Satellite News

A navigation satellite GLONASS-M No. 52 left ISS-Reshetnev Company’s facilities in Zheleznogorsk and has already arrived at the Plesetsk launch site.

Rocket: Falcon 9; Payload: Formosat-5 [ROCSAT-5] ; Date: 24 August 2017, 1851 UTC; Launch site: Kennedy Space Center, USA. The satellite was released into a 729-km sun-synchronous orbit. 82 minutes and 56 seconds after launch, a ground antenna at Svalbard station (Norway) received the signal from Formosat-5 as expected.

Isro said it will launch its IRNSS-1H navigation satellite on 31 August at 1329 UTC, three days later than previously scheduled, to augment the existing seven satellites of the NavIC constellation.

Russia’s Roskosmos State Space Corporation plans as many as 25 rocket launches this year, and about the same number of launches next year, Igor Komarov, the head of Roskosmos, was quoted as saying.

The United States Air Force (USAF) is reportedly preparing their secretive X-37B space plane for its fifth mission in early September. As always, most of the X-37B’s payload and mission is classified.

Rocket: H-IIA No. 35; Payload: Michibiki No. 3 (QZSS-3); Date: 19 August 2017, 0529 UTC; Launch site: Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. The launch and flight proceeded as planned and the separation of the satellite was confirmed at approximately 28 minutes and 37 seconds after lift-off.

The ILS Proton Launch Vehicle hardware for the Amazonas 5 launch arrived at the launch site in Baikonur via train on 18 August. The LV hardware includes the Proton, Briz M, Payload Fairing, and Ascent Unit. Launch is scheduled for September from Pad 39.

The Ariane 5 for Arianespace’s ninth flight in 2017 is being readied for a 5 September lift-off, while its two satellite passengers – Intelsat’s Intelsat 37e and BSAT-4a for SSL on behalf of Japan’s Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) – continue their final checkout at the French Guiana facility.