30 August 2009 - India lost contact with its unmanned lunar spacecraft, Chandrayaan-1, yesterday. The spacecraft, launched last October, was on a two-year mission to compile a 3-D atlas of the surface and map the distribution of elements and minerals. The spacecraft suffered a sensor malfunction last month and this latest problem has bought an early end to the mission.
29 August 2009 - On Thursday NASA delayed the test of the first stage motor of the Ares 1 rocket, the launch vehicle for Orion, the space shuttle's successor, The static test at NASA's Promontory test center in Utah was postponed because of a problem in an auxiliary motor that supplied hydraulic pressure. The rocket is scheduled for launch, with the Orion space capsule, from Cape Canaveral on October 31 and NASA are confident that the delayed test of the rocket will not affect the launch date.
29 August 2009 – The space shuttle Discovery lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2359 EDT Friday (0359 GMT Saturday) with seven astronauts on board. Two earlier attempts this week had been postponed because of bad weather and a technical glitch. The shuttle entered orbit eight-and-a-half minutes after launch, and is due to arrive at the ISS on Sunday. Discovery's 13-day STS-128 flight will deliver storage racks; materials and fluids science racks; a freezer to store research samples; a new sleeping compartment; an air purification system; and a treadmill named after comedian Stephen Colbert. Discovery will also leave US astronaut Nicole Stott for a three-month stay on the ISS and pick up colleague Tim Kopra who has been living on the platform for the past six weeks.
29 August 2009 - The initial passenger for Arianespace's fifth Ariane 5 mission of this year was delivered to French Guiana yesterday following a trans-Atlantic cargo flight from Europe. HISPASAT's Amazonas 2 telecommunications relay satellite arrived this morning aboard an Antonov An-124 jetliner, which landed at Cayenne's Rochambeau International Airport. It will now begin final preparations for liftoff in late September on a dual-payload Ariane 5 mission. Amazonas 2 is based on EADS Astrium's Eurostar E3000 spacecraft bus and will have a mass at liftoff of 5,400 kg. Its payload consists of 64 active transponders - 54 for operation in Ku-band, and the other 10 in C-band - providing additional capacity for HISPASAT's service over the Americas, with coverage from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. The Madrid, Spain-based HISPASAT was established in 1989 with the goal of becoming the leading satellite operator for the Spanish and Portuguese language markets. Since then, the company has developed its satellite fleet - with Arianespace contributing its launch services in orbiting three spacecraft: Hispasat 1B in 1993, XTAR-EUR in 2005 and Spainsat in 2006. Joining Amazonas 2 on the flight will be the GMS military communications satellite for Germany.
29 August 2009 - The New Horizons mission team has closed out a successful summer workout, putting its Pluto-bound spacecraft back into hibernation on August 27 after seven weeks of functional tests and system checks. The mission’s third annual checkout (ACO-3), which started July 7, “went very well,” says Mission System Engineer Chris Hersman, of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. “New Horizons is in good shape.” Principal Investigator Alan Stern, of the Southwest Research Institute, says ACO-3 was less “cluttered and complex” than previous ACOs – kept simple to let mission engineers and scientists focus on Pluto-encounter planning. Still, it was productive: the team performed functional checkouts of all seven science instruments and every spacecraft subsystem, including the primary and backup hardware in each system; carefully tracked the spacecraft to refine its knowledge of New Horizons’ trajectory; and uploaded the computer instructions that will guide New Horizons through hibernation. The team will pull New Horizons out of hibernation for 10 days starting on November 9, for a set of maneuvers that keep Earth in the beam of the spacecraft’s antenna. “It’s an adjustment we have to make as Earth moves around the Sun and New Horizons moves farther along on its path toward Pluto,” Hersman says.
28 August 2009 - NASA managers postponed today's 12:22 a.m. EDT launch of space shuttle Discovery to allow engineers more time to develop plans for resolving an issue with a valve in the shuttle's main propulsion system.
