Satellite News

“There’s fire, smoke, the ground shakes, the windows rattle, some dogs howl. But most of us don’t bother to go out and look. It’s clearer on TV.” — A Xichang resident about rocket launches from the nearby launch centre, cited by the Los Angeles Times

An unnamed Computer Weekly author is amused that the UK’s latest milcomsat is named Skynet 5B [which proves that he or she probably watches too many motion pictures of doubtful quality–Ed.]

China is aiming to replace all its imported communications and broadcast satellites with improved home-made ones by 2010.

ESA’s Science Programme Committee has unanimously approved to continue the operations of the Ulysses spacecraft until March 2009. This latest extension, for a period of 12 months, is the fourth in the history of the joint NASA/ESA mission.

The launch of Thuraya 3 has been postponed again because of bad weather.