Satellite News

NASA is preparing for the launch of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-O (GOES-O) from Space Launch Complex 37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) has been selected to provide a new satellite to Hughes Network Systems, LLC. Hughes will operate the new satellite to deliver high-speed Internet access service across North America.

The U.S. Air Force said it is investigating the cause and effects of signal distortions observed from the GPS IIR-20(M) spacecraft launched on 24 March 2009.

Boeing announced the successful in-orbit handover of the IndoStar II/ProtoStar II commercial communications satellite to Bermuda-based ProtoStar Ltd.

Lockheed Martin announced that the first Advanced Extremely High Frequency (Advanced EHF) military communications satellite is now undergoing final thermal vacuum testing.

Lockheed Martin has completed production and testing of the heatshield for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL).

The U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report that NASA’s commercial partners in the agency’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) project were making progress. However, both Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) and Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital) recently experienced schedule slips that have delayed upcoming demonstration launch dates by several months.

This month marks a decade of success for NASA’s QuikSCAT mission, one that continues to provide a wealth of information about Earth’s climate since its launch 19 June 1999.