Satellite News

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) GOES-S weather satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, was launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket on 1 March 2018, 2202 UTC from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and has successfully established communications.

The telecommunications satellite Blagovest No. 12, designed and built by ISS-Reshetnev Company, has been safely delivered to its cosmodrome in Baikonur.

Orbcomm Inc. announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ending 31 December 2017.

Rocket: Atlas V; Payload: GOES-S; Date: 1 March 2018, 2202 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. The rocket lifted off as scheduled, and its upper stage had performed two of three planned burns at the time of writing this. Separation of the weather satellite from the Centaur upper stage was expected at 0134 UTC on 2 February (too late for this issue).

The four O3b Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites for Arianespace’s first Soyuz mission of 2018 have been integrated with their launcher’s Fregat upper stage, marking a key milestone as preparations continue for a 6 March lift-off from French Guiana.

NASA’s InSight spacecraft has arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California to begin final preparations for a launch this May.

China is planning its first sea-launch of satellites carried by a Chang Zheng rocket, according to an aerospace official.

Telesat Canada announced its consolidated financial results for the three month and one year periods ending 31 December 2017.