Satellite News

Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) has been awarded a contract to manufacture a new spacecraft for SES.

Preparations are under way at Space Industry’s Research Center (NITs RKP) at Peresvet, Russia, for thermal-vacuum tests of the Ekspress MD-1 spacecraft.

GeoEye, Inc. has released the first, colour half-meter ground resolution image taken from its GeoEye-1 satellite. The satellite has been undergoing calibration and check-out since it was launched on 6 September from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Globalstar, Inc. announced its newly completed gateway or ground station located in Singapore is now operational.

The Office des Postes et Telecommunications of French Polynesia (OPT) signed a multi-transponder contract for capacity on Intelsat’s new satellite, IS-18.

Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) announced that it has been awarded multiple patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

As predicted, Polish officials have protested against renaming the European GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) programme “Kopernikus.” [The only surprise is that it took them so long.–Ed.]