Satellite News

Mobile Satellite Ventures LP and joint venture partner Mobile Satellite Ventures (Canada) announced that MSV has contracted with Sea Launch and ILS for separate launches in 2010 of the company’s planned two high-powered, next-generation satellites.

Russia’s Progress design bureau plans to sign a contract with the European Space Agency at Le Bourget air show for the launch of four Soyuz-ST carrier rockets from the Kourou space centre in French Guiana.

Rocket: Chang Zheng 3B; Payload: NIGCOMSAT 1; Date: 13 May 2007, 1601 UTC; Launch Site: Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China. The Xi’an satellite control centre said the Chinese-built satellite had entered its orbit with no glitches.

Rocket: Soyuz-U; Payload: Progress M-60 (Progress 25P); Date: 12 May, 0325 UTC; Launch Site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The unpiloted cargo carrier is scheduled to dock with the ISS on 15 May.

Preparations are underway at Baikonur cosmodrome for the launch of four Globalstar spacecraft and that of the German radar imaging satellite TerraSAR-X.

Raytheon Company said it will submit a proposal as the prime contractor to partner with NASA on the development and manufacture of the Instrument Unit Avionics on NASA’s Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle.

NASA engineers have successfully completed testing of subscale main injector hardware, an early step in development of the RS-68 engine that will power the core stage of NASA’s Ares V cargo launch vehicle.

Rocket: Ariane 5 ECA; Payload: Astra 1L, Galaxy 17; Date: 4 May 2007, 2229 UTC; Launch Site: Kourou, French Guiana. At 27 minutes, 15 seconds after main engine ignition, Astra 1L separated from the launcher, followed by Galaxy 17 at 32 minutes, 54 seconds.