Satellite News

Russia’s S7 Space Transportation Systems company plans to start launching Zenit-3SL rockets from the Sea Launch floating platform and continue until 2023, the company said on its website.

The launch of a Proton-M launch vehicle carrying the Amazonas-5 communication satellite from the Baikonur Cosmodrome may be postponed due to the launch vehicle’s late shipment by the manufacturer, Interfax news agency reported.

DigitalGlobe, Inc. announced that it signed a Direct Access Program (DAP) contract with the Australian Department of Defence. This multi-year agreement will allow the Australian government to access DigitalGlobe’s industry-leading commercial satellite imaging constellation to support defence and intelligence missions.

NASA has procured combined data support services under an agreement with the Norwegian Space Centre in Oslo, Norway, for the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) programme and various co-operative international missions. This action is supported under an international agreement between the United States and Norway.

Rocket: Falcon 9; Payload: Dragon, Date: 24 August 2017, 1631 UTC; Launch site: Kennedy Space Center, USA. It is SpaceX’s 12th Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-12) to the International Space Station.

Orbital ATK, at NASA’s direction, is now targeting 10 November for launch of the OA-8 mission to the International Space Station, solely based on NASA’s revised ISS traffic planning and cargo needs.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has again postponed the launch of the third of its four quasi-zenith satellites, this time owing to a problem in the propulsion system of the H-IIA rocket that was set to carry it into orbit.

Thermal vacuum tests of the Angosat satellite have been completed. The tests were conducted under the control of the representatives of the Republic of Angola at Federal Public Enterprise STC RSI, the head Test Center of State Corporation Roskosmos.