Satellite News

Rocket: PSLV-C27 (XL); Payload: IRNSS-1D; Date: ; Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota, India. It was the twenty eighth consecutively successful mission of the PSLV. The ‘XL’ configuration of PSLV was used for this mission. Previously, the same configuration of the vehicle was successfully used seven times.

The EU’s Galileo satellite navigation system now has eight satellites in orbit following the successful launch of the latest pair.

Rocket: Soyuz 2-1b [Soyuz ST-B]/Fregat-MT; Payload: Galileo FOC M2, SAT 7-8; Date: 27 March 2015, 2146 UTC; Launch site: Sinnamary, French Guiana. The satellites were to be inserted into a circular 23,522 km x 55 degrees orbit 3 hours, 48 minutes after lift-off (too late for this issue).

Rocket: Soyuz FG/Fregat-I; Payload: Soyuz TMA-16M; Date: 27 March 2015, 1943 UTC; Launch site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The crewed capsule reached its target orbit nine minutes after lift-off.

Rocket: H-2A; Payload IGS Optical 5; Date: 26 March 2015, 0121 UTC; Launch site: Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. The launch went smoothly, a JAXA spokeswoman said, noting “the satellite separated and entered orbit as scheduled.”

Rocket: Dnepr; Payload: KOMPSAT 3A [Arirang 3A]; Date: 25 March 2015, 2208 UTC; Launch site: Yasny, Russia. A radio communication between the satellite and South Korea’s ground station was established 5 hours and 57 minutes after launch, indicating that the satellite is operating properly.

Airbus Defence and Space has chosen Arianespace to launch PeruSat-1, the Peruvian Earth observation satellite on a European Vega launcher from Kourou spaceport. The launch of PeruSat-1 is scheduled for 2016.

Rocket: Delta IV Medium-plus (4,2); Payload: GPS IIF-9; Date: 25 March 2015, 1836 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. The navigation satellite was successfully deployed at 2155 UTC.