Satellite News

United Launch Alliance announced the restructuring of its Delta II programme and the appointment of a new Delta II programme director.

NASA senior managers today completed a review of space shuttle Atlantis’ readiness for flight. Pending closure of an issue with a shuttle radiator hose, the STS-122 mission will launch on 7 February, 1945 UTC.

International Launch Services (ILS) of the United States, Thales Alenia Space of France and Al Yah Satellite Communications Co. (Yahsat) of the United Arab Emirates announced an agreement to launch a Yahsat spacecraft on a Proton M/Briz M vehicle.

The launch of Ekspress-AM44 and Ekspress-MD1 may be delayed again according to a source close to the development.

Boeing has delivered DirecTV 11, the second of three new Boeing-built satellites for DirecTV, Inc., to the Sea Launch Home Port in Long Beach, California/USA.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) said it recently conducted the first multi-engine firing of its Falcon 9 medium to heavy lift rocket at its Texas Test Facility outside McGregor.

Rocket: Proton M/Briz M; Payload: Ekspress-AM33; Date: 29 January 2008, 0018 UTC; Site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Contact with the spacecraft was established nine hours after lift-off.

United Launch Alliance has won a contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide launch services for three U.S. National Reconnaissance Office satellites.