SARAL; SAPPHIRE; NEOSSat; 3 cubesat - PSLV-CA C20 - 25.02.2013 12:31 UTC

[Salo]

июль - SARAL, SAPPHIRE, NEOSSat, UniBRITE, BRITE-AUSTRIA, AAUSat3 - PSLV-С20 (CA)

http://spaceref.ca/isro/canadian-satellites-launch-on-indias-pslv-c20-delayed-again.html

Canadian Satellites Launch on India's PSLV-C20 Delayed Again

By Marc Boucher
Posted March 20, 2012 5:46 PM

Canada's long awaited launch of the NEOSSat and Sapphire satellites will have to wait a little longer, slipping into a Q3 launch, with an anticipated earliest launch date of mid-July.

India is scheduled to launch the PSLV-C19 rocket no earlier than April 15th with the joint French-India RISAT-1 satellite. Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of India's space program normally takes three months preparing between launches. Assuming there are no problems with the PSLV-C19 launch or preparations for the PSLV-C20 launch, then a mid-July launch seems possible.

NEOSSat will be the first space telescope dedicated to the search for near-Earth asteroids. NEOSSat is the result of a university-industry collaboration and will spend half the time looking for these small interplanetary objects that could potentially impact the Earth and cause great damage. NEOSSat will spend the other half of its time searching for satellites and space debris in orbit around the Earth in a research project sponsored by a DND agency, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC).

Sapphire is the Department of National Defence (DND) first dedicated military satellite and will upgrade Canada's space surveillance capabilities.

Also launching on the PSLV-C20 rocket are the Canadian built CanX-3b (aka TUGSAT-1) and CanX-3a (aka UniBRITE) nanosatellites. Both of these nanosatellites we're built by the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies Space Flight Laboratory.

[Salo]

http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/saral.htm

SARAL


SARAL [ISRO]

An ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) satellite, SARAL (Satellite with ARgos and ALtika), will embark the AltiKa altimeter (working in Ka-band, 35 GHz), built by CNES, as well as a Doris instrument. Signal frequencies in the Ka-band will enable better observation of ice, rain, coastal zones, land masses (forests, etc.), and wave heights.

The Saral mission is complementary to Jason-2. Its objectives are:

To realize precise, repetitive global measurements of sea surface height, significant wave heights and wind speed for
developping operational oceanography;
understanding of climate and developing
forecasting capabilities;
operational meteorology.
To ensure, from 2009, in association with Jason-2, the continuity of the service given today by the altimeters onboard Envisat and Jason-1,
To answer the need expressed by the ocean and climate study international programs, and contribute to the building of a global ocean observing system.

The proposed payload integrates :

a high-resolution AltiKa altimeter, that includes a bi-frequency radiometric function,
the Doris precise orbitography system, in association with a laser retroflector (LRA).

The launch of this mission is planned for the end of 2009, with a life of 3 years (2 year for the nominal phase, and one year for the extended phase). This mission is a cooperation between CNES and ISRO.

SARAL payload is being planned to be accommodated in the mini-satellite bus in the 400-450 kg class, named as SSB-1. The bus is being developed miniaturising the currently proven operational mainframe subsystems. SARAL satellite mission is planned to be launched during late-2009 into a sun-synchronous, 6 am-6 pm orbit at an altitude of around 800 km. SARAL will provide Data Products to the operational and research user communities, in support of Marine meteorology and sea state forecasting; Operational oceanography; Seasonal forecasting; Climate monitoring; and Ocean, Earth system and climate research.

Nation:       India, France
Type / Application:       Earth Science
Operator:       ISRO, CNES
Contractors:       ISRO, CNES
Equipment:       ARGOS, ALTIKA
Configuration:       Minisatellite-SSB (SSB-1)
Propulsion:      
Power:       2 deployable solar arrays, batteries
Lifetime:       3 years
Mass:       346 kg
Orbit:       800 km

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http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/sapphire_cnd.htm

Sapphire


Sapphire [MDA]

Sapphire is a key element of the Canadian Space Surveillance System, and will be a contributing sensor to the US Space Surveillance Network. It is a space-based electrooptical sensor that will provide accurate and timely tracking data to the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) on manmade and natural objects in medium to high Earth orbits at orbit altitudes between 6,000 km and 40,000 km. The data collected will be processed by a ground-based system and the results will be used to update the U.S. Satellite Catalogue that is used by both NORAD and Canada to provide space situational awareness.

Canada's Department of National Defence (DND) awarded MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) in October 2007 a contract to deliver an information solution called Sapphire for the surveillance of space objects. Sapphire is DND's first dedicated space mission and will support Canada's NORAD commitments with the delivery of critical information.

MDA will lead a team comprised of COMDEV of Cambridge, Ontario, and SSTL of Surrey, England. The four-year contract has the potential for a future extension for mission support, operations, and maintenance. It follows a design phase previously awarded to MDA.

Sapphire will use a small Three Mirror Anastigmat (TMA) telescope similar in design to the Space Based Visible sensor on the US MSX satellite. The optical sensor will consist of a 15 cm telescope and will have a 1.4 deg field of view to observe man-made objects in deep space (6,000 – 40,000 km altitude). The satellite will be in a sun-synchronous, dawn-dusk orbit. The satellite's telescope will point away from the sun so it can observe objects with an aspect that provides the maximum amount of reflected sunlight (best possible phase angle).

The ideal orbit for a space-based space surveillance sensor such as Sapphire is a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 750 km, and a Local Time of Ascending Node of 06:00.

Nation:       Canada
Type / Application:       Space Surveilance
Operator:       Department of National Defence (DND)
Contractors:       MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) (Prime), SSTL (Bus)
Equipment:      
Configuration:       SSTL-150
Propulsion:      
Power:       Solar cells, batteries
Lifetime:      
Mass:       ~150 kg
Orbit:       750 km SSO

[Salo]

http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/neossat.htm

NEOSSAT


NEOSSAT [CSA]

Canada is building the world's first space telescope designed to detect and track asteroids as well as satellites. Called NEOSSat (Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite), this spacecraft will provide a significant improvement in surveillance of asteroids that pose a collision hazard with Earth and innovative technologies for tracking satellites in orbit high above our planet.

Weighing in at a mere 65-kilograms, this dual-use $12-million mission builds upon Canada's expertise in compact "microsatellite" design. NEOSSat will be the size of a large suitcase, and is cost-effective because of its small size and ability to "piggyback" on the launch of other spacecraft. The mission is funded by Defence Research Development Canada (DRDC) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Together CSA and DRDC formed a Joint Project Office to manage the NEOSSat design, construction and launch phases. NEOSSat is expected to be launched into space in 2010. The two projects that will use NEOSSat are HEOSS (High Earth Orbit Space Surveillance) and the NESS (Near Earth Space Surveillance) asteroid search program.

NEOSSat is the first follow up mission to the groundbreaking MOST (Microvariability and Oscillation of STars) spacecraft, a 60-kilogram satellite designed to measure the age of stars in our galaxy. NEOSSat also marks the first project using Canada's Multi-Mission Microsatellite Bus. CSA's Space Technology branch launched the Multi-Mission Bus project to capitalize on technology developed for the MOST project by making it adaptable to future satellite missions.

The HEOSS project will demonstrate how a microsatellite could contribute to the Space Surveillance Network (SSN), a network of ground based telescopes and radars located around the world. Until the 1980s, Canada contributed to the SSN with two ground-based telescopes in eastern and western Canada. The fact that HEOSS will be a space-based capability on a microsatellite represents an exciting enhancement to the contribution and offers significant advantages to the SSN. Ground-based sensors' tracking opportunities are constrained by their geographic location and the day-night cycle. In Sun-synchronous orbit around our planet, NEOSSat will offer continuous tracking opportunities and the ability to track satellites in a wide variety of orbit locations.

Although NEOSSat's 15-centimeter telescope is smaller than most amateur astronomers', its location approximately 700 kilometers above Earth's atmosphere will give it a huge advantage in searching the blackness of space for faint signs of moving asteroids. Twisting and turning hundreds of times each day, orbiting from pole to pole every 50 minutes, and generating power from the Sun, NEOSSat will send dozens of images to the ground each time it passes over Canada. Due to the ultra-low sky background provided by the vacuum of space, NEOSSat will be able to detect asteroids delivering as few as 50 photons of light in a 100-second exposure.

Nation:       Canada
Type / Application:       Astronomy
Operator:       CSA
Contractors:       Microsat Systems Canada Inc. (MSCI)
Equipment:       15 cm telescope, photometer
Configuration:       Multi-Mission Microsatellite Bus
Propulsion:       None
Power:       Solar cells, batteries
Lifetime:      
Mass:       65 kg
Orbit:       700 km

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http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/unibrite.htm

UniBRITE (CanX 3A)


UniBRITE (CanX 3A) [UTIAS]

CanX-3 (Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiments), also known as BRITE (BRIght-star Target Explorer), is a mission planned to make photometric observations of some of the brightest starts in the sky in order to examine these stars for variability. The observations will have a precision at least 10 times better than achievable using ground-based observations, and it will be packaged inside a CanX-class nanosatellite.

The Principal Investigator for the BRITE mission is Professor Anthony F. J. Moffat Département de physique, Université de Montréal. The Austrian Co-Principal Investigator is Professor Werner W. Weiss, University of Vienna.

The design is a 20 cm cube, chosen to accommodate the main telescope. It leverages a number of technologies qualified on CanX-2 and incorporates SFL's high-performance attitude control system, using reaction wheels developed in collaboration with Sinclair Interplanetary.

