Soyuz To Launch Radarsat-2

LAUNCH PAD

Evry, France (SPX) Jan 11, 2006
Starsem announced Monday the signing of a contract with MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) for the launch of MDA's RADARSAT-2 Earth observation satellite by a Soyuz launch vehicle.

The launch is planned to take place in December 2006 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Earth observation satellite will be placed into a Sun Synchronous Orbit, at 798 kilometers altitude.

Starsem is the Soyuz company, bringing together all key players involved in the production, operation and international commercial marketing of the world's most versatile launch vehicle.

Shareholders in Starsem are Arianespace, EADS, the Russian Federal Space Agency and the Samara Space Center. The Starsem manifest for Soyuz missions currently includes contracted launches for the European Space Agency, Eumetsat and Globalstar.

LAUNCH PAD

ILS Atlas V Gets Go Ahead To Launch Defense Weather Satellite

McLean VA (SPX) Dec 23, 2005
International Launch Services (ILS) has received authorization from the U.S. Air Force to proceed with the launch of a military weather satellite on an Atlas V vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.