Satellite News

The telecommunications satellite Ekspress-AM8, designed and built by Academician M.F. Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems, was finally accepted into service in orbit on 5 May.

Eutelsat Communications and Facebook have selected Hughes Network Systems, LLC to supply its JUPITER System as the technology platform for satellite broadband services that both companies are preparing to launch in Sub-Saharan Africa.

EchoStar Corporation announced its financial results for the quarter ending 31 March 2016.

China’s new-generation Chang Zheng-7 rocket departed for its launch base in Hainan on Sunday from north China’s port of Tianjin.

Orbital ATK has completed installing the second Space Launch System (SLS) booster qualification motor, QM-2, in a specialised test stand in Utah in preparation for a static-fire test on 28 June. The first qualification motor, QM-1, completed a successful test last spring.

Space Systems Loral (SSL) announced that the JCSAT-14 satellite, which it designed and built for Sky Perfect JSAT Corporation (Sky Perfect JSAT), has successfully performed post-launch manoeuvres according to plan.

Rocket: Falcon 9; Payload: JCSAT-14 [JCSAT-2B]; Date: 6 May 2016, 0521 UTC; Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. The payload was released into a 188 km x 35,956 km x 23.7 degrees geostationary transfer orbit 32 minutes after lift-off.

U.S. Air Force Space Command’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) awarded three Global Positioning System (GPS) III Space Vehicles (SVs) 11+ Phase 1 Production Readiness Feasibility Assessment contracts.