With the support of ETech a preliminary design for BRITE has been completed. At the present time, the components to be integrated into the science instrument are being evaluated at UTIAS/SFL; this stage of the work is supported by the Canadian Space Agency.

Nation:    Austria, Canada
Type / Application:    Astronomy / Technology
Operator:    UTIAS (University of Toronto, Institute for Aerospace Studies)
Contractors:    UTIAS
Equipment:    
Configuration:    Generic Nanosatellite Bus (GNB)
Propulsion:    
Power:    Solar cells, batteries
Lifetime:    
Mass:    10 kg

[Salo]

http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/tugsat-1.htm

TUGsat 1 (BRITE-Austria, CanX 3B)


TUGsat 1 (BRITE-Austria) [TU-Graz]

TUGSat 1 (Technische Universität Graz Satellit), also known as BRITE-Austria (BRIght-star Target Explorer - Austria), is a mission planned to make photometric observations of some of the brightest starts in the sky in order to examine these stars for variability. The observations will have a precision at least 10 times better than achievable using ground-based observations, and it will be packaged inside a CanX-class nanosatellite.

Nation:    Austria, Canada
Type / Application:    Astronomy / Technology
Operator:    Graz University of Technology
Contractors:    Graz University of Technology; UTIAS (bus)
Equipment:    
Configuration:    Generic Nanosatellite Bus (GNB)
Propulsion:    
Power:    Solar cells, batteries
Lifetime:    
Mass:    10 kg

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http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/max-valier.htm

Max Valier


Max Valier

Max Valier is a 10 kg nanosatellite with multiple payloads. It is built in collaboration by the Gewerbeoberschule "Max Valier" Bozen, the Gewerbeoberschule "Oskar von Miller" Meran and the Amateurastronomen "Max Valier". The Max Planck Institut für extraterrestrische Physik Garching provides the small X-ray telescope µRosi, which allows amateur astronmers for the first time to see the sky in X-ray wavelength. OHB-System provides the LuxSpace AIS reciever, support and the launch opportunity on an indian PSLV rocket.

The full attitude controlled satellite will scan the sky for bright X-ray sources (first payload), with an AIS receiver it will receive signals from ships (second payload), and it will capture optical pictures with a CMOS-camera (third payload), and send these to earth.

The X-ray telescope will have scanned the whole sky after half a year. The data will be evaluated and published by amateur astronomers. The spacecraft mechanical design basic idea follows a flat satellite concept with direct integration of spacecraft components and electronic boards into load carrying unibody structure. The spacecraft will have a body mounted non deployable sun pointed solar array.

To achieve effective power generation and solar array sun pointing, the satellite is attitude controlled in 3 axes and spin stabilized in one axis with momentum wheel. The main board controller is fully redundant and a complete proprietary development of the GOB Bozen. It manages the periphery with 8 serial interfaces and numerous further ports. TM-TC and payload data transmission to ground is ensured over radio modems at 70 cm and S-Band with a link rate of 19200 Bd. An amateur radio beacon signal will also be transmitted on the 2 m band. The ground control stations in Bozen and Meran will be used to control the satellite and for the data download. The S-band link will be realized with antennas of a diameter of 3m to achieve a link budget with 16 dB fade margin.
Nation:    Italy
Type / Application:    Astronomy, X-Ray; technology
Operator:    Gewerbeoberschule "Max Valier" Bozen, Gewerbeoberschule "Oskar von Miller" Meran, Amateurastronomen "Max Valier"
Contractors:    Gewerbeoberschule "Max Valier" Bozen, Gewerbeoberschule "Oskar von Miller" Meran, Amateurastronomen "Max Valier"
Equipment:    µRosi X-ray telescope, AIS receiver, CMOS-camera
Configuration:    
Propulsion:    None
Power:    Solar cell, batteries
Lifetime:    
Mass:    10 kg

[Salo]

http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/aau-cubesat.htm

AAU-Cubesat / AAUSAT 2, 3


AAU-Cubesat [AAU]

The main purpose for the AAU-Cubesat (Aalborg University Cubesat) project is for the involved students to achieve a great deal of knowledge about designing and constructing Space worthy technology, but the "scientific" mission of the AAU-CubeSat is to take pictures of the surface of the Earth and particularly of Denmark by using the on-board camera. The images recorded by the satellite were later transmitted to the ground station, located at Aalborg University, from where they were distributed over the Internet and made accessible for the general public.

Several success criterias have been defined. A basic success criteria in this case is, to develop and build a satellite which is able to survive the launch and the hazardous environment in its orbit. Another success criteria is establishment of a communication link with the ground station informing about the status of the satellite. Finally to point the on board camera towards a specific target on the ground, to take an image and to send this data down to the ground station, represents the final success criteria.

To summarize the above the missions success criterias are the following:

That the involved students have achieved some useful knowledge of space technology.
That communication is established with the satellite and housekeeping information is retrieved.
Take and download any picture.
Test ACS performance.
Take pictures of certain locations on earth.
Take pictures of celestial objects and experiment with the various subsystems.

AAUSAT 2 carried a radiation sensor.

AAUSAT 3 will be built completly inhouse in the university using no Cubseat-kit. It will test an AIS-receiver in orbit.
Nation:       Denmark
Type / Application:       Technology
Operator:       Aalborg University Cubesat
Contractors:       Aalborg University Cubesat
Equipment:       Solar cells, batteries
Configuration:       CubeSat (1U)
Propulsion:       None
Power:       Solar cells, batteries
Lifetime:      
Mass:       1 kg
Orbit:      

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http://www.firstpost.com/india/after-risat-1-isro-announces-two-new-missions-289478.html

PSLV C-20 with Indo French satellite SARAL and four small satellites would be launched in October, 2012 and PSLV C-21 with a commercial payload SPOT, a French satellite on earth observation this August, he said.

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http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=1173.msg932524#msg932524

PSLV-C21 to be launched some time after Aug-15 (India's Independence Day)

No links to provide as the news is not yet in media(will get them as and when available)

Also PSLV-C20(Saffire+SARAL+...) is also getting ready for launch on the other launch pad. Stacking operations have already begun.

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http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/article3721690.ece

According to Veeraraghavan, the space agency would launch SARAL satellite - an Indo-French initiative - using PSLV-C20 rocket sometime in October-November this year.

Agreeing that ISRO normally do not launch any rockets during that period, Veeraraghavan said if the weather is conducive the rocket could be sent up.

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http://newindianexpress.com/nation/article585466.ece

By PTI - BANGALORE

08th August 2012 12:45 PM

"The next launch (after GSAT-10) is going to be another PSLV launch", Radhakrishnan said. "It (SARAL, an Indo-French satellite) is a joint activity in the sense payload is built by France (CNES), satellite is by ISRO and launch is by ISRO".

SARAL will provide data products to operational and research user communities, in support of marine meteorology and sea state forecasting; operational oceanography; seasonal forecasting; climate monitoring; ocean, earth system and climate research, ISRO officials said.

[Salo]

http://spaceref.ca/isro/canadian-satellites-finally-set-for-launch-on-indian-rocket.html

Canadian Satellites Finally Set For Launch on Indian Rocket

By Marc Boucher
Posted September 5, 2012 10:36 AM

It would appear that several Canadian satellites are finally going to get their launch after years of delays by the Indian Space Research Organization.

India is set to launch the India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C21 rocket this coming Sunday, September 9th with the French Astrium Spot 6 remote sensing satellite as its primary payload with Canada's launch scheduled after it.

SpaceRef has learned that the PSLV-C20 launch which includes Canada's NEOSSat, Sapphire & CanX-3a and CanX-3b satellites is now set for the 1st week of December. Should the launch go ahead in early December it would be four years behind schedule.

NEOSSat will be the first space telescope dedicated to the search for near-Earth asteroids. NEOSSat is the result of a university-industry collaboration and will spend half the time looking for these small interplanetary objects that could potentially impact the Earth and cause great damage. NEOSSat will spend the other half of its time searching for satellites and space debris in orbit around the Earth in a research project sponsored by a DND agency, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC).

Sapphire is the Department of National Defence (DND) first dedicated military satellite and will upgrade Canada's space surveillance capabilities.

Also launching on the PSLV-C20 rocket are the Canadian built CanX-3b (aka TUGSAT-1) and CanX-3a (aka UniBRITE) nanosatellites. Both of these nanosatellites we're built by the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies Space Flight Laboratory.

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/isro-to-launch-indo-french-satellite-saral-on-12-12-12/articleshow/16367164.cms

12 Sep, 2012, 04.50PM IST, PTI
ISRO to launch Indo-French satellite SARAL on 12-12-12

Indo-French satellite "SARAL" would be launched onboard PSLV-C20 from the spaceport of Sriharikota on December 12,ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan said
BANGALORE: Indo-French satellite "SARAL" would be launched onboard PSLV-C20 from the spaceport of Sriharikota on December 12, this year, Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman K Radhakrishnan said today.

"PSLV-C20 will be assembled in about 25 days in Sriharikota and the satellite will be launched on December 12, 2012. As somebody said it's 12-12-12 (launch date)," he said at the Bangalore Space Expo 2012 here.

Radhakrishnan also said the European space consortium Arianespace would launch India's GSAT-10 communication satellite from Kourou in French Guiana at 2.30 AM (Indian time) on September 22.

