SSI News
Oldest spacewalker Pavel Vinogradov has “butterfingers” moment
Two cosmonauts on the International Space Station, Pavel Vinogradov and Roman Romanenko, performed spacewalk lasting six hours 38 minutes starting at 1402 GMT on 19 April. Their mission was to install and remove various experimental packages and to position a reflector device/docking aid on the rear end of the Zvezda module. During the spacewalk Vinogradov, 59, the oldest man ever to walk in space, lost his grip on a Vinoslivost materials science space exposure experiment panel (one of two) which floated away to become “space debris.”
Mars One needs funds but no new technology for one way trip to planet
In late May 2012, the non-profit-making organisation, Mars One Foundation announced plans to send humans colonists to Mars. But there is a catch. There is no way of return. In a lecture made in April 2013 at the British Interplanetary Society in London, Bas Lansdorp, Co-Founder of the Mars One project, detailed how far the project had gone answered questions on the plan to put a colony on Mars. Lansdorp, an engineer and wind energy entrepreneur started the project using his own capital with technical support from his co-founder and ESA scientist Arno Wielders. The idea is to make the project into a long term world television event. The project would be thus funded from the revenues derived from advertising and media sales run by a commercial organisation called the Interplanetary Media Group.
Athena rocket is to return
The Lockheed Martin Athena rocket is to return. See full story here.
Soyuz successfully launches Bion biology capsule and other small sats (Corrected)
A Soyuz 2-1A/Fregat was successfully launched at 1000 GMT on 19 April from the Baikonur launch base near Tyuratam in Kazakhstan. On board was the Bion M1 spacecraft which itself was carrying an animal payload (mice, gerbils, geckos, snails and fish) in a re-entry capsule which is expected to return in May after a 30 day flight. In addition the following nanosatellites were also carried on the launch which will be released later from the outside of Bion M1. AIST satellite was built by TsSKB Progress to test out the new Stork bus design.Beesat 2 and 3 were earth obseravation cubesat satellites which are also testing out new technologies for cutesats. Dove 2 is a technology test cubesat. OSSI-1 is an amateur research cubesat satellite incorporating a random number generator.SOMP is a small cubesat taking measurements of atomic and molecular oxygen.
Intelsat’s IPO fails to deliver as much as expected
Media sources in the financial world (Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal etc) have reported that the satellite communications firm, Intelsat. has managed to sel 19.3 million shares for $18 each in its initial public offering (IPO) raising in total $347.8 million. The company has originally hoped to sell 21.7 million shares at a price higher than $21. As such, the revenues, which the company hopes to use to payback some if its debt, was less than expected.
Nerves fray slightly as Antares maiden flight is delayed again
Orbital Sciences Corporation has announced that the planned launch of its new Antares launch vehicle has been delayed by two days. The first day’s delay was on 18 April occured after a premature separation of launch pad’s umbilical data connection to the Antares upper stage. The planned launch from NASA’s Wallops Island launch pad in Virginia was delayed for a second day by predictions of weather conditions. The next launch attempt is to be made on 20 April.
Arianespace gets new head as outfit stays just profitable
The Board of Directors of Arianespace has named space policy expert, Stéphane Israël as Chairman and CEO of the company. While his predecessor Jean-Yves Le Gall was an scientist by training, Israel’s background is more in business administration.
Proton M Breeze M successfully lofts Telesat Anik G1 comsat
International Launch Services (ILS) announced that the Telesat Anik G1 satellite had been launched into orbit on an ILS Proton M Breeze M launch vehicle which lifted off from Pad 39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome near Tyuratam in Kazakhstan at 1836 GMT on 15 April. Utilizing the standard 5-burn mission design, the Breeze M upper stage then successfully released the Anik G1 satellite for the Canada-based satellite operator into its final Geostationary Transfer Orbit after a 9 hour and 13 minute mission. The 4,900kg satellite was manufactured by Space Systems/Loral (SSL) using its LS-1300 platform design. Telesat Anik G1 has 24 C-band, 28 Ku-band and 3 X-band transponders.
Russia to buy spysat cameras abroard
In an interview with the Russian newspaper Isvestia, the head of the Russian spacecraft manufacturer NPO Lavochkin, Viktor Kharkov announced that his firm had been selected to build five optical reconnaissance satellites under an order worth the ruble equivalent of $2.2 billion, Early satellies will use foreign built hardware for the high resoltion electo-optical imaging payload. Later in the five satellite series this equipment will be produced inside Russia. The subcontractor for this hardware has yet to be announced.
NASA budget increase request still represents a decline but has funding for asteroid capture study
US President Barack Obama has formally made his Fiscal Year 2014 budget request for NASA. At $17.7 billion investment the budget is largely unchanged in cash terms from 2012 levels and is $1 billion higher than the 2013 budget, but taking inflation into account, it still still represents a decline. The plan, which assumes that the sequestration limits will no longer be in effect, commits to continuing with the the Orion space capsule and its SLS heavy lift booster rocket programmes, and contributing towards the final development of the James Webb Space Telescope, leading to its planned launch in 2018.
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