Satellite News

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has pushed the launch of its H-IIB Transport Vehicle (HTV)-5 to the International Space Station to 1235 UTC on Monday, 17 August.

The fourth heavy-lift Ariane 5 for lift-off in 2015 is now complete as both passengers for next week’s dual-payload mission to geostationary transfer orbit – Eutelsat 8 West B and Intelsat 34 – have been installed atop their launcher.

The fourth Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite built by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Navy was encapsulated in its protective launch vehicle fairing. It is scheduled to launch on 31 August aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket between 0807 and 1207 UTC.

NASA has completed a 535-second test of its Space Launch System (SLS) RS-25 rocket engine to collect engine performance data.

United Launch Alliance (ULA) will launch a second Cygnus cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS) under a contract with Orbital ATK to support NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) programme.

ESA has signed contracts for the development of the Ariane 6 new-generation launcher, its launch base and the Vega C evolution of the current small launcher.

Orbital ATK said it is on track to launch its next CRS mission late this year and is moving forward with integration of a new first stage propulsion system into the Antares launch vehicle in preparation for multiple CRS missions in 2016.

The second passenger for Arianespace’s next Ariane 5 flight has been fuelled, completing another major step for the 20 August launch from French Guiana.