INDIAN PSLV BOOSTER HAULS A LOAD OF SATELLITES INTO ORBIT - An Indian rocket took a 14-minute trip into orbit early Monday, releasing nine satellites from six countries on missions to observe Earth, demonstrate low-cost space technologies and educate students around the world. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle blasted off at 0353:51 GMT Monday (11:53:51 p.m. EDT Sunday) from the Satish Dhawan Space Center on Sriharikota Island on India's east coast. The 146-foot-tall rocket turned south from the launch base, traversing the Indian Ocean before arriving in orbit about 14 minutes after liftoff. More (Source: Space Flight Now - Apr 28)
SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY MOVES CLOSER TO LAUNCH - The space shuttle Discovery moved a step closer to launch early Saturday as NASA engineers hauled the spacecraft into a massive hangar to join its fuel tank and twin rocket boosters. Discovery made the short morning move from its processing building to the cavernous, 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to prepare for its planned May 31 launch. More (Source: Space.com - Apr 27)
IAI POSTPONES AMOS 3 SATELLITE LAUNCH - The takeoff of Israel's Amos 3 communications satellite, which had been slated for around 8 a.m. on Thursday in Kazakhstan, was postponed until next week due to a failure in its launching system, Israel Aerospace Industries announced. More (Source: Jerusalem Post - Apr 24)
VIETNAM'S FIRST SATELLITE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED AFTER 13-YEAR PREPARATION - The 2.6-ton medium-sized satellite, Vinasat-1, was successfully launched to its geostationary orbit position using rocket Ariane-5in Kourou site in French Guiana at 5:16 a.m. Saturday (2016 GMT Friday). The satellite project was first approved by the Vietnamese government in 1995, with an aim to serve increasing local demand for better communication services with lower costs. More (Source: Xinhua - Apr 20)
THE JASON-2 SATELLITE (OSTM/JASON-2) - The Ocean Surface Topography Mission on the Jason-2 satellite (OSTM/Jason-2) will be a follow-on to the Jason mission. It is scheduled to launch in June of 2008. Science Objectives - Extend the time series of ocean surface topography measurements beyond TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) and Jason to accomplish two decades of observations - Provide a minimum of 3 years measurement of global ocean surface topography - Determine the variability of ocean circulation at decadal time scales from combined data record with T/P and Jason More (Source: Technology News Daily - Apr 20)
DECISION TO LAUNCH ISRAELI SATELLITE CONSIDERED AT TOP - The decision to launch an Israeli satellite by India, which angered a section of polity, was considered at the highest level, Minister of State in PMO Prithviraj Chavan told the Lok Sabha today. He said Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of ISRO, treated the launch of the Israeli satellite as a purely commerical venture and added that india has also put in orbit an Italian satellite Agile. More (Source: Zee News - Apr 16)
DISCOVERY'S STS-124 MISSION TARGETED FOR LAUNCH MAY 31 - NASA is targeting May 31 as the launch date for space shuttle Discovery's STS-124 mission. The Japanese Pressurized Module will be the station's largest science laboratory, measuring 37 feet long and 14 feet in diameter, about the size of a large tour bus. The shuttle also will deliver the lab's robotic arm system that support operations outside of Kibo. More (Source: Southgate Amateur Radio Club - Apr 12)
NEXT GPS SATELLITE ARRIVES AT FLORIDA SPACEPORT FOR LAUNCH - The penultimate satellite in the current generation of Global Positioning System spacecraft was airborne this morning, jetting from its Lockheed Martin factory in Pennsylvania to the Florida launch site. Boxed in a protective shipping container, the GPS 2R-20 satellite was flown to Cape Canaveral on an Air Force C-17 transport aircraft to begin preparations for this summer's trip into space. More (Source: Spaceflight Now - Apr 4)
UNMANNED SHIP DOCKS AT SPACE STATION - A new European cargo ship flew up to the international space station and docked Thursday, successfully delivering food, water and clothes in its orbital debut. The unmanned cargo ship, called Jules Verne, was operated by flight controllers at a European Space Agency center in Toulouse, France. More (Source: CNN.com - Apr 3)
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