Satellite News

Aerojet Rocketdyn successfully completed a series of hot-fire tests on a Bantam demonstration engine built entirely with additive manufacturing (aka 3D printing). The tests were a key step in the development of a more cost-effective engine family for booster, upper-stage and in-space propulsion, the company said.

Flight testing of the Angara Space Rocket Complex (SRC) begins at the MoD State Testing Cosmodrome (Plesetsk Cosmodrome) in Russia’s Archangelsk Region. The decision to this effect was adopted at the session of State Commission for test flights of satellite launch systems held at the Aerospace Defense Force HQ.

Over the weekend, the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying six Orbcomm satellites was scrubbed twice. A new launch attempt is currently expected in the first week of July. Meanwhile, SpaceX has heavily been criticised for its lack of transparency.

Orbital has updated its launch schedule for the Orb-2 mission to a date no earlier than 10 July 2014.

The launch of ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C23, is scheduled on 30 June 2014 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. The vehicle lift-off time is scheduled at 0419 UTC.

Rocket: Dnepr; Payload: KazEOSat 2 (a.k.a. DZZ-MR), 36 other satellites; Date: 19 June 2014, 1911 UTC; Launch site: Yasny, Russia.

Payload integration is underway for the four O3b Networks connectivity satellites to be orbited by Arianespace on its next Soyuz mission, scheduled for lift-off on 10 July from the spaceport in French Guiana.

The first test launch of Russia’s Angara light-weight rocket, initially set for 25 June, may be conducted from the Plesetsk Cosmodrone in the Arkhangelsk region on 27 June, a Russian space rocket industry source was quoted as saying.