Satellite News

Rocket: Chang Zheng 2C; Payload: Yaogan-23; Date: 14 November 2014, 1853 UTC; Launch site: Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, China. State media said the launch, which had not been previously announced, was successful.

Arianespace’s sixth Ariane 5 for launch in 2014 is now ready to receive its two satellite passengers after this workhorse vehicle was moved to the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building in French Guiana.

NASA said its industry partners continue to complete development milestones under agreements with the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Airbus Defence and Space has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the development and construction of the service module for Orion, the future U.S. human space capsule. The contract is worth around EUR390 million. The service module will provide propulsion, power supply, thermal control and the central elements of the life support system of the capsule.

NASA’s InSight mission has begun the assembly, test and launch operations (ATLO) phase of its development, on track for a March 2016 launch to Mars. The lander, its aeroshell and cruise stage are being assembled by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.

Two new commercial satellites will carry sensor payloads developed by Raytheon to deliver images of unprecedented depth and detail, the company said.

The ground network for Galileo’s search and rescue service has now passed a major exam. These stations sit on Spitsbergen in the Norwegian Arctic, Maspalomas on the largest island of Spain’s Canary Islands, and Larnaca on the island nation of Cyprus, forming a triangle enclosing Europe. The three are coordinated and overseen from a control centre in Toulouse, France.

Europe’s Philae lander was busily conducting experiments on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with just hours of onboard battery life left. It is estimated that the probe will have gathered at least 70 to 80% of the scientific data expected during the mission’s primary phase, possibly up to 90%, before running out of power. An attempt to move the lander into a more favourable position was at least technically successful. Whether it will prolong the lander’s life remains to be seen.