Satellite News

Rocket: Chang Zheng 3C; Payload: Yaogan 18; Date: 29 October 2013, 0250 UTC; Launch site: Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. Chinese media reported the launch of the reconnaissance satellite was successful.

Arianespace’s next Soyuz flight from French Guiana is now scheduled for lift-off on 20 December with the adjusted launch date enabling the switch-out of two transponders on the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Gaia star-mapper payload.

Eutelsat Communications and Es’hailSat announced that their jointly owned Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 satellite, launched on 29 August, went into commercial service at 25.5 degrees East.

The Swedish National Space Board (SNSB) and NASA have signed a bilateral co-operative agreement for NASA to test and evaluate the 5-Newton and 22-Newton High Performance Green Propulsion (HPGP) thrusters developed by ECAPS, an SSC Group company.

NASA’s Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) has been selected to test an advanced form of thermal insulation, called integrated multi-layer insulation (IMLI) that could become standard on future satellites and cryogenic subsystems.

Eutelsat Communications reported revenues for the first quarter ending 30 September 2013.