joined Atrium in 2007 to head up the Atrium Space Insurance Consortium. He has over 20 years’ experience in the space sector, working in the space industry and space-related academia before joining the space insurance market in 2000. David holds a post graduate degree in Astronautics and Space Engineering and is a graduate of the International Space University. David’s recognition by his peer group has lead to him currently holding the position of Chairman of the Lloyd’s Market Association’s (LMA) Satellite Risks Committee, and was until recently the Chairman of the Space Risks Study Group (SRSG) of the International Union of Aerospace Insurers (IUAI). David also writes the space chapter of the Chartered Insurance Institute’s (CII) Aviation and Space Insurance coursebook.
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