PARIS — European Space Agency (ESA) officials can rest assured that France has no intention of nixing its contribution to the Earth Observation Envelope Program (EOEP) when representatives of member-governments meet in November to determine budgets for the agency’s biggest projects.

A student team from the University of Texas’ Austin campus succeeded in spoofing the GPS on an unmanned air vehicle at a range of 1 km and causing it to change position during a demonstration at the White Sands missile range in New Mexico.

Japan’s “Shizuku” Global Change Observation Mission-W1 spacecraft has maneuvered to the lead of the international Afternoon Constellation, or A-Train, series of six Earth observation spacecraft, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced July 2. The maneuvers, which placed GCOM-W1’s Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 at the point of the NASA-managed, polar-orbiting A-Train, were carried out by JAXA on June 29.

To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) JULY 9 - 10 — Military Airlift Asia-Pacific, “The perfect opportunity to discuss current airlifting capabilities and operations that are happening across Asia-Pacific,” Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore. For more information go to www.www.militaryairliftasiapac.com <http://www.militaryairliftasiapac.com

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NROL-15: A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying the National Reconnaissance Office’s third of four planned classified satellites for the year lifted off from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral at 9:15 a.m. EDT June 29. The flight of NROL-15 marked the second launch for the NRO in nine days. The Delta IV Heavy featured a center common booster core along with two strap-on common booster cores, each powered by an RS-68A Liquid Hydrogen/Liquid Oxygen engine producing 797,000 lb. of thrust.

Russia has claimed the successful test of a prototype of new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The new missile was fired from a mobile launcher at the Plesetsk spaceport in May and its warhead reached a designated area in the Kura test range on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The military also said the missile will have improved capabilities to overcome anti-ballistic missile defenses being deployed by the U.S.—an important new priority for Moscow after years of trying to forestall U.S. missile-defense developments.

Silicon Valley group will attempt to fund telescope to identify and track thousands of Near Earth Asteroids