Satellite News

Pre-flight activities for Arianespace’s upcoming Ariane 5 mission are ramping up at the Spaceport in French Guiana, with launcher and payload preparations advancing in parallel for lift-off on 4 October (UTC).

Orbital ATK is targeting a five-day launch window of 10-14 October 2016 (UTC) for the Antares OA-5 launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia. A more specific date will be identified upon completion of final operational milestones and technical reviews.

Russia’s Center for Operation of Space Ground-Based Infrastructure (TsENKI) and Roskosmos state corporation have concluded three contracts worth some RUB1.8 billion (US$28 million) to modernise the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan.

A recent test firing of Ariane 5’s solid-propellant booster demonstrated the motor’s capabilities and qualified improvements in design.

A wildfire in the vicinity of Vandenberg Air Force Base forced another postponement of the launch of WordView-4 aboard an Atlas V.

The launch of Russia’s new series Soyuz MS-02 manned spacecraft scheduled for 23 September was delayed due to a technical fault involving a short circuit that was revealed during a test.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 2F; Payload: Tiangong 2, Banxing 2; Date: 15 September 2016, 1400 UTC; Launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China. “Tiangong 2 operates normally, and the orbit injection fulfilled the requirements, and the solar panels are also stretched out,” said Gen. Zhang Youxia, commander-in-chief of China’s human spaceflight programme.

China’s first commercial space industry base, the Wuhan National Space Industry Base, will focus on the development of carrier rockets and satellites, commercial launch services and applications of satellite data, state media reported.