RUSSIA SET TO LAUNCH U.S. TELECOMS SATELLITE - Russian-U.S. company International Launch Services (ILS) will launch on Sunday a Proton-M heavy carrier rocket with a U.S. telecommunications satellite on board, the Russian space agency Roscosmos said. ILS, owned by the Khrunichev Center, RSC Energia and U.S. firm Space Transport Inc., provides spacecraft launch services for Proton-M heavy carrier rockets. More (Source: RIA Novosti - Nov 14)
STS-133 - UNLIKELY TO LAUNCH IN 2010 - It now appears likely that space shuttle Discovery, on its final mission, STS-133 might not launch this year. A series of slips in the first week of November (Discovery was set to launch on Nov. 1 – but that date was pushed back several time to Nov. 5) was capped-off with NASA learning that not only did the orbiter’s Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate (GUCP) have a leak – but there was a crack in the foam that covers the external tank (ET). It turned out that the crack in the foam – went far deeper – and represents a far greater challenge to get the shuttle off the ground during this calendar year. More (Source: Examiner.com - Nov 13)
SPACEX DELAYS LAUNCH OF ROCKET THAT WILL CARRY CARGO TO SPACE STATION - SpaceX, the California company that is on track to carry cargo to the International Space Station after the space shuttle program ends next year, has announced a delay in this month's test flight of its rocket. The flight of the Falcon 9 will be postponed until Dec. 7. It had been scheduled for Nov. 20. More (Source: Examiner.com - Nov 11)
SATELLITE TO BEAM SOLAR POWER TO EARTH, A LA BOND MOVIE - Like a solar satellite in the 2002 Bond movie, Die Another Day, a former president of India plans to launch satellites that catch the suns rays and create a focused microwave beam back to collectors on Earth. In a step toward solving the global energy crisis, a new plan aims to harvest the sun's energy from space with satellites then beam it down to Earth. More (Source: Christian Science Monitor - Nov 11)
ISRO TO SEND UP NEW COMMUNICATION SATELLITE IN 2010 - The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is expected to close 2010 with the launch of communication satellite GSAT-5P, which will replace the ageing INSAT 2E to ensure continuity of service for telecom and television channel customers. ISRO is also likely to open the New Year with the launch of Resourcesat-2, an earth observation satellite. First to escape the earth's gravity sometime between Dec 10 and 15 will be ISRO's heavy rocket called the geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) carrying GSAT-5P to replace the ageing INSAT 2E launched in 1999. More (Source: Economic Times - Nov 11)
VANDENBERG LAUNCHES DELTA II ROCKET - Vandenberg has successfully launched a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket carrying the Thales Alenia Space-Italia COSMO-SkyMed Satellite from its Space Launch Complex-2 at North Vandenberg. The 350th mission has launched the fourth Italian-built Constellation of Small Satellites for Mediterranean Basin Observation (COSMO-SkyMed 4) satellite. More (Source: Brahmand Defence and Aerospace News - Nov 10)
EUTELSAT ABANDONS LOST SATELLITE AFTER PROPELLANT LEAK - Deciding the W3B communications satellite leaked too much propellant to drive itself back into Earth's atmosphere, Eutelsat has abandoned the crippled spacecraft in the same transfer orbit it was left in by an Ariane 5 rocket. The Paris-based satellite operator safed the spacecraft last week, draining its electrical batteries and expelling helium pressurant to reduce the risk of a debris-scattering explosion in the future. More (Source: Space Flight Now - Nov 10)
DISCOVERY'S LAUNCH DELAY SHOULDN'T IMPACT SCHEDULE - The delay of space shuttle Discovery's launch to the end of the month should not impact the overall schedule for the final missions of NASA's three-orbiter fleet, agency officials said. A gas leak and a crack on the space shuttle Discovery's external tank forced NASA officials to call off their planned Nov. 5 launch. The earliest Discovery could now lift off is Nov. 30, NASA announced. If the space shuttle can make the next window that begins Nov. 30, then the following planned mission of the space shuttle Endeavour should be able to launch on time in February, officials said. More (Source: MSNBC - Nov 10)
ARIANESPACE TO LAUNCH AZERBAIJAN'S FIRST SATELLITE - The International Relations and Accounting Center of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan has chosen Arianespace to launch the country's first communications satellite. Arianespace has announced that it has signed a launch Service and Solutions contract with IR and AC for Azerbaijan's satellite to be launched by the end of 2012. More (Source: Space Daily - Nov 9)
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