Satellite News

China is preparing for the launch of an experimental recoverable moon orbiter, according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence.

Russia will decide on the future of the Sea Launch project, which uses Russian-Ukrainian Zenit-SL rockets to put commercial cargo into orbit, by the end of the year, the head of Russia’s United Rocket and Space Corporation Igor Komarov was quoted as saying.

The latest two satellites to be launched by Arianespace for Europe’s Galileo navigation system are being fuelled at the Spaceport in French Guiana, readying them for this month’s Soyuz mission.

ATK has successfully completed its Critical Design Review (CDR) with NASA to verify that the five-segment solid rocket booster is on track for an unmanned, first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) in 2017.

Rocket: Falcon 9; Payload: AsiaSat 8; Date: 5 August 2014, 0800 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. The spacecraft successfully separated from the launch vehicle 32 minutes after lift-off.

Rocket: Atlas V 401; Payload: GPS IIF-7; Date: 2 August 2014, 0323 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. The satellite has sent signals to controllers that confirm it is currently operating properly within the constellation.

Generation Orbit Launch Services, Inc. (GO) said it completed the initial captive carry flight of the Flight Experiment Testbed (GO-FET). Operating out of Cecil Spaceport in Jacksonville, Florida, the three hour test flight served as an demonstration of air launch operations both on the ground and in flight.

The U.S. Air Force is scheduled to launch the seventh Boeing built Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle on 2 August. The launch window opens at 0323 UTC and will remain open for 18 minutes.