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Space


May 2004 Space News

  • World: U.S. Spacecraft Ready For Life As Satellite Of Saturn RFE/RL 31 May 2004 -- Following a successful trajectory adjustment last week, America's "Cassini" spacecraft is now on course to encounter the planet Saturn's enigmatic moon Phoebe. The encounter will be a crucial test of the spacecraft's health after its nearly seven-year voyage from Earth. The craft is to become Saturn's first-ever artificial satellite, and will study its rings and natural satellites for four years. It will also drop a European probe on its largest satellite, Titan, later in the year.
  • Boeing Completes its Work on the Final Standard Missile-3 Kinetic Warhead Boeing 28 May 2004 -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] shipped the fifth Initial Deployment Round Standard Missile-3 Kinetic Warhead (SM-3 KW) today, bringing the Missile Defense Agency one step closer to providing the nation with a sea-based defense against short-to medium-range ballistic missile threats.
  • Lockheed Martin Begins Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Missile Manufacturing in Troy, Alabama Lockheed Martin 26 May 2004 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] began manufacturing the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile today at its Pike County Operations facility in Troy, AL. The facility will perform final integration, assembly and testing of the THAAD missile, which is an integral part of the THAAD weapon system and the United States' network of layered defenses against ballistic missile attack.
  • ROCSAT-2 SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED CNA 21 May 2004 -- President Chen Shui-bian pushed a button during a teleconference Friday to activate a connection between the ROCSAT-2 satellite and Taiwan, marking the success of the launch and operations of Taiwan's second satellite.
  • ATK Rocket Motors Help Launch Communications Satellite Aboard Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS ATK 21 May 2004 -- ATK (Alliant Techsystems, NYSE: ATK) rocket motors supported Wednesday’s successful launch of Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, that carried the AMC-11 C-band communications satellite into orbit. The satellite, built with the assistance of ATK composite structures, will deliver cable programming to more than 80 million homes.
  • ROCSAT-2 EXPECTED TO BE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED: NSC OFFICIAL CNA 20 May 2004 -- The Republic of China's second satellite -- ROCSAT-2 -- is expected to be successfully launched into orbit from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Thursday morning, a ranking official of the ROC Cabinet-level National Science Council (NSC) said Wednesday in California.
  • Orbital Successfully Launches Taiwan's ROCSAT-2 Satellite Aboard Taurus XL Rocket Orbital Sciences Corporation 20 May 2004 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE:ORB) announced today that its Taurus XL space launch vehicle successfully boosted the Republic of China's ROCSAT-2 remote sensing satellite into low-Earth orbit in a mission that originated from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California earlier this afternoon.
  • Orbital Successfully Launches Taiwan's ROCSAT-2 Satellite Aboard Taurus XL Rocket Orbital Sciences Corp. 20 May 2004 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that its Taurus XL space launch vehicle successfully boosted the Republic of China's ROCSAT-2 remote sensing satellite into low-Earth orbit in a mission that originated from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California earlier this afternoon. Today's mission was the seventh in the Taurus program's history and was also the inaugural flight of the enhanced performance "XL" version of the space launch vehicle.
  • Orbital Set To Launch Taurus Rocket On May 20 Orbital Sciences Corporation 19 May 2004 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation announced today that it is in final preparations to launch its Taurus® space launch vehicle carrying the Republic of China's ROCSAT-2 remote sensing satellite on Thursday, May 20, 2004.
  • Lockheed Martin-Built AMC-11 Satellite Launched Successfully From Cape Canaveral Lockheed Martin 19 May 2004 -- The AMC-11 telecommunications satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] for SES AMERICOM, was successfully launched today from Cape Canaveral aboard a Lockheed Martin-built Atlas IIAS rocket provided by International Launch Services (ILS). Initial contact with the satellite, called acquisition of signal, was confirmed at 7:26 p.m. EDT from the Lockheed Martin satellite tracking station in Uralla Australia.
