Satellite News

Arianespace will boost two satellites into orbit on its third launch of the year, currently scheduled for 30 May: the military communications satellite Skynet 5C for the British Ministry of Defence (MoD), and the civil communications satellite Turksat 3A for operator Turksat AS, as part of a turnkey contract with Thales Alenia Space.
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Northrop Grumman Corporation said it recently completed the integrated baseline review for the U.S. Air Force Next-Generation Global Positioning System (GPS) Ground Control Segment (OCX).
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Lockheed Martin announced that it has successfully delivered the first of two major blocks of flight software designed to provide command and control of the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous orbit (GEO) spacecraft.
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Space Systems/Loral announced that it has shipped ProtoStar I to Kourou, French Guiana, where it is scheduled to launch as early as 24 June aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle.
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ESA and Hispasat S.A. signed a preliminary authorisation to proceed for the Small GEO Mission. This will launch the initial activities of an industrial consortium led by Hispasat.
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The European Space Agency and Astrium GmbH have signed a contract worth EUR263 million (US$412 million) to provide the EarthCARE satellite, the sixth Earth Explorer mission of ESA’s Living Planet Programme.
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A new launch date has been set for GOCE. The change of date is due to precautionary measures taken after the malfunction of an upper-stage section of a Russian Proton launcher. Now confirmed not to affect GOCE’s Rokot launcher, the most advanced gravity mission to date is scheduled for lift-off on 10 September 2008.
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Rocket: Chang Zheng 4C; Payload: Fengyun 3A (FY-3A); Date: 27 May 2008, 0302 UTC; Site: Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, China. The satellite was successfully placed in its target orbit 27 minutes after lift-off.
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