Satellite News

Over the weekend, the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying six Orbcomm satellites was scrubbed twice. A new launch attempt is currently expected in the first week of July. Meanwhile, SpaceX has heavily been criticised for its lack of transparency.

Orbital has updated its launch schedule for the Orb-2 mission to a date no earlier than 10 July 2014.

Airbus Defence and Space is making final preparations for the launch of SPOT 7, its new high-resolution Earth observation satellite.

The launch of ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C23, is scheduled on 30 June 2014 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. The vehicle lift-off time is scheduled at 0419 UTC.

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) announced the successful launch of KazEOSat-2, a medium resolution Earth observation satellite for the Republic of Kazakhstan The spacecraft was launched into a 630-km sun-synchronous orbit on board a Dnepr rocket from Yasny in Russia.

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire the Orbital Technologies Corporation (ORBITEC) as a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNC. ORBITEC is a subsystems integrator and high technology development company.

Rocket: Dnepr; Payload: KazEOSat 2 (a.k.a. DZZ-MR), 36 other satellites; Date: 19 June 2014, 1911 UTC; Launch site: Yasny, Russia.

Payload integration is underway for the four O3b Networks connectivity satellites to be orbited by Arianespace on its next Soyuz mission, scheduled for lift-off on 10 July from the spaceport in French Guiana.