Sentinel-1A satellite has unfolded its antenna after successful launch

The new large antenna (12.3m x 0.9m) of the environmental satellite Sentinel-1A´s radar instrument, developed by Airbus Defence and Space (EADS), has successfully unfolded and locked in place in the early hours of this morning (04 April 2014).

Sentinel-1A, built for the European Space Agency (ESA) by Thales Alenia Space Italy as prime contractor, is the first in a series of Earth observation satellites specially developed and built for the European ‘Copernicus’ environment and security programme.

At 23:02 CEST last night, the satellite was successfully launched on board a Soyuz launcher from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.

“This successful start of the Sentinel-1A mission, and thus the Copernicus programme, marks a new era in Earth observation."

"With the satellite’s powerful radar instrument- the heart of the mission- and its ‘all-weather’ and ‘round-the-clock’ capabilities, Airbus Defence and Space (EADS) is making a decisive contribution to even more effective operational Earth observation that will benefit humans and nature more than ever,” says François Auque, Head of Space Systems.

“The instrument will also deliver unprecedented data to scientists."

After a flight time of only around 25 minutes, the satellite was accurately placed into its designated orbit. Initial communications with the ground showed that the system is working as planned.

Airbus Defence and Space (EADS) engineers supported European Space Agency (ESA) technicians who worked through the night at the satellite control centre in Darmstadt to unfold and lock the solar panels and the five-part, 12.3-metre-long radar antenna in several stages and with that, the Sentinel-1A satellite has passed its critical initial phase with flying colours.

All subsystems will be systematically checked over the coming days, and the radar instrument is due to be switched on in space for the first time in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The radar instrument will be thoroughly calibrated during a commissioning phase lasting approximately three months, after which routine operation can begin.

The planned mission duration is seven years but the spacecraft has resources for a total of 12 years.

NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN): Goldstone's Antenna Tracks Spacecraft

Late night in the desert: Goldstone's 230-foot (70-meter) antenna tracks spacecraft day and night. 

This photograph was taken on Jan. 11, 2012.

The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, located in the Mojave Desert in California, is one of three complexes that comprise NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN).

The DSN provides radio communications for all of NASA's interplanetary spacecraft and is also utilized for radio astronomy and radar observations of the solar system and the universe. 

DSN, the world's largest and most powerful communications system for "talking to" spacecraft, will reach a milestone on Dec. 24: the 50th anniversary of its official creation.

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Deep Space Network for NASA. 

More information about the Deep Space Network is online at: www.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn50.

More information about NASA's Space Communications and Navigation program is at: www.spacecomm.nasa.gov.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

ESA EADS Astrium Alphasat: Deploys Massive 11m Antenna

ESA's Alphasat, Europe's largest-ever telecom satellite, reached a temporary position in the geostationary ring last weekend, where it deployed its 11 m-diameter main antenna over the course of a day - marking ten days in orbit and completing one of the final steps towards starting services.

It will stay in this slot for several weeks while Inmarsat together with ESA continue testing the telecom payload, the backup units on the Alphabus platform and ESA's four hosted payloads.

Several major milestones have been met over the past few days, including rising to geostationary altitude after separation from its Ariane 5 launcher, and deploying its twin four-panel solar wings, spanning 40 m.

The panels rotate automatically, following the Sun, while Alphasat's sophisticated attitude control system tracks its position above Earth.

All of these milestones were assured by a team from EADS Astrium, the Alphasat prime contractor, managed by Inmarsat.

In a cooperative effort unprecedented in Europe, the team was supported by ESA and France's CNES space agency, as well as Thales Alenia Space for Alphabus platform operations.

Alphasat uses the first flight model of the new platform. The Alphabus line, developed by Astrium and Thales Alenia Space, under a joint contract to ESA and CNES, is Europe's response to market demand for increased broadcasting services.

It accommodates missions with up to 22 kW of payload power and mass up to two tonnes. As a high-power multipurpose platform, it gives European industry an unprecedented and unique position in the global telecom market.

Jena-Optonik's Astro APS startracker was the first hosted payload to be switched on, measuring the satellite's attitude.

Alphasat joins Inmarsat's award-winning I-4 satellite fleet, which has been powering global broadband connectivity for government and commercial customers in the L-band since 2009.

The new satellite with its new-generation advanced payload will provide additional mobile satellite communications capacity over Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

ESO LORE: ALMA 7-meter-diameter antenna Transporter

Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)

One of the two ALMA transporters, Lore, carries one of the 7-meter-diameter antennas of ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. 

Lore and her twin, Otto, two bright yellow 28-wheeled vehicles, move ALMA's antennas around on the Chajnantor Plateau at an elevation of 16,400 feet (5000 meters). 

The transporters reconfigure the telescope array to make the most useful observations, and also move the antennas for maintenance.

Russian Progress 51 cargo spacecraft successfully docked to the ISS - Antenna Fault

A Russian Progress 51 robotic spacecraft successfully docked to the International Space Station today (April 26, 2013).

CREDIT: NASA TV

An unmanned cargo-carrying spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station Friday morning (April 26), despite a glitch in the capsule's navigation system.

After its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, the Russian Progress 51 spacecraft failed to deploy one of the two antennas used for the Kurs automated docking system.

Russian ground controllers were able to reposition the antenna, allowing the automated docking to go ahead as planned.

Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Roman Romanenko kept an eye on Progress as it moved into position.

"We have contact," one of the cosmonauts said after docking, "We have capture."

Although the cosmonauts were prepared to take over docking procedures, the automated system worked and the spacecraft fully docked to the station at 8:34 a.m. EDT (1234 GMT) while flying 251 miles (404 kilometers) over the border between China and Kazakhstan.

The approach to the space station was slower than usual because controllers on the ground and astronauts on the International Space Station were carefully monitoring Progress's position, NASA officials said.

At first the Progress was "soft-docked" and not secured in place with hooks in latches, giving the station crew and flight controllers a chance to make sure its stuck antenna posed no risk to the station's exterior.

When they saw it was safe, the Progress was slowly drawn into the port and secured.



Progress delivered 1,764 pounds (800 kg) of propellant, 57 pounds (26 kg) of air, 48 pounds (21 kg) of oxygen, 926 pounds (420 kg) of water and 3,348 pounds (1519 kg) of experiment hardware, spare parts and other supplies to the residents of the space station, NASA officials said.