SSI News
Suomi takes “black marble” images of Earth
NASA/NOAA as been showing off just what can been achieved with their Suomi/NPP spacecraft and its VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) which can take very low light images. In this case this was used to take the Earth from the darkside. The image easily displays the illumated towns in populated areas. A movie of the rotating Earth, taken from the darkside, is also available here.
NASA’s Messenger finds signs of water ice in polar shadows of sun-drenched Mercury
While the planet Mercury is the Solar System’s closest planetm to the Sun, nevertheless despite the planet’s concomitant high surface temperatures, observations made from NASA’s Messenger spacecraft appear to indicate that the planet does have water ice present.
Astrium gets order for Grace Follow-On spacecraft
While the joint NASA/DLR mission, GRACE (Gravity-Recovery And Climate Experiment) has been a resounding success since its 2002 launch, a follow on mission called, rather unimaginatively, GRACE Follow-On, is now being planned. To that end Astrium of Germany (part of EADS) has now been awarded the construction contract in November by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory – the centre managing the mission. The launch of the spacecraft is to take place in August 2017. The spacecraft, weighing in at 590kg each at launch, willl be equipped with a laser ranging system and will have a minimum design life of five years,
Sea Launch launches Eutelsat 70B satellite
A Zenit 3SL launch vehicle successfully launched the Eutelsat 70B satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit at 2044 GMT on Monday 3 December from the Odyssey launch platform located on the Equator in the Pacific Ocean. The satellite which weighed 5210 kilogrammes...
Evidence points to Iran having a second Safir launch failure in September
Having already had a suspected failure earlier in the year, there is increasing evidence that Iran had a second launch failure of one of its Safir launch vehicles during an orbital attempt on or later than 22 September. The evidence was apparenlty disclosed by Jane’s Defense Weekly as they cited various satellite imagery and intelligence data thata a launch had taken plane but had blown up soon after launch. Iran has, as yet, not confirmed this failure or the previous one in May. A discussion of the various pieces evidence is available on the nasaspaceflight forum here.
North Korea to try again with second Kwangmyonsong 3 satellite
North Korea has announced that it intends to launch the second Kwangmyonsong 3 satellite on a Unha launch vehicle from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in Choslan County on the West coast of the country. Daily launch windows of 2200 to 0300 GMT from 9...
Japan asks private industry to provide military satellite communications
Taking its lead from the UK’s Paradigm Private Finance Initiative (PFI) deal which had Astrium, in the form of its Paradigm Secure Communications outfit (now called Astrium Services) providing satellite services to the UK military, at the Global Milsatcom conference in London, Japan revealed that it has now selected a consortium led by SkyPerfect JSat to provide similar X-band services via two communications satellites it will construct and launch by 2016. In return the Japanese government has agreed to lease this X-band communications capacity for 15 years.
KSLV launch delayed again by technical fault but this time a different one
Having already had a launch attempt in October delayed by a ground systems-related fuel leak, the launch of the South Korean KSLV-1 (NARO-1) launch vehicle was again delayed by a technIcal fault. This time it was on the second stage thrust vectoring system. The launch which was to carry the STSAT-2C scientific satellite into orbit on 29 November is now delayed until well into December. South Korea is taking especial care of this launch, which uses a Russian-design first stage, given taht the first two flights of the KSLV-1 ended in launch failure.
Sea Launch to act as back up launch service for Asiasat
While the Falcon 9 launch vehicle of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is repidly becoming the commercial launch vehicle of choice due to its low price (though Arianespace remains market leader), satellite operators are still wary of Falcon 9 launch schedule delays. As such, some operators are now booking back up launches with other launch providers lest SpaceX cannot get their “birds” up on time.
Chinasat 12 comsat is launched by Long March 3B/E
The communications satellite Chinasat 12 has been launched from a Long March 3B/E launch vehicle flying out of the Xichang launch site at 1013 GMT on 27 November 2012. The spacecraft was formerly known as Apstar 7B as it was originally ordered from Thales Alenia Space as a back up for Apstar 7 before it was launched. However, in September China Satcom bought the satellite from APT Satellite Co as APT did not need it given Apstar 7’s successful launch into orbit.
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