Satellite News

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) completed its 50,000th orbit around Mars this week. The orbiter continues diverse science observations of Mars and communications-relay service for two active Mars rovers, Curiosity and Opportunity.

ISRO confirmed there had been an anomaly aboard the agency’s RISAT-1 radar imaging satellite but said it was not connected to a shedding event reported earlier by NASA.

NASA has selected ten studies under the Planetary Science Deep Space SmallSat Studies (PSDS3) programme, to develop mission concepts using small satellites to investigate Venus, Earth’s moon, asteroids, Mars and the outer planets.

The third Lockheed Martin-built Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellite recently sent its first images back down to Earth.

Arianespace’s dual-payload mission to orbit telecommunications satellites for Brazil and South Korea has been given the go-ahead for a lift-off from the Spaceport in French Guiana on 21 March, carrying the SGDC and Koreasat-7 relay platforms.

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has completed another set of important science calibration tests before a year of aerobraking gets underway.

The ULA Delta IV rocket carrying the WGS-9 satellite for the U.S. Air Force is scheduled for 18/19 March (UTC). The Delta IV is set to lift off from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The INS 1A and INS 1B, experimental nano satellites built by ISRO, experienced some problems after launch aboard the PSLV C37 rocket but have since stabilised.