ELECTRIC PROPULSION SATELLITE PROJECT GETS GO-AHEAD - A new generation of satellites propelled by solar electric thrusters will be developed by ESA following the signing of a new contract. The space agency has signed a contract with satellite operator SES, of Luxembourg, to move to the next phase of the Electra project – a partnership between ESA and SES to develop and validate in space an electric-only propulsion platform for geostationary telecommunication satellites of about three tonnes launch mass.   More
(Source: E&T - Oct 17)

SATELLITE DESIGNED BY TAYLOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS HEADING TO NASA - A small satellite designed and built by engineering students at Taylor University in Upland has completed final pre-launch tests and is set to be delivered to NASA for launch in early 2014. Dr. Hank Voss at Taylor University says the students are directly involved. "I think they also get motivated where they really want to do the academics at a higher level," Voss says.    More
(Source: 93.1 WIBC Indianapolis - Oct 13)

EUROPE'S GRAVITY-MAPPING GOCE SATELLITE FACES BIG FALL FROM SPACE - A European-built satellite built to map Earth's gravity like never before is about to fall victim to the planet's ever-present gravitational pull. The European Space Agency's Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer, or GOCE for short, is nearly out of fuel and will make a nosedive to Earth this month after more than four successful years studying the planet's gravitational field.   More
(Source: Space.com - Oct 13)

HISPASAT TO LAUNCH AMAZONAS 4A SATELLITE IN DECEMBER - Spain's Hispasat plans to launch the Amazonas 4A satellite, built in the record time of 18 months, in December to meet existing demand in the Americas, where the company gets 55 percent of its business, Hispasat CEO Carlos Espinos said. The European satellite market has felt the economic recession and is "in contraction" but the overall market is reaching equilibrium thanks to the fact that growth is continuing in the Americas, Espinos said in an interview.   More
(Source: Latin American Herald Tribune - Oct 8)

SOUTH AFRICA TO LAUNCH THIRD SATELLITE NEXT MONTH - South Africa will launch its third satellite into space next month to observe the earth for research purposes, authorities said on Saturday. The satellite ZA-Cuba will join Sunsat and Sumbandla launched in 2009, according to the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The satellite, designed by students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, will be ready for possible launch in late November, DST Director-General Phil Mjwara said at the World Space Week celebrations in Kimberley, the Free State Province.   More
(Source: EastDay.com - Oct 8)

40-TON SPACE JUNK SATELLITE TO FALL TO EARTH SOON - The European Space Agency estimates that a 40-metric-ton satellite will run out of fuel in mid-October 2013 and then hurl back to Earth in an uncontrolled descent from an orbital height of about 139 miles (224 kilometers). The ESA cautioned that, while most of the satellite will disintegrate in the atmosphere, several parts might reach Earth's surface.    More
(Source: Brevard Times - Oct 8)

IRAN TO LAUNCH NEW INDIGENOUS SATELLITE SOON: OFFICIAL - Iran plans to launch a new advanced home-made satellite into the orbit in near future, an Iranian aerospace official says. The satellite dubbed Tadbir (Prudence) is an upgraded version of the Navid-e Elm-o Sanat (Harbinger of Science and Industry) satellite which was earlier put into space, Hossein Bolandi, Head of Satellite Technical Support Department at Tehran's University of Science and Technology, said on Saturday. The satellite has Global Positioning System (GPS) as well as higher precision in taking photos in comparison to Navid-e Elm-o Sanat satellite, Bolandi added.   More
(Source: HispanicBusiness.com - Oct 6)

SES APPROVES SATELLITE SHIPMENT FOR FALCON 9 LAUNCH DESPITE QUESTIONS - Satellite fleet operator SES has authorized the shipment of its SES-8 satellite to Florida to prepare for launch aboard a Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) Falcon 9 rocket despite concerns among insurance industry officials that the Sept. 29 demonstration flight of a new Falcon 9 variant did not meet a key objective. Luxembourg-based SES has said it is awaiting more data from SpaceX about why the Falcon 9 v1.1's upper-stage engine did not complete a second ignition at the end of the vehicle's inaugural mission as planned.   More
(Source: Space News - Oct 5)

SPACE JUNK CLEANUP SATELLITE LAUNCHING ON SWISS SPACE PLANE IN 2018 - A Switzerland-based spaceflight company is finalizing plans with Canada over a potential launch site for a new private space plane, which is slated to launch a satellite to clean up space junk by 2018. The company, Swiss Space Systems (S3), plans to launch the new Clean Space One satellite using the European Suborbital Reusable Shuttle, a small space plane the firm is developing for low-cost launches off the back of a modified Airbus A300 jumbo jet.   More
(Source: Space.com - Oct 3)

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