Satellite News

The W5 satellite operated by Eutelsat Communications has lost one of its two solar arrays and consequently 50 percent of its power supply, manufacturer Thales Alenia Space confirmed. All high-power DTH transmissions have been shut down.

Astronaut Steve MacLean was appointed president of the Canadian Space Agency, Industry Minister Jim Prentice announced.

ESA’s Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) will undock from the ISS this week prior to be being destroyed in a controlled operation over the Pacific, the agency said.

A URM-2 second stage booster for Russia’s planned Angara rocket has been delivered to an engine test facility in the Moscow Region for “cold” firing tests, the Khrunichev Space Research and Production Center said according to Novosti news agency.

Launch service provider Kosmotras said that following telemetry data processing, the injection accuracy of the five RapidEye satellites launched aboard a Dnepr rocket on 29 August 2008 from Baikonur Cosmodrome was calculated.

North Korea on 31 August celebrated the tenth anniversary of what it claims was the launch of the first Kwangmyongsong (”Bright Star”) satellite aboard a Taepodong 1 rocket (which is pretty similar to the Safir 1 which recently did not launch an Iranian satellite).

SISLink, Europe’s largest supplier of satellite uplinks, has signed a new contract with Eutelsat Communications for a total of 4,000 hours of capacity in average 9-MHz slots on a range of Eutelsat satellites until 1 June 2009.

Saab’s divestment of Saab Space to the Swiss aerospace and defence group RUAG is now completed.