ENDEAVOUR CREW SET TO LIFT OFF, ASSEMBLE ROBOT - Astronauts bound for orbit this week will dabble in science fiction, assembling a "monstrous" two-armed space station robot that will rise like Frankenstein from its transport bed. Putting together Dextre, the robot, will be one of the main jobs for the seven Endeavour astronauts, who are scheduled to blast off in the wee hours of Tuesday, less than three weeks after the last shuttle flight.    More
(Source: CNN.com - Mar 10)

RUSSIA TO LAUNCH U.S. COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE ON MARCH 15 - A Russian Proton-M rocket will launch a U.S. communication satellite on March 15, the Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) said on Thursday. The launch will be carried out under a contract between the Russian-American joint venture International Launch Services (ILS) and the Khrunichev State Research and Production Center.    More
(Source: RIA Novosti - Mar 6)

CHINA TO LAUNCH SECOND OLYMPIC WEATHER FORECASTING SATELLITE IN MAY - China will launch a second Olympic weather forecasting satellite, the Fengyun-3 (FY-3), in May to provide more precise and longer range forecasts, a chief designer said on Tuesday. The new satellite will provide accurate and timely information about weather changes to facilitate more precise weather forecasts during the Beijing Olympic Games set to open on Aug. 8, said Zhou Hongling, a designer from Shanghai and deputy to the First Session of the 11th National People's Congress opening on Wednesday.   More
(Source: Xinhua - Mar 5)

TURKEY’S NEW SATELLITE READY FOR LAUNCH - Turkey’s latest satellite has been completed, all tests carried out and Turksat 3A is ready to be blasted into orbit, officials said Tuesday. The new generation satellite, which will replace the ageing Turksat 1C, has been transferred from France, where it was constructed, to a launch site in French Guiana, officials from the Transportation Ministry said.    More
(Source: NTV MSNBC - Mar 5)

SPYSAT DEBRIS DELAYS NEW SATELLITE'S LAUNCH - The planned Friday launch of a new U.S. spy satellite has been delayed by space debris from last week's destruction of its disabled predecessor, the mission's launch provider said Wednesday. Initially slated for a Feb. 29 liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the National Reconnaissance Office's classified NROL-28 reconnaissance spacecraft will stand down for at least two weeks to avoid the orbiting remains of the destroyed USA-193 satellite...    More
(Source: Space.com - Feb 29)

SES NEW SKIES ORDERS NSS-14 SATELLITE FROM LORAL - SES SA said its SES New Skies division has contracted Space Systems/Loral, a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications, to supply a new satellite, NSS-14. Terms of the contract remain confidential, it said. SES New Skies will deploy NSS-14 over the Atlantic Ocean at 338 degrees east, enabling the incumbent NSS-7 satellite to move to another location.   More
(Source: CNNMoney.com - Feb 28)

JAPAN LAUNCHES INTERNET SATELLITE - Japan's space agency launched an experimental communications satellite Saturday designed to enable super high-speed data transmission at home and in Southeast Asia. The domestically developed H-2A rocket carrying the satellite, "Kizuna," was launched Saturday evening from the southern island of Tanegashima, according to a live Internet broadcast by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, known as JAXA.   More
(Source: Associated Press - Feb 24)

PENTAGON: SATELLITE DEBRIS NOT A DANGER - The military's analysis of the missile strike on a dead U.S. spy satellite has revealed no sign of danger from debris, including no hazard from the satellite's fuel tank, a Pentagon spokesman said Friday. "As we continue to do the post-strike analysis, (it) continues to give us confidence that the hydrazine tank was ruptured. However, the analysis is still ongoing," spokesman Bryan Whitman said.    More
(Source: Associated Press - Feb 22)

GATES PLEASED BY MISSION'S SUCCESS - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates was pleased when he learned a U.S. Navy missile hit the crippled spy satellite that was falling out of orbit and threatening to spill its toxic rocket fuel upon re-entry. Defense officials could not immediately confirm that the fuel tank had been hit, and said they hope to know for sure by late tonight.    More
(Source: U.S. Department of Defense - Feb 21)

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