Satellite News

After five manoeuvres, the recently launched NIGCOMSAT-1 has reached its final geostationary orbit. The satellite, based on China’s DFH 4 platform, is to operate at 42.5 degrees East.

Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (YahSat), United Arab Emirates, has selected a consortium of EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space as the preferred bidder to build a AED5 billion plus (EUR1.011 billion, US$1.362 billion) satellite communications system.

On 18 May the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Agency’s Orbital Express team successfully captured the NextSat client spacecraft with the ASTRO servicing satellite, after a critical failure of ASTRO’s primary sensor flight computer (AC-2) on 11 May that had the two spacecraft drift apart.

A top-level panel of the European Space Agency (ESA) is to meet in Paris this week to decide whether to beef up the ExoMars rover mission as requested by scientists.

The European Space Agency said Europe’s first satellite-borne rubidium clocks, in orbit for more than a year, have been operating largely in line with the specifications.

Telesat Canada has reached an agreement with MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) to operate MDA’s Radarsat-2 for the lifetime of the satellite. The long-delayed spacecraft is currently expected to be launched aboard a Proton in August 2007.

A small satellite that was developed by small and medium size manufacturers in Higashi-Osaka (East Osaka), Osaka Prefecture, will be launched in summer 2008, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.

A major glitch has occurred during testing of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Orbital Express spacecraft, reports New Scientist.