Satellite News

Arqiva announced that it has concluded a long-term contract with Eutelsat Communications for satellite capacity optimised to serve the UK DTH (Direct-to-Home) broadcasting market.

Rocket: PSLV-C24; Payload: IRNSS-1B; Time: 4 April 2014, 1144 UTC; Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota, India. It was the twenty fifth consecutively successful mission of PSLV.

The next SpaceX cargo mission to the International Space Station under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract is scheduled to launch Monday, 14 April, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Arianespace said it is maintaining its rapid-paced mission planning in 2014 as preparations move ahead for the next flight – a light-lift Vega launch, which is to orbit the DZZ-HR Earth observation spacecraft from French Guiana on 28 April.

The new large antenna (12.3m x 0.9m) of the environmental satellite Sentinel-1A’s radar instrument, developed by Airbus Defence and Space, has successfully unfolded and locked in place in the early hours of this morning.

NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft is gradually lowering its orbital altitude to continue making science observations prior to its planned impact on the moon’s surface on or before 21 April.

Optus has signed a A$19.5 million contract with the Australian Department of Defence, extending its current relationship in delivering managed professional satellite services to the Department for four years until mid-2018.

Telecomm Mexico and SES have signed a capacity agreement aimed at connecting underserved rural communities with high-speed broadband.