27 August 2009 - NASA has awarded Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems Inc. in Houston a one-year contract extension valued at $33 million to provide integration services for cargo delivery to and from the International Space Station. The company has held the station's cargo mission contract since January 2004 and the one-year extension will bring the total value of the contract to $381 million. The contract provides cargo packing for delivery to and from the space station, consisting of pressurized and unpressurized science and logistics carriers, assembly hardware and crew support. Other contract services include determining the most efficient way to pack cargo, verifying the adequacy of the integrated carriers, packing the pressurized cargo into sub-carriers and returning the cargo to providers once it returns to Earth. The extension begins October 1, 2009. It is the second of two such options provided for in the original contract. The work will be performed at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
26 August 2009 - NASA has targeted the next launch attempt for space shuttle Discovery for no earlier than 12:22 am EDT Friday, August 28, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Wednesday's launch attempt was postponed after an indication that a valve in the shuttle's main propulsion system failed to perform as expected during fueling of the shuttle's external fuel tank. NASA managers officially postponed Wednesday's launch attempt because of uncertainty about whether a valve that was commanded to be closed actually was closed. The valve is associated with the fill and drain plumbing of the main propulsion system within the shuttle's aft compartment. The space shuttle mission management team will meet at noon on Thursday, August 27, to discuss the troubleshooting results and decide whether to continue with a launch attempt. Discovery's 13-day STS-128 flight to the International Space Station will deliver storage racks; materials and fluids science racks; a freezer to store research samples; a new sleeping compartment; an air purification system; and a treadmill named after comedian Stephen Colbert.
26 August 2009 - The launch of South Korea’s first rocket, Naro-1 has failed to correctly deploy its payload. The Korean-built STSAT-2 satellite veered off course and failed to enter its intended orbit. STSAT-2, a sun observation and laser ranging satellite does not have the ability to correct its trajectory. The first engine and second stage booster engine operated normally and the satellite separated from the launcher. South Korean and Khrunichev engineers are unable, as yet, to indentify the problem and or say how it will affect the outcome of the mission.
25 August 2009 - At 17.00 local time South Korea finally launched it much delayed Naro-1 rocket from its Naro launch site about 350 km south of Seoul. It was the eight attempt since 2005 – the last launch attempt was aborted less than eight minutes before blastoff last Wednesday due to a software glitch. Naro-1 which costs US$400 million is a 33 meters long, two-stage rocket was built with the assistance of Russia’s Khrunichev who built the first stage and provided technical assistance. The next stage for the South Korea is to build a rocket on its own by 2018 and then develop a commercial launch service program.
25 August 2009 - NASA has named Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr., as the director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lightfoot had served as the acting director of the center since March. "I'm very pleased to appoint Robert as the Marshall Center Director. As NASA moves into an exciting new era of human and scientific exploration, Robert's skills and expertise will prove invaluable to leading Marshall into the future," NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden said. From 2007 to 2009, Lightfoot was deputy director of Marshall and shared responsibility for managing the center. Marshall has played a critical role in advancing NASA's exploration mission, including leading development of the Ares I rocket and the Ares V heavy cargo launch vehicles and a lunar landing mission. Lightfoot served as manager of the Space Shuttle Propulsion Office at Marshall from 2005 to 2007. He was responsible for overseeing the manufacture, assembly and operation of the primary shuttle propulsion elements: the main engines, external tank, solid rocket boosters and reusable solid rocket motors.
25 August 2009 - The launch attempt for space shuttle Discovery, STS-128, was called off earlier today because of poor weather in the area. The launch team will make another attempt tomorrow morning at 1:10 am EDT.
24 August 2009 - The launch of the shuttle Discovery, STS-128, to the International Space Station is scheduled for 1:36 am EDT [05:36 GMT] tomorrow. There are four launch windows between August 25 and August. The shuttle will carry the Leonardo supply module to the ISS along with a new crew member, Nicole Stott, who will replace Tim Kopra, who arrived on STS-127. Veteran astronaut Rick "C.J." Sturckow will command the Discovery flight, with pilot Kevin Ford and mission specialists Patrick Forrester, Jose Hernandez, John Olivas and Sweden's Christer Fuglesang.
