Finance

Final preparations are underway for the launch of the NSS-8 satellite, SES New Skies announced. Sea Launch is scheduled to place the satellite into orbit Jan. 25 using a Zenit-3SL rocket. NSS-8 is a Boeing 702 spacecraft carrying 56 C-band and 36 Ku-band transponders and is designed to replace NSS-703 at 57° East longitude.

UGS Corp. will supply its NX digital product development software to Rocketplane Kistler Inc. (RPK) for the development of the K-1 launch vehicle, UGS announced. The K-1 is a fully reusable, two-stage launch vehicle that may one day deliver cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). RPK is developing the vehicle under a...

Big satellites are the workhorses of the satellite industry, but smaller spacecraft are performing more and more missions as a growing number of customers are finding that small satellites are rugged, affordable and can perform many jobs. According to Luca Maresi, a systems engineer at European Space Agency’s (ESA) European Space Research and Technology Center,...

While the 1957 launch of Sputnik 1 inspired fear and trepidation in the West about satellites, the 1962 launch of AT&T’s Telstar 1 inspired boundless optimism about the potential for the Space Age to improve the daily life of the average American and to connect the entire globe. The commercial satellite industry did indeed change the world,...

As we were going press, developments within the global satellite community were at an all-time high. Business strategies were advancing and financial community interest in satellite-enabled services was gaining momentum within many industry sectors. The fourth quarter kicked off with headline news of Lockheed Martin announcing the sale of its ownership interests in Lockheed Khrunichev...

The board of International Launch Services Inc. (ILS) appointed Frank McKenna the company’s president, as Lockheed Martin Corp. completed the sale of its interests in the international joint venture. Lockheed Martin’s interests in Lockheed Khrunichev Energia International Inc. and ILS have been transferred to Space Transport Inc., a company formed specifically for the transaction by...

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Oct. 3 granted anti-trust clearance to the United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture that will combine the government launch operations of Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. The clearance remains subject to compliance with a consent order that both parties have approved and which will govern certain activities...

 By Lisa Daniel After enduring years of low prices created by too many vehicles and too few satellites, the commercial launch industry is undergoing a market correction that is filling manifests and creating competitive services and alliances as well as some new players. For customers, the shift in supply and demand has meant rising prices...

After a few frustrating years of slow launch rates due to a depressed commercial launch market as well as satellite manufacturing delays, Sea Launch is on target to perform six missions in 2006, a single-year record for the commercial provider. The previous high for Sea Launch, which lofts satellites into orbit aboard the Zenit-3SL rocket...

Lockheed Martin Corp.‘s plan to unload its controlling share of the International Launch Services (ILS) joint venture has raised questions about the future of ILS and whether the Atlas 5 rocket will be a player in the commercial launch market. Lockheed Martin will sell its share of ILS to Space Transport Inc., which is being...