Satellite News

The launcher for Arianespace’s next Soyuz mission from the Spaceport in French Guiana is completing its initial checkout for a flight in the second half of 2012, which will carry another two spacecraft for Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation constellation.

Just weeks after celebrating its tenth year in orbit, communication with the Envisat satellite was suddenly lost on 8 April. Following rigorous attempts to re-establish contact and the investigation of failure scenarios, the end of the mission is being declared.

In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, DISH DBS Corp. announced several recent satellite anomalies.

The Tracking and Data Relay Satellite 4 (TDRS-4) recently completed almost 23 years of operations support and successfully completed end-of-mission de-orbit and decommissioning activities. TDRS-4′s operational life span was well beyond its original 10-year design.

The first instrument to be completed for the James Webb Space Telescope, MIRI, was handed over by the European consortium that built it to ESA at a ceremony held in London today, and will now be delivered to NASA aiming for launch in 2018.

Loral Space & Communications Inc. reported its financial results for the three months ending on 31 March 2012.

South Korea is to file formal complaints with Pyongyang and relevant international agencies about jamming of Global Positioning System (GPS) frequencies that it contends emanates from North Korea.

Astrium has been awarded a contract to provide airborne satcom systems from Star Satellite Communications Company, a subsidiary of Al Yah Satellite Communications company (Yahsat).