Satellite News

Rocket: Chang Zheng 4C; Payload: Chuangxin-3, Shiyan-7 and Shijian-15; Date: 20 July 2013, 2337 UTC; Site: Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, China. The launch, which had not been announced previously, reportedly was successful.

Proton manufacturer Khrunichev has summarised preliminary results of the Inter-Agency Commission investigation into the launch failure on 2 July.

Lockheed Martin recently delivered a full-sized, functional prototype of the next-generation Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to test facilities and pre-launch processes in advance of the arrival of the first GPS III flight satellite.

Rocket: Atlas V 551; Payload: MUOS-2; Date: 19 July 2013, 1300 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. The satellite, built by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Navy, was deployed into geostationary transfer orbit and is responding to commands.

No more than five Proton-M rockets may be launched from Baikonur (Kazakhstan) before the end of this year if the launches resume in September as currently planned.

Space Systems/Loral (SSL) announced that it has signed a contract with an undisclosed customer to provide a multi-mission satellite to be used for telecommunications, television broadcast, and other services such as distance learning. Further details were not disclosed.

SPOT 6, the high-resolution Earth observation satellite designed, built and operated by Astrium, has now been qualified by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre to take part in the MARS-CAP programme. MARS-CAP is a programme run by the European Commission which involves surveying agricultural land by satellite, as part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

NASA has selected 12 proposals for study under Phase I of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program.