ISRO officials said SARAL is a small satellite mission with payloads -- Argos and Altika -- from French space agency CNES for study of ocean parameters towards enhancing the understanding of the ocean state conditions which are otherwise not covered by the in-situ measurements.

The satellite has been built by ISRO, which would also take care of the launch services.

SARAL will provide data products to operational and research user communities, in support of marine meteorology and sea state forecasting; operational oceanography; seasonal forecasting; climate monitoring; ocean, earth system and climate research, the officials said.

[Salo]

http://www.space.aau.dk/aausat3/

WE ARE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE:

AAUSAT3 will leave Denmark on September 23. 2012 heading for SFL in Toronto for final external test before the launch primo December from India riding on PSLV C-20 rocket from ISRO.

More info will come here



AAUSAT3s TRAVEL LOG
120925 Later at SFL Laboratory

All tests now have been conducted, and the spacecraft has been visually as well as technically inspected to have no errors after the tests. Is has been reins erted into the X-pod, all subsystems are rese t and the batteries are topped up. That is, AAUSAT3 is now as ready for launch as it can ever be!
120925 At SFL Laboratory

Things are progressing as expected. Tests has up until now been successful on FM as well as QM. We hope that next news will be that FM is integrated in the POD(deployment unit)
120924 Arrived Toronto SFL

Jesper and Troels on way to first working and testing day at SFL
120923 Aalborg Airport inspecting cubesat box

: Q: What's that ?
: A: It's two satellites on way to launch
: Reaction from security: oh ... well okay :-)

Conclusion: we are traveling to much with satellites :-)

[Salo]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pslv-to-launch-5-foreign-satellites-in-december/article3927164.ece

PSLV to launch 5 foreign satellites in December
Madhumathi D. S.

SARAL will study heights of ocean surfaces and waves

The Indian Space Research Organisation's next PSLV launch slated for December this year will also put five small commercial foreign satellites in orbit.

Among them is a 148-kg Canadian surveillance satellite, Sapphire.

ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said the satellites, weighing between 148 kg and 3 kg, would fly piggyback with the main satellite, SARAL, which was an Indo-French cooperative mission. The flight is slated for '12-12-12': or December 12 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

Roughly, a PSLV rocket — which has three variants — can lift around 1,000-kg payload into near-Earth orbits of around 800 km.

"There is a demand for one more small satellite to be put along with [them.] We are seeing the technical feasibility" of it, he said in an interview to The Hindu.

It was not immediately known what Antrix Corporation, ISRO's commercial arm, has charged for launching these satellites.

It reportedly earned close to Rs. 100 crore when the latest PSLV put France's SPOT-6, weighing 720 kg, into a 600-km orbit.

SARAL, weighing 350-400 kg, is acronym for 'SAtellite for ARgos and ALtiKa' and carries two Earth sensing instruments provided by ISRO's French counterpart, CNES.

It will study heights of ocean surfaces and waves.

ISRO has built the satellite as per their agreement in 2007.

The other small paid passengers to be flown on the PSLV-C20 are NEOSSAT, another Canadian 82-kg surveillance satellite; BRITE and UniBRITE each weighing 14 kg from Austria; and the 3-kg AAUSAT for Denmark's Aalborg University.

The PSLV, ISRO's workhorse vehicle, has placed 29 commercial satellites in orbit, the latest being SPOT 6 on September 9.

Dr. Radhakrishnan said the PSLV, operating since 1997, alone will contribute 18 of the 25 launches up to 2017, as proposed in 12th Five-Year Plan. Five launches of the two-tonne-lifting rocket, the GSLV, and two of the four-tonne-lifting GSLV-MkIII were also planned.

Besides the 58 overall missions (i.e., satellites and launchers) planned over the next five years, there was scope for two commercial projects, he said.

[Salo]

Max Valier ушёл в Плесецк:
http://www.uk.amsat.org/9657

[Salo]

http://spaceref.ca/isro/canadian-satellites-set-to-launch-on-indian-rocket-on-december-12.html

Canadian Satellites Set to Launch on Indian Rocket on December 12
By Marc Boucher
Posted October 3, 2012 10:32 AM

After years of delays, two important government satellites, NEOSSat and Sapphire along with two university built nanosatellites are now set to launch on India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C20 on Wednesday, December 12 from India's Satish Dhawan Space Center.

NEOSSat will be the first space telescope dedicated to the search for near-Earth asteroids. NEOSSat is the result of a university-industry collaboration and will spend half the time looking for these small interplanetary objects that could potentially impact the Earth and cause great damage. NEOSSat will spend the other half of its time searching for satellites and space debris in orbit around the Earth in a research project sponsored by a DND agency, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC).

Sapphire is the Department of National Defence (DND) first dedicated military satellite and will upgrade Canada's space surveillance capabilities.

Also launching on the PSLV-C20 rocket are the Canadian built CanX-3b (aka TUGSAT-1) and CanX-3a (aka UniBRITE) nanosatellites. Both of these nanosatellites we're built by the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies Space Flight Laboratory.

TAGS: CanX-3a, CanX-3b, ISRO, NEOSSat, Sapphire, UTIAS SFL

[Salo]

instml пишет:

 Launch of Canadian Satellites by India Delayed Until January

In yet another delay, SpaceRef has learned that the launch of two important government satellites, NEOSSat and Sapphire along with two university built nanosatellites has been postponed from its December 12th launch date to January 12th. No reason has been released publicly for the delay.
The satellites are part of a secondary payload set to launch on India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C20 with the joint Indo-French SARAL satellite as the primary payload.
 NEOSSat will be the first space telescope dedicated to the search for near-Earth asteroids. NEOSSat is the result of a university-industry collaboration and will spend half the time looking for these small interplanetary objects that could potentially impact the Earth and cause great damage. NEOSSat will spend the other half of its time searching for satellites and space debris in orbit around the Earth in a research project sponsored by a DND agency, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC).
 Sapphire is the Department of National Defence (DND) first dedicated military satellite and will upgrade Canada's space surveillance capabilities.
Also launching on the PSLV-C20 rocket are the Canadian built CanX-3b (aka TUGSAT-1) and CanX-3a (aka UniBRITE) nanosatellites. Both of these nanosatellites we're built by the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies Space Flight Laboratory .

 http://spaceref.ca/isro/launch-of-canadian-satellites-by-india-delayed-until-january.html

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http://zeenews.india.com/news/space/isro-to-miss-dec-launch-date-for-saral-report_812325.html

ISRO to miss Dec launch date for SARAL: Report
Last Upd ated: Thursday, November 22, 2012, 22:58

ISRO to miss Dec launch date for SARAL: Report Bangalore: ISRO may be adept at putting satellites into precise orbit but now appears se t to fall flat on its publicly-pronounced date to launch Indo-French spacecraft "SARAL" on 12-12-12.

ISRO sources confirmed today that with technical issues cropping up and additional tests proposed to improve reliability; the blast-off on December 12 (12-12-12) is ruled out.

ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) top-brass are slated to undertake on November 27 mission readiness review vis-a-vis the launch. "The launch is now likely in January-February", an official of the Bangalore-headquartered space agency said.

In September, ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan said SARAL would be launched onboard PSLV-C20 from the spaceport of Sriharikota on December 12.

"PSLV-C20 will be assembled in about 25 days in Sriharikota and the satellite will be launched on December 12, 2012. As somebody said it's 12-12-12 (launch date)," he said on September 12 at the Bangalore Space Expo 2012 here.

Along with SARAL, ISRO was also slated to launch four foreign micro-satellites on board PSLV-C20.

ISRO officials said SARAL is a small satellite mission with payloads -- Argos and Altika -- from French space agency CNES for study of ocean parameters towards enhancing the understanding of the ocean state conditions which are otherwise not covered by the in-situ measurements.

The satellite has been built by ISRO, which would also take care of the launch services.

SARAL will provide data products to operational and research user communities, in support of marine meteorology and sea state forecasting; operational oceanography; seasonal forecasting; climate monitoring; ocean, earth system and climate research, the officials said.

PTI

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http://www.space.aau.dk/aausat3/index.php?n=Main.LaunchInformation

AAUSAT3

Launch Information

... counting down for launch

Latest news is launch 28. January 2013

More information when available

We will be lifted up in orbit by ISRO's polar launch vehicle PSLV C-20

[Salo]

http://spaceref.ca/isro/launch-of-canadian-satellites-by-india-delayed-until-mid-february.html

Launch of Canadian Satellites by India Delayed Until Mid-February

    By Marc Boucher
    Posted December 21, 2012 11:38 AM

The launch of several critical Canadian satellites has once again been delayed. Scheduled for a January 12th launch, the new target date is mid-February according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). During thermo-vacuum testing an issue came up with the primary payload on the launch, the joint Indian-France satellite SARAL.

The Canadian satellites are part of a secondary payload set to launch on India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C20.

NEOSSat will be the first space telescope dedicated to the search for near-Earth asteroids. NEOSSat is the result of a university-industry collaboration and will spend half the time looking for these small interplanetary objects that could potentially impact the Earth and cause great damage. NEOSSat will spend the other half of its time searching for satellites and space debris in orbit around the Earth in a research project sponsored by a DND agency, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC).

Sapphire is the Department of National Defence (DND) first dedicated military satellite and will upgrade Canada's space surveillance capabilities.

Also launching on the PSLV-C20 rocket are the Canadian built CanX-3b (aka TUGSAT-1) and CanX-3a (aka UniBRITE) nanosatellites. Both of these nanosatellites we're built by the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies Space Flight Laboratory.

