Satellite News

Lockheed Martin announced that it has successfully completed an extensive test phase of the first Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite.

Russia plans to orbit at least 30 telecom satellites and launch probes to Mars and Venus under the federal space programme (FSP) for 2006-2015, according to Vitaly Davydov, deputy head of the Russian Space Agency.

Russia’s 24-satellite navigational and global positioning system, GLONASS, will be fully deployed by 2010, the country’s defence ministry said. This is one year later than previously announced.

L-3 Communications announced that its Telemetry-West (L-3 Telemetry-West) division has been awarded a US$9.9 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to provide the next-generation, crypto-modernisation-compliant encryptor and decryptor for satellite telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C).

DirecTV has apparently silently put its DirecTV 6 satellite into graveyard orbit, tracking data show.

Nearly six months after it entered orbit, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has concluded its aerobraking phase. The spacecraft had been dipping in and out of the red planet’s atmosphere to adjust its orbit.

Students world-wide are being asked to come up with ideas for a space mission to be launched in 2010. Proposals are now being sought for YES3, the third project in ESA’s Young Engineer’s Satellite Programme, the project that gives students the chance to design and build space hardware.

Iridium Satellite LLC officially opened its new telemetry, tracking and command/control (TTAC) station in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA.