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.
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CAGW Criticizes Subsidies For ULA Satellite Launches
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 10, 2006
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) have criticized the Air Force's plan to grant a multimillion annual subsidy through sole-source contracts for heavy satellite launches to United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