[Salo]

http://smsc.cnes.fr/SARAL/

February 11, 2013

[Salo]

25 февраля в 16:25 ЛМВ.

[Salo]

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=29894.msg1009071#msg1009071

input~2 пишет:

NOTAM for 3rd stage drop zone

A0024/13 - DUE TO LAUNCHING OF POLAR SATELLITE VEHICLE (PSLV C-20) FROM INDIA (19 43.9N 080 14.2E) AND THE POSSIBILITY OF IMPACT (...) TEMPO DNG ZONE EST WI AN AREA BOUNDED BY FLW COORD: 3000S 07400E, 3100S 07700E, 4100S 07400E AND 4000S 07100E. SL - UNL, DLY BTN 1200 TO 1415, 11 FEB 12:00 2013 UNTIL 12 MAR 14:15 2013. CREATED: 01 FEB 00:06 2013

[Salo]

http://trishul-trident.blogspot.com/2013/02/highlights-of-aero-india-2013-expo-part.html

[Salo]

http://www.isro.org/pslv-c20/c20-status.aspx

PSLV-C20 to launch SARAL along with six commercial payloads on Feb 25, 2013 at 17:56 hrs (IST) from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota

    PSLV-C20 is the 23rd PSLV Mission of ISRO and Ninth 'Core-Alone' (without solid strap-on motors) variant.

    SARAL (Satellite with ARGOS and ALTIKA ) is an ISRO-CNES(France) joint Venture for oceanographic studies

    Other six auxiliary payloads are from Canada (2), Austria (2), Denmark (1) and Britain (1)

Брошюра:
http://www.isro.org/pslv-c20/pdf/brochure.pdf

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1302/23neossat/#.USoaQze55eE

Canadian asteroid-hunting satellite to launch Monday
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: February 23, 2013

A small satellite built in Canada is stowed for liftoff fr om India on Monday on a mission to spot asteroids, especially the kind posing a hazard to Earth.


Artist's concept of the NEOSSat spacecraft in orbit. Credit: University of Calgary
 
The Near-Earth Object Surveillance Satellite, or NEOSSat, is the first spacecraft designed for asteroid detection, and its launch will come barely one week after a meteor exploded over Russia.

The Russian meteor, which blasted out windows and injured more than 1,000 people, occurred the same day a larger 150-foot-wide asteroid narrowly missed Earth. Scientists determined the two events were not related.

The launch of NEOSSat was supposed to be in 2010, but a series of delays pushed back the mission until 2013. Now the launch is occurring at a time when asteroids have reached the pinnacle of public consciousness.

"It just happened that way. It's just the effect of coincidence," said Alan Hildebrand, a professor at the University of Calgary and lead scientist for NEOSSat's asteroid search mission.

NEOSSat will launch Monday with six other satellites on India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. The PSLV will lift off at 1226 GMT (7:26 a.m. EST), or 5:56 p.m. local time at the Satish Dhawan Space Center on Sriharikota Island, India's primary launch site on the country's east coast.

Спойлер

The rocket's other passengers include a French-Indian ocean research satellite, a Canadian military satellite, two Canadian-Austrian nanosatellites with tiny telescopes, a small British satellite powered by a smartphone, and a CubeSat built by students in Denmark.

The four-stage rocket, flying in a stripped-down "core-alone" configuration without strap-on boosters, will release all the satellites in a 487-mile-high sun-synchronous orbit within 22 minutes after liftoff, according to the Indian Space Research Organization.

NEOSSat is small - only about the size and shape of a suitcase. It weighs about 160 pounds, and the satellite has a cylindrical telescope sticking out of one side.

The telescope is also modest by professional standards. It measures 5.9 inches in diameter, but it is sensitive enough to spot objects as faint as magnitude 20.

[video]http://youtu.be/iVNO6mUMR1Q[/video];
Animation of NEOSSat's observing techniques. Credit: Canadian Space Agency
 
Jointly funded by the Canadian Space Agency and Defence Research and Development Canada, a research arm of the Canadian military, NEOSSat will collect up to 288 images per day, ultimately covering the entire sky.

Half of NEOSSat's observing time will be devoted to asteroid-hunting, and Canadian military researchers will use the rest of the time experimenting with the craft's ability to spot and track other satellites in high-altitude Earth orbits.

Equipped with a precise pointing system to keep the images steady, NEOSSat will resolve satellites and asteroids as they dart across a matrix of stars. Each NEOSSat image will have an exposure time of 100 seconds, according to scientists.

"We believe that, if successful, this project will deliver great science," said Guennadi Kroupnik, director of satellite communications and space environment projects at the Canadian Space Agency. "It will help to discover and to monitor asteroids and comets in the inner solar system, wh ere there are a lot of challenges for observations from the ground."

Besides making tangible discoveries, NEOSSat is a pathfinder for future asteroid-hunting telescopes. It is the first space mission specifically designed to search for asteroids, according to Canadian officials.

The B612 Foundation, a non-profit organization, is raising funds in hopes of building and launching a more ambitious telescope to fly in the inner solar system and look away from the sun toward Earth, catching the glint of asteroids from a more favorable perspective.

Space missions can observe the sky 24 hours a day, dodging the day-night cycle and inclement weather inhibiting ground telescopes.

"Being able to predict, well ahead of time, potential close encounters is a very important part of space surveillance, and we hope to contribute to that very important objective," Kroupnik said in an interview.

NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, originally built to observe stars and galaxies, scanned the sky for asteroids in 2010 and 2011, finding nearly 130 new near-Earth asteroids. The WISE satellite carried a larger telescope than NEOSSat, and its infrared detectors made the telescope more sensitive to dark-colored asteroids.

NEOSSat's advantage lies in its ability to sweep through slivers of the sky close to the sun, allowing the telescope to pick out Earth-crossing asteroids on trajectories shadowing or leading our planet on its path around the sun.


This diagram shows an edge-on view of our solar system. The dots represent a snapshot of the population of near-Earth asteroids and potentially hazardous asteroids that scientists think are likely to exist. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
 
The mission's top objective to find Aten-class asteroids, objects which orbit the sun mostly within Earth's orbit. Another focus of NEOSSat's mission is asteroids which spend all of their time inside of Earth's orbit.

Such asteroids have been elusive to ground-based telescopes and other space observatories.

Engineers installed a baffle in NEOSSat's telescope to shield the instrument's detectors from intense sunlight.

Most telescopes avoid pointing near the sun, which can damage sensitive telescope components. The WISE mission, for example, never pointed within 90 degrees of the sun as it orbited Earth.

NEOSSat's objectives require it to regularly point within 45 degrees of the sun, and sometimes as close as 20 degrees.

"Our search strategy is optimized to find those guys," Hildebrand said in an interview with Spaceflight Now. "It means we're looking forward and behind the Earth as close to the sun as we can, along the ecliptic plane. We cover a relatively small chunk of sky as faint as we can to discover those asteroids."

Kroupnik said NEOSSat could discover between four and 12 asteroids per month larger than 500 meters, or 1,640 feet, in diameter, depending on their albedo, or reflectivity. Scores of smaller asteroids could be found by NEOSSat, which is due to operate at least one year.

"It all depends how close an asteroid is to the Earth when it passes through the NEOSSat field of view," said Paul Chodas, a researcher in the near-Earth object program office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a member of the NEOSSat science team.

Some of NEOSSat's discoveries could be ideal targets for future robotic or human exploration, Hildebrand said. Asteroids in orbits closely matching Earth's are easiest to reach with space missions.

NEOSSat will also conduct follow-up observations of known asteroids.

"[NEOSSat] doesn't cover very much sky per day, so it isn't very useful for detecting small asteroids on a collision [course] with Earth," Hildebrand said. "I think that the most useful thing that we might do there is to provide astrometry on an incoming object - if it were in a difficult part of the sky for ground based telescopes вЂ" to establish its impact location on the Earth."


NEOSSat enters a thermal vacuum chamber at the David Florida Laboratory in Ottawa, Ontario. Credit: Janice Lang/DRDC
 
Canadian scientists first proposed building a microsatellite to hunt for asteroids in 2000, but the project did not become a reality until 2005.

"At the time, Canada was building another microsatellite with a small space telescope," Hildebrand said. "The question was asked, what could we do with this technology? So we explored what could be done in terms of asteroid searching, and we identified the highest value was being able to look near the sun."

In order to keep costs down, officials reused a proven telescope and spacecraft design used on Canada's MOST space telescope, and NEOSSat's detectors were spares left over from the MOST mission.

NEOSSat's total cost, including development and operations, is estimated to be about $24 million, according to Kroupnik. Its prime contractor is Microsat Systems Canada Inc.

The cost was evenly split between the Canadian Space Agency and Defence Research and Development Canada, which will use the spacecraft to test space surveillance technologies.

"The unique aspect of NEOSSat is not that we will be conducting space surveillance from space, but rather that we will be conducting it from a microsatellite platform," said Brad Wallace, principal investigator for NEOSSat's military mission. "Thus, as part of our research and development goals, we will be using NEOSSat to test and demonstrate the ability of this small, inexpensive platform to support a range of space surveillance applications."

[свернуть]

[Salo]

http://www.isro.org/pslv-c20/Imagegallery/launchvehicle.aspx#0

[Salo]

http://www.isro.org/pslv-c20/Imagegallery/satellite.aspx

[Salo]

Видео:
http://www.isro.org/video-pslv-c20.aspx

[instml]

http://isro.org/pslv-c20/c20-status.aspx

Feb 24,2013                                              

[/li]
• Preparation for Propellant filling operation of Second Stage (PS2) is under progress.
  
