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The 1,727th flight of a Soyuz launch vehicle, Moiniya, occurred last Tuesday, October 23rd, from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. The lift-off occurred at 8:30 a.m., Moscow time. Starsem, Arianespace and their Russian partners all report the government’s spacecraft was accurately placed in target orbit.
Read MoreThe Russian State Commission investigating the unsuccessful launch last month of a Proton vehicle carrying the JCSAT-11 satellite has determined that a damaged pyro firing cable on the interstage truss prevented the activation of the pyro bolts that were to have separated the first and second stages of the rocket. Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) and chairman of the 18-member investigative commission, announced the findings after meeting with government officials in Kazakhstan.
Read MoreLaunch service contracts for two future NASA space exploration missions have been landed by United Launch Alliance. The missions will be Landsat and Juno, scheduled to launch in 2011.
Read MoreNASA’s Launch Services Program Office has selected Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services for the Juno mission to Jupiter. This is a $190 million contract award.
Read MoreNASA has decided to delay the launch of the Dawn spacecraft. A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket’s second stage could not complete the fueling on schedule last Sunday due to inclement weather. The 24-hour delay now places the launch for Thursday, September 27, between 7:20 a.m. and 7:49 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft’s mission is to investigate the asteroid belt.
Read MoreOver $4 million worth of Munters custom air handling units (AHUs) will be performing dehumidification at the future Eastern Processing Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The custom desiccant AHUs will provide dehumidification required for the assembly of satellites to be launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Read MoreDue to “conflicts” with the launch of a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur, Russia, the launch of the Galileo navigation satellite set for liftoff later this year has now been allegedly delayed. No hint of financial distresss, apparently, as a reason for such a halting decision.
Read MoreFrom the China View online news service, a published report indicates China is planning to build a new space launch center. According to official sources contacted by the news bureau, the construction will occur in Wenchang, which is located in China’s Hainan Province.
Read MoreAs announced by the Russian government last week, Anatoly Perminov, director of Roscosmos, will lead the Russian State Commission through the investigation into the recent Proton mission anomaly during the JCSat-11 launch. The commission, usually comprising about one dozen members, is formed this time by 18 top Russian space and other industry professionals.
Read MoreSatellite operator Avanti Communications has signed a contract to purchase launch services for its first satellite, HYLAS (highly adaptable satellite), from Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), USA. A launch window for the satellite to launch between March and December 2009 has been booked.
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