Satellite News

For its second launch of the year Arianespace will boost two communications satellites into orbit: Astra 1L for SES Astra, and Galaxy 17 for the Intelsat. The launch widow extends from 2229 to 2319 UTC on 3 May 2007. The targeted injection orbit is 250 km x 35,952 km x 6 degrees.

Emcore Corporation announced that the Photovoltaics Division has been awarded a US$2 million contract by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Center for the design, manufacturing, testing and delivery of fully integrated solar panels for the Mars Cruise Stage spacecraft.

The Galaxy 17 satellite, for which Thales Alenia Space is prime contractor, is ready for launch. The satellite will be launched on 3 May from the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana, with an Ariane 5 rocket that will also carry Astra 1L.

Boeing said it successfully completed a critical Global Positioning System (GPS) Space Segment III System Design Review this month.

It is obvious that China’s ASAT weapon test has increased the risk that other satellites could collide with space debris — but by how much exactly? For the first time there are now some figures.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has put online all scientific data obtained by its asteroid-visiting probe Hayabusa.

Telenor announced that it has signed a contract with Thales Alenia Space for the construction, testing and delivery of a new geosynchronous (GEO) communications satellite.

The chancellor of the Moscow State University, Viktor Sadovnichiy, and head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Anatoliy Perminov signed a contract on developing and launching the Universitetsky 2 (Tatyana 2) satellite.