Satellite News

Norsat International Inc. and Sat-Comm Ltd., a UK-based designer and manufacturer of Satellite Newsgathering (SNG) equipment for the broadcast industry, have entered into a reseller partnership.

Talks to conclude a contract to manage Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system project are set for more delays, EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said.

General Dynamics was awarded a US$23.3 million contract by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center to support research and development efforts on the Alternative Infrared Satellite System (AIRSS) programme.

The Measat-3 communications satellite is scheduled for launch aboard an ILS Proton M/Briz M from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on 11 December 2006 at 1828 UTC.

NASA managers have postponed the launch of space shuttle Discovery until 10 December (UTC) because of low cloud cover during the launch attempt on 8 December.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 3A; Payload: Fengyun-2D [FY-2D]; Date: 8 December, 0053 UTC. Launch Site: Xichang, China. The satellite separated from the rocket about 24 minutes after lift-off and successfully entered geosynchronous transfer orbit, according to the satellite monitoring centre in Xi’an.