• Preparation for Mobile Service Tower (MST) withdrawal is under progress.
  

Feb 23, 2013                                                    

[/li]
• Propellant filling operations of Fourth Stage (PS4) and Reaction Control Thrusters (RCT) of First Stage (PS1) are completed.
  
• Propellant filling operations of Fourth Stage (PS4) and Reaction Control Thrusters (RCT) of First Stage (PS1) are under progress.
  
• The 59 hour Countdown of PSLV - C20 / SARAL Mission commenced at 6:56 Hours (IST) today (Feb 23, 2013) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, India.
  

Feb 22, 2013       

[/li]
• Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) for PSLV - C20 / SARAL mission has cleared the launch on Monday, Feb 25, 2013.
  
• The 59 hour Countdown will commence at 6:56 Hours (IST) on Feb 23, 2013.
  

Feb 21, 2013                            

[/li]
• The launch Rehearsal of PSLV - C20 with the primary satellite SARAL and six other satellites has been completed satisfactorily at SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota.
  
• Mission Readiness Review and meeting of Launch Authorisation Board are scheduled on Feb 22, 2013.
  

[DMLL]

NEOSSat, весьма актуально.
Астероиды-убийцы городов теперь будут бояться

Ожидаем плановое начало трансляции "матча" в 16-00 МСК (полдень UTC).

[mark200000]

http://news.mail.ru/society/12112630/?frommail=1

Канада запустит на орбиту спутник-охотник за астероидами

Сегодня из Индии будет запущен канадский спутник, предназначенный для отслеживания астероидов, пишет The Globe and Mail. Возможно, спутник NEOSSat оказался бы очень полезным, если бы был запущен раньше — до того, как над Уралом взорвался метеорит, из-за которого пострадали более тысячи человек.
                             Глава Microsat Systems Canada Дэвид Купер говорит, что спутник будет следить за атонами — группой околоземных астероидов, чьи орбиты пересекают земную с внутренней стороны. Такие астероиды вращаются вокруг солнца по эллиптической орбите. К сентябрю 2012 года было известно о 711 астероидах из группы атонов — девять из них имеют собственные имена, а 109 присвоены порядковые номера. Купер полагает, что массивный «пришелец» из космоса, нанесший значительный ущерб Челябинской области, вероятно, входил в группу атонов.
«Нам очень повезло, что он выгорел в земной атмосфере и взорвался, а не двигался по такой траектории, которая предполагала бы прямое столкновение с Землей. Кроме того, если бы метеорит упал в середине Нью-Йорка, он наделал бы куда больше проблем», — рассуждает Купер.
По его словам, NEOSSat разработан специально для наблюдения за астероидами группы атонов, которые не видно с поверхности земли из-за рассеивания солнечного света в атмосфере. «После того, как мы их обнаружим и проследим, то сможем спроецировать орбиту таких астероидов и спрогнозировать их движение в будущем — иногда на несколько лет вперед. Орбитальный телескоп поможет нам узнать много новой информации об этих астероидах, которые в настоящее время еще не достаточно изучены», — рассказывает Купер. Ученые надеются, что если им удастся понять траекторию движения «пришельцев» из космоса, это поможет принять меры для защиты Земли.
Спутник NEOSSat размером с чемодан и стоимостью в 15 млн долларов будет облетать вокруг Земли каждые 100 минут на высоте около 800 километров над поверхностью планеты. Он станет первым телескопом, призванным искать потенциально опасные астероиды. Вместе с ним индийская ракета выведет на орбиту военный спутник Sapphire.
В середине февраля вице-премьер Дмитрий Рогозин призвал создать систему обнаружения и нейтрализации опасных для Земли космических объектов. В середине января 2012 года глава Роскосмоса Владимир Поповкин заявлял, что выступает против создания такой системы, так как вероятность падения на планету астероида крупных размеров, способного повредить Земле, довольно мала.
                       

[Кир]

Процесс выведения
http://isro.org/pslv-c20/pdf/brochure.pdf

[DMLL]

Вызывает удивление и недоумение задержка с выведением колонией Великобритании столь необходимого к 15 февраля 2013 г. спутника-элемента наблюдения за астероидами.

[Salo]

http://isro.org/pslv-c20/c20-status.aspx

Feb 25, 2013
All Propellant filling operations are completed.

Mobile Service Tower (MST) withdrawal to parking end (160 m) is completed.

[Salo]

Видео о NEOSSAT:

[Space Alien]

Извиняюсь, если не увидел, но время пуска изменили на 16:31 ЛМВ  ?

[Salo]

Трансляция возможна тут:
http://webcast.gov.in/live/
http://www.ndtv.com/video/live/channel/ndtv24x7
http://ibnlive.in.com/livetv/
http://live.indiatimes.com/

[Space Alien]

Полетела   !!!

[Space Alien]

[bavv]

http://webcast.gov.in/live/

[DMLL]

Студенты молодцы. Пришли, посмотрели, похлопали, отметили и вперед к новым победам

[DMLL]

Желающие могут вновь перенестись к началу космической эпохи.
"бип-бип" на частоте 437.450 МГц.

[Salo]

http://www.isro.org/pslv-c20/Imagegallery/launchvehicle.aspx

[Salo]

[Salo]

http://www.zarya.info/blog/?p=646

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1302/25pslv/#.USvCODe55eE

Ocean monitor, smartphone satellite launched from India
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: February 25, 2013

India's workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted seven satellites into orbit Monday, bolstering global ocean research, space surveillance, and taking miniature technology to new heights.

The 145-foot-tall rocket blasted off at 1231 GMT (7:31 a.m. EST) from the Satish Dhawan Space Center on India's east coast, wh ere it was 6:01 p.m. local time.

The expendable four-stage launcher climbed into a sun-splashed evening sky, initially flying southeast over the Bay of Bengal, and then turning south to bypass Sri Lanka and ascend into space over the Indian Ocean.

The four-stage PSLV launched in a "core-alone" configuration without the assistance of strap-on boosters.

The mission's seven payloads were deployed in orbit 490 miles above Earth in less than 22 minutes, wrapping up the PSLV's 23rd mission and its 19th success in a row.

Спойлер

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee was in the launch control center, observing the launch and congratulating the Indian Space Research Organization on the success.

"The PSLV has become a household name in our country, and this mission will only reaffirm this position with its accuracy [and] reliability," Mukherjee said. "Our launch capabilities have been widely recognized all over the world with ISRO increasingly launching satellites from other countries."

Among the rocket's passengers: The first asteroid-hunting satellite, a French-Indian ocean research craft, a small spacecraft built around a smartphone, a Canadian space surveillance satellite, two Austrian mini-telescopes, and a CubeSat built by students in Denmark.

The 900-pound SARAL satellite, equipped with a Ka-band altimeter to measure the height of ocean waves, separated first from the Indian booster and unfurled its solar panels moments later.

Jointly developed by France and India, the SARAL mission will bounce radar waves off ocean and ice surfaces to measure topography, pulling back the curtain on ocean circulation and giving scientists insights into its role in global climate.


Artist's concept of the SARAL satellite in orbit. Credit: CNES
 
The radar signal will measure the height of waves with an accuracy of just a few inches, a feat similar to measuring the thickness of paper lying on the ground from the top of a skyscraper, according to scientists.

SARAL's Ka-band antenna, built by Thales Alenia Space and funded by France, will be activated Tuesday and immediately begin collecting data, but the system will not be fully operational until spring, when SARAL reaches its final orbit and engineers declare the instrument healthy, according to Pierre Sengenes, the mission's project manager at CNES, the French space agency.

France's investment in SARAL was about $126 million, Sengenes told Spaceflight Now. India's budget for SARAL, which covered the satellite bus and launcher, was not disclosed.

SARAL joins the U.S.-French Jason 2 satellite, which also measures ocean topography from orbit.

But SARAL flies in a different orbit than Jason 2, which launched in 2008. And SARAL's high-frequency Ka-band radar offers twice the spatial resolution of Jason 2's altimeter, giving researchers better data in coastal zones.

"The type of data collected by SARAL will be exactly the same as Jason 2," said Amandine Guillot, SARAL project scientist at CNES. "But we can mention that thanks to its inclination, SARAL will collect data over ice sheets."

Sea-surface terrain can be used to chart currents, water temperatures, tides, and ocean eddies, scientists say.

Forecasters use ocean topography data in computer models predicting weather and climate on time scales ranging from a few days to more than a year.

SARAL also carries a communications package named ARGOS to collect observations from a network of ocean buoys and ground stations providing in situ data on wave height, period, water and air temperature, and other conditions.

Six smaller satellites rode the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle as secondary payloads.

Canada's NEOSSat satellite is the first space telescope designed to search for hazardous Earth-crossing asteroids.


Artist's concept of the NEOSSat satellite in orbit. Credit: University of Calgary
 
The $24 million NEOSSat mission will scan the sky for asteroids lurking near Earth, including objects orbiting close to the sun, making their discoveries challenging for traditional ground-based telescopes.

Engineers outfitted the suitcase-sized satellite with a baffle to allow the telescope to point closer to the sun than other observatories. Astronomers will try to pick out asteroids as they streak through a matrix of stars, potentially detecting up to a dozen 500-meter, or 1,640-foot, asteroids each month, plus scores of smaller objects.

