Satellite News

After a “wheel rest” safe mode that began on 17 January 2013, NASA’s Kepler spacecraft returned to science data collection on 28 January 2013. During the 10-day resting safe mode, daily health and status checks with the spacecraft using NASA’s Deep Space Network were normal.

The Boeing Company reported financial results for the fourth quarter and the year 2012.

The launch of the Intelsat 27 communications satellite has been postponed by one day to 1 February, 0656 UTC at the opening of the 58-minute launch window. The delay is due to a conflict with NASA resources associated with the use of the Telemetry and Data Relay Satellite Systems (TDRSS) network used by Sea Launch for in flight telemetry tracking. This is due to the rescheduling of the Atlas V/TDRS-K launch now set for 30 January.

A Proton-M carrier rocket will orbit SatMex 8 in the first launch since the Yamal-402 satellite trouble, a spokesman for the Proton manufacturer, the Khrunichev Center, was quoted as saying.

Reusing hardware originally built to test parts of NASA’s QuikScat satellite, the agency plans to launch the ISS-RapidScat instrument to the International Space Station in 2014 to measure ocean-surface wind speed and direction.

ITT Exelis received a US$3.2 million follow-on contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, to provide upgraded satellite remote sensor systems.

The U.S. Air Force Space Command’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Information Systems sector the Enhanced Polar System Control and Planning Segment (EPS CAPS) contract.

ViaSat Inc. has signed four new contracts that increase the total Ku-band capacity of its global mobility network by more than 60%.