Satellite insurance woes ... and US policy problems.
In a worst-case scenario, US-built satellites could end up not only unexportable, but also uninsurable. For the past 20 years, the Italian-based Generali insurance group has been holding a biennial conference on space insurance; this year's, in late March, was in Florence. The company chose to highlight...

Inmarsat's innovative insurance.
Inmarsat plc, the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications, is to become the first satellite operator to benefit from substantial cost savings made possible by Sciemus' new risk-based approach to satellite insurance. Sciemus, a UK-based company teamed with QinetiQ, estimates that Inmarsat could save at least 30% of...

Space insurance on bumpy road to recovery: it was a nightmare 2001 for insurers, and some observers think the time may have come to rewrite the rules. (Finance, Markets & Industry).
One year ago, the unfortunate conjunction of two major crises in the aerospace world nearly knocked out the space insurance market. Twelve months later, the first signs of a slow recovery are seen with a resumption of underwriting activity. Nevertheless, all the players remain extremely cautious regarding their respective...

Commercial breakthrough for Falcon 9.
SPace Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) has signed a contract with UK-based Avanti Communications Group (Avanti) for the launch of Avanti's HYLAS Ka-band satellite to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) on board a SpaceX Falcon 9. Of the seven Falcon 9 launches on the SpaceX manifest, Avanti is the first commercial...

Shuttle: 4 for 4 and SDI too.
Shuttle: 4 for 4 and SDI too The 18th space shuttle mission, designated 51-G, took off on June 17 with a lofty set of goals. There were the deployments of a record number of satellites--three dependent on auxiliary rocket motors of a sort that malfunctioned in the past,...

Aerospace & Defense News - Space.
Jan 21, 2008 NASA fixes shuttle's sensor, clearing the way for February launch. NASA engineers believe they have fixed the problem that forced the launch of Atlantis to be delayed about two months. Tests show the shuttle's fuel-sensor connector failed under extremely cold temperatures after fueling. Engineers...

Faster, cheaper ... but not so good?
Satellite operators are becoming increasingly indifferent to losses or delays -- if all goes well, the customer pays; if not, the insurer pays. Testing and redundancy levels are suffering as a result The spirit of Matra Marconi's troublesome solar arrays tended to hover over Euroconsult's recent Paris...

Insurers take a close look at satellite performance.
Venice: Higher premiums seem likely for launch insurance, and there is a call for better satellite quality standards, too. Traditionally, satellite manufacturers, operators and insurers have been at their point of maximum anxiety at the moment of lift-off. Once a satellite has achieved orbit successfully, everyone tends to sigh...

Space insurance still a risky business.
VENICE, ITALY: DESPITE PAYING OUT A RECORD $770 MILLION IN CLAIMS LAST YEAR, EUROPE'S SPACE INSURERS ARE CONFIDENT OF HOLDING PREMIUM RATES STEADY. BUT THERE ARE SOME DANGER SIGNALS ON THE HORIZON. Every two years, the world's leading space insurance underwriter, Trieste-based Assicurazioni Generali, reviews business trends and technology...

European mega-satellite ready for liftoff.
The Envisat environmental satellite, due to go into orbit on an Ariane 5 later this year, is unlikely to be equalled in size and complexity by any future ESA platform Europe's Environmental Satellite will be largest spacecraft yet orbited by the European Space Agency. With an all-up...