China hopes to send three astronauts on a seven-day mission in its second manned spacecraft, Shenzhou 6, scheduled for launch within the next two years, according to local reports. Alternatively, it may launch a shorter mission next year with two astronauts. A US bankruptcy court has authorised Loral Space & Communications' subsidiary Space Systems/Loral to execute its contract to deliver the DirecTV 7S communications satellite and proceed with construction of DirecTV 8 and 9S and PanAmSat's Galaxy XVI, together valued at $320 million. The Euro-Russian Starsem company will launch Israel's Amos 2 communications satellite aboard a Soyuz FG booster from Baikonur on 18 December. The spacecraft was originally manifested for an Ariane 5 launch. Spacehab's Astrotech subsidiary will receive $17.5 million from Boeing for cancellation of a contract to prepare commercial satellites for launch from Cape Canaveral. The contract covered work to 2010. Astrotech's backlog has now been reduced from $34.9 million to $15 million. Launch of NASA's Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (Messenger) spacecraft will be delayed from March 2004 for two months after late deliveries of subsystems and technical difficulties with assembly of the Johns Hopkins University-built spacecraft. Contact has been lost with Japan's Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (Adeos), Midori 2, launched in December 2002. Data indicates solar-panel power generation dropped from 6kW to 1kW before the blackout. Contact with Midori 1, launched in 1997, was lost due to a solar-array malfunction. A new five-segment Space Shuttle solid rocket motor was tested by Alliant Techsystems' Thiokol Propulsion division on 23 October, operating for 128s and generating 3.6 million lb (16,000kN) of thrust. The fifth segment adds 25% of propellant, 300,000lb thrust and 5s burn time.
Source: Flight International
