Satellite News

Slovakian telecommunications and TV operator Towercom has doubled its capacity on Astra and contracted one more transponder at the orbital position 23.5 degrees East.

Boeing announced that it has used an operational, commercial communications satellite to demonstrate the maturity of its Internet-like, space-based packet-switching technology during a programme review of the company’s proposed Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

Spacehab, Incorporated announced financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ending 30 June 2008.

Nearly seven months after launch, ESA’s Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) completed its mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station and successfully performed its final deorbit boosts and controlled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere today at 1331 UTC.

China’s third crewed space mission was successfully completed when the Shenzhou 7 return module landed in the Mongolian desert on 28 September, o938 UTC. Meanwhile there is some speculation regarding the mission’s orbital module and a sub-satellite left in orbit.

Rocket: Falcon 1; Payload: “Ratsat” (payload mass simulator); Date: 28 September 2008, 2315 UTC; Site: Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. The rocket successfully reached orbit (although maybe not as precisely as initially claimed) and was also able to demonstrate the restart capability of the second stage engine.

The Hubble Space Telescope has stopped sending science data, forcing NASA to delay the STS-125 space shuttle mission planned in just two weeks to upgrade the telescope.

Owing to a technical glitch, yesterday’s issue (25 September 2008) contained an outdated statement by Eurockot regarding the launch of GOCE, which was previously scheduled for September but is now delayed until October at least. In fact, no new launch date has been set yet. The incorrect article has been removed from the archive. Sorry for any confusion.