Satellite News

South Korea and the European Union have signed an agreement on co-operation in the satellite radio navigation programme Galileo.

Globecomm Systems said that it entered into a five-year agreement with a major US-based media production and distribution company in the United States valued at US$22 million.

The planned sale of Lockheed Martin’s stake in International Launch Services (ILS) came as a surprise to most observers but, according to Kommersant daily, was caused by Proton manufacturer “Khrunichev’s decision to raise the price of the rockets by 15 percent, to US$45-50 million each, to pay for the services of an intermediary to conclude contracts with ILS.”

Rocket: H-2A; Payload: IGS-2A(?) [classified intelligence-gathering satellite]; Date: 11 September 2006, 0435 UTC; Launch Site: Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. The satellite was released into its planned orbit about 16 minutes after lift-off.