Satellite News

Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) has shipped the NSS-12 communications satellite built for SES World Skies to Kourou, French Guiana, where it is scheduled to launch later this year aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle.

An 18-meter antenna reflector built by Harris Corporation for the geosynchronous TerreStar global communications satellite was successfully deployed on orbit on 12 July 2009, the company announced today. The reflector is the largest ever launched for a commercial application.

Russia’s last Progress cargo spaceship with an analogue control system has been deorbited, with any parts surviving the re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere plunging into in the southern Pacific, the Russian Mission Control said.

Astrotech Corporation (formerly known as Spacehab) announced financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ending 30 June 2009. The company also announced it was exploring strategic financial and business alternatives.

The French defence ministry reportedly plans to sell two Syracuse 3 military communications satellites to a private operator and then lease back capacity.

Liberty Media has reportedly acquired bankruptcy claims of satellite radio provider WorldSpace.

Iridium Holdings LLC and GHL Acquisition Corp. today announced the close of their transaction.

EMS Defense & Space announced that it has successfully demonstrated high data-rate transmission of its new X-band satellite terminal over the UK military communications Skynet 5C satellite.