SPACEX SIGNS UP TWO MORE SATELLITE LAUNCH CUSTOMERS - Space Exploration Technologies, a privately held firm founded and run by entrepreneur Elon Musk, has signed up two more customers for launches on its Falcon 9 rockets, the company announced on Tuesday. Asia Broadcast Satellite and Satélites Mexicanos, also known as Satmex, hired SpaceX for two launches to deliver a total of four telecommunications satellites into orbit in late 2014 or early 2015, and in late 2015.    More
(Source: Chicago Tribune - Mar 15)

NEW DEBRIS-TRACKING 'SPACE FENCE' PASSES KEY TEST - A prototype "space fence" designed to track Earth's burgeoning orbital debris population passed a key test recently, locking onto objects in a demonstration run. The radar system, which is being developed by aerospace firm Lockheed Martin for the United States Air Force, has successfully detected orbiting space junk, company officials announced March 8. The Air Force also approved Lockheed's preliminary design for the system on Feb. 29, they added.    More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 13)

EUTELSAT UNIFIES SATELLITE NAMES - French satellite provider Eutelsat has unified the names of its satellites under the Eutelsat brand name. The company’s satellites will now take the company brand name followed by the relevant figure for their orbital position and a letter highlighting their order of arrival at that position. Under the new naming convention satellite W6 at 21.5-degrees East is now called EUTELSAT 21A, and the future W6A satellite becomes EUTELSAT 21B. To ensure clarity satellites at Eutelsat’s four West positions include West in their name. For example Atlantic Bird 2 has become EUTELSAT 8 West A.    More
(Source: DigitalProductionME.com - Mar 12)

OUR ONLY SOLAR STORM WARNING SATELLITE ON ITS LAST LEGS - Every time a giant solar storm — like the one that blasted by Earth earlier this week — rushes past NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer satellite, scientists at NOAA's space weather forecasting branch cringe. The satellite, nicknamed ACE, provides the only advance notice of incoming high-energy particles from the sun which can wreak havoc on radio, GPS and satellite communications that are now embedded in modern life.    More
(Source: MSNBC - Mar 10)

ASTRONAUT LAUNCHES ANGRY BIRDS, IN GAME AND ON SPACE STATION - With those words broadcast from space, NASA astronaut Don Pettit helped launch a furious flock of feathered fighters on Thursday (March 8) in the latest edition of Rovio Mobile's popular Angry Birds strategy puzzle game. "Angry Birds Space," which will be released on iOS and Android, Mac and PC, animation, merchandise and book publishing on March 22, will hit appstores with 60 puzzling levels, new Angry Birds characters, superpowers and new gameplay.    More
(Source: Space.com - Mar 9)

IRAN... MORE LAUNCHES UPCOMING - According to the Tehran Times, the country's Aerospace Industry Organization Director Mehdi Farahi has announced that Iran plans to send satellites into geostationary orbits after the end of the country’s Fifth Development Plan. Iran’s Fifth Five-Year Development Plan (2010-2015) is part of the 20-Year Outlook Plan (2005-2025), which is the country’s main blueprint for long-term sustainable growth.    More
(Source: SatNews Publishers - Mar 6)

PRIVATE ROCKET PASSES BIG TEST FOR SPACE STATION LAUNCH - A private SpaceX rocket sailed through a dress rehearsal March 1 for the launch of the robotic Dragon space capsule, which could blast off toward the International Space Station as early as next month. The five-hour launch readiness test, held at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, went through full countdown procedures, including fueling, for the next Dragon test flight, which is slated for late April. It was designed to check out any potential issues with SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, Dragon and associated ground systems.    More
(Source: MSNBC - Mar 5)

SPACE STATION CARGO DELIVERY DELAYED ABOUT TWO WEEKS - Technicians must re-enter a European Automated Transfer Vehicle to tighten retention straps on cargo bags, a move that will delay the craft's launch on a logistics mission to the International Space Station by two weeks to around March 23, officials said Friday. The Automated Transfer Vehicle, already closed up inside the nose of an Ariane 5 rocket, was scheduled to launch March 9. But managers reviewing the readiness of the mission ordered a delay to give workers time to cinch two loose straps on two cargo bags, according to Massimo Cislaghi, the European Space Agency's ATV mission manager.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - Mar 3)

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION OVER WASHINGTON, D.C., EAST COAST - Check out the image just posted to Facebook by NASA’s Earth Observatory of the International Space Station flying over the U.S. East Coast. What stands out most is the prominence of the I-95 corridor from Richmond to New York City - appearing as a river of city lights. Truly a megalopolis....    More
(Source: Washington Post - Feb 29)

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