  • ILS Successfully Launches AMC-11 Satellite; Celebrates 5 Missions In 5 Months Lockheed Martin 19 May 2004 -- International Launch Services (ILS) marked another successful mission tonight, after its Atlas IIAS rocket placed the AMC-11 satellite into orbit for SES AMERICOM.
  • Successful Demonstration of Prototype System Sets MEADS on Path for Development Phase Lockheed Martin 18 May 2004 -- MEADS International (MI) and the NATO MEADS Management Agency today announced the successful completion of the final system demonstration requirement for the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS), clearing the way for the program to enter design and development later this year. The demonstration took place at Practica di Mare Air Base, outside Rome, May 6.
  • ATK Test Validates Pulse-capable Solid Divert and Attitude Control System Design ATK 17 May 2004 -- ATK (NYSE: ATK) and Honeywell (NYSE: HON) have successfully completed a critical hot-fire test of an ATK solid Divert and Attitude Control System (DACS) employing a modified valve design. DACS technology is used to control the yaw, pitch, and roll of Missile Defense Agency anti-missile warheads.
  • Lockheed Martin-Built AMC-11 Satellite Ready For Launch From Cape Canaveral Aboard Atlas IIAS Lockheed Martin 17 May 2004 -- The AMC-11 telecommunications satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] for SES AMERICOM of Princeton, NJ, is ready for launch May 19 from Cape Canaveral aboard an Atlas IIAS rocket provided by International Launch Services, a Lockheed Martin joint venture.
  • Sea Launch Team Prepares for Telstar 18 Mission Boeing 16 May 2004 -- The Odyssey Launch Platform and the Sea Launch Commander departed Sea Launch Home Port this week in preparation for the launch of Loral's Telstar 18 communications satellite on June 28, in a two-hour launch window that will open at 8:59 pm PDT (3:59 GMT, June 29).
  • PATRIOT MISSILE, TORNADO FRIENDLY FIRE INVESTIGATION COMPLETED CENTCOM Release 14 May 2004-- The investigation into the March 22, 2003 friendly fire incident between a U.S. Patriot missile system and a British Royal Air Force aircraft is complete.
  • Probe Says Tornado Jet Downed in 'Perceived Self-Defense' AFPS 14 May 2004 -- A U.S. Patriot missile crew in Iraq downed a British Royal Air Force Tornado attack fighter jet in "perceived self-defense," U.S. Central Command's investigation of the March 22, 2003, incident has concluded.
  • U.S. Dangerous Moves for Missile Defence System under Fire KCNA 13 May 2004 -- The U.S. Defense Department, which recently decided to deploy nearly 10 interceptor missiles by the end of this year, is going full steam ahead for its materialization.
  • Lockheed Martin Receives Airborne Laser Turret Ball From Brashear LP Lockheed Martin 13 May 2004 -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) today announced it has begun final integration of the flight turret assembly for the Airborne Laser (ABL) program. ABL will be the world's first megawatt-class laser weapon system integrated on a specially configured 747-400F aircraft to autonomously detect, track and destroy hostile ballistic missiles. Lockheed Martin is responsible for the system that will accurately point, focus and fire the laser to provide sufficient energy to destroy the missile while it is still in the highly vulnerable boost phase of flight -- before separation of its warheads.
  • ILS Adds 5th Americom Satellite To 2004 Launch Schedule Lockheed Martin 12 May 2004 -- International Launch Services (ILS) is adding the launch of the AMC-16 satellite to its Atlas V manifest for the fourth quarter of 2004, resulting in a total of five planned missions this year for a single customer, SES AMERICOM.
  • Intelsat To Purchase Atlas V Launch Vehicle From ILS Lockheed Martin 11 May 2004 -- International Launch Services (ILS) announced today that Intelsat has agreed to purchase an Atlas V rocket for the launch of a future satellite. Financial terms were not disclosed.
  • Lockheed Martin's COMSAT General To Be Acquired By Intelsat Lockheed Martin 11 May 2004 -- Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) today announced that Intelsat, Ltd. will acquire Lockheed Martin's COMSAT General business. The purchase price is $90 million in cash, with an option for Intelsat, in certain circumstances, to substitute up to $40 million in stock for cash. The transaction is not expected to have a material impact on Lockheed Martin's results or financial position. The acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, is anticipated to be completed by year's end.
