Satellite News

Rocket: Falcon 9 v1.1; Payload: Cascade Smallsat and Ionospheric Polar Explorer (CASSIOPE); Date: 29 September 2013, 1800 UTC; Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, USA. The Falcon 9 rocket accomplished all of its primary objectives, placing its payloads into polar orbit and successfully demonstrating the launcher’s upgraded engines, flight computer and stage separation system, according to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. But not everything went as planned.

Rocket: Proton-M/Briz-M; Payload: Astra 2E; Date: 29 September 2013, 2138 UTC; Launch Site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The rocket lifted off as scheduled, and at the time of this writing the Briz-M upper stage had completed its first burn. The satellite is to be deployed at around 0650 UTC on 30 September [too late for this issue].

Orbital Sciences Corporation announced that its Cygnus cargo logistics spacecraft successfully completed its rendezvous and approach manoeuvres with the International Space Station (ISS) and was grappled and berthed with the station by the Expedition 37 astronaut crew earlier this morning.