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Summary: 14 May 2012 - 18 May 2012
 Proton successfully completes Nimiq 6 launch
18 May 2012 - Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) announced that the Nimiq 6 satellite, designed and built for Telesat, is successfully performing post-launch manoeuvres according to plan. The satellite was successfully launched yesterday from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan aboard a Proton Briz M launch vehicle provided by International Launch Services (ILS). >>>
Shizuku completes critical operation phase after launch
18 May 2012 - The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) completed the critical operation period for the Global Change Observation Mission 1 - Water "Shizuku" (GCOM-W1). >>>
Launch I: Kosmos 2480
17 May 2012 - Rocket: Soyuz U; Payload: Kosmos 2480; Date: 17 May 2012, 1505 UTC; Launch site: Plesetsk, Russia. Spokesman for the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin said that the satellite successfully separated from the rocket eight minutes after lift-off. >>>
Launch II: Shizuku, Arirang-3
17 May 2012 - Rocket: H-2A; Payload: GCOM-W1 "Shizuku", Arirang-3 (KOMPSAT-3), SDS-4, Horyu; Date: 17 May 2012, 1639 UTC; Launch site: Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. >>>
Launch III: Nimiq 6
17 May 2012 - Rocket: Proton M/Briz M; Payload: Nimiq 6; Date: 17 May 2012, 1912 UTC; Launch site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Spacecraft separation is to occur on 18 May, 0426 UTC (too late for this issue). >>>
Ariane 5 launches JCSAT-13, Vinasat-2
15 May 2012 - Rocket: Ariane 5 ECA; Payload: JCSAT-13, Vinasat-2; Date: 15 May 2012, 2213 UTC; Launch site: Kourou, French Guiana. JCSAT-13 was successfully deployed 27 minutes after lift-off, followed by Vinasat-2 nine minutes later. >>>
Manned Soyuz capsule launched after six-week delay
15 May 2012 - Rocket: Soyuz-FG; Payload: Soyuz TMA-04M; Date: 15 May 2012, 0301 UTC; Launch site: Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The manned transport spacecraft was accurately placed on the target orbit for another mission to the International Space Station. >>>
U.S. Air Force buys two more ULA rocket launches
15 May 2012 - The U.S. Air Force has contracted United Launch Alliance to put an Air Force Mobile User Objective System-4 satellite in orbit aboard an Atlas V rocket, and to launch a GPS satellite aboard a Delta IV rocket. >>>
NASA modifies launch service contract to add Falcon 9 rocket
14 May 2012 - NASA has announced a modification of its NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract with Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to add an additional configuration of the Falcon 9 rocket to its fleet. >>>
India's indigenous cryogenic engine tested successfully
14 May 2012 - The acceptance test of the indigenous cryogenic engine for the forthcoming GSLV-D5 flight was conducted successfully for 200 seconds on 2 May 2012 at Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) test facilities at Mahendragiri. >>>
Iran to launch Fajr in May or June
14 May 2012 - Iran will launch the experimental Fajr observation satellite soon, although different dates have been announced. >>>
Dragon pre-launch details
18 May 2012 - The Dragon spacecraft built by SpaceX will head to the International Space Station with about 540 kg of cargo during its demonstration mission, including commemorative patches and pins, 162 meals and a collection of student experiments. >>>
AEHF-2 completes first orbit raising phase
17 May 2012 - Following the flawless launch of the second Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite on 4 May, the U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin successfully completed the Liquid Apogee Engine phase of orbit raising on 14 May. >>>
Ball Aerospace submits solar electric propulsion concept to NASA
16 May 2012 - Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has submitted its mission concept study to NASA for demonstrating solar electric propulsion (SEP) technologies in space. >>>
Olso physicists use 20 new satellites to forecast space weather
15 May 2012 - The solar winds consist of charged particles and produce powerful turbulence in the ionosphere, which consists of plasma clouds with electrical particles at an altitude of 80 to 500 km. The turbulence interferes with radio signals. Universities around the world are now working together to understand what is happening at a micro-level in the plasma clouds. >>>
JCSAT-13/Vinasat-2 pre-launch details
14 May 2012 - The Ariane 5 mission with a "mirror" pair of relay satellites for Japan and Vietnam has been given the go-ahead for lift-off on 15 May from the Spaceport in French Guiana. >>>
EchoStar XVII arrives in French Guiana
14 May 2012 - The EchoStar XVII satellite (f.k.a. Jupiter), designed and built by Space Systems/Loral for Hughes Network Systems, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation, has arrived at the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, where it will be launched aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle by Arianespace. >>>
Astrium hands over Y1B to Yahsat
14 May 2012 - Astrium successfully completed the Launch and Early Orbit Phase operations of the Y1B satellite, conducted from its spacecraft control centre in Toulouse (France), and passed control over to the Al Yah Satellite Communications Ccompany (Yahsat). >>>
'Eye operation' puts Proba-1 back in business
14 May 2012 - After more than a decade in orbit, ESA's Proba-1 was showing its age - even hibernating last winter. But a software fix to its startracker, radiation-impaired after surpassing its design lifetime fivefold, has returned the veteran Earth-observing microsatellite to full operation, the agency said. >>>
SIA, CSF applaud step towards reform of U.S. satellite export control
18 May 2012 - The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) applauded the passage of H.R. 4310, the National Defense Authorisation Act for Fiscal Year 2013 ("NDAA"), which includes a provision that would reform the U.S. framework for satellite export controls. >>>
Globalstar loses arbitration case
17 May 2012 - Thales Alenia Space announced the conclusion of the arbitration surrounding the Globalstar satellite manufacturing contract. The arbitration tribunal rules that the terms provided for in the 2009 amended and restated contract between the Thales and Globalstar no longer govern any future purchase. >>>
LightSquared files for bankruptcy
15 May 2012 - LightSquared announced that it commenced voluntarily reorganisation cases under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code to give it time to resolve regulatory issues that have prevented it from building its U.S.-wide integrated satellite 4G wireless network. The company will also file a recognition proceeding in Canada. >>>
EADS (Astrium) results Q1 2012
16 May 2012 - The European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. (EADS) reported financial results for the first quarter 2012. >>>
OHB Group results Q1 2012
16 May 2012 - The OHB Group reported financial results for the first quarter of 2012. >>>
Arqiva takes additional satellite capacity on Eutelsat 7A
16 May 2012 - Arqiva has signed a new contract with Eutelsat Communications for additional satellite capacity to meet growing demand for its Occasional Use satellite services. >>>
RSCC and Hughes sign technology cooperation MoU
14 May 2012 - The Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) and Hughes Network Systems, LLC have signed a technology co-operation memorandum of understanding (MoU) under which the companies will explore the development of multi-media video and broadband Internet services via RSCC satellites in Russia. >>>
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