Satellite News

Space Systems/Loral was selected to provide a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) to an affiliate of DISH Network . The satellite, EchoStar XVIII, is designed to provide sparing flexibility for the DISH Network fleet.

NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft recently completed a firing of its onboard rocket motors. The manoeuvre lasted 71 seconds, and changed its velocity by 2 meters per second.

ELIGOS Inc., an affiliate of The Elwing Company has signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center to permit the testing of the Elwing Company’s electrodeless plasma thruster technology at MSFC’s Propulsion Research and Development Laboratory.

Rocket: Delta IV Medium-plus; Payload: GPS IIF-3 (SVN-65); Date: 4 October 2012, 1210 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. Controllers confirmed initial contact with the spacecraft at 1543 UTC. The satellite’s GPS signals will be turned on and tested within a few days.

ITT Exelis has successfully completed acceptance testing of the navigation payload element for the GPS III Non-Flight Satellite Testbed (GNST), and shipped the pathfinder unit to prime contractor Lockheed Martin for thermal vacuum testing and space vehicle integration.

Northrop Grumman Corporation has successfully completed payload integration and the ambient functional test of the U.S. Air Force’s Space Based Infrared System’s (SBIRS) third highly elliptical orbit (HEO-3) payload. Lockheed Martin is the SBIRS prime contractor, Northrop Grumman is the payload integrator.

The U.S. Air Force recently announced that the first Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit satellite and associated ground system is certified to enter dedicated operational utility evaluation and trial period operations as scheduled.

Eutelsat Communications has made a new appeal to international regulatory authorities to urgently intervene in order to put an end to repeated jamming of satellite signals from Iran.