22 August 2009 - NASA and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, or AFOSR, have successfully launched a small rocket using an environmentally-friendly, safe propellant comprised of aluminum powder and water ice, called ALICE. "This collaboration has been an opportunity for graduate students to work on an environmentally-friendly propellant that can be used for flight on Earth and used in long distance space missions," said NASA Chief Engineer Mike Ryschkewitsch at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "These sorts of university-led experimental projects encourage a new generation of aerospace engineers to think outside of the box and look at new ways for NASA to meet our exploration goals." Using ALICE as fuel, a nine-foot rocket soared to a height of 1,300 feet over Purdue University's Scholer farms in Indiana earlier this month. ALICE is generating excitement among researchers because this energetic propellant has the potential to replace some liquid or solid propellants. When it is optimized, it could have a higher performance than conventional propellants. ALICE has the consistency of toothpaste when made. It can be fit into molds and then cooled to -30 C 24 hours before flight. The propellant has a high burn rate and achieved a maximum thrust of 650 pounds during this test. "A sustained collaborative research effort on the fundamentals of the combustion of nanoscale aluminum and water over the last few years led to the success of this flight," said Dr. Steven F. Son, a research team member from Purdue. "ALICE can be improved with the addition of oxidizers and become a potential solid rocket propellant on Earth. Theoretically, ALICE can be manufactured in distant places like the moon or Mars, instead of being transported to distant locations at high cost."
22 August 2009 - Arianespace successfully launched its fourth Ariane 5 flight of 2009 with yesterday’s launch of the 32nd consecutive mission success of this workhorse vehicle. The two satellites, JCSAT-12 and Optus D3, were injected into geostationary transfer orbit during a flight that lasted just over 34 minutes. The on-time departure started at 7:09 p.m. (local time). The satellite lofted by Ariane 5 were built by U.S. manufacturers and will be operated by two of Arianespace's key Asia-Pacific customers: SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation of Japan and the Optus telecommunications provider in Australia. The payload lift performance for the heavyweight flight was approximately 7,655 kg. - which included the two satellites' combined 6,500-kg. mass, plus the SYLDA dual-passenger dispenser system and satellite integration hardware for the vehicle's payload "stack."
21 August 2009 - South Korea has rescheduled the launch of the Naro-1 rocket (KSLV-1) to August 25 at 17.00 local time. The previous launch attempt on the 19 August was aborted due to a malfunction of the backup pump on the engine of the first-stage.
21 August 2009 - Arianespace now has three Ariane 5s being processed at French Guiana – including the vehicle for tonight’s flight, which has rolled out to the launch pad with a payload of JCSAT-12 for Japan’s SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, and Optus D3 for the Optus telecommunications provider of Australia. The Ariane 5 for this mission – Arianespace’s fourth of 2009 – was transferred today from the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building to the ELA-3 launch zone. It rode atop one of two mobile launch tables in operation for Ariane 5, and has now been positioned for liftoff during a one-hour launch window that begins at 7:09 p.m. local time in French Guiana. Its rollout opens the Final Assembly Building to receive the Ariane 5 for Arianespace’s subsequent mission, which has completed its initial build-up in the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building. Separately, the components for another Ariane 5 arrived in French Guiana on Wednesday, delivered by the MN Colibri – which is one of two roll-on/roll-off sea-going vessels operated for Arianespace to transport launch vehicles from their European manufacturers to South America. The elements for this latest Ariane 5 will be moved by road from Pariacabo port near Kourou to the Spaceport, enabling its assembly to begin shortly in the Launcher Integration Building.
20 August 2009 - Arianespace’s fourth heavy-lift flight of 2009 has been authorized for its August 21 liftoff following yesterday’s launch readiness review at the Spaceport in French Guiana. The review is performed prior to each Ariane 5 mission, ensuring that the launch vehicle and its payload are flight-ready, along with the Spaceport’s infrastructure and the network of downrange tracking stations. This go-ahead clears the way for Arianespace’s remaining preparation milestones, beginning with the rollout of Ariane 5 tomorrow from its Final Assembly Building to the ELA-3 launch zone. On launch day Friday, the countdown will start 11 hrs. 30 min. before liftoff, followed by the fueling of Ariane 5’s cryogenic main and upper stages, as well as a weather check and initiation of the final synchronized sequence.The Ariane 5 is to lift off at the start of a one-hour launch window, which opens at 7:09 p.m. local time in French Guiana.
