Satellite News

Rocket: Ariane 5 ECA; Payload: BepiColombo; Date: 20 October 2018, 0145:28 UTC; Launch site: Kourou, French Guiana. Signals from the spacecraft, received at ESA’s control centre in Darmstadt, Germany, via the New Norcia ground tracking station at 0221 UTC confirmed that the launch into its Earth escape trajectory was successful.

There’s been another delay in the launch of Canada’s three Earth-observation satellites known as the Radarsat Constellation.

Qualification tests on the Vinci engine which will power the Ariane 6 upper stage were completed with the 148th test, which took place on 12 October 12 on the PF52 test bench at ArianeGroup’s Vernon site.

The launches of the Russian Rokot-2 light carrier rockets May begin again in 2021 which would allow achieving annual incomes of over RUB8 billion (US$120 million) if the decision to resume the project is made this year.

Members of a Roskosmos commission and investigators have identified those who could be responsible in the damage to one of the sensing devices on board the Soyuz-FG rocket, which could have led to the failed launch of the Soyuz MS-10 manned spacecraft.

“Chandra remains in its normal pointing mode and has been manoeuvred to ensure the spacecraft and instruments remain at a cool operating temperature. The Flight Operations Team has completed testing and simulation of the procedures and on-board software updates that will place Chandra into a new gyroscope configuration with the gyroscope that caused the 10 October safe mode in reserve.”