What's in this week's issue of Space News? Every Monday we post quick, concise summaries of the current issue's top stories.

The most recent smaller stories from all corners of the space community, collected in one convenient place.

WASHINGTON — NASA and its contracting team conducted the first full-scale ground test of the U.S. space agency's Moon