SAT DEAL: Spacecom has reached a $200 million accord with Israel Aerospace Industries for the manufacturing of the AMOS-6 satellite, Spacecom said Sept. 10. The AMOS-6 is set to launch in 2015. IAI will build the satellite, prepare it for launch, place it into its orbital position, and provide ground control operations. The satellite is expected to be operational for at least 16 years. MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. will be the contractor for the Ku and multibeam Ka payloads.

The fully-indigenous PSLV-C21 vehicle blasted off from the Satish Dhawan space center on Sunday

New Delhi – India is awaiting assurances from its troubled partner Russia that it will be prepared for India’s second mission to the Moon, the Chandrayaan-2, in 2014, the country’s top scientist says. Russia, which is reviewing its space mission program after the recent failure of an interplanetary mission with China, will provide the lander while India will build the lunar orbiter and rover for Chandrayaan-2.

Researchers study effects on tissues and cells at a specialized facility at the Brookhaven National Laboratory

Says U.S. Air Force Space Command should adopt a policy of greater transparency and encourage wider participation

PARIS — French defense equipment agency DGA has ordered a pair of studies from private industry on developing a successor to the Syracuse 3 military communications satellite system, the results of which are expected to support defense program decisions as the administration of President Francois Hollande updates the country’s defense and security strategy in the coming months.

HOUSTON — NASA and SpaceX are working toward an Oct. 9-10 launch of the first Falcon 9/Dragon Commercial Re-Supply Services (CRS) cargo mission to the International Space Station, though the two would like to lift off several days earlier if the opportunity arises. NASA would like to start the mission as soon as Oct. 5 if the U.S. Air Force Eastern Range becomes available, to avoid any conflicts with the launching of Russia’s Soyuz 30 mission to the station on Oct. 15, says Mike Suffredini, NASA’s ISS program manager.

NEW DELHI — The 51-hr. countdown is underway for India’s latest Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C21) mission, which will orbit two foreign satellites. The PSLV-C21 will be launched from the Satish Dhawan space center at Sriharikota in south India at 9:51 a.m. local time on Sept. 9, an official at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) says. The countdown began Sept. 7. The launch will mark ISRO’s 100th mission into space.