Satellite News

Antrix Corporation Limited, the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), signed two launch service agreements recently.

NASA’s SLS and Orion four prime contractors met recently at an industry-team meeting to discuss progress to date and ensure the teams are on track for the 2014 and 2017 launches.

Rocket: Soyuz-U; Payload: Progress M-22M (Progress P54); Date: 5 February 2014, 1623 UTC; Launch site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The resupply spacecraft, loaded with 2.8 tons of cargo, docked with the ISS 5 hours, 59 minutes after lift-off.

Teledyne Technologies Incorporated announced that its subsidiary, Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc., in Huntsville, Ala., has been awarded a five-year US$60 million contract by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to design and manufacture the Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter (LVSA) for the Space Launch System (SLS).

The Turksat 4A/Proton M launch campaign proceeds at Baikonur in compliance with the approved schedule.

ISS-Reshetnev said it has finished building two telecommunications satellites – Ekspress-AT1 and Ekspress-AT2. A cargo aircraft delivered the two spacecraft to Baikonur on 3 February kicking off pre-launch preparations at the spaceport.

The heavy-lift Ariane 5 for Arianespace’s year-opening flight from French Guiana on 6 February is now complete following integration of its full payload “stack,” consisting of the ABS-2 and Athena-Fidus advanced relay platforms.

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announced the completion of the Dream Chaser Incremental Critical Design Review (CDR) with the completion of Milestone 10a under its Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) agreement with NASA.