Satellite News

27 December 2012 – The Russian Commission, convened by Khrunichev, continues its investigation and is preparing a report concerning the root cause of the ILS Proton launch anomaly on 8 December with the Yamal 402 satellite. Various root cause scenarios are being evaluated prior to the issuance of a final conclusive report.

The first launch of a new Russian light class rocket has been scheduled for the beginning of 2013, Russia’s Aerospace Defense Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Alexander Golovko was quoted as saying.

S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia said that work is underway on the OKA-T-ISS project, which is now in the preliminary design stage in accordance with the Russian Federal Space Agency contract. Works completion date for in the preliminary design stage is November 2013.

Payloads developed and manufactured Thales Alenia Space France for the communications spacecraft Ekspress-AT2 and Yamal-401 have arrived safely at Academician M.F. Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev approved a plan to spend RUB2.1 trillion (US$69 billion) on developing Russia’s space industry from 2013 to 2020, Novosti news agency reported.

Orbcomm Inc. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. entered into a Launch Services Agreement pursuant to which SpaceX will provide launch services for the carriage into low-Earth-orbit of up to 18 Orbcomm second-generation commercial communications satellites currently being constructed by Sierra Nevada Corporation.

China’s indigenous Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) has begun providing services to users in the Asian-Pacific region, according to a spokesman of the system.

RSC Energia head Vitaly Lopota rejected the idea of establishing an engine holding company in the domestic space industry, as “this proposal would completely eliminate the competitive environment in the country.”