19 August 2009 – According to local media reports Pakistan will launch its first satellite in April 2011. The project will be funded by the Pakistani Planning Commission, the government institution in charge of managing the economy of the country together with the Ministry of Finance.
19 August 2009 – The launch of the much delayed Naro-1 rocket from its Naro launch site about 350 km south of Seoul was aborted 6 minutes before it was due to blast off at 5.00pm local time (8am GMT) carrying the STSAT-2 (Science and Technology Satellite-2).
18 August 2009 - Arianespace has completed the payload integration clearing the way its fourth Ariane 5 to be launched this year from the Spaceport in French Guiana on Friday, August 21. The heavy-lift Ariane 5 has been fitted with its dual payload "stack" of the JCSAT-12 and Optus D3 telecommunications satellites, and is being readied for a rollout to the Spaceport's ELA-3 launch zone on August 20. Payload stack integration was completed with installation of the launch vehicle's upper component containing JCSAT-12, which has been mounted atop the SYLDA dispenser and encapsulated inside Ariane 5's payload fairing. This combination was positioned over Optus D3, which previously was mated to the top of Ariane 5's core stage. The Ariane 5 is now undergoing its final checkout inside the launcher Final Integration Building, setting the stage for the launch readiness review on Wednesday, August 19. With a successful conclusion of this review, Ariane 5 will be transferred to the ELA-3 launch zone on the following day, enabling the final countdown to begin for Friday's liftoff during a one-hour launch window that opens at 7:09 p.m. local time in French Guiana.
17 August 2009 - A modernized Global Positioning System Block IIR (GPS IIR-M) satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Air Force was successfully launched today from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket. Designated GPS IIR-21(M), the satellite is the final in a line of eight GPS IIR-M spacecraft that the Lockheed Martin Navigation Systems team modernized for its customer, the Global Positioning Systems Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California. The Block IIR-M series includes features that enhance operations and navigation signal performance for military and civilian GPS users around the globe – specifically a modernized antenna panel that provides increased signal power to receivers on the ground, two new military signals for improved accuracy, enhanced encryption and anti-jamming capabilities, and a second civil signal, providing users with an open access signal on a different frequency. The satellite will join six IIR-M satellites and 12 other operational Block IIR satellites within the current 30-spacecraft constellation. The Lockheed Martin-led GPS III team is progressing on schedule, with first launch of a GPS IIIA satellite on track for 2014. The program team recently completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) phase and is now in the midst of the Critical Design Review (CDR) phase.
15 August 2009 - NASA and Alliant Techsystems Inc (ATK), will conduct the first full-scale, full-duration test of the new first-stage solid rocket motor for the Ares I rocket at 1 p.m. MDT, on Thursday, August 27. The test will take place at the ATK test facility in Promontory, Utah. The test was previously scheduled for August 25. The new date allows key NASA and ATK personnel to support this test and the upcoming STS-128 space shuttle Discovery mission. Discovery is targeted for launch on August 24. The static firing of the five-segment solid motor, designated Development Motor -1, will last two minutes. The goal is to obtain valuable thrust, roll-control, acoustics and vibration data as engineers continue to design Ares I.
