India spares slowing ISRO’s space missions

India spares slowing ISRO’s space missions
(Express News) May 12, 2010
The quality of home-grown electronic components, which are integrated to satellites and launch vehicles, is very poor and hence is hampering the process of indigenisation of the Indian Space programme, said Dr D Narayanamoorthy, senior scientist at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He was delivering the National Technology Day lecture on Indian Space Endeavour on Tuesday. He said that while the percentage of indigenous components in the launch vehicles was very high, the percentage of indigenous components integrated into spacecrafts was about 50 per cent. This, he said, was despite the very poor quality of home-grown electronic components.

Contract signed for Vietnam’s second satellite

Contract signed for Vietnam’s second satellite
(VOV News) May 12, 2010
The Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and the US aeronautical manufacturer - Lockheed Martin Corporation, signed a contract in Hanoi on May 11 to build and launch Vietnam’s second telecom satellite, Vinasat-2. Accordingly, Lockheed Martin will build the satellite and launch it into orbit within 24 months from the date of the contract. With the launch of the US$250 million Vinasat-1in April 2008, Vietnam became the 93rd country in the world and the sixth within the region to have its own satellite in orbit, according to VNPT. So far Vinasat-1 has leased out 80 percent of its capacity and is expected to operate at full capacity by 2011.

Qatar set to launch satellite in 2012

Qatar set to launch satellite in 2012
(Gulf News) May 12, 2010
Manama Qatar is set to launch its first satellite at the end of 2012 to provide superior coverage across the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. The $300 million (Dh1.1 billion) deal to launch and operate the satellite, named Eshail, was signed in Doha by Qatar's Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQatar)Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQatar). Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasem Bin Jabr Al Thani, who was present at the signing ceremony, said that Qatar's share of the deal was more than 50 per cent.

Naro ready for June 9 rocket launch

Naro ready for June 9 rocket launch
(Korea Times) May 10, 2010, By Kim Tong-hyung
South Korea's first space rocket launch was a dismal failure, although government officials insist on calling it a ``half-success.'' The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the country's space agency, doesn't intend to leave any doubts this time around as it prepares to light up the Korea Space Launch Vehicle 1 (KSLV-1) again for an optimistic retry on June 9. Yet it is difficult to pinpoint the areas required for improvement, when engineers and officials are still unsure what caused KSLV-1 to fail to place its payload satellite into orbit on its maiden flight last August.