Satellite News

Rocket: Soyuz U; Payload: Kosmos 2450; Date: 28 April 2009, 1658 UTC; Site: Plesetsk, Russia. The classified military satellite reached its target orbit eight minutes after lift-off.

Boeing has successfully completed the system-level Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for its Tracking and Data Relay Satellite system (TDRS) K-L programme.

The JSC Academician M.F. Reshetnev – Information Satellite Systems said it was proceeding with work on the Amos 5 telecommunications satellite for the Israeli communication service provider, Space Communication Ltd.

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. announced that it has won a C$4 million () contract to provide an advanced technology solution to EADS Astrium.

Ducommun Incorporated announced that its Miltec Corporation subsidiary delivered flight-ready nanosatellites to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command (USASMDC/ARSTRAT) in Huntsville, Alabama on 28 April 2009.

DigitalGlobe Inc. has set the terms for a US$250 million initial public offering and scheduled its pricing for mid-May.

GHL Acquisition Corp. and Iridium Holdings LLC jointly announced the signing of an amendment to the definitive agreement under which they plan to combine.