Satellite News

Inmarsat and Telespazio (Finmeccanica/Thales) are teaming up and developing joint offerings for energy and M2M customers in the European Region.

Payload preparations have commenced for the launch on ESA’s Gaia (Global Astrometric Interferometer for Astrophysics) spacecraft on an Arianespace Soyuz mission later in 2013.

India’s advanced multi-band communication satellite GSAT-7, launched from Kourou, French Guiana in the early hours of 30 August 2013, has been successfully placed in the Geosynchronous Orbit after successfully completing the last of the three orbit-raising manoeuvres commanded from ISRO’s Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan.

China has handed over full control of the Chinese-built Miranda satellite (a.k.a. VRSS-1) over to Venezuela, Venezuelan Minister of Science and Technology Manuel Fernandez announced.

Harris Corporation (HRS) has delivered five simulators that will help the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) user community to prepare for the advent of a new generation of geostationary weather satellites.

NSR’s Global Assessment of Satellite Supply & Demand, 10th Edition report projects commercial satellite operator revenues from transponder and bandwidth leasing will top US$18.8 billion in the coming ten years, up from US$11.2 billion in 2012.

The Lockheed Martin A2100 communications satellite series has achieved a major milestone by achieving over 400 cumulative years of successful, in-orbit operations.

Rocket: Zenit 3SLB/Block DM-SLB ; Payload: Amos 4; Date: 31 August 2013, 2005 UTC; Launch site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The launch vehicle delivered the 4.26-ton telecommunication spacecraft Amos-4 into its target geostationary transfer orbit.