Satellite News

An enhanced Proton M launch vehicle is to lift off from Pad 39 at Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, with the Inmarsat-4 F3 satellite on board on 18 August, 2243 UTC.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.’s Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) Protoflight Model (PFM) that will fly aboard the U.S. National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) has entered final integration and acceptance testing.

The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office said it has restored a defunct satellite to operation.

Boeing said it is ready to use a new “pulse line” process for assembling satellites in El Segundo, California/USA. The new process is expected to shorten the time needed to build a space vehicle.

Israel’s Space Communication Ltd has ordered Amos 5 from JSC Information Satellite Systems – Reshetnev company (formerly NPO-PM), Interfax news agency reported.

Azerbaijan plans to sign a launch contract for its first communications satellite, AzerSat, by October 2008. A manufacturing contract could be signed before the end of the year.

Andrews Space announced that it has been awarded a contract valued at more than US$1.5 million to develop plug and play spacecraft subsystems and demonstrate integrated spacecraft capability.

Boeing has been awarded a US$153.5 million U.S. Naval Research Laboratory contract to demonstrate High Integrity Global Positioning System (GPS) technology concepts. The contract is expected to run through 2010.