Satellite News

Rocket: Zenit 3-SL; Payload: SICRAL 1B; Date: 20 April 2009, 0816 UTC; Site: Odyssey Launch Platform, positioned on the equator at 154 degrees West longitude in the Pacific Ocean. Less than two hours later, the Block DM-SL upper stage inserted the 3,038 kg SICRAL 1B satellite into a high perigee geosynchronous transfer orbit.
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Rocket: PSLV; Payload: RISAT-2, ANUSAT; Date: 20 April 2009, 0115 UTC; Site: Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, India. The RISAT-2 radar imaging satellite was placed in an orbit of 550 km altitude with an inclination of 41 degrees to the equator and an orbital period of about 90 minutes.
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Due to a potential compatibility issue between the RazakSAT spacecraft and Falcon 1 launch vehicle, Space Exploration Technologies and Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn Bhd (ATSB), Malaysia, have agreed to postpone the launch of ATSB’s RazakSAT satellite.
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Arianespace announced a new delay in the launch of ESA’s Herschel and Plack satellites.
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TacSat-3’s lift off has been scheduled for 5 May from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, located at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia/USA.
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Lockheed Martin announced a major milestone on the U.S. Air Force’s Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) with the successful delivery of the fully-integrated payload for the second geosynchronous orbit (GEO) spacecraft in the programme constellation.
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Al Yah Satellite Communications company (Yahsat) announced that it has entered into a partnership with SES Astra to create a new company operating under the brand name YahLive that will offer Direct-to-Home (DTH) television capacity and services to more than two dozen countries in the Middle East, North Africa and South West Asian region.
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