Satellite News

The launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V carrying the NROL-52 mission is now scheduled for no earlier than Saturday, 14 October.

Orbital ATK is requesting a later launch date from the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, to accommodate further verification and routine testing of the company’s Minotaur C rocket.

Russia may sign four contracts for international launches of Proton carrier rockets in 2019, acting CEO of the Khrunichev Space Center Alexei Varochko was quoted as saying. Khrunichev is the producer of Proton rockets.

The Eutelsat 172B spacecraft, built by Airbus, has reached geostationary orbit, breaking the record for the fastest satellite electric orbit raising (EOR).

RSC Energia said it has performed successful leak tests of the hydrometeorological spacecraft Meteor-M No. 2-1 developed by JSC VNIIEM Corporation.

Iridium Communications announced that the third set of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites, launched on 9 October, are functioning nominally and have begun the testing and validation process.