Satellite News

Telesat announced an agreement with AMC Networks Broadcasting & Technology, a subsidiary of AMC Networks, for C-band capacity on Telesat’s Anik F1R satellite. In addition, AMC Networks Broadcasting & Technology and Telesat have agreed to jointly market AMC Networks Broadcasting & Technology centre and satellite transmission facilities in New York.

The fourth Vega has completed its build-up at the Spaceport in French Guiana, preparing this lightweight member of Arianespace’s launcher family for final checkout ahead of its 11 February lift-off with the European Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) spaceplane.

Millennium Space Systems announced that it has finalised an exclusive production license for the patented “Demisable Integrated Reaction Wheel Assembly” (DIRWA) from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Hughes Europe, the European operating and sales unit of Hughes Network Systems, LLC, announced that Turksat has selected Hughes’ JUPITER high-throughput (HTS) satellite ground system to enhance Turksat’s satellite services across Turkey and neighbouring countries in Europe and the Middle East.

An International Launch Services (ILS) Proton Briz M successfully placed the Inmarsat-5 F2 (I-5 F2) satellite into a d 4366 km x 64698 km x 26.8 degrees super-synchronous transfer orbit (SSTO) earlier today. Controllers confirmed the satellite was operating normally.

Rocket: Safir; Payload: Fajr; Date: 2 February 2015, approx. 0850 UTC; Launch site: unknown, Iran. The satellite was placed into a 223 km x 470 km x 55.5 degrees orbit.

On 3 February 2005, the first satellite based on a Spacebus 4000 platform by Thales Alenia Space, the AMC-12, now renamed SES 10, was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan by a Proton rocket.

Rocket: Delta II 7320; Payload: SMAP, four CubeSats; Date: 31 January 2015, 1422 UTC; Launch site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, USA. This successful launch marked ULA’s second launch of 13 planned for 2015, and the 93rd successful mission since the company was formed.