Satellite News

In an editorial published recently by Space News, Arianespace Chairman & CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall addresses satellite operators’ increasing pressure to encourage new providers for what Mr. Le Gall called an “already overcrowded launch services sector.”

Hardly surprising, North Korea’s recent Unha-2 rocket launch stays in the news. Especially interesting is a picture taken of the rocket by a commercial U.S. spy satellite shortly after lift-off of the vehicle. In related news, Japan reportedly plans to locate parts of the rocket on the ocean floor.

When Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall recently vigorously defended U.S. export rules for satellites, he not only attacked one of his company’s most foremost and long-standing customers (i.e. Eutelsat) because it booked a single launch aboard a Chinese rocket. He was also speaking against the interests of practically all other satellite manufacturers and operators, especially those in the U.S., as an article in today’s New York Times highlights.
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After years of what may from the outside have looked like a silent “gentlemen’s agreement” between launch service providers, competition seems to be increasing. Things are complicated by China’s possible comeback as a commercial launch provider for some Western satellites.

A U.S. politician has harshly criticised Eutelsat for its (reported but not yet officially confirmed) decision to launch a satellite aboard a Chinese rocket – and apparently missed the fact that China has been buying Western satellites for more than a decade.

As expected, the number of detected objects from the Kosmos 2251/Iridium 33 collision is rising. Apart from that, it’s still unclear what the consequences will be – and why the crash wasn’t avoided anyway.
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After decades of endless announcements but no action Iran has finally managed to independently build and launch a micro-satellite. But apart from that not much seems to have changed; official announcements usually still range from vague to nonsensical. No wonder western media reports sometimes aren’t much better, either.
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SkyPort Partners With Comdex To Provide Secure Communications Services
China launches two satellites
GenCorp (Aerospace and Defense) results Q3 FY 2006
Launch date for Rascom 1 and Horizons 2
Czech Republic accedes to the ESA Convention
RRSat selects Scopus platforms for video over IP projects
Boeing Wins Air Force Contract
CALIPSO team honoured with NASA Group Achievement Award

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The loss of NigComSat 1 will undoubtedly be viewed by some as a huge setback for China Great Wall Industry Corp. (CGWIC), although the root cause of the failure isn’t known yet. However, future commercial contracts will not only depend on technology and reliability.