Alexey Zimarev's blog

Globalstar October launch postponed

After the last crash of Progress space craft, an officials started to investigate the reasons of it. Many commercial launches use the same Soyuz vehicle and Globalstar planned to have their third 2011 launch of another six second generation satellites on 8 of October seems to change their plans. At night of 9 September the commision declared their results and Globalstar prefers to wait until another Progress will be launched and only after that schedule their new launch. Soyuz 2.1a with Fregat acceleration module and RD-0110 engine that will be used for the Globalstar launch is exactly the same model as crashed Progress had. Some sources say that Russians are trying to convince Globalstar to keep the original schedule but this is not confirmed. The new launch schedule is expected to be presented on Tuesday 13 September.

Globalstar launch live from Baikonur

You can watch the Globalstar launch of new six second generation satellites live from Baikonur cosmodrome, starting at 02:07 UTC 13/07/2011

http://www.videocorner.tv/videocorner2/live_flv/index.php?langue=en

Globalstar launch posponed

Soyuz launch with Globalstar second-generation satellites is postponed

July 11, 2011 – Soyuz Flight ST23

Today’s launch of six Globalstar second-generation satellites was postponed following the countdown’s interruption prior to liftoff of the Soyuz vehicle from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

via www.arianespace.com

Although you don't find it on Globalstar web site, their second generation constellation second launch, planned for today 11 June 2011, has been posponed due to technical issues with the launch vehicle. New date is still to be announced.

Skype’s iPad app ‘coming soon’ - or not so soon?

A dedicated Skype app for Apple’s iPad is on its way, bringing along with it the company’s popular voice over Internet phone service and video chatting.

via www.appolicious.com

Now the whole Internet is full of this news and in many Skype for iPad is called a "killer app for iPad" that seriously threatens Apple's FaceTime position even for Mac users since most of them use Skype anyway. On some news sites I have even seen that "it will appear in Appstore today" meaning 28th of July. So, we are one day ahead and there's still no sign of dedicated Skype for iPad in iTunes. This raises the question again how fast/slow Apple approved applications in their store if it somehow intersects or get in conflict with their business interests. But I now have to admit that Skype could now suffer from what they did many times their selves. Using their closeness and proprietary developer programs, they managed to close Skype support in Fring and now are killing Skype for Asterisk.

I don't really wish that Skype for iPad will not be approved by Apple for iTunes. But I wish Skype (or should I now say Microsoft) would learn something from this delay. However I have to admin the chance of this is too small...