Iran is one of the 24 founding members of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and became the 9th country with satellite launching capability in 2009. On February 3 Iran launched its third satellite, named Navid meaning Promise. “The launch of Navid-e Elm-o Sanat satellite into orbit using Safir satellite carrier was not simply an aerospace operation, but stood for [...]
Post Tagged with: “Satellite”
Next-Generation US Military Communications Satellite Ready for Launch
The United Launch Alliance announced that it had successfully completed prelaunch testing and was on schedule to launch the next-generation Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS-4) military telecommunications satellite on January 19th at 7:38 EST. The 6-ton satellite will be launched atop a Delta 4 Medium+ rocket from Cape Canaveral. “This launch will be another important step in advancing communications capabilities for [...]
Proton Launches Russian, Israeli Satellites
A Proton rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 1117 GST on December 11, successfully launching a duo of satellites destined for geosynchronous orbit. The dual payload included a 1600 kg Israeli communications satellite named Amos 5, and a 1100 kg Russian data relay satellite named Luch5A. Sunday’s launch differed from typical Proton launches in that the launch was [...]
NOAA Withdraws from European Satellite Collaboration
The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) informed European authorities on November 27th that it would be unable to provide a trio of instruments for the European Polar System (EPS-SG) satellites due to budget restrictions. NOAA also confirmed that it had not secured financing for another transatlantic collaborative project, the Jason-3 oceanic altimetry satellite. Mary Kicza, NOAA assistant administrator for [...]
China Breaks Annual Launch Record
The launch of a BeiDou-2 Compass navigation satellite on December 1st atop a Long March 3A booster is the 16th successful launch by China in 2011, breaking the previous Chinese record for annual launch activity set in 2010. Lifting off from Xichang Space Center at 21:07 GMT, the satellite is destined for an inclined geosynchronous orbit as part of the [...]
Phobos-Grunt Ground-View in True-colors
UPDATE-2: A re-selection session of frames from the November 29 imaging session provided another useful color image and an interesting comparison of images obtained with 10 seconds time difference. This comparison shows the shift in observing angle of the different details. Also it shows the stability of the spacecraft by then. UPDATE - 1: Maybe the best image of the November 29 [...]
AsiaSat 7 Successfully Launched
AsiaSat 7, a communications satellite destined by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) for Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat), was successfully launched atop an International Launch Services (ILS)-operated Proton rocket from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on November 26th. Following the launch, SS/L announced that the satellite had successfully deployed its solar panels and was performing scheduled post-launch maneuvers that would take it to geostationary [...]
Still Out of Contact, Phobos-Grunt Fuel, Mass, and Radioactive Cobalt Pose Reentry Concerns
As of 21:00 GMT November 13th, ground controllers in Baikonur have been unable to reestablish communications with the ailing Phobos-Grunt probe, despite efforts to contact the probe overnight on November 11th and during the day on November 12th. There are growing concerns that if the probe were to reenter the atmosphere over a populated area, its 10 tons of hydrazine could [...]
USA-193 Intercept May Provide Precedent for Phobos-Grunt
The USA-193 was a US spy satellite launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on December 14th, 2006 atop a Delta II rocket. Its launch was the first operated by the United Launch Alliance (ULA). Owned by the National Reconnaissance Office, its precise function was classified; however, it is categorized as “Surveillance and Other Military” in the National Space Science Data [...]
DARPA Phoenix Program to Recycle Space Debris
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to start recycling billions of dollars worth of non-working satellites. The aim of DARPA’s Phoenix program is to harvest and utilize valuable components from retired nonworking satellites in Geostationary Orbit and demonstrate the ability to develop new space systems from the parts at reduced cost. “Satellites in orbit are not designed [...]
