European

UK’s Major Peake delighted by historic ISS assignment
British astronaut Major Timothy Peake is to become the first British government-sponsored astronaut to fly on the International Space Station (ISS), following his assignment to a long-duration mission…

Arianespace’s Vega launches with Proba-V
Arianespace launched their Vega rocket on Monday, following last week’s scrub due to range weather. Vega’s second flight is carrying the primary payload, Proba-V, with the VNREDSat-1A and ESTCube-1 satellites…

Europe’s ATV-4 prepares for launch amid contributions to future exploration
Europe’s latest space freighter, the Automated Transfer Vehicle-4 (ATV-4), is currently undergoing preparations for a realigned launch date following the replacement of a faulty unit inside the spacecraft….

JUPITER 2/EchoStar XIX deal signed for 2016 Ariane 5 launch
Space Systems/Loral (SSL) have announced they will build what will be the world’s highest capacity broadband satellite. The new Ka-band satellite – called JUPITER 2/EchoStar XIX – will…

ESA and Roscosmos sign ExoMars deal following NASA refocus
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian federal space agency, Roscosmos, have announced their partnership on the ExoMars programme. The deal will result in two major Mars…

UK’s TechDemoSat-1 to ride uphill on Russian Soyuz
An innovative UK satellite has been confirmed for a late 2013 launch on a Soyuz rocket. Led by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), TechDemoSat-1 (TDS-1) is an impressive…

Ariane 5 ECA launches with Amazonas-3 and Azerspace-1
Arianespace have launched their first Ariane 5 of the year, lofting two satellites into orbit – Amazonas-3 and Azerspace-1 – from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana….

Orion’s ATV Service Module deal may allow ESA astro on EM-2 mission
As was expected, NASA and ESA managers announced the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) will live on as the bulk of the Orion Service Module. With an emphasis…

Ariane 5 ECA launches Skynet 5D and Mexsat 3/Bicentenario
Arianespace launched their final Ariane 5 launch of the year by successfully lofting two satellites into orbit – Skynet 5D and Mexsat 3/Bicentenario – from the European Spaceport…

Arianespace Soyuz ST-A successfully launches Pleiades 1B
Arianespace launched their Soyuz ST-A rocket from the European Spaceport “Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG)” in Kourou, French Guiana on Sunday morning, tasking the veteran launch with lofting the Pleiades…
UK steps up, as ESA commit to ATV Service Module on NASA’s Orion
The European Space Agency (ESA) have announced they will inform NASA they are ready to build an ATV derived Service Module for Orion, to be ready for the…
ULA: Launch services customers class reliability as their main consideration
The ever-competitive launch services market has once again been thrown into the spotlight, with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk promoting the low cost of his vehicles, claiming Arianespace’s Ariane…
Ariane 5 ECA conducts dual satellite launch from Kourou
Arianespace have launched their Ariane 5 ECA on another mission, lofting two satellites into orbit – namely Star One C3 & Eutelsat21B/W6A – from the European Spaceport in…
Soyuz ST-B launches Galileo twins successfully to orbit
An Arianespace Soyuz ST-B rocket launched from the Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana on Friday, lofting two Galileo IOV (In-Orbit Validation) satellites – the early stages of what…
Europe’s ATV-3 spacecraft makes fiery plunge back into atmosphere
The European Automated Transfer Vehicle-3 (ATV-3) spacecraft, also known as “Edoardo Amaldi”, has successfully concluded it’s near 6.5 month resupply and servicing mission to the International Space Station…
Ariane 5 ECA launches ASTRA 2F and GSAT 10 satellites
Arianespace have launched their Ariane 5 ECA on another mission, again to loft two satellites into orbit – namely ASTRA 2F and GSAT 10 – from the European…
Soyuz 2-1A launches with Metop-B for Europe
A Russian Soyuz 2-1A launch vehicle has launched with the Metop-B satellite into orbit for the European Space Agency (ESA) and EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological…
Ariane 5 ECA successfully launches Intelsat 20 and Hylas 2
Arianespace have launched their Ariane 5 ECA on a mission to loft two satellites into orbit – Intelsat 20 and Hylas 2 – from the European Spaceport in…
Ariane 5 ECA launches with MSG-3 and EchoStar XVII
Arianespace have launched their Ariane 5 ECA on a mission to loft two satellites into orbit – namely Meteosat Second Generation-3 (MSG-3) and EchoStar XVII. Launch from the…
Ariane 5 ECA launches JCSAT-13 and VINASAT-2 into orbit
Arianespace have returned their Ariane 5 ECA back into action on Tuesday, launching two more telecommunication satellites into orbit – namely JCSAT-13 and VINASAT-2. Launch from the European…























