REAL TIME SATELLITE TRACKING AND PREDICTIONS

MEASAT-3B SATELLITE READY TO LAUNCH - BERNAMA - The Measat-3b satellite is expected to launch soon as Airbus Defence and Space, a division of Airbus group, has completed the final integration and testing of the satellite. Designed with 48 Ku-band transponders, Measat-3b will be used to support data and video services across Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Australia, Airbus Defence and Space said in a statement today. The satellite left the Airbus Defence and Space facilities in Toulouse, France, and has been transported by air to Kourou, French Guiana.   More
(Source: The Malaysian Insider - Apr 16)

SPACEX RESUPPLY LAUNCH SCRUBBED BY HELIUM LEAK - The launch of a SpaceX's Dragon supply ship from Cape Canaveral was scrubbed Monday due to a helium leak in the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage. The next launch attempt will be no earlier than Friday. SpaceX launch director Ricky Lim informed the Falcon 9 launch team of the scrub at 3:39 p.m. EDT (1939 GMT), soon after crews finished loading kerosene and liquid oxygen propellant into the two-stage rocket. "As folks heard on the anomaly net, we have encountered an issue that will result in a scrub of today's 4/14 launch attempt," Lim said. "The team here will start to safe the vehicle and offload propellants."    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 15)

NASA CLEARS SPACEX FOR MONDAY CARGO LAUNCH - NASA managers Sunday cleared SpaceX to press ahead with launch of a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo ship Monday on a two-day flight to the International Space Station, concluding the lab can be safely operated until a faulty computer can be replaced during a contingency spacewalk next week. With forecasters predicting an 80 percent chance of acceptable weather, the SpaceX Falcon 9 version 1.1 rocket is scheduled for blastoff from launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 4:58 p.m. EDT (GMT-4).    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 14)

TURKMENISTAN TO LAUNCH TELECOMMUNICATION SATELLITE INTO ORBIT IN NOV. - Turkmenistan will launch its first communication satellite 'TurkmenAlem 520E' into orbit in November 2014, the country's media reported on April 12 referring to Alladurdy Atayev, the chairman of the National Space Agency under Turkmen President. "It is planned to launch the Turkmen first communication satellite into orbit with the help of "Falkon 9" rocket-carrier in November, the Turkmen Dovlet Habarlary news agency reported.   More
(Source: Trend.az - Apr 14)

ISS COMPUTER OUTAGE COULD DELAY MONDAY'S SPACEX ROCKET LAUNCH - A computer outage at the International Space Station may require a spacewalk by astronauts and threatens to delay next week's launch of a commercial supply ship for NASA. NASA said Friday night that a backup computer on the outside of the orbiting lab is not responding to commands. The main computer, called an MDM or multiplexer-demultiplexer, is working fine, and the six-man crew is in no danger, officials said. But these computers control some robotic functions that would be needed for the upcoming supply run by SpaceX, one of two U.S. companies contracted by NASA to keep the space station well stocked.    More
(Source: Bay News 9 - Apr 12)

NEXT ANTARES LAUNCH FROM WALLOPS COULD BE DELAYED - Orbital Science Corp.'s next cargo mission from Wallops Island to the International Space Station is officially May 6 - but that launch might be postponed a month or more because of a wide range of issues, officials say. First, a fire at Cape Canaveral in Florida knocked out some of its radar tracking ability, said Orbital spokesman Barron "Barry" Beneski from his Dulles office. Then, in a sort of domino effect, that radar loss delayed two launches from the Cape, including one by SpaceX, the other company that makes commercial resupply runs to the space station for NASA.   More
(Source: Daily Press - Apr 12)

HUSH-HUSH PAYLOAD RIDES ATLAS 5 ROCKET INTO ORBIT - Setting sail at mid-day on a marathon trip to orbit, an Atlas 5 rocket launched a classified spacecraft for the National Reconnaissance Office on Thursday. Igniting its main engine and four strap-on boosters at 1:45 p.m. EDT, the 20-story-tall rocket bolted skyward and arced over the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The liftoff continued a string of fuel-and-launches for the Atlas, marking the 12th mission in a row to launch on the first countdown attempt.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 11)

NEW OFEK-10 SPY SATELLITE LAUNCHED FROM PALMACHIM - srael on Wednesday evening launched a new spy satellite into orbit from an air force base in the center of the country. The spacecraft, the "Ofek-10," will reportedly orbit the Earth every 99 minutes from an altitude of 600 kilometers (373 miles). The launch, from the Palmachim IAF base near Rishon Lezion, was visible throughout much of Israel's center. According an Israel Radio report, much of air and sea traffic in the area was temporarily halted in order to facilitate the launch.    More
(Source: The Times of Israel - Apr 10)

RUSSIAN PROGRESS CARGO CRAFT DOCKS AT SPACE STATION - A Soyuz rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday with a Russian Progress resupply spacecraft, kicking off a expedited flight to the International Space Station with 2.9 tons of fuel, water and supplies. The Progress completed a smooth docking with the outpost six hours after liftoff. The unpiloted Progress M-23M cargo vehicle launched at 1526 GMT (11:26 a.m. EDT), firing into an evening sky at Baikonur before its Soyuz booster disappeared in a shroud of low clouds as it raced northeast from the historic launch base.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 9)