Satellite News

Avanti Communications Group plc has been awarded new projects funded by the European Space Agency (ESA).

Intelsat, Ltd. provided further details with respect to its current fleet investment plan, which is expected to result in a significant improvement in the types and quantities of satellite capacity available to media, networking and government customers in the Asia-Pacific region, the company said.
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The German radar satellite TanDEM-X (TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement) has been successfully completed by Astrium in Friedrichshafen. The satellite has been developed in conjunction with the German Aerospace Centre (DLR).
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NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, has been assembled and is undergoing final preparations for launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base on 1 November.
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The Lockheed Martin-led team developing the U.S. Air Force’s Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) has successfully mated the spacecraft bus with the infrared sensor payload for the second geosynchronous SBIRS spacecraft (GEO-2).
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NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is examining Mars again with its scientific instruments after successfully transitioning out of a precautionary standby mode triggered by an unexpected rebooting of its computer on 3 June.
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NASA’s Kepler spacecraft is nearing 10 million kilometers from Earth, and will pass that mark on 12 June. The spacecraft remains in its stable science attitude, observing its target stars.
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In an initial step toward the first successful rendezvous and docking of very small satellites without human control, a pair of miniature “picosatellites” built by University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University engineering students will be launched into orbit this month from Space Shuttle Endeavour.
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