Finance

A Proton-M rocket with Breez-M accelerator launched the Express-AM44 and Express-MD1 satellites. The RSCC satellite mission control then took control of the satellites. At present RSCC via its terrestrial facilities controls AM44 and MD1 movement to geostationary orbit at 11 degrees West and 80 degrees East orbital slots respectively. The satellites are manufactured within the...

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) donated experimental payload space aboard an upcoming flight of the Dragon spacecraft to support the Heinlein Trust Microgravity Research Competition. The winner’s experimental payload will remain in the microgravity environment for an extended period of time before returning to Earth. Historically, these opportunities have been limited by availability on Shuttle,...

Arianespace captured 72 percent of orders booked last year, and half of all commercial launches to geostationary orbit, according to Arianespace chairman and CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall, speaking to journalists. There will be six to eight missions of the heavy lifter Ariane 5 this year, Le Gall estimated. As well, Arianespace plans this year to...

[Satellite News 01-15-09] Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) President Gwynne Shotwell will be taking over more of the day-to-day operations from company founder, CEO and CTO Elon Musk, Shotwell said Jan. 13 at the Washington Space Business Roundtable.     “We are still working under the direction of Elon’s visions for the company,” said Shotwell. “But...

Lockheed Decides To Use Ariane 5 Rocket To Launch Satellite For Japanese Operators In Liftoff From South American Spaceport Arianespace announced it will provide lift capability to orbit several satellites in three planned launches. Arianespace was selected to launch the Nilesat 201 satellite in the first quarter of 2010 as part of a turnkey contract...

An Ariane 5 heavy lifter rocket lifted off from the spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana, South America, to launch two telecommunications satellites into geostationary transfer orbits. Those satellites were accurately injected into the correct transfer orbits about 30 minutes later. The payload comprised Hot Bird 9, which will deliver television signals and interactive services to...

Russia launched three Glonass-M navigational satellites on a Proton robotic rocket that soared on Christmas from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Itar-Tass reported. That brings the total number of Glonass satellites to 20 in the navigational system, which will compete with the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS. Glonass needs 24 birds for full global...

Liftoff Seen Soon A Falcon 9 rocket has been fully integrated at Cape Canaveral, Fla., poised for a liftoff early this year, Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, announced. The Falcon 9 is the large SpaceX rocket, and key to its hopes to become a major player in lifting payloads to space, especially to the...

In June 2002, Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk started Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) to achieve what many in the satellite industry believe is an impossible task — to lower the cost of launching satellites into orbit. Musk has vast personal wealth — he is a co-founder of PayPal — and strong support from NASA’s Commercial...

Despite mounting evidence that the global economy could be in for a long-term slump, executives and analysts see the satellite sector as mostly immune — except for one high-profile sector. While governments around the world weigh what steps they can or must take to reverse the financial slide, the satellite industry does not look to...