Satellite News

At a contact on 14 May 2013, the Kepler spacecraft once again was found in safe mode. It was caused by a reaction wheel that NASA says has permanently failed. With the loss of a second reaction wheel, it’s unlikely that the spacecraft will be able to return to the high pointing accuracy that enables its high-precision photometry. However, no decision has been made to end data collection.

Roskosmos denied reports that a Rokot/Briz-KM launched from Plesetsk cosmodrome on 15 January 2013 had partially failed.

NASA’s first mission to sample an asteroid is moving ahead into development and testing in preparation for its launch in 2016.

Telespazio VEGA Deutschland, a subsidiary of Telespazio (Finmeccanica/Thales), has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) for the development of the ExoMars Mission Control System (MCS).

The jamming of satellite channels across the Arab world increased significantly since the start of the “Arab Spring” in early 2011, according to Arabsat vice president Nabil Shanti.

Rocket: Atlas V; Payload: GPS IIF-4; Date: 15 May 2013, 2138 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. Payload separation was to occur 3 hours, 32 minutes after lift-off [too late for this issue].

International Launch Services (ILS) successfully placed the Eutelsat 3D satellite into Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) for Eutelsat Communications of Paris, France. The satellite was released 9 hours and 13 minutes after a standard five-burn Briz M mission. Also, Eutelsat signed a new launch contract with ILS.

Arianespace marked one of the final steps in preparations for the next Ariane 5 launch as Europe’s latest Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) was integrated atop the heavy-lift workhorse at the Spaceport in French Guiana.