Government/Military

[Satellite Today 12-31-08] Roscosmos will launch its Complex Orbital Near-Earth Observations of Solar Activity (Coronas) satellite from the Baikonur space center in January 2009, RIA Novosti reported on Dec. 25.     According to the report, a spokesman for Russia’s space agency said the orbital laboratory is meant to study the Sun’s activity – specifically, the...

[Satellite Today 12-30-08] Russia launched a Proton-M rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome carrying three new satellites for Moscow’s Glonass navigation system, Russian officials reported to Interfax News Agency on Dec. 25.     According to the report, the satellites were placed into orbit approximately one hour after the rocket launched from Baikonur at 10:43 a.m. GMT....

[Satellite Today 12-30-08] Orbital Sciences Corp. has been selected for a long-term contract by NASA to provide cargo transportation services to and from the International Space Station, Orbital announced Dec. 24.     Orbital joins Space Exploration Technology Corp. (SpaceX) as NASA Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program award winners.     Orbital’s contract has an expected value...

[Satellite Today 12-29-08] NASA has selected the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft from Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) for the International Space Station cargo resupply services contract award, SpaceX announced Dec. 23.      The contract, valued at $1.6 billion with options for additional missions for a cumulative total contract value of up to...

[Satellite Today 12-23-08]  A team led by Lockheed Martin has completed and delivered the high-performance communications subsystem for the geosynchronous orbit (GEO-2) spacecraft core structure and propulsion subsystem to the U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin announced Dec. 22.     The announcement is a milestone in Lockheed Martin’s contract with the U.S. Air Force to develop...

Updated — December 19, 2008 – 8:30 a.m. EST Legend: + Targeted For | *No Earlier Than (Tentative) | **To Be Determined 2009 Launches Date: Feb. 4 Mission: NOAA-N Prime Launch Vehicle: United Launch Alliance Delta II Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base – Launch Pad SLC-2 Launch Window: 2:22 – 2:32 a.m. PST/5:22 –...

NASA tomorrow will make a live-broadcast announcement on a contract for commercial private space flights that would use a crewed spacecraft on transport missions to and from the International Space Station. The announcement is set for 4 p.m. ET tomorrow. NASA had issued a request for proposals April 14. The United States currently has a...

A water-detecting sensor on the Chandrayaan-1 lunar orbiter launched by India has been activated successfully, Raytheon Co. [RTN] announced. NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation told Raytheon the sensor is fully functional. That extends Raytheon’s perfect 40-year record of start-up success, the company stated. Data collected during an initial checkout will be used to...

The Army gave Raytheon Co. [RTN] a not-to-exceed $3.3 billion order for advanced Patriot air and missile defense capability, whole life support and training for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Raytheon and teammate Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] worked with the U.S. and UAE governments during the past year on the agreement. The U.S. government approved...

A Texas company may provide NASA with a new kind of propulsion system that could be attached to the International Space Station, and someday might power spacecraft through the solar system. NASA and Ad Astra Rocket Co. of Webster, Texas, signed a Space Act Agreement that could lead to testing a new plasma-based space propulsion...