Tag: Satellite

The rockets that are pushing the boundaries of space travel

by Ivan Couronne © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)–Friday morning at 5:24 am (0924 GMT), a rocket owned by the US company SpaceX will blast off from Florida carrying two and a half tons of gear from NASA, only to dock three days later and 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth at the International Space Station. The rocket itself is not new. It launched a NASA satellite into orbit two months ago, then landed […]

China satellite heralds first mission to dark side of Moon

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China launched on Monday a relay satellite that will allow a rover to communicate with the Earth from the far side of the Moon during an unprecedented mission later this year. The Queqiao (“Magpie Bridge”) satellite was blasted into space from the southwestern Xichang launch center in the pre-dawn hours, according to the China National Space Administration. The satellite split from its carrier, a Long March-4C rocket, after 25 minutes and unfolded […]

US blasts off another satellite to boost weather forecasts

by Kerry Sheridan Agence France-Presse MIAMI, United States (AFP) — A new US satellite that offers speedy, high-resolution images of storms and may save lives by making forecasts more accurate blasted off Thursday from a NASA launchpad. “Three, two, one and liftoff!” said a NASA commentator as the Atlas V rocket rumbled into the blue sky at 5:02 pm (2202 GMT) over Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, carrying the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S […]

SpaceX blasts off Luxembourg government satellite

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — SpaceX on Wednesday blasted off a four-ton secure military communications satellite called GovSat-1, a partnership between the government of Luxembourg and the satellite operator SES. The prime minister and deputy prime minister of Luxembourg were in Florida for the launch, along with the prince and princess of Luxembourg, SpaceX said. “There you saw a successful liftoff of the Falcon 9,” a SpaceX commentator said as the rocket launched on a […]

Ariane 5 satellites in orbit despite earlier ‘lost contact’

KOUROU, France (AFP) — Two commercial satellites have been successfully placed in orbit by an Ariane 5 rocket, Arianespace said Thursday, despite mission control briefly losing contact with the craft. “Both satellites were confirmed separated, acquired and they are on orbit,” Arianespace said in an updated statement after the lift-off from the Kourou Space Centre in French Guiana. The European space workhorse blasted off at 7.20 pm (2220 GMT) carrying satellites for Luxembourg’s SES and […]

SpaceX says rocket worked fine as spy satellite reported lost

MIAMI, United States (AFP) — A SpaceX rocket worked fine in its weekend launch of a secretive government satellite, named Zuma, the company said Tuesday after reports the payload did not make it into orbit. “For clarity: after reviewing of all data to date, Falcon 9 did everything correctly on Sunday night,” said Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of California-based SpaceX. “If we or others find otherwise based on further review, we will […]

Russia restores contact with Angolan satellite

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian specialists on Friday said they have restored communication with Angosat-1, the first national satellite it launched for Angola, days after they lost contact with it. “Specialists of Energia rocket and space corporation have received telemetry information from Angosat,” Energia said in a statement. “All parameters of the spacecraft systems are normal.” Energia is the maker of the satellite which Russia launched from its Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday evening. […]

North Korea preparing to launch satellite, according to report

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea is preparing to launch a satellite, a Seoul newspaper said Tuesday, as outside observers warn that the nuclear-armed regime’s space program is a fig leaf for weapons tests. Pyongyang is under multiple UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile tests and is prohibited from carrying out any launch using ballistic missile technology including satellites. “Through various channels, we’ve recently learned that the North has completed a new […]

Cassini readies final plunge into Saturn

by Jean-Louis Santini Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – The National Aeronautics Space Administration’s Cassini probe is counting its final hours before one last plunge into Saturn on Friday that will cap a fruitful 13-year mission that greatly expanded knowledge about the gas giant. While orbiting Saturn nearly 300 times, Cassini made major discoveries, such as the liquid methane seas of the planet’s giant moon Titan and the sprawling subsurface ocean of Enceladus, a […]

Satellite launched to monitor climate change and vegetation

  CAYENNE, France (AFP) — Two satellites including one dedicated to monitoring the effects of climate change on vegetation were successfully launched into orbit late Tuesday, launch company Arianespace said. They were launched from Korou, in French Guiana, at 10:56 pm (0136 GMT). The Vegetation and Environment monitoring on a New Micro Satellite — or Venus — is a joint effort between France’s National Center for Space Studies (CNES) and Israel’s space agency. Venus will […]

US slams ‘provocative’ Iran satellite-launch rocket test

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Thursday hit out at Iran over its test of a satellite-launch rocket, calling it an act that undermined regional stability and saying it appeared to violate United Nations Security Council resolutions. “We consider that to be continued ballistic missile development,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters. “We consider this to be provocative action.” Nauert added that if confirmed, the test could be a “violation of […]

Russia launches 73 satellites into orbit

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — An imaging satellite and 72 micro-satellites were launched into orbit Friday from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Russian space agency Roscosmos and research center Glavcosmos announced. The Soyuz 2-1A rocket successfully lifted off at 0643 GMT with the satellite payload, Roscosmos said in a statement. According to Russian news agencies, Glavcosmos, charged with putting the satellites into orbit, later reported that by 1441 GMT all the satellites had successfully separated. […]