You can find more details on NEOSSat in our complete story on the mission.

Canada's $65 million Sapphire satellite was also aboard the PSLV for Monday's launch.

Sapphire is Canada's first operational military satellite, and its optical telescope will track other satellites orbiting Earth at higher altitudes, including objects in geosynchronous orbit.

The 326-pound spacecraft was built by Surrey Satellite Technologies Ltd. under the authority of MDA Corp., Sapphire's prime contractor.

The Canadian Department of National Defence plans to share Sapphire's tracking data with the U.S. Air Force, which monitors all objects in orbit.


Artist's concept of the Sapphire satellite in orbit. Credit: MDA Corp.
 
Another satellite on Monday's launch was the 9.4-pound STRaND 1 triple-CubeSat, a tiny spacecraft with lofty goals.

STRaND 1 is the world's first satellite with a smartphone-based computer. Engineers plan to switch on the satellite's Google Nexus One smartphone later in the mission to demonstrate the low-cost, off-the-shelf system can control a satellite in space.

Two small Austrian satellites, billed as the smallest space telescopes ever launched, will study the brightest stars in the sky with 10 times the precision of ground-based observatories, according to mission officials.

Named BRITE-Austria and UniBRITE, the satellites are about the size of a toaster oven and were developed with the help of engineers at the University of Toronto.

Students from Aalborg University in Denmark assembled a CubeSat named AAUSAT 3 with two ship tracking receivers to help monitor marine traffic, particularly in a region near Greenland.

[свернуть]

[instml]

February 25, 2013

Honourable President of India Witnesses the Successful Launch of Seven Satellites onboard PSLV-C20

ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C20, successfully launched the joint Indo-French Satellite, SARAL, today (February 25, 2013) in its twenty third flight fr om Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. Six other satellites, namely, UNIBRITE (NLS 8.1) and BRITE (NLS 8.2) from Austria, SAPPHIRE and NEOSSAT from Canada, AAUSAT-3 (NLS 8.3) from Denmark; and STRaND-1 from the United Kingdom, have also been launched into their planned orbits along with SARAL.

Honourable President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee along with the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Shri E. S. L. Narasimhan, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Minister of State (Prime Minister's Office), Shri V Narayanasamy and other dignitaries from the Government of Andhra Pradesh witnessed the launch from the state-of-the-art Mission Control Centre of SDSC. Honourable President, in his post launch remarks, congratulated the scientists and engineers of ISRO for the successful launch.

At the completion of the countdown, PSLV-C20 lifted off from the First Launch Pad at SDSC SHAR, at 1801 hrs (IST) with the ignition of the first stage of the launch vehicle. The important flight events, namely, stage ignitions, heat-shield separation, stage separations and satellite injections took place exactly as planned.

After a flight of 17 minutes 55 seconds, the main payload, SARAL, weighing 407 kg was injected to an orbit very close to the intended orbit. Following this, the six auxiliary satellites were also successfully injected.

This has been the twenty second successive successful launch of ISRO's workhorse launch vehicle PSLV. Since its first successful launch in 1994, PSLV has launched 27 Indian satellites and 35 satellites for customers from abroad, including the satellites launched today. It has also launched India's geosynchronous satellites, Kalpana-1 and GSAT-12, thereby proving its versatility. PSLV also launched India's first spacecraft mission to moon, Chandrayaan-1, in 2008. It is scheduled to launch India's first interplanetary mission, the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft, by the end of this year.

Satellite with Argos and Altika (SARAL) is an oceanographic satellite jointly developed by ISRO and the French Space Agency CNES. The satellite is built by ISRO, wh ereas CNES contributed the ARGOS and ALTIKA payloads. Data from SARAL will be useful for researchers besides having many practical applications like marine meteorology and sea state forecasting, climate monitoring, continental ice studies, environmental monitoring, protection of biodiversity and improvement in maritime security.

ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bangalore took over the SARAL's monitoring and control operations immediately after its injection. Following the automatic deployment of SARAL's solar panels, shortly after reaching orbit, all the subsequent operations are proceeding normally.

http://isro.org/pressrelease/scripts/pressreleasein.aspx?Feb25_2013

[Salo]

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/02/pslv-launch-multi-sats/

Indian PSLV successfully lofts multiple satellites
February 25, 2013 by William Graham

India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle made its 23rd flight on Monday, carrying seven satellites into sun-synchronous orbit including Austria's first satellite. Liftoff from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre was marked at 12:31 UTC (18:01 local time).

[instml]

http://neossat.ca/?page_id=90

[instml]

Это сюда http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/forum12/topic12795/?PAGEN_1=3

[Salo]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1302/26strand1/#.US4cwPkz8qE

Smartphone satellite calls home from final frontier
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: February 26, 2013

Soaring 500 miles above Earth, a tiny British satellite built around a commercial smartphone was calling back to Earth on Tuesday, one day after launching fr om India.


Animation of the smartphone satellite. Credit: SSTL
 
 

Спойлер

But the satellite's biggest test is still to come, when engineers will switch its operating system to the Google Nexus One smartphone at the heart of the 9.4-pound miniature spacecraft.

For now, the STRaND 1 satellite is running on a standard computer system. It will next be transitioned to a Linux-based high-speed processor and once engineers are comfortable with the satellite's performance, they will turn over control of the spacecraft to the smartphone computer.

"We won't switch to the phone until all the satellite's own systems are all checked and working nominally," said Joelle Sykes, a spokesperson with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., the UK-based manufacturer of the STRaND 1 satellite. "Then the phone's health gets checked out before we can switch any [operations] to it."

Officials with SSTL and the Surrey Space Center expect the commissioning phase to last about two weeks.

"STRaND-1 from SSC and SSTL is an example of the real synergy of academic research linked to commercial development and exploitation that is the hallmark of Surrey," said Martin Sweeting, director of the Surrey Space Center and executive chairman of SSTL, in a statement. "This mission is a fantastic achievement and a great tribute to the hard work of the engineers involved. The UK's first nanosatellite SNAP 1, also built by SSC and SSTL and launched in 2000, was the world's most advanced nanosatellite at the time - STRaND-1 continues that story with the latest technologies available to us in 2013."

Based on the popular CubeSat design, the satellite is about the size of a household toaster oven, but engineers packed the tiny spacecraft with pulsed plasma thrusters and an experimental water-alcohol propulsion system - both first-time payloads on a nanosatellite - to remove STRaND 1 from orbit at the end of its mission.

Surrey engineers started working on their project in their free time in 2011, and technicians assembled the satellite in just three months beginning in late 2012.


Photo of the STRaND 1 satellite assembled before launch. Credit: SSTL
 
 Although officials have not divulged the exact cost of the project, Sykes said the cost was comparable to that of a family-sized car.

Smartphones have flown in space before inside the International Space Station, and the computer from a PDA launched inside two Japanese CubeSats in 2006 and 2008.

But STRaND 1 will go a step further.

The Nexus One's Android operating system will take over most of the satellite's control functions, testing the phone's ruggedness in one of the most inhospitable environments imaginable.

Engineers beefed up the phone with radiation shielding, and designers took precautions to keep the phone's battery from getting too cold in space.

"A smartphone on a satellite like this has never been launched before but our tests have been pretty thorough, subjecting the phone to oven and freezer temperatures, to a vacuum and blasting it with radiation," said Chris Bridges, Surrey's lead engineer on the project. "It has a good chance of working as it should, but you can never make true design evolutions or foster innovation without taking a few risks. STRaND is cool because it allows us to do just that."

The phone is mounted on a panel inside the satellite, with its camera aligned with a hole to take pictures of Earth.

STRaND 1 also features what Surrey engineers claim is the first 3D printed component to fly in space.

Applications installed on the smartphone will help control the satellite, collect scientific data and try to boost interest in space exploration.

The apps were sel ected in a Facebook competition last year:
The Scream in Space app was developed by Cambridge University Space Flight and will make full use of the smartphone's speakers. Testing the theory "in space no one can hear you scream," made popular in the 1979 film "Alien," the app will play videos of the best screams while in orbit, and the screams will be recorded using the smartphone's own microphone.

iTesa will record the magnitude of the magnetic field around the phone in orbit. Used as a precursor to further scientific studies, such as detecting Alfven waves - magnetic oscillations in our upper atmosphere - the iTEsa app could provide proof of principle.

The STRAND Data app will show satellite telemetry on the smartphone's display, which can be imaged by an additional camera on-board. This will enable new graphical telemetry to interpret trends.

The 360 app will take images using the smartphone's camera and use the technology onboard the spacecraft to establish STRaND-1's position. The public will be able to request their own unique satellite image of Earth through the website, wh ere images can be seen on a map showing wh ere they have been acquired.

Amateur radio operators can listen to STRaND 1's signal as it goes overhead. Learn how to listen here.

NASA's answer to STRaND 1, named PhoneSat, will launch this spring. Three PhoneSats, all using Android operating systems, are slated to fly together on the first mission of the Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket.

Surrey engineers are already working on a follow-up mission named STRaND 2. It will test the ability of two CubeSats to dock together in orbit using technology from Microsoft Xbox Kinect game controllers providing three-dimensional spatial awareness.

