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Astronomers find super-Earth using amateur, off-the-shelf technology
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09/10/2010 02:46 PM
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Astronomers announced today that they have discovered a "super-Earth" orbiting a red dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth. (2009-12-17)
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GOES-O Satellite Reaches Orbit and Renamed GOES-14
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09/10/2010 02:46 PM
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On June 27, 2009, the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-O, soared into space during a spectacular launch from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. GOES-O has now been renamed and its solar array has been deployed. (2009-07-13)
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Vanguard I celebrates 50 years in space
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09/10/2010 02:46 PM
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The Vanguard I satellite celebrates its 50th birthday this year. Its launch on March 17, 1958 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, culminated the efforts of America's first official space satellite program begun in September 1955. The first solar-powered satellite, Vanguard I has the distinction of being the oldest artificial satellite orbiting the earth. Its predecessors, Sputniks I and II and Explorer I, have since fallen out of orbit. (2008-03-14)
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Successful Ariane 5 upper stage engine re-ignition experiment
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09/10/2010 02:46 PM
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A successful re-ignition of the Ariane 5 upper stage engine performed during the most recent mission has consolidated Ariane 5's readiness for the launch of the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle. (2007-10-23)
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SMART-1 leaves Earth on a long journey to the Moon
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09/10/2010 02:46 PM
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SMART-1, Europe's first science spacecraft designed to orbit the Moon, has completed the first part of its journey by achieving its initial Earth orbit after a flawless launch during the night of 27/28 September. The European Space Agency's SMART-1 was one of three payloads on Ariane Flight 162. The generic Ariane-5 lifted off from the Guiana Space Centre, Europe's spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana, at 2014 hrs local time (2314 hrs GMT) on 27 September (01:14 Central European Summer time on 28 September). 42 minutes after launch, all three satellites had been successfully released into a geostationary transfer orbit (742 x 36 016 km, inclined at 7 degrees to the Equator). While the other t (2003-09-28)
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Artemis finally reaches operational orbit
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09/10/2010 02:46 PM
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ESA PR 07-2003. Artemis has finally reached geostationary orbit, some 36 000 km above the Earth, at 21.5°E. This announcement would, if all had gone to plan, been made just a few days after lift-off on 12 July 2001. Now, eighteen months and some serious brainstorming further on, the most advanced ESA telecommunications satellite ever commissioned is on station, ready to play its part in the development of new telecommunications services. It will be remembered that Artemis (which stands for Advanced Relay and Technology Mission) was left in a lower than intended orbit when the Ariane 5 upper stage malfunctioned. It was even feared at the time that the entire mission might be lost. But th (2003-01-31)
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MSG-1 weather satellite ready for commissioning
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09/10/2010 02:46 PM
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ESA PR 61-2002. The first of Eumetsat`s new generation of weather satellites, MSG-1, has arrived on station at 10.5°W in geostationary orbit at 36,000 kilometres above the Earth. After separation from the Ariane-5 launcher on 29 August, ESA's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt took the spacecraft under control on behalf of Eumetsat for the Launch and Early Operations Phase (LEOP). Operation of the spacecraft has now been handed over to Eumetsat. MSG has been developed through the close cooperation between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Eumetsat, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. The combination of ESA's space technology d (2002-09-27)
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Artemis, one year after launch
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09/10/2010 02:46 PM
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A mission brought back from the edge, a world premiere in space, European engineers grappling with the challenge of a launch malfunction: such are the results of Artemis`s first, adventurous year in space. For Artemis is still alive, doggedly advancing towards its working position in geostationary orbit, with ion engines not originally designed for such a task. Already it has demonstrated a new way of relaying data between satellites, premiering laser links in space. One year ago, Artemis was widely thought to be as good as lost; now, the spacecraft promises to perform its mission for advanced telecommunications. Exactly one year ago, due to a malfunction in its upper stage, Ariane 5 left ES (2002-07-12)
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Artemis starts its journey to final orbit
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09/10/2010 02:46 PM
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Thanks to ion propulsion, the Artemis mission is turning near-defeat into a success story. Nominal operations could start this summer, with ESA`s satellite, manufactured by Alenia Spazio as prime contractor (I), playing a significant role in the pursuit of high technology and advanced telecommunications. On 12 July 2001, 30 minutes after lift-off from Europe`s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, it became apparent that the Ariane 5 launcher had propelled the Artemis satellite into a transfer orbit that was lower than expected, with the apogee (the most distant point from Earth) at only 17 000 km rather than the nominal 36 000 km. Under normal circumstances a conventional satellite does not (2002-02-21)
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MAXUS 4 is now ready for launch
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09/10/2010 02:46 PM
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Following the success of the earlier Maxus flights which have taken place since 1992, the countdown is underway for the launch of ESA’s Maxus 4 sub-orbital microgravity mission on 29 April from ESRANGE, near Kiruna in northern Sweden. During the last two years, scientists from five European countries have been working together with the engineering teams from Astrium GmbH and the Swedish Space Corporation in preparation for the Maxus 4 mission, which is funded by the European Space Agency. The Maxus 4 flight will provide weightlessness to the experiments for the duration of about 12.5 minutes. On its flight, the payload will reach an apogee of 710km. On the down-leg, at an altitude of (2001-04-26)
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First Cluster apogee burn completed
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09/10/2010 02:46 PM
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The long, complex process required to elongate the orbits of the first twoCluster spacecraft has begun. The Cluster mission control centre at the European Space Operations Centre(ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, has confirmed that the apogee raising manoeuvre #1was completed successfully early this afternoon. At 13.21 CEST today, the main engine of the Cluster FM 6 (Salsa) spacecraftignited, followed just one second later by the main engine on FM 7 (Samba). Bothengine burns took place when the spacecraft were near the perigee (lowest point)of their orbits, 244 km above the Earth. Each 10 minute 33 second burn was intended to stretch the spacecraftorbits, raising their apogee (highest point) from (2000-07-17)
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More Apogee Current Events and Apogee News
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09/10/2010 02:46 PM
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More Apogee current events and Apogee science news articles, research and discoveries from Brightsurf
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