Satellite News

Information Satellite Systems – Reshetnev Company said it has completed testing of a model of a primary mirror intended for the space observatory Millimetron.

Saft has signed a contract worth over one million euros from Airbus Defence and Space Ltd (UK) to develop, qualify and test a specific lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery system to power the ExoMars Rover vehicle. In related news, MDA’s Information Systems group announced that Antwerp Space NV has contracted with MDA to provide a communication antenna subsystem for the ExoMars programme.

A new development centre will advance satellite sensing and communication technologies, broadly known as Radio Frequency (RF) payloads, at the Lockheed Martin facility in Denver, the company said.

NASA’s New Horizons mission is returning to normal science operations after an anomaly and remains on track for its flyby of Pluto on 14 July.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. announced that PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia, Tbk. (Telkom), the largest telecommunications services company in Indonesia, has selected Kratos’ satID geolocation system as part of a contract with Kratos ISI to upgrade Telkom’s Master Control Station (MCS).

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), in its thirtieth flight (PSLV-C28), will launch three identical DMC3 optical Earth observation satellites built by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), United Kingdom (UK).

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft recently performed a 23-second thruster burst – the third and final planned targeting manoeuvre of New Horizons’ approach phase to Pluto. It was also the smallest of the nine course corrections since New Horizons launched in January 2006.

Aerojet Rocketdyne’s improved XR-5 Hall Thruster (designated XR-5A) has successfully completed initial on-orbit validation testing on the unmanned X-37 space plane, which is presently on its fourth mission in space.