[свернуть]

[instml]

SARAL/AltiKa LATEST NEWS
                             

08/03/2013

News about SARAL after its launch SARAL satellite was successfully put in orbitby the ISRO indian launcher PSLV on February 25, 2013 at 12h49 UT (13h 49 French time) on an orbit very close to the targeted injection orbit. Instruments switch ON and nominal functioning  After switching on the main sub-systems of the SSB platform developed by ISRO, the PIM equipments (Payload Integrated Module developed by CNES) have one after the other been turned ON during the night (Indian hour) between February 25 and 26, 2013. All the instruments are nominal. The attitude acquisition is still underway  The attitude acquisition maneuvers begun on 02/27 (inclination/local time correction) and are followed by semi-major axis correction maneuvers. The final orbit and the reference ground track settlement should then be acquired after a last maneuver on March 13. In flight commissionning  The first days of instrument commisssionning indicate good peerformances, as expected. The ground processings are under validation but the first plots done on a test configuration at CNES are very promising.   Discover as preview, the first waves' height map made from ALTIKA measurements

 http://smsc.cnes.fr/SARAL/GP_actualite.htm

[instml]

NEOSSat's Dual Mission – HEOSS

DND/DRDC's goal is to use NEOSSat to demonstrate the ability of microsatellites to perform a militarily useful mission. The mission in this case is to obtain satellite position/time data ("metrics") to assist in keeping the US Satellite catalog current ("catalog maintenance"). NEOSSat's optical telescope will be used to perform research to demonstrate and assess the ability of the microsatellite to track RSOs (Resident Space Objects); these are Earth-orbiting satellites, rocket bodies and debris with altitudes > 15,000 km ("deep space").

Currently there are ~2500 objects in this category, including GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) constellations and Geostationary satellites. HEOSS is a two phase mission where the first year after spacecraft commissioning is dedicated to proving microsatellite based SofS (Surveillance of Space) experimentation. In the subsequent years of the mission, the HEOSS time could be used for further experimentation or, potentially, to transition the HEOSS time allocation to an operational Space Surveillance role where taskings are controlled by the Canadian military.

NEOSSat was being designed such that it can detect objects having apparent brightness down to astronomical magnitudes Mv ~13.5, translating to a ~3 m RSO observed at a range of 40,000 km. NEOSSat will be able to track objects moving at angular rates up to 60 arcseconds/second (arcsec/s). This extremely high rate of motion of Earth orbiting objects causes the apparent sensitivity difference between the NESS and HEOSS missions. Asteroid integration dwell times per pixel are two orders of magnitude larger for a given image. During RSO observations, the sensor will be able to obtain full images at a rate of one image every 30 seconds, with smaller portions of the CCD being available at faster rates. The metric accuracy goal of HEOSS is to produce measurements accurate to within 3 arcsec (~600 m in the plane of the sky at geostationary satellite ranges).

http://neossat.ca/?page_id=99

[instml]

What is a Science Team?

The process of designing, building, and launching a satellite even as small as NEOSSat requires the efforts of dozens of people throughout the various phases of the project. The start of a mission usually stems fr om a research concept that requires a spacecraft. The group of researchers involved at the beginning (and continuing through the project) is called a science team. Each member of the team brings his/her specific expertise and experience to the project.

The leader of the science team, the Principal Investigator (PI), is a researcher who, typically in cooperation with industry, develops a mission concept for proposal to funding agencies. He/she forms a science team that develops many of the science goals; the PI is also willing to spend a lot of time on the programmatic aspects of the project.

In the case of the NEOSSat microsatellite, which is a dual use mission, there are two PIs – one for the NESS project and another for the HEOSS project (High Earth Orbit Surveillance System) being conducted by Defence Research & Development Canada. The NESS project has another PI for the leadership/funding of the US-based science team members. (Note: this is an international team capitalising on expertise and interest of researchers wh ere they may be found.) The team is structured in part to be "multigenerational" for continuity in the research effort and research capacity development, and a Deputy PI exists to take on project leadership in case of need.

http://neossat.ca/?page_id=267

NESS Project Team Members

This is a list of the current NESS science team members with their contributions to the project. In addition to the specific roles and responsibilities listed here, team members bring their considerable expertise in the field of asteroid science (totalling several centuries experience) to the project; all contribute to the development of its research goals.

Спойлер

Name    Organization    Roles and Responsibilities
      
Brown, Peter    University of Western Ontario    

    * Identification of candidate asteroids (suspected of cometary origin) to be surveyed when near the Sun.
    * Evaluation of NESS discoveries as possible source objects for known cometary streams.

Cardinal, Rob    University of Calgary    

    * Developer of TRAPAS asteroid search software.
    * Development and implementation of data processing pipeline.
    * Systems developer for the science processing and operations centre.
    * Satellite tasking and data inspection.

Carroll, Kieran    GEDEX    

    * NEOSSat concept development.
    * NEOSSat requirements development.
    * Spacecraft systems engineering.

Chodas, Paul    Jet Propulsion Laboratory    

    * Orbit simulation and prediction.
    * Identification of near-Sun impact trajectory elimination observing opportunities for potentially hazardous asteroids.
    * Calculation of potential flyby or rendezvous mission opportunities for NESS discoveries.
    * Liaison with NASA NEO program office.

Gladman, Brett    University of British Columbia    

    * NESS Deputy Pl
    * Moving object discovery and orbit determination experience.
    * Inner solar system asteroid population model.
    * Simulation and optimization of asteroid discovery performance of NEOSSat.
    * Atira asteroid population model development from NEOSSat observations.

Granvik, Mikael    University of Helsinki    

    * Initial orbit determination and recovery uncertainty prediction for NESS discoveries.
    * Orbit quality estimation for future observation.
    * Liaison with GAIA mission.

 
Gural, Pete    SAIC    

    * Modification of one asteroid search software algorithm (SALTAD) and development of a second (PMATCH and OCTET) exploiting spacecraft orbit induced parallax.

Hildebrand, Alan    University of Calgary    

    * NESS PI
    * Participated in setting NEOSSat spacecraft instrument requirements.Manage NESS project and lead science team.
    * Support CSA/DRDC NEOSSat mission activities.
    * Plan NESS project observations.
    * Optimize real vs. false object detection in NEOSSat imagery.
    * Establish network of ground-based follow-up telescopes.
    * Calculation of impact rates on Venus and Mercury.

Larson, Steve    University of Arizona    

    * Asteroid searching, discovery, and follow-up experience.
    * Optimization of image processing procedures in asteroid search pipeline.
    * Establish network of ground-based follow-up telescopes.

Tedesco, Ed    Planetary Science Institute    

    * PI of NASA grant supporting US-based NESS science team members.
    * Inner solar system asteroid population model.
    * Simulation and optimization of asteroid discovery performance of NEOSSat.
    * Identification of cooperative observing opportunities with other space-based sensors.
    * Establish network of ground-based follow-up telescopes.

Wallace, Brad    Defence Research and Development Canada    

    * HEOSS PI
    * Participated in setting NEOSSat spacecraft instrument requirements.
    * Liaison to NEOSSat's companion project HEOSS.

Wiegert, Paul    University of Western Ontario    

    * Identification of candidate asteroids (suspected of cometary origin) to be surveyed when near the Sun.
    * Evaluation of NESS discoveries for unusual dynamic relationships with the Earth.

Worden, Simon P. BGen. (ret.)    NASA Ames    

    * Identification of astronomical uses for NESS project imagery.

[свернуть]

http://neossat.ca/?page_id=162

[instml]

Афигеть! 14 июня обновили статус спутника NEOSSat!

The spacecraft is responsive and healthy. Testing of systems and software is ongoing.

Posted on June 14, 2013

http://neossat.ca/?p=459

[LL_]

Статус от 23 июля 2013:

"The spacecraft remains responsive and healthy. Mission Operations Centre is testing additional systems. Acquisition of dark images from the science and ACS (attitude control system) CCDs has begun."

Жив, здоров, тестируется.

На постоянной основе когда начнет ловить астероиды?

[Брабонт]

Никогда  .

[LL_]

Неужели помер? Тогда печалька...

Если "злобные милитаристы" всё время отобрали - бутылка коньяку или баллон ксенона решит вопрос...

[Salo]

http://www.spacenews.com/article/military-space/39343canada%E2%80%99s-sapphire-satellite-begins-operations

Canada's Sapphire Satellite Begins Operations  
By Mike Gruss | Jan. 31, 2014  

The Sapphire satellite, which launched in February 2013 aboard India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, is part of Canada's contribution to space situational awareness. Credit: Canada's Department of National Defence photo
 
Updated at 2:04 p.m. EDT
WASHINGTON — A Canadian military satellite designed to track objects in high Earth orbit with an electo-optical sensor has completed its commissioning and commenced operations, according to a Jan. 30 press release from the program's prime contractor, MDA Corp. of Richmond, British Columbia.
The announcement came several months later than initial estimates of when the 148-kilogram satellite, built by MDA with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. of Britain, would be declared fit for service as a contributing element to the U.S. Space Surveillance Network (SSN). The satellite was launched in February 2013 aboard India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.. 
The Canadian Defence Department said Sapphire's development, including the ground infrastructure, ultimately cost some 94.6 million Canadian dollars ($94 million), which is about 10 percent less than its budget. It is scheduled to operate for five years.

[Salo]

http://spacenews.com/article/civil-space/41627canada-devising-action-plan-for-taking-over-troubled-space-projects

Canada Devising Action Plan for Taking Over Troubled Space Projects  
By David Pugliese | Aug. 21, 2014

"Without the technical capacity within the CSA and [the Department of National Defense], it is unlikely that the NEOSSat project would have been completed successfully," concluded the CSA internal audit. Credit: Defence Research and Development Canada photo by Janice Lang
 
VICTORIA, British Columbia — The Canadian Space Agency is working on a plan  to intervene in troubled government space projects, providing commercial firms the technical expertise, if necessary, to complete what they had been hired to do.

