Satellite News

Just another satellite weblog

Archive for the 'FAILURES' Category

Satellite collision may endanger Hubble repair mission

February 19th, 2009 by

The recent collision of Kosmos 2251 and Iridium 33 may endanger the final Hubble repair mission currently scheduled for May, Nature reported.
Other Posts:INSAT-4CR orbit raised after ‘dramatic’ launchSAT Releases Interference Identification SoftwareWGS SV-1 shipped to Cape CanaveralLockheed Martin completes acoustic test of first AEHF satelliteSecond Bigelow Experimental Spacecraft LaunchedRussia to test Angara’s second stageTwo Astra transponders for German pubcastersMDA may have tried to sell units

Category: FAILURES | No Comments »

Satellite crash not as bad as thought, Russian report claims

February 17th, 2009 by

According to an unconfirmed Russian report the collision between Iridium 33 and Kosmos 2251 was not as critical as initially feared. The accuracy of that report was unknown at the time of writing this. Also: a blame game has started involving U.S. and Russian officials, while ESA is working on a programme that is to provide more precise tracking data.
Other Posts:

Gilat terminates merger agreement; buyers fire back
Proton M lifts off with latest Astra satellite (Part II)
Sirius Satellite Radio results Q1 2007
Motient, Skyterra Close MSS Consolidation Moves
Wired in space
Gilat CEO Examines Spacenet Prospects
Raytheon may track astronauts, robots on the moon
ITT wins NASA strategic missions concept study awards

Category: FAILURES | No Comments »

Zhongxing 6B suffers brief outage

February 10th, 2009 by

Transmission of 150 satellite TV channels in China was interrupted on 9 February owing to satellite problems, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) said.
Other Posts:

MDA to upgrade WorldView image processing systems
CapRock closes Arrowhead acquisition
GeoEye secures insurance for GeoEye-1
Last launch in 2007: Proton lofts three navigation satellites
NASA engineers complete engine test series for J-2X
Spacehab submits NASA COTS proposal
SS/L to build Telesat’s Nimiq 5
Ciel gets preliminary green light for six satellite slots

Other Posts:Integral control system for BSAT-3b, 3cBoeing, Lockheed Martin Submit TSAT ProposalsArrowhead Global Solutions Wins Contract for Portable Satellite TerminalsChinese satellite launch expected tomorrowNSR Report Expects MSS Market To Reach $7.1 Billion By 2012NASA may have found cause for MGS lossThe surprise return of KazSat 1Shuttle repair mission to launch next May

Category: FAILURES | No Comments »

Update: Indo-European satellite fails after in-orbit testing

February 3rd, 2009 by

Engineers at the Satellite Centre in Bangalore are currently analysing the anomaly in Eutelsat W2M’s power subsystem, but expectations as to whether the satellite can be salvaged are mixed at best.

Category: FAILURES | No Comments »

Indo-European satellite fails after in-orbit testing

January 29th, 2009 by

Eutelsat’s new W2M spacecraft suffered “a major anomaly affecting the satellite’s power subsystem,” the operator said in a statement. The anomaly occurred during the satellite’s transfer from the location used for in-orbit tests to its operating position at 16 degrees East where it was to replace Eutelsat’s W2 satellite.

Category: FAILURES | No Comments »

Zombie satellite news in brief

January 24th, 2009 by

Astra 5A not expected to pose immediate danger to other satellites / DSP 23 passes 19.2 degrees East / One of two MiTEx satellites examining DSP 23 tracked by amateurs

Category: FAILURES | No Comments »

Astra 5A – another GEO zombie satellite?

January 22nd, 2009 by

Thales Alenia Space issued a statement regarding the total loss of Astra 5A/Sirius 2. The defunct satellite has meanwhile started drifting.
Other Posts:India’s PSLV launches four satellitesWorldspace receives warningJAXA will deliver your message to the MooniDirect Looks To Expand Satellite Reach To Asia PacificAerojet tests high-performance engineWildBlue Launches Service Using WildBlue-1On-orbit video from Orbital Express availableAres I upper stage risk reduction efforts

Category: FAILURES | No Comments »

Russia confirms Kosmos 1818 defragmentation

January 22nd, 2009 by

Russia’s military has confirmed that the decommissioned nuclear-powered Kosmos 1818 satellite “partially fragmented” in July 2008 but said it posed no danger.
Other Posts:Successful launch sets new payload record for Ariane 5 ECANational Geographic To Reach France Via GlobecastUpdate: Ariane 5GS launches Intelsat 11, Optus D2Update: Third international commercial satellite order for CGWICESA Orders Second Galileo Test Satellite From SurreyNorthrop Grumman completes review of new GPS control segmentAzerbaijan to sign AzerSat contracts this yearEnvisat images available almost in real time

Category: FAILURES | No Comments »