Satellite News

Rocket: Kuaizhou; Payload: Kuaizhou II; Date: 21 November 2014, 0637 UTC; Launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China. The satellite will be used to monitor natural disasters and provide disaster-relief information, Xinhua news agency said.

Based on joint work by ESA and CNES, the date for the IXV mission to be launched by Vega has been set for 11 February 2015.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 2D; Payload: Yaogan Weixing 24; Date: 20 November 2014, 0712 UTC; Launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China. The launch, which had not been announced in advance, reportedly was successful.

NASA has selected Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Virginia, to provide launch services for the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) mission.

XCOR Aerospace announced it has completed the latest test series for the liquid hydrogen engine it is developing for United Launch Alliance (ULA). This is an important milestone in the long-running LH2 (liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen) programme. It is also a step toward running the engine in a fully closed cycle mode.

Ground operations are in full swing at Baikonur to process the Proton M integrated launch vehicle for the launch of the European communications satellite, Astra-2G.

ViaSat has reportedly decided to launch its ViaSat-2 satellite aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket in 2016.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 2C; Payload: Yaogan-23; Date: 14 November 2014, 1853 UTC; Launch site: Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, China. State media said the launch, which had not been previously announced, was successful.