Satellite News

Rocket: Proton M/Briz M; Payload: KA-SAT; Date: 26 December 2010,2151 UTC; Launch site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. After a 9 hour 12 minute mission, the Briz M successfully released Eutelsat’s KA-SAT satellite into geostationary transfer orbit.
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Russia has postponed the launch of its Elektro-L meteorological satellite to January 2011. The launch was originally planned for 25 December 2010.
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The launch of Eutelsat’s KA-SAT is now reported to be scheduled for 26 December, 2151 UTC. There has been no official announcement so far, though.
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The launch of GSLV-F06 with the GSAT-5P satellite onboard, scheduled for 20 December 2010, has been postponed due to a minor leak in one of the valves of the Russian Cryogenic stage, observed during the pre-countdown checks.
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At Baikonur, preparations of Proton M are in full swing to launch Eutelsat’s KA-SAT, scheduled for the end of December. Specialists from rocket manufacturer Khrunichev and satellite manufacturer Astrium are currently assembling the ascent unit (AU).
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Orbital Sciences Corporation announced that it successfully carried out a long-duration test firing of the liquid-fuelled AJ26 rocket engine that will power the first stage of the company’s Taurus II space launch vehicle.
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The European Space Agency (ESA) and Arianespace announced that they have signed a launch Service & Solutions contract for the Sentinel-1A satellite as part of the European programme GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security).
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Rocket: Soyuz-FG; Payload: Soyuz TMA-20; Date: 15 December 2010, 1909 UTC; Launch Site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Following the successful launch, the crew is preparing their craft for orbital operations.