Спойлер

The backup plan comes after an internal audit found that the Near-Earth Object Surveillance Satellite (NEOSSat), built on contract by a commercial firm, ran into difficulties and fell 41 months behind schedule.
At one point, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the Department of National Defence, who were co-funding the 24-million-Canadian-dollar ($23 million) microsatellite, considered abandoning the project. But the two organizations decided to take a risk and continue while at the same time providing technical advice to the contractor, Microsat Systems Canada Inc. (MSCI) of Mississauga, Ontario.
"Without the technical capacity within the CSA and [the Department of National Defense], it is unlikely that the NEOSSat project would have been completed successfully," concluded the 69-page audit, titled Evaluation of Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite Project.
NEOSSat was launched in February 2013. CSA touts it as the world's first space telescope dedicated to detecting and tracking asteroids and satellites.
The audit recommended that CSA maintain the technical capability "to effectively manage projects and to step in and undertake the more technical aspects of a project if a contractor is unable to do so."
"If the prime contractor does lose capacity then the CSA should ensure it has a way to deal with that risk," it added.
In response, the CSA will develop "guidelines for project intervention" which should be ready by December, agency officials said.
By March 2015, it will have identified the areas of key technical expertise it needs to have if required to take over troubled projects from contractors. The space agency will also put in place a system to acquire engineering services when needed on a contract basis.
CSA spokeswoman Maya-Olivia Eyssen said the agency has been working on its response to the audit since earlier this year.
She noted those changes will also include "an improved process for project management at the CSA."
It will develop new methodology for project management that will include a process to provide continuous monitoring of contractor's financial, technical and project management performance. That system will be ready by March 2015.
The audit was completed in March 2014 but only recently made public.
Dynacon Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario, was awarded the contract to build NEOSSat in July 2007. In 2008 Dynacon sold its satellite business to MSCI, and MSCI continued the project as a subcontractor to Dynacon.
But according to the audit, the project faced a number of hurdles.
MSCI lacked the capability to do the project and faced a significant turnover of key staff, the audit noted.
MSCI, however, has challenged those findings. Its officials say the requirements for the project were lacking in specifics and that staff from the CSA, who were brought in to help, instead got in the way.
MSCI president David Cooper also told Postmedia news service in a July 28 article that the CSA kept asking for changes to the satellite. Cooper did not immediately respond to a call from SpaceNews for comment. Chuck Black, a space analyst and former director at the Canadian Space Commerce Association, said much of the audit places blame on contractors but the CSA and Canadian government should not escape blame for some of the problems.
A source of significant delay was the federal government approval and contracting processes, he pointed out. Even when Dynacon-MSCI was awarded the contract, it took the government another year to actually issue the contract and CSA another four months to get approval to implement the project.
In addition, some officials representing industry and the Defence Department noted that the CSA did not always appear to be managing NEOSSat efficiently or cost effectively, the audit reported.
Another delay beyond the control of MSCI stemmed from one of its subcontractors going out of business; MSCI had to replicate systems developed by the defunct subcontractor, causing another year of delay.
Although NEOSSat is operating, the images it is producing are not what was expected, the audit found. The image quality does not at present meet the imagery requirements of the scientific aspects of the mission, it added.
"A stable focus is needed in the imager in order to yield images of a scientific quality, due to the very low levels of light that are reflected off asteroids," the audit concluded. "Whether the intended production of 288 images per day can ever be achieved is a matter of concern."
But the CSA says it is confident that it can deal with the technical issues. In early June, following various flight software and parameter improvements, NEOSSat demonstrated that it can obtain scientific images, said the CSA's Eyssen. "Additional flight software upgrades are scheduled, which should lead to the full commissioning of NEOSSat during the fall," she added.

[свернуть]

[Salo]

http://spacenews.com/article/civil-space/41627canada-devising-action-plan-for-taking-over-troubled-space-projects

Canada Devising Action Plan for Taking Over Troubled Space Projects  
By David Pugliese | Aug. 21, 2014

"Without the technical capacity within the CSA and [the Department of National Defense], it is unlikely that the NEOSSat project would have been completed successfully," concluded the CSA internal audit. Credit: Defence Research and Development Canada photo by Janice Lang
 
VICTORIA, British Columbia — The Canadian Space Agency is working on a plan  to intervene in troubled government space projects, providing commercial firms the technical expertise, if necessary, to complete what they had been hired to do.

Спойлер

The backup plan comes after an internal audit found that the Near-Earth Object Surveillance Satellite (NEOSSat), built on contract by a commercial firm, ran into difficulties and fell 41 months behind schedule.
At one point, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the Department of National Defence, who were co-funding the 24-million-Canadian-dollar ($23 million) microsatellite, considered abandoning the project. But the two organizations decided to take a risk and continue while at the same time providing technical advice to the contractor, Microsat Systems Canada Inc. (MSCI) of Mississauga, Ontario.
"Without the technical capacity within the CSA and [the Department of National Defense], it is unlikely that the NEOSSat project would have been completed successfully," concluded the 69-page audit, titled Evaluation of Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite Project.
NEOSSat was launched in February 2013. CSA touts it as the world's first space telescope dedicated to detecting and tracking asteroids and satellites.
The audit recommended that CSA maintain the technical capability "to effectively manage projects and to step in and undertake the more technical aspects of a project if a contractor is unable to do so."
"If the prime contractor does lose capacity then the CSA should ensure it has a way to deal with that risk," it added.
In response, the CSA will develop "guidelines for project intervention" which should be ready by December, agency officials said.
By March 2015, it will have identified the areas of key technical expertise it needs to have if required to take over troubled projects from contractors. The space agency will also put in place a system to acquire engineering services when needed on a contract basis.
CSA spokeswoman Maya-Olivia Eyssen said the agency has been working on its response to the audit since earlier this year.
She noted those changes will also include "an improved process for project management at the CSA."
It will develop new methodology for project management that will include a process to provide continuous monitoring of contractor's financial, technical and project management performance. That system will be ready by March 2015.
The audit was completed in March 2014 but only recently made public.
Dynacon Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario, was awarded the contract to build NEOSSat in July 2007. In 2008 Dynacon sold its satellite business to MSCI, and MSCI continued the project as a subcontractor to Dynacon.
But according to the audit, the project faced a number of hurdles.
MSCI lacked the capability to do the project and faced a significant turnover of key staff, the audit noted.
MSCI, however, has challenged those findings. Its officials say the requirements for the project were lacking in specifics and that staff from the CSA, who were brought in to help, instead got in the way.
MSCI president David Cooper also told Postmedia news service in a July 28 article that the CSA kept asking for changes to the satellite. Cooper did not immediately respond to a call from SpaceNews for comment. Chuck Black, a space analyst and former director at the Canadian Space Commerce Association, said much of the audit places blame on contractors but the CSA and Canadian government should not escape blame for some of the problems.
A source of significant delay was the federal government approval and contracting processes, he pointed out. Even when Dynacon-MSCI was awarded the contract, it took the government another year to actually issue the contract and CSA another four months to get approval to implement the project.
In addition, some officials representing industry and the Defence Department noted that the CSA did not always appear to be managing NEOSSat efficiently or cost effectively, the audit reported.
Another delay beyond the control of MSCI stemmed from one of its subcontractors going out of business; MSCI had to replicate systems developed by the defunct subcontractor, causing another year of delay.
Although NEOSSat is operating, the images it is producing are not what was expected, the audit found. The image quality does not at present meet the imagery requirements of the scientific aspects of the mission, it added.
"A stable focus is needed in the imager in order to yield images of a scientific quality, due to the very low levels of light that are reflected off asteroids," the audit concluded. "Whether the intended production of 288 images per day can ever be achieved is a matter of concern."
But the CSA says it is confident that it can deal with the technical issues. In early June, following various flight software and parameter improvements, NEOSSat demonstrated that it can obtain scientific images, said the CSA's Eyssen. "Additional flight software upgrades are scheduled, which should lead to the full commissioning of NEOSSat during the fall," she added.

[свернуть]

[ВВК]

Подскажите как правильно это перевести:

Salo пишет:
"Additional flight software upgrades are scheduled, which should lead to the full commissioning of NEOSSat during the fall," she added.

[napalm]

Запланированы обновления софта, которые доведут аппарат до полнофукционального вида осенью (надо думать 2014 г.).

[PIN]

ВВК пишет:
full commissioning

Речь о завершении ввода в эксплуатацию. К которой данный аппарат еще не готов, как следует из текста.

[ВВК]

napalm  и  SOE спасибо просто я читаю с Гуглом, а там слова "during the fall" переводятся как :"во время падения"

[Андрей Суворов]

ВВК пишет:
napalm и SOE спасибо просто я читаю с Гуглом, а там слова "during the fall" переводятся как :"во время падения"

fall - в переводе с американского "конец года". такое пятое время года между осенью и новым годом.

[ВВК]

Андрей Суворов пишет:

ВВК пишет:
napalm и SOE спасибо просто я читаю с Гуглом, а там слова "during the fall" переводятся как :"во время падения"

fall - в переводе с американского "конец года". такое пятое время года между осенью и новым годом.

Но Гугл должен же это знать, а не писать всякую какую-то бесмыслецу.