Satellites News

Wallops Island - Last Sunday NASA launched into Earth orbit three satellites in the shape of three smartphones likely to be the lowest cost satellites ever as part of NASA’s PhoneSat mission.

There were reports this morning that a joint Russian-US rocket carrying a satellite into orbit had crashed into the Pacific Ocean shortly after launch.

The European Space Agency has released details of space missions scheduled in 2013 and developments in prospect with current orbiters and satellites.

Since 1963, more than 800 spacecraft have been launched into geosynchronous orbit, forming a man-made ring of satellites around the Earth, and will now include "The Last Pictures" as mankind's legacy once life has disappeared from the planet.

A Soyuz-FG booster vehicle, with a transfer orbit stage Fregat, was launched from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan yesterday.

Farnborough - Sir Richard Branson's dream of commercial space flight is about to become a reality with plans to send the first passengers into space by 2013.

Emperor penguins are common to Antarctica and are one of the species most commonly associated with the ice-covered environment. Now scientists, using advanced satellites, have calculated that the numbers of penguins are far higher than previously thought.

Amidst accusations that it may be preparing for a nuclear test North Korea has readied its Unha-3 rocket for launch. The launch, intended to put a satellite into orbit, is scheduled for between 12th and 16th April.

Brussels - Should part of future Space Budgets be allocated directly to end-users of satellite services? This was one of the issues discussed at the recent Eurisy Conference "Securing the benefits of satellite services for European society", held in Brussels.

Space is the world's new military battle-ground: the Indian Air Force and North Korea both plan putting satellites into space soon; and the collision of two satellites has brought this new problem into sharp focus: "It is a crowded place out there.'