Satellite News

Rocket: Proton M; Payload: Kosmos 2434 [Raduga 1-8?]; Date: 9 December, 0019 UTC; Site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The military satellite was put into its designated orbit approx. nine hours after lift-off.

Rocket: Delta II 7420-10; Payload: COSMO SkyMed-2; Date: 9 December, 0231 UTC; Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, USA. The rocket deployed the COSMO-SkyMed spacecraft to low-Earth orbit approximately 58 minutes after lift-off.

Space shuttle Atlantis’ STS-122 mission to the International Space Station will be delayed until early next year because of ongoing problems with a fuel sensor system.