Satellite News

With the additional checks related to the flight worthiness of the Herschel telescope now completed, ESA and Arianespace have set the launch date of Herschel and Planck for 6 May 2009.
Other Posts:Chinese babies named after country’s first lunar satelliteU.S., British Governments To Develop Comprehensive Satellite View of AntarcticaILS to launch Inmarsat satellite on Proton next springHead of Taiwan’s space agency detained over illegal spendingSatCon to provide Class K components to satellite subcontractorsAMC-18 Begins OperationsIridium Satellite LLC results 2008New launch date for GOCE planned for March 2009

India will launch a radar spy satellite from Sriharikota on 20 April between 1100 and 1130 UTC, a senior Indian Defense Ministry official was quoted as saying.
Other Posts:Globecomm subsidiary receives VSAT orderESA wants at least EUR9 billion from member statesDirecTV Launches Arabic-Language Programming PackageYahsat to raise US$1.2 billion for satellite financingSlingPath Unveils Satellite Newsgatherings Training CourseTwo new patents awarded to MSVSirius Launches Aftermarket Tuner For Backseat TVT-Systems books Eurobird 9 transponder

The Sea Launch vessels have departed Sea Launch Home Port for the Equator, in preparation for the launch of Telespazio’s SICRAL 1B communication satellite, on 19 April.
Other Posts:Raytheon completes NPP segment acceptance testingLockheed Martin delivers subsystems for SBIRS GEO-2Update: Fourth reaction wheel failure ends FUSE missionOrbcomm Launches IPOMore Intelsat capacity for Telenor Satellite ServicesNorthrop selected for alternative satellite R&D effortArqiva To Acquire BT Satellite Broadcast BusinessProton M launches new Ekspress satellite

The W2A satellite of Eutelsat Communications was successfully lofted into orbit by a Proton Briz M rocket supplied by ILS. As reported earlier, lift-off of the 5.9 tonne satellite took place on 3 April at 1624 UTC.
Other Posts:Execs See Boost in Satellite ConstructionEU Commission approves proposed SES Astra-Eutelsat joint ventureEaglepicher To Furnish Lockheed Martin With BatteriesInmarsat Enters Agreement With ACeSSpaceX completes PDR for second COTS demoTelenor Satellite Services Unveils Emergency Communications Response KitHot Bird 8 Launched Aboard Proton RocketWeather may delay shootdown of defunct spy satellite

Rocket: Atlas V; Payload: WGS-2 (WGS SV-2); Date: 5 April 2009, 0031 UTC; Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. After a 31-minute flight, WGS-2 was placed successfully in orbit.
Other Posts:NGA director wants control over dissemination of satellite imageryU.S. spy satellite to crash back to Earth within weeksAstrium to study new Vega upper stageRussia launches solar research satelliteDawn pre-launch detailsEurope, United States To Add New Galileo-GPS Civil SignalIndia Approves $67.5 Million Arianespace DealCharges Result In Boeing Second Quarter Loss

The launch of a Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT) aboard an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C12) from Sriharikota has been rescheduled.
Other Posts:Intelsat, Ltd. results Q3 2008SpaceX Gives Test Launch Positive Spin Despite ProblemsCNES selects MSC.Software solutionsUpdate: Two Ekspress payloads arrive in RussiaContract for Universitetsky 2 signedAir Force Assigns Launches To Lockheed, BoeingIranian parliament commission rejects plans for IRIB satelliteNASA To Make Data Available Through Google

Rocket: Proton M/Briz M; Payload: Eutelsat W2A; Date: 3 April 2009, 1624 UTC; Site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Lift-off and flight of the launch vehicle were nominal.
Other Posts:Iridium Satellite LLC results Q3 2009Eutelsat, ViaSat launch broadband satellite serviceAstrotech wins first competed contract under recently awarded VAFB IDIQGOCE prepares for shipment to RussiaRS-18 engine tested with liquid methaneMineral-mapping imager begins mission at MarsHarris Receives NPOESS ContractEutelsat 2007 survey of satellite and cable homes

The verification of operations procedures for Herschel and Planck at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) has now positively concluded. However, during final checks on the spacecraft, concerns have arisen and a short delay is proposed in order to allow ESA and Arianespace to carry out a final and independent check of the safety margins.
Other Posts:Comtech, Thrane & Thrane To Develop BGAN-Based Mobile System For PentagoniDirect to Provide Platform For Latin American Pharmacy ChainShop Latino TV Selects Intelsat For Cable Distribution PlatformTelesat to operate Radarsat-2 for MDASES S.A. results Q3 2007RapidEye launch resultsSES Astra, Verhaert To Run ESA Ground StationKVH Introduces Marine Antenna For European Satellite TV