15 August 2009 – Ares I-X crew launch vehicle being developed by NASA as a component of the Constellation Program has now been fully assembled on a mobile launch platform at Kennedy in preparation for launch this October. The final segments of the Ares I-X were stacked on August 13, completing the 327-foot launch vehicle and providing the first look at the finished rocket's distinctive shape. The Ares I-X flight test is targeted for October 31. "More than three years of hard work with the NASA and contractor team has brought us to this historic moment," said Bob Ess, Ares I-X mission manager. "This flight test is a critical step in continuing our design process for the Ares vehicle and the first flight for the Constellation Program." The Ares I-X is wired with more than 700 sensors to gather data during the two-and-a-half minute flight test. The launch will provide NASA an early opportunity to test and prove hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I crew launch vehicle. The data collected during the launch will allow NASA to gather critical data during ascent of the integrated Orion spacecraft and the Ares I rocket. Now that the Ares I-X is assembled, numerous evaluations will be run on all the rocket systems, including complex instruments that will constantly measure the vehicle's movements as it launches and the first stage separates. The evaluations include a process called "modal testing," which will shake the stack slightly to test stiffness of the rocket, including the pinned and bolted joints.
14 August 2009 - The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is to launch two Algerian Satellites, ALSAT-2A and ALSAT-2B, with US components by the end of 2009 or early 2010. The clearance follows the recent signing of the new Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) between the US and India in the presence of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a recent visit to India. The satellites will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Sriharikota Island, about 80 km north of Chennai, which is currently working on the launch of the indigenously built earth observation satellite, Oceansat-2, scheduled for September aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
13 August 2009 - The last in a series of eight modernized Global Positioning System Block IIR (GPS IIR-M) satellites built by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Air Force is set to launch aboard a Delta II rocket on August 17 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The spacecraft, designated GPS IIR-21(M), completes the IIR and IIR-M series of satellites the company designed and built for the Global Positioning Systems Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California. Modernized spacecraft deliver increased signal power to receivers on the ground, two new military signals to improve accuracy, enhanced encryption and anti-jamming capabilities for the military, and a second civil signal that will provide users with an open access signal on a different frequency. "The team has once again completed a smooth and efficient launch readiness review and we are ready for flight," said Col. Dave Madden, the U.S. Air Force GPS Wing Commander. "Through effective collaboration and a joint commitment to successful execution, the GPS IIR program has significantly improved our nation’s position, navigation and timing capabilities, and we look forward to enhancing the GPS constellation with this last IIR-M satellite." The team is progressing on-schedule in the Critical Design Review (CDR) phase of the program and is on track to launch the first GPS IIIA satellite in 2014.
13 August 2009 - Both spacecraft for Arianespace's fourth heavy-lift mission of 2009 are well advanced in their integration phase as preparations move forward for the August 21 launch from French Guiana. In the Spaceport's S5 payload preparation facility, Optus D3 has been installed atop its adapter unit. This cone-shaped component will serve as the interface between the satellite and Ariane 5's core stage - where the relay platform will be positioned as the lower passenger in the payload "stack." A few kilometers away, the payload stack's upper element is complete, with Ariane 5's payload fairing now lowered into place over the JCSAT-12 satellite and the SYLDA dispenser system. This activity occurred in the launcher Final Assembly Building adjacent to the Ariane 5, which is ready to be fitted with its two passengers.
13 August 2009 – Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has announced that the country will launch its own communications satellite in 2011. The satellite is being developed by the Yuzhnoye design bureau to be launched on the Zenit-3 LV carrier rocket. The development has been slow due to the shortage of funding. The National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU) said the project would be financed by a loan from the Canadian company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA).
13 August 2009 - Intelsat, Ltd., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, yesterday reported results for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2009. The company reported revenue of $642.5 million and a net loss of $32.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2009. For the six months ended June 30 the company reported revenue of $1.274 billion and a net loss of $590.4 million. The net loss reflects in part non-cash charges of $499.1 million incurred in the first quarter of 2009 for orbital location impairments. Intelsat CEO Dave McGlade said that: “Our network services business and Intelsat General Corporation government business are thriving as a result of the demand for the communications infrastructure we provide for applications such as broadband networking, cellular backhaul, and mobility. In the second quarter we entered into a significant long-term renewal in our media business, underscoring the value of our satellite neighborhoods and contributing to an increase in our backlog to $9.5 billion at June 30 from $8.7 billion at the end of the first quarter. This growth in backlog reinforces the overall strength of our business across our customer sets, while also providing attractive visibility on future revenues and cash flows.” Intelsat’s system average fill rate on its approximately 2,050 station-kept transponders was 85 percent at June 30.
