Satellite News

The first launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome will be held on 27 April at 0201 UTC, the Roskosmos State Corporation for Space Activities said.

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. announced that it has signed two contracts with a combined value of EUR4.3 million with Thales Alenia Space for four subsystems to be installed on the Sentinel-6A, -6B, -3C, and -3D environmental monitoring satellites, part of Europe’s Copernicus programme.

U.S. Air Force Space Command’s Space and Missile Systems Center and the 460th Space Wing have confirmed that Command and Control of the Space-Based Infrared Systems and Defense Support Program satellites and payloads have been transferred from their legacy ground system to the new Block 10 ground system.

SES S.A. announced that HSN, a live content retailer, has signed an agreement to renew and migrate its North American distribution platform to an SES satellite at the centre of the North American orbital arc.

It has emerged that the defragmentation of Japan’s ASTRO-H “Hitomi” x-ray satellite was preceded by a loss of attitude control.

The Russian logistics spacecraft Progress MS-02 with cargo onboard has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on 2 March, 1758 UTC after two days in free flight.

NASA’s Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) recently took another major step toward demonstrating the capabilities of a new propellant that is safer to handle on the ground and more efficient for thrusters in space. The GPIM spacecraft has passed a major flight readiness milestone marking the successful completion of functional and environmental testing of its systems and software, and is on track for launch in early 2017.

Arianespace said it is revamping its organisation to better meet the requirements of a competitive marketplace undergoing deep changes. The company has added four new members to its executive committee, which now represents all functions.