Satellite News

Lockheed Martin has successfully completed environmental testing of the U.S. Navy’s third Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite. It recently cleared thermal vacuum trials, which validate performance in simulated space conditions, and the satellite is now in final check out.

The Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy Systems (CERES) instrument for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) recently arrived at Ball Aerospace.

The Algerian Space Agency (ASAL) and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) have signed a contract to build the Alsat-1B Earth Observation satellite in combination with a comprehensive training and development programme.

According to Euroconsult’s newly released executive report, Government Space Programs: Strategic Outlook, Benchmarks & Forecasts, government funding for space is expected to progressively recover as public finances regain their comfort zone and programmes enter a new growth cycle.

Russia has launched the first Angara rocket from the Plesetsk military cosmodrome. It is the first rocket designed in Russia from a scratch since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Development had started in 1992.

Arianespace’s second Soyuz launch at the service of O3b Networks has been approved for lift-off tomorrow from the Spaceport in French Guiana.

Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed a study with Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. to develop a common upper stage service for NASA, designed to enhance the performance of the NASA Launch Services (NLS) II medium and heavy launch vehicles for planetary and heliophysics missions, and pave the way for additional missions by providing more affordable launch services.

Control of the six small satellites launched aboard a Soyuz-2.1b was turned over to the customers, the Roskosmos press service was quoted as saying. The primary payload was Russia’s Meteor-M2 weather satellite.