Satellite News

Pre-launch processing has begun for the O3b Networks satellites to be orbited on Arianespace’s upcoming Soyuz flight.

Rocket: Soyuz-2.1a; Payload: classified military satellite; Date: 6 May 2014, 1349 UTV; Launch site: Plesetsk, Russia. Aerospace Defense Troops Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin said that “The rocket was launched as scheduled.”

A Delta IV M+ (4,2) will launch the GPS IIF-6 mission for the U.S. Air Force on 16 May (UTC) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The 19-minute launch window opens at 0007 UTC.

Following suspension on 31 March of the launch campaign activities of the Eutelsat 3B satellite, Sea Launch announced that its prime contractor, Energia Logistics, Ltd., will this week restart testing in preparation for the rollout of the Payload Unit and its integration with the Zenit-3SL launch vehicle before departing to the launch site in mid-May.

Spaceflight Inc. announced it has secured a launch service agreement to orbit its “SHERPA” hosted payload and in-space transportation system. Spaceflight’s inaugural SHERPA mission will deploy up to 1,200 kilograms of customer satellite payloads into low Earth orbit during the second half of 2015 on an undisclosed launch vehicle.

Rocket: Vega; Payload; KazEOSat-1 (DZZ-HR); Date: 30 April 2014, 0135 UTC; Launch site: Kourou, French Guiana. The satellite was released into the target Sun-synchronous circular orbit at 750 km altitude and an inclination of 98.54 degrees precisely 55 minutes and 29 seconds after launch.

The launch of KazEOSat-1 aboard a Vage rocket has been postponed 24 hours.

Rocket: Proton M/Briz M; Payload: KazSat 3, Luch 5V (or Loutch 5V); Date: 25 April 2014, 0425 UTC; Launch site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Both the lift-off and the ascent events proceeded nominally.