Satellite News

The launch of Telesat’s Nimiq 4 aboard a Proton/Briz M from Baikonur is scheduled for 19 September, 2147 UTC. The Russian launch team today began final testing operations of the launcher components and subsystems and preparations for the fuelling of the launcher.

When Roskosmos head Anatoly Perminov last January said the Russian defence ministry refused to launch South Africa’s SumbandilaSat because the country “refused to use our satellite,” nobody really knew what he meant. It wouldn’t have been the first translation error in an English-language report by a Russian news agency, anyway. Now a South African newspaper reports that the country had indeed ordered a spy satellite from Russia — and later cancelled that order.

The Indian government has approved the GPS satellite-based augmentation system GAGAN (Geostationary Augmentation and Navigation), which is maily to be used for air traffic.

OHB-System AG, a subsidiary of the European space technology group OHB Technology AG, has been awarded a contract by the Science Directorate of the European Space Agency ESA for the execution of an assessment study for the “Marco Polo” asteroid mission.

Russia’s Khrunichev Space Center said it continued to build the Ekspress-MD1 satellite, scheduled for launch at the end of this year.

Turksat said it plans to launch two satellites, Turksat 4A and Turksat 5A, in six years, Anatolia news agency reported.

Thales Alenia Space announced it has started construction of 16 Medium Earth Orbit communications satellites for O3b Networks Limited, with options for additional spacecraft.

Thales Alenia Space announced a contract with JSC “ISS – Reshetnev Company” (formerly NPO-PM) to supply the Amos-5 communications satellite payload. ISS, prime contractor, is building the satellite for Israeli satellite operator Spacecom Ltd.