EURO SATELLITE TO BE LAUNCHED BY RUSSIAN ROCKET - On December 27th the Russian Proton rocket sends into orbit a telecommunications satellite for the European Eutelsat. This was reported by the American company International Launch Services, a majority share in which belongs to the Khrunichev State Space Center. The launch will be made from Baikonur. The satellite was constructed by the European consortium “EADS Astrium” and is designed to provide digital broadcasting, telephony and broadband Internet access services. More (Source: The Voice of Russia - Dec 24)
INDIA TO LAUNCH ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE DEC 25 - Chennai, Dec 22 (IANS) With investigations into a leak in a rocket engine's valve providing satisfactory results Wednesday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will celebrate Christmas by launching an advanced communications satellite, an official. 'The test results are satisfactory and the rocket's launch is scheduled Dec 25. The launch countdown will begin 11 a.m. Friday,' S. Satish, a director at ISRO, told IANS. The rocket carrying the GSAT-5P satellite is expected to blast off from the second launch pad between 4 p.m.-4.15 p.m. Saturday. More (Source: Sify - Dec 23)
THE RUSSIAN FLIGHT CONTROL CENTER TO ADJUST ISS ORBIT FOR DOCKING WITH SPACECRAFT - The Russian Flight Control Center (FCC) is to carry out an operation Wednesday to adjust the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) so as to create favorable conditions for the station's docking with the resupply spacecraft Progress and the America space shuttle Discovery. An FCC official has told Itar-Tass, "In accordance with the programme for ballistic ensurance of the ISS flight, an ISS orbit adjusting maneuver is scheduled for December 22". "The maneuver will be carried out with the use of eight berthing and orientation engines of the supply spacecraft Progress M-07M, which is docked with the assembly compartment of the service module Zvezda (star). More (Source: ITAR-TASS - Dec 23)
DISCOVERY MAKES RETURN TRIP TO ASSEMBLY BUILDING - Leaving the launch pad and rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building overnight, the space shuttle Discovery will spend the holidays having the external tank digitally X-rayed as engineers look to prove the hypothesis that its structural cracks resulted from pent up stresses accumulated during construction and were unleashed during the strains of cryogenic fueling. The crack problem dates back to Discovery's initial launch attempt Nov. 5 when a chunk of outer insulating foam on the external tank broke during fueling. The subsequent investigation revealed that two underlying U-shaped support beams in the tank's ribbed midsection had cracked, displacing the covering foam. More (Source: Space Flight Now - Dec 23)
INDIAN, RUSSIAN SCIENTISTS DISCUSS ROCKET LAUNCH DELAY - Chennai, Dec 20 (IANS) Indian and Russian space scientists are discussing the remedial measures that need to be taken after a leak was detected in the cryogenic engine of a rocket that was to place an advanced communications satellite into orbit Monday. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Sunday decided to postpone the rocket's launch after it detected the leak in one of the valves of the Russian-made cryogenic engine during the pre-countdown mandatory tests even as the 51-metre tall rocket was on the launch pad. More (Source: Sify - Dec 21)
ISRO TO LAUNCH ITS FIFTH SATELLITE IN GSAT SERIES - A communication satellite — GSAT-5 Prime — is set to be launched aboard the Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F06) at 4 pm on December 20. The 30-hour countdown to the launch will begin on December 19. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is terming it a crucial mission, as it will greatly boost India’s transponder capacity. More (Source: Business Standard - Dec 19)
CHINA LAUNCHES BEIDOU-2 L2 THE 7TH SATELLITE IN COMPASS NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM - This afternoon at 3:20 p.m. EST China launched the Beidou-2 L2 satellite he 7th satellite in their Compass Navigation Satellite System. The satellite was launched from the XiChang Satellite Launch Center in near Liangshan in Sichuan province on a Long March 3A rocket. This is the 15th successful Chinese launch this year. The BeiDou-2 or Compass Navigation Satellite System is China's second-generation satellite navigation constellation which will consist of 35 satellites. More (Source: SpaceRef.com - Dec 19)
SOYUZ CAPSULE DOCKS WITH INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - A Russian Soyuz spacecraft has docked with the International Space Station, delivering three new astronauts for the orbiting laboratory. The Soyuz blasted off from Kazakhstan on Wednesday carrying Catherine Coleman of the US, Russian Dmitry Kondratyev and Italian Paolo Nespoli. The docking took place 220 miles (355km) above West Africa. Two Russians and one American are already are on board the ISS, giving a total crew of six. More (Source: BBC News - Dec 19)
SOYUZ BLASTS ASTRONAUTS INTO SPACE - Soyuz blasts astronauts into space Advertisement15 December 2010 Last updated at 17:20 ET Help A Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft carrying astronauts from the US, Russia and Italy blasted off from Kazakhstan heading towards the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Catherine Coleman, Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev, and Italy's Paolo Nespoli of Italy are expected to dock at the Space Station on Friday. Space programs are expected to change dramatically in the coming months, with the United States having only two more space shuttle flights scheduled before retiring their shuttle program in 2011. More (Source: BBC News - Dec 17)
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