Satellite News

The long-delayed launch of the United States’ next classified military satellite has been rescheduled again.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) successfully conducted a full mission-length firing of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle’s first stage at its McGregor Test Facility in Texas, on 22 November. Not everybody was as enthusiastic about it as the company, though.

Integral Systems Europe (ISE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Integral Systems, Inc. , announced that it has signed a yearly renewable contract to support the Polar Mission Control System (MCS) over the next 15 years with the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT).

NASA said it was officially moving forward on a mission to conduct an unprecedented, in-depth study of Jupiter. Called Juno, the mission will be the first in which a spacecraft is placed in a highly elliptical polar orbit around the giant planet to understand its formation, evolution and structure.

Insurers providing cover for the failed NigComSat 1 may pay as much as NGN17 billion (US$144 million) in claims, the Daily Independent reports.

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. reported its results for the third quarter ending 30 September 2008.

NASA’s Earth Observer-1 (EO-1) has reached its eighth anniversary on orbit. The EO-1 satellite, launched on 21 November 2000 had an initial design and mission life of one year, but has continued successful operations for more than seven years past the initial mission.

Sea Launch and Intelsat have signed a multiple launch services contract for five missions on the Sea Launch system, scheduled for execution beginning in late 2010 through 2012.