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)

EUROPEAN SPACE FREIGHTER RAISES ISS ORBIT - Engines of Europe's ATV space freighter, currently docked with the International Space Station (ISS), were switched on Wednesday evening to raise the station's orbit, the Russian mission control said. Corrections to the space station's orbit are conducted periodically to compensate for Earth's gravity and to ensure successful dockings.   More
(Source: RIA Novosti - Oct 3)

ILS PROTON SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES ASTRA 2E FOR SES - International Launch Services (ILS), a leader in providing mission integration and launch services to the global commercial satellite industry, successfully placed the ASTRA 2E satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) today for SES of Luxembourg. SES is a world-leading satellite operator, providing satellite communications solutions to broadcast, telecom, corporate and government customers worldwide. This was the fifth ILS Proton launch of the year. The ASTRA 2E satellite launched onboard an ILS Proton at 3:38 a.m. today local time, from Baikonur Cosmodrome (September 29: 5:38 p.m. EDT and 21:38 GMT).    More
(Source: The Herald - Oct 1)

SPACEX FALCON 9 BLASTS OFF FROM CALIFORNIA - An unmanned Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from California on Sunday to test upgrades needed for planned commercial launch services. The 22-story rocket, built and flown by Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, soared off a newly refurbished, leased launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Station at noon EDT/1600 GMT. The Falcon 9 blazed through clear blue skies out over the Pacific Ocean, aiming toward an orbit that flies over Earth's poles. Perched on top of the rocket was a small science and communications satellite called Cassiope, built by MDA Corp of Canada.   More
(Source: Reuters - Sep 29)

ORBITAL'S CYGNUS SUCCESSFULLY BERTHED ON THE ISS - Orbital's Cygnus spacecraft made its second attempt to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday morning, resulting in a successful capture and berthing by the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS). A week has passed since a discrepancy in the GPS data between the ISS and Cygnus resulted in the need to delay rendezvous and berthing, allowing Orbital controllers to uplink a line of code into the spacecraft's software.   More
(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Sep 29)

CANADIAN SPACE AGENCY SATELLITE TO LAUNCH ON A SPACEX ROCKET THIS WEEKEND - After several delays, CASSIOPE is set to rocket into orbit around 16:00 Universal Time/ 9:00 AM Pacific time on Sept. 29. The launch was postponed earlier this month on Sept. 13 for SpaceX to complete tests on its modified Falcon 9 version 1.1 rocket, after a static fire on Sept. 12 revealed technical issues. The launch was also delayed by several Minuteman III ICBM tests being conducted this week from Vandenberg by the USAF, the latest of which is set to occur early Thursday morning at 3:01-9:01 AM Pacific Time.   More
(Source: Canada.com - Sep 28)

PRIVATE CYGNUS SPACECRAFT'S 1ST SPACE STATION ARRIVAL SET FOR SUNDAY AFTER DELAY - A commercial cargo vessel's historic first arrival at the International Space Station is now set for Sunday (Sept. 29), one week later than originally planned, NASA officials say. The unmanned Cygnus spacecraft, built by Virginia-based company Orbital Sciences, is expected to be grabbed by the orbiting lab's huge robotic arm at 7:15 a.m. EDT (1115 GMT) on Sunday, with docking operations beginning two hours later. You can watch all the action live here at SPACE.com, courtesy of NASA TV; coverage begins at 4:30 a.m. EDT.   More
(Source: Space.com - Sep 28)

Previous Next