SATELLITE UNLIKELY TO POSE DANGER TO HUMANS - A disabled U.S. spy satellite is likely to break into small pieces when it falls to Earth within weeks, posing little danger to humans, U.S. government officials and space experts said on Monday. Most, if any, debris that survives the intense heat of re-entry would likely fall into the oceans, which cover more than 70 percent of the Earth, White House National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. More (Source: Reuters - Jan 29)
US SPY SATELLITE SET TO HIT EARTH BY EARLY MARCH: PENTAGON - An out-of-control US spy satellite is expected to crash to Earth in late February or early March, the Pentagon said Monday without specifying where it might land. Department of Defense spokesman Bryan Whitman said the satellite, which has lost power, would land "over the next several weeks ... late February, early March time-frame." "We are aware of it, we are monitoring it," he told reporters, declining to give any more details about the satellite or say where it might strike. More (Source: AFP - Jan 29)
SATELLITE IS WEEKS AWAY FROM HITTING EARTH - A large U.S. spy satellite has lost power and propulsion and could hit the Earth in late February or March, government officials said Saturday. A senior government official says lawmakers and other nations are being kept apprised of the situation. The satellite, which no longer can be controlled, could contain hazardous materials, and it is unknown where on the planet it might come down, they said. More (Source: CNN.com - Jan 27)
CHINA TO LAUNCH NEW WEATHER SATELLITE IN MAY - China will launch a new generation of a polar orbit meteorological satellite, Fengyun-3, in May to improve the precision of weather forecasting, China News Service reported. In Beijing on Tuesday, officials at a work conference designed to coordinate the satellite's launch work decided that Fengyun-3 would use a Long March 4-C rocket as its carrier. Preparations for the completion of satellite in early March and its launch in May at Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, in northern China's Shanxi Province, were also approved at the conference. More (Source: China Internet Information Center - Jan 24)
AMATEUR RADIO SATELLITE AO-16 RECONFIGURED - AO-16 has been reconfigured to provide Radio Amateurs with a novel FM to SSB satellite transponder. The satellite was launched 18 years ago on 22nd January 1990 and it is testimony to the high standards of Amateur Radio satellite design and construction that it is still operating after all these years. Commercial Low-Earth orbit satellites typically have a lifetime of just a few years. More (Source: Southgate Amateur Radio Club - Jan 24)
INDIA: TWO MORE ISRAELI SATELLITES TO BE LAUNCHED - India and Israel are working together to launch two more spy satellites with the schedule requiring at least one of these to be placed in orbit within this year. The successful launch of the 300-kg Israeli satellite TecSar from the Sriharikota test site on the Bay of Bengal in southeast India has generated considerable enthusiasm in both India and Israel with the satellite expected to start sending the first images in early February. More (Source: ADNKRONOS - Jan 24)
INDIA LAUNCHES ISRAELI SATELLITE IN BOOST TO SPACE BUSINESS - India successfully launched an Israeli spy satellite into orbit in a boost to the South Asian nation's efforts to win a share of the multi-billion-dollar space launch market. The launch of the Tecsar satellite by an Indian-made rocket was carried out in clear weather at 9:15 am local time (0345 GMT) from the Sriharikota space station in southern India, the Indian Space Research Organisation said. More (Source: AFP - Jan 21)
ISRAEL TO LAUNCH CELEBRATORY SATELLITE INTO SPACE - Nearing 60th anniversary celebrations to enjoy a space-age twist, as Israel intends to send new communication satellite into orbit, carrying white and blue celebratory logo. More (Source: Ynetnews - Jan 21)
SEA LAUNCH COUNTDOWN UNDER WAY - The long countdown has begun for the second attempt to launch a mobile voice and data services satellite from a Pacific Ocean platform. The Boeing-built Thuraya-3 mobile satellite was scheduled to take off Tuesday from a spot on the equator. A 44-minute launch window opens at 6:49 a.m. EST, said Sea Launch Co., the world's only ocean-based space launch company. More (Source: San Francisco Chronicle - Jan 14)
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