December 2016

Arianespace’s upcoming Vega flight with the GÖKTÜRK-1 optical satellite has been approved for lift-off on 5 December at 1351:44 UTC from the Spaceport in French Guiana. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2016120201

http://www.satellitetoday.com/launch/2016/12/02/generation-orbit-talks-plans-weekly-launches-hypersonic-travel/

http://www.satellitetoday.com/launch/2016/12/02/spacex-returns-flight-first-iridium-next-launch-month/

http://www.satellitetoday.com/telecom/2016/12/02/spacecom-signs-transponder-service-agreement-asiasat-8/

http://www.satellitetoday.com/telecom/2016/12/02/leosat-globalsat-group-sign-strategic-worldwide-agreement/

http://www.satellitetoday.com/government/2016/12/02/klas-telecom-launches-government-network-service-device-inmarsat-gx/

Russia’s the Progress MS-04 cargo spacecraft was lost in a Soyuz-U launch failure. The rocket and its payload disintegrated in the skies over Southern Siberia after what appeared to be a catastrophic failure of the rocket’s third stage. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2016120100

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) configuration will launch the eighth Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS-8) mission for the U.S. Air Force on 7/8 December 2016 (UTC) from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2016120101

Iridium Communications Inc. announced the date for the first launch of its next-generation global satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT. Iridium will be launching on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on 16 December 2016 at 0836 UTC. Launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Falcon 9 rocket will deliver 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into low-earth orbit.…

Hispasat 36W-1, the first telecom satellite built using the SmallGEO platform, arrived in Kourou after completing its final tests at IABG in Germany. It will now start being prepared for launch on a Soyuz rocket in January. http://www.sat-nd.com/archive/?id=2016120103