Satellite News

Kosmotras will launch Thailand’s first Earth observation satellite, THEOS, at the beginning of 2008, a company official said. The launch was previously scheduled for November.

Alliant Techsystems received a US$35 million contract from Orbital Sciences Corporation to continue providing Orion motors, and also celebrated the delivery of its 100th flight set of Orion rocket motors.

The launch of an Israeli spy satellite aboard an Indian PSLV is further delayed, officially because of unspecified technical problems. Reports that the launch was cancelled under U.S. pressure were rejected by Indian and Israeli officials.

Transformational Space Corp. said it has entered the second-round competition for NASA funding for innovative Earth-to-orbit crew and cargo transportation services.

Spacehab, Incorporated said it has submitted a formal proposal response to NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Phase 1 Demonstrations Request for Proposal (RFP) based on the Advanced Research and Conventional Technology Utilisation Spacecraft (ARCTUS) design.

Sea Launch said it was rescheduling the launch campaign for the Thuraya-3 satellite owing to unusually strong ocean currents at the launch site.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced that it has shipped a payload fairing for the H-IIA No.14 (H-IIA F14) launch vehicle to the Tanegashima Space Center.

The second of three GLONASS-M navigation satellites, launched from Baikonur on 26 October, has become operational.