  • Cassini/Huygens: Approaching Saturn - “the Lord of the Rings” EADS 10 May 2004 -- The insertion of the joint US/European spacecraft duo, Cassini/Huygens, into orbit round Saturn on 1 July 2004 marks the arrival of "Made in Ottobrunn" technology at the "Lord of the Rings". The final phase of one of the most spectacular planetary missions in space history will begin when the Cassini/Huygens spacecraft reaches Saturn: For the first time the ringed planet and some of its moons are to be studied in detail and a probe is to land on the moon Titan.
  • Successful demonstration of MEADS system performance EADS 10 May 2004 -- A successful system demonstration on 6 May 2004 in Pratica di Mare near Rome (Italy) signalled the end of the three-year Risk Reduction Effort phase (RRE phase) for the MEADS ground-based air defence system. The required performance levels were achieved 100 percent. Representatives from the three countries involved in the MEADS program (Germany, Italy and the USA) took part in the system demonstration.
  • Infoterra GmbH Initiates Commercial Exploitation of TerraSAR-X EADS 10 May 2004 -- Only from 2006, TerraSAR-X will be delivering Earth observation data of a new quality, however, its´ commercial exploitation starts now: two years prior to the scheduled launch date. The Friedrichshafen-based Infoterra GmbH, a 100-percent subsidiary of Europe´s leading satellite provider EADS Astrium, currently installs a global distribution network for the radar satellite.
  • CryoSat - A Satellite on an Icy Mission EADS 10 May 2004 -- CryoSat, the ice research satellite developed and built by EADS Astrium for the European Space Agency ESA, is rapidly nearing completion. Full CryoSat integration has been completed in the Friedrichshafen-based satellite centre. Final tests are currently underway. Mid June, the satellite will be prepared for transportation to Munich where tests will be carried out under space conditions. After the first test phase, the satellite will be disassembled to install the last few electronics units.
  • Three Billion Euros Contract For 30 Ariane 5 Launchers EADS 10 May 2004 -- At the Berlin Airshow, in the presence of the German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and the French Minister of Research François d' Aubert, Jean-Yves Le Gall, CEO of ARIANESPACE, Josef Kind and Hervé Guillou, respectively President and CEO of EADS SPACE Transportation, signed the contract for the production of 30 Ariane 5 launchers.
  • Satellites Support International Missions of the German Armed Forces EADS 10 May 2004 -- In the future, the armed forces of the European states will increasingly base their operations on satellites. Thus, EADS Astrium, the leading European space company, is studying missions in the fields of application, i.e. communication, reconnaissance, early warning and missile defence. The enhanced evaluation of radar data from reconnaissance satellites with the help of a global 3D map is also under preparation.
  • SATCOMBw: Satellite Communications for the German Armed Forces EADS 10 May 2004 -- In today’s military global operations, an appropriate, efficient, rapid, secure communications capability is of paramount importance for national security, the backbone of strategic command infrastructure. In response to a Request for Proposal by the German MoD (Deutsche Bundeswehr) for provision of military communications capacity, EADS SPACE Services GmbH of Munich has brought together an outstanding team to bid for the contract, called SATCOMBw Stage 2.
  • ATV Automated Transfer Vehicle EADS 10 May 2004 -- The Automated Transfer Vehicle, (ATV), is one of Europe’s major contributions to the International Space Station (ISS). The ATV represents a logistics vehicle designed to ferry supplies to the International Space Station and, once docked, to raise its orbit. The first ATV is supposed be launched in 2005.
  • European high technology for the International Space Station EADS 10 May 2004 -- Assembly of the International Space Station has come to a halt after the Columbia accident early last year. Although there will be a delay of at least 24 months in the further assembly of the station in space, preparation on Earth continues according to plan. The space station, 400 kilometres away from Earth and financed by 15 nations, is regarded as the most ambitious technology project ever in the history of man.
