Satellite News

ESA and NASA signed an agreement that extends the two agencies’ long-standing co-operation in the areas of satellite tracking, spacecraft navigation and mission operations.

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has released a first video from Orbital Express on-orbit demonstration.

The Anik F3 satellite, designed and built by Astrium Satellites for Canada-based operator Telesat, is being prepared in Baikonur for launch on 10 April 2007 aboard an ILS Proton Briz M launch vehicle.

The spacecraft structure of Chandrayaan-I, India’s first unmanned mission to the moon,has arrived at the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

The Russian Progress M-58 (23P) cargo freighter has left the International Space Station for re-entry into the atmosphere. Reports that debris from the vessel almost hit a commercial jetliner as it flew over the South Pacific seem to have been premature, though – it must have been something else.

ESA officially announced the signing with OHB System AG, Germany, of a EUR100 million framework contract to develop a European Small Geostationary Satellite platform for telecommunication missions.

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has signed an order with the Federal State Unitary Enterprise – The Russian Research and Production Enterprise Pan-Russian Research Institute for Electromechanics (FSUE NPP VNIIEM) and Radioexport of Russia for the supply of satellite platform equipment and services for the Kanopus Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Earth observation spacecraft.

China and Russia plan to jointly explore Mars and one of its moons with a Chinese micro-satellite aboard the Russian spacecraft Fobos-Grunt.