All Space news – Page 225
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Space FUSE
Orbital Sciences has won the $37 million contract from John Hopkins University to build the NASA Far Ultra-violet Spectrograph Explorer (FUSE). The FUSE will be launched, in 1998 by a yet to be assigned, Med-Lite programme booster. Source: Flight International
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All eyes on Conestoga launch
Tim Furniss/LONDON THE REPUTATION of the USA's small-launcher industry will ride with the 16m-tall Conestoga 1620 when the maiden flight is attempted from Wallops Island, Virginia, in about "four weeks' time", says EER Systems. The industry has been hit by several setbacks recently. Orbital Sciences ...
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OSC
Space-technology company, Orbital Sciences (OSC) of Dulles Virginia, has named Dr Michael Griffin, senior vice-president and chief technology officer and president, of its American Space Lines joint venture with Rockwell International. He was most recently senior vice-president for programme development at Space Industries International. Source: Flight International
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A growing hazard
A new report on space debris says that it is a growing hazard, which needs urgent attention. Tim Furniss/LONDON A NASA-FUNDED report by the National Research Council (NRC) says that the hazard to spacecraft posed by artificial debris in orbit, although still low, is growing ...
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NASA details new mission to Hubble
Tim Furniss/LONDON DETAILED PLANS for the second Space Shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in February 1997 cover three space walks during which two new instruments and new equipment will be fitted. The STS82/Discovery mission will cost about $260 million to fly. NASA ...
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New Mission Control is inaugurated at Houston
THE USAS' NEW $500 million manned space flight mission control centre was used for the first time during the recent STS70 Discovery mission. The new centre, which was brought on-stream $75 million under budget, will first complement and then replace the control centre at the Johnson Space Center, ...
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P&W and Energomash join for motor study
Graham Warwick/ATLANTA PRATT & WHITNEY and Russian rocket-engine manufacturer NPO Energomash are jointly studying a tri-propellant motor for NASA's X-33 reusable launch vehicle (RLV) technology-demonstrator. Near-full-scale combustion tests are being conducted in Russia under NASA contract, says the US Company. News of the tie-up emerged ...
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UK research satellites find dynamic radiation belts
THE EARTH'S van Allen radiation belts are more dynamic than previously thought, according to data returned from the Space Technology Research Vehicles STRV 1A and 1B, launched in June 1994. These satellites, built by the UK's Defense Research Agency (DRA) at Farnborough, were expected to survive only for ...
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Orbital Sciences to absorb MDA merger
SATELLITE AND launcher builder Orbital Sciences has agreed to acquire Canadian remote-sensing specialist MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA). The deal, which needs US and Canadian regulatory approval, will be structured as a merger with Orbital exchanging shares, for all of MDA's outstanding stock. MDA supplies commercial remote-sensing ground ...
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Hot Bird tanks
Propellant tanks are being installed in Eutelsat's Hot Bird 2 satellite at Matra Marconi Space (MMS), Stevenage UK. MMS is also building the Hot Birds 3 and 4 (Flight International, 26 July-1 August). The 20 Ku-band transponder Hot Birds will be co-located at 13°E in geostationary orbit to provide direct-to-home ...
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Bigot's battle
The joint marketing of the Atlas and Proton fleet is a major threat to Arianespace. Tim Furniss/PARIS IT WAS THE THIRD day of the Paris air show, and Arianespace chairman Charles Bigot was rattled. The day before, Lockheed Martin and Khrunichev of Russia had announced ...
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MMS wins ESA polar-platform contract is signed
Tim Furniss/LONDON MATRA MARCONI SPACE (MMS) and the European Space Agency have signed a $700 million deal for the development of a polar-platform spacecraft. The first, called the Envisat 1, will be launched aboard an Ariane 5 in 1999, to be operated in an 800km circular ...
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Discovery returns to Kennedy
THE SPACE SHUTTLE STS 70/Discovery landed at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 22 July after an 8 days 22h mission. It had been launched on 13 July, a record six days after the end of the last mission, the STS71/Atlantis. The Discovery crew deployed the final TRW-built ...
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Huygens Arrives
The Aerospatiale-built, European Space Agency Huygens Titan lander craft has been delivered to NASA for integration with the Cassini Saturn orbiter. The craft will be launched on 6 October 1997. Alenia Spazio has also delivered the Cassini's 3.96m-diameter high-gain antenna. Source: Flight International
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Visionary approach
Surrey Satellite Technology is funding the development and launch of a new MiniBus space platform. Tim Furniss/GUILDFORD SMALLER, FASTER, CHEAPER - these are the qualities by which the products entering the burgeoning "smallsat" market are described. Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) is one of the pack leaders; ...
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MMS to build fourth Hot Bird
Tim Furniss/LONDON MATRA MARCONI SPACE (MMS) has been awarded a $200 million contract to build the 20 Ku-band transponder, direct-to-home, Hot Bird 4 satellite for European communications-satellite organisation Eutelsat. MMS is already building the Hot Birds 2 and 3. The MMS built, 2.7t Hot Birds 2-4, ...
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Lockheed signs deal to launch Superbird C
LOCKHEED MARTIN has signed a contract with Japan's Space Communications (SCC) to launch the Superbird C communications satellite on an Atlas 2AS booster from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in 1997. SCC, which is a joint venture of 28 Mitsubishi companies, operates two Superbirds, A1 and B1, which were launched ...
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Galileo capsule on suicide mission
A HUGHES-BUILT, INSTRUMENTED capsule was deployed from NASA's Jupiter-bound Galileo spacecraft on 12 July, en route for a 170,000 km/s encounter with the giant planet's atmosphere on 7 December (Flight International, 28 June-4 July). During the 75min plunge, the 338kg capsule will return data from the bowels of Jupiter before ...
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Improvements are needed for Shuttle/Mir missions
THE SPACE SHUTTLE STS 71/Atlantis returned to the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 7 July after a triumphant joint mission with the Russian space station, the Mir 1, which highlighted minor changes required for future flights. This first Shuttle/Mir Mission, SMM-1, delivered two cosmonauts to the Mir 1 ...