12 August 2009 - ESA astronaut Roberto Vittori from Italy has been assigned as a Mission Specialist to Space Shuttle mission STS-134, which is currently scheduled for launch to the International Space Station (ISS) in July or September 2010. This mission will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the Station. The Spectrometer is a particle physics experiment that designed to search for various types of unusual matter and will help researchers study the formation of the universe and search for evidence of dark matter and antimatter.
12 August 2009 - AsiaSat-5 launched yesterday aboard a Proton-M rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome separated successfully from the Breeze-M upper stage at 9:02 Moscow time.
11 August 2009 - AsiaSat 5 successfully launched on an ILS Proton launch vehicle from Pad 39 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 23.47 Moscow time (19.47 GMT) tonight. AsiaSat 5 is a new satellite designed to replace AsiaSat 2 at the orbital location of 100.5 degrees East and to provide service continuity to all AsiaSat 2 users. Based on Space Systems/Loral’s 1300 satellite bus AsiaSat 5 will provide satellite services including television broadcast, telephone networks and VSAT networks for broadband multimedia services across Asia Pacific. AsiaSat 5 has 26 C-band and 14 Ku-band transponders and a design life of 15 years. AsiaSat 5 will offer an enhanced pan Asian C-band footprint that covers more than 53 countries spanning from Russia to New Zealand and from Japan to the Middle East and parts of Africa. In addition to a powerful Ku-band East Asia beam, the new satellite will offer two new Ku-band beams – the South Asia beam and a steerable beam to satisfy market demands, and to offer full backup to AsiaSat 3S and AsiaSat 4.
11 August 2009 - Following clearance from the State Board the Proton-M/Breeze-M rocket carrying the AsiaSat-5 satellite was rolled out to the launch pad 200 at the Baikonur cosmodrome ready for lift off later today at 23:47 Moscow time.
10 August 10 – Although South Korea has not yet decided on a new launch date for its Naro rocket a spokesman for the Science Ministry said the rescheduled launch may take place as early as August 18.
10 August 2009 – The recently launched DubaiSat-1 has transmitted its first series of UAE images from orbit. The satellite along with five microsatellites was launched from the Baiknour Cosmodrome on the 29 July aboard an RS-20 Dnepr rocket. The 200kg Dubaisat will be used for urban and infrastructure planning and is the first Earth remote sensing satellite which is in full possession of the UAE.
10 August 2009 – The head of Roscosmos, Anatoly Perminov, speaking for the first time about the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing of Sea Launch said that the company will not terminate its activities and following a period of restructuring will continue its launch program. Sea Launch is a limited liability corporation with Headquarters and Home Port facilities in Long Beach, California. The company is owned by Boeing (40%); RSC-Energia of Moscow, Russia (25%); Aker ASA of Oslo, Norway (20%); and SDO Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine (15%). Financing for the venture is provided by these companies and through debt financing arranged by Chase Manhattan Bank in New York.
7 August 2009 - NASA and Alliant Techsystems Inc. will conduct the first full-scale, full-duration test of the new first-stage solid rocket motor for the Ares I rocket at 1 p.m. MDT, on Tuesday, August 25. The test will take place at the ATK test facility in Promontory, Utah. The static firing of the five-segment solid motor, designated Development Motor -1, will last two minutes. The goal is to obtain valuable thrust, roll-control, acoustics and vibration data as engineers continue to design Ares I.
7 August 2009 - The final phase of payload preparations has begun for Arianespace’s next heavy-lift Ariane 5 mission, which is set for later this month with the Optus D3 and JCSAT-12 satellite passengers. This activity includes Optus D3’s propellant loading, which occurred in the S5A fueling and integration hall of the Spaceport’s S5 satellite preparation facility. Based on Orbital Sciences Corporation’s STAR™ spacecraft bus, Optus D3 uses a liquid bi-propellant system for the transfer to its orbital slot after launch, along with a monopropellant hydrazine system for on-orbit station-keeping. Optus D3 carries a payload of 24 active transponders for Ku-band fixed communications and direct television broadcasting services to Australia and New Zealand. To be located at an orbital position of 156 deg. East longitude, it will provide further market expansion at the same orbital slot as the Optus C1 satellite – which was launched by Ariane 5 in 2003. Arianespace’s upcoming launch will also loft the JCSAT-12 spacecraft for Japan’s SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, which was produced by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems.
