ROCKET LIFTS OFF WITH GPS SATELLITE - A Delta 2 rocket carrying a GPS satellite for the Air Force is on its way into orbit. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral early Saturday without a hitch. It momentarily lit up the star-studded sky, despite earlier concerns that thick clouds and rain might postpone the launch. The third-generation GPS satellite is about 6 feet by 34 feet, a little smaller than an average sailboat. At nearly 4,500 pounds, it weighs about the same as a minivan. More (Source: Associated Press - Mar 16)
RUSSIA FAILS TO DELIVER U.S. SATELLITE - An unmanned Russian rocket failed to put a U.S. telecommunication satellite into its target orbit because it developed a booster rocket malfunction after lifting off Saturday from the Baikonur space facility in Kazakhstan. "The second booster module switched off earlier than expected, which resulted in the craft failing to reach its designated target orbit," said the state-controlled Khrunichev State Research and Production Center, which made the Proton-M rocket carrying the satellite. More (Source: USA Today - Mar 16)
ENDEAVOUR SOARS INTO SPACE - Space shuttle Endeavour thundered into orbit early Tuesday morning carrying seven astronauts and Japan's dreams for a space-based laboratory at the International Space Station. "This is a great launch and a real tribute to the team to get it ready to go fly," said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for Space Operations. More (Source: NASA - Mar 11)
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)
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