  • From the SS-19 to the commercial launch vehicle Rockot - successful German-Russian space co-operation through EADS SPACE Transportation and Eurockot EADS 10 May 2004 -- Eurockot Launch Services GmbH, Bremen, Germany, a joint venture of EADS SPACE Transportation and Khrunichev, is an excellent example of successful German-Russian industrial co-operation in the space sector. The five successful launches of the German-Russian launch vehicle ROCKOT carried out since 2000 were resulting from strategic weapon conversion pursuant to the START treaty signed in 1991.
  • Herschel - Looking at the Birth of Stars EADS 10 May 2004 -- With the Herschel space telescope, the European Space Agency ESA will be able to look billions of light- years out into space to investigate the formation of stars. From 2007, Herschel will observe the evolution of stars and galaxies in the infrared spectrum with unprecedented resolution.
  • PHOENIX: Future prospects in space transport through reusable launch systems EADS 10 May 2004 -- Sagging commercial satellite markets and distorted competitive conditions in the launch services sector show that conventional, expendable launch vehicles need to be adjusted to meet the market's demand for improved profitability, efficiency and versatility. Studies prove that Europe's position in the global market and sustained, autonomous European access to space can only be ensured by drastically lowering current transportation costs. This, however, can be achieved by using reusable launch systems.
  • EADS welcomes contract signature for 30 Ariane 5 launchers at ILA 2004 in Berlin EADS 10 May 2004 -- EADS sees great significance in the signing of a contract between Arianespace and EADS SPACE Transportation for the production and delivery of 30 Ariane 5 launchers between 2005 and 2010. "This is an important step towards strengthening the competitiveness of the European space industry," explained the EADS CEOs, Philippe Camus and Rainer Hertrich, “as it provides a clear commitment to Ariane for the rest of the decade.”
  • European Nations Selected for NATO Milsatcom Solution EADS 07 May 2004 -- The Ministries of Defence of France, Italy and the United Kingdom have been jointly selected by NATO to provide its new Satellite Communications capability from 2005 through to 2019. The NATO SATCOM Post-2000 capability requirement for SHF and UHF space segment is to be provided through the existing national programmes – Syracuse in France, Sicral in Italy and Skynet in the UK.
  • Ballistic Missile Defense in Korea to be Strengthened US Forces Korea 06 May 2004 -- Earlier this week Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, was informed by the Secretary of the Army that additional Patriot assets will be stationed in the Republic of Korea (ROK) to augment the ballistic missile defense capabilities already in the region.
  • Northrop Grumman-Built High-Energy Laser Destroys Large-Caliber Rocket in History-Making Test Northrop Grumman 06 May 2004 -- As the scope of battlefield threats continues to expand, so does the versatility of a high-energy laser system to defeat them. The U.S. Army's Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL) testbed destroyed a rocket on May 4 that's larger, faster and that flies higher than previous threats destroyed by the laser weapon demonstrator. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) built the demonstrator for the Army and the Israel Ministry of Defence (IMoD).
  • Lockheed Martin Considers Mixed Fleet Of Launch Alternatives For National Space Exploration Vision Lockheed Martin 05 May 2004 -- John Karas, Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] vice president for Space Exploration, said today that incremental, evolutionary development of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) family that began in the 1960s is a vital lesson that can yield important dividends well into the future.
  • Sea Launch Successfully Delivers DIRECTV 7S to Orbit Boeing 04 May 2004 -- Sea Launch Company today successfully delivered the DIRECTV 7S broadcast satellite to orbit from its ocean-based platform on the Equator, marking ten consecutive successes for this highly reliable system. Early data indicate the spacecraft is in excellent condition.
  • Lockheed Martin Wins $108 Million in Delivery Orders for NASA ODIN Contract Lockheed Martin 04 May 2004 -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) has been awarded four delivery orders by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration worth approximately $108.8 million under its Outsourcing Desktop Initiative for NASA (ODIN) contracting vehicle.



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