7 August 2009 - The telemetry, command and ranging station Klyon has been put into operation at the JSC Reshetnev site in central Siberia. Klyon is intended to control civilian satellites manufactured for the Federal Space Agency. The station includes a fully rotatable antenna with a 9 metre reflector, and a hardware and software system developed by the Russian Institute of Space Device Engineering. The first communication session between Klyon and the Sterkh satellite, which was launched in July for the Cospas-Sarsat Program, was successful. According to Vladimir Kovalyov, the chief designer of the satellite operation and control department, another TCR station named Komparus will be operational by the end of 2009. The station is being developed by the Scientific Research Institute of Precision Instruments. Another ten TCR units are planned to be deployed within the scope of the Krasnoyarsk-26 Central TCR Station project.
6 August 2009 – It looks as though the much delayed launch of South Korea’s first space rocket, scheduled for next Tuesday, could be delayed again as there are technical problems in the craft's main booster according to a government official. South Korea and Russia have been working on the project since 2002 with an initial launch date set for 2007.
5 August 2009 – The Space shuttle Discovery reached Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday afternoon following a 12 hour slow drive on the top of the crawler. The 3.4-mile rollout took longer than the normal six hours because of weather conditions, including lightning. The crawler also had to pause occasionally so mud could be removed from its treads and bearings. Technicians will ready the shuttle to host the crew’s countdown dress rehearsal known as the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test. Discovery’s seven astronauts plan to fly to Kennedy today for the training activity which concludes later in the week with a complete practice countdown, minus liftoff, involving the crew and the launch team. NASA has until August 30 to launch Discovery before it would have to stand down to avoid a conflict with a new Japanese cargo ship test. Japan's first H-2 Transfer Vehicle, an unmanned space freighter, is slated to begin its maiden flight to the space station on September 10.
4 August 2009 - NASA astronaut and US Army Col. Tim Kopra has become the first International Space Station crew member to use the social media tool Twitter to discuss living and working in orbit. Kopra recently joined the Expedition 20 crew after arriving at the orbiting laboratory July 17 aboard space shuttle Endeavour. He is set to return to Earth on the STS-128 mission, which is targeted to launch August 25. To follow Kopra on Twitter visit: www.twitter.com/Astro_Tim.
4 August 2009 – The assembly of the Proton-M launcher and its mechanical integration with the upper composite which comprises the AsiaSat-5 satellite, the Breeze-M and the fairing has been completed at Baikonur. The electrical and pneumatic tests of the Proton began on Monday and will last for several days. After the tests the Breeze-M low pressure tanks with be filled with propellant ready for lift off on August 11.
3 August 2009 - KSLV-1, (Naro) South Korea’s first launch vehicle to carry a satellite into orbit has been rescheduled to lift off on August 11. Naro was originally scheduled to launch on July 30. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said the final combustion test was completed last month in Russia and technicians in both countries have chosen August 11 as the launch date. The 140 ton Naro measures 33.5 m in length and 2.9 m in diameter. The lower-stage, liquid-fueled booster rocket was developed by Russia’s Khrunichev, while the solid-fueled upper stage rocket was developed by Korean scientists. It will carry a 100 kg satellite developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
3 August 2009 - The ISS re-boost took place on August 1 to ensure the station’s orbit was optimal for the Soyuz TMA-16 rendezvous and the Soyuz TMA-14 landing. Soyuz TMA-16 is scheduled to lift off from Baikonur on September 30. Guy Laliberté, founder and CEO of Cirque du Soleil, will be on board TMA-16 and he will return on the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft. The re-boost was performed automatically with Progress M-67 thruster assistance and the ISS’s orbital altitude became 2.2km higher after the maneuver.
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