Satellite News

The launch of SES-8 aboard a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral is now scheduled for no earlier than 1 November between 2228 and 2332 UTC. According to Aviation Week, SES is discussing the recent Falcon 9 upper stage re-ignition problem with SpaceX ahead of the launch, which was previously scheduled for late October.

The Ariane 5 for Arianespace’s next dual-payload heavy-lift mission has begun its assembly for a mid-December launch with telecommunications satellites from two established customers: Luxembourg-based SES and Spain’s Hispasat.

SpaceX has denied reports about a possible explosion aboard the recently launched Falcon 9′s upper stage. However, the launch did result in more trackable parts than expected.

International Launch Services (ILS) successfully placed the Astra 2E satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) for SES of Luxembourg.

Rocket: Falcon 9 v1.1; Payload: Cascade Smallsat and Ionospheric Polar Explorer (CASSIOPE); Date: 29 September 2013, 1800 UTC; Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, USA. The Falcon 9 rocket accomplished all of its primary objectives, placing its payloads into polar orbit and successfully demonstrating the launcher’s upgraded engines, flight computer and stage separation system, according to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. But not everything went as planned.

Rocket: Proton-M/Briz-M; Payload: Astra 2E; Date: 29 September 2013, 2138 UTC; Launch Site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The rocket lifted off as scheduled, and at the time of this writing the Briz-M upper stage had completed its first burn. The satellite is to be deployed at around 0650 UTC on 30 September [too late for this issue].

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has received an order from Telesat to provide launch services for Telesat’s new Telstar 12 VANTAGE (Telstar 12V) satellite. The launch is scheduled to take place in late 2015 and marks the first time MHI has received an order to launch a commercial satellite.

Following the State Review Board’s decision, the roll out of the Proton M/Astra 2E integrated launch vehicle took place on 26 September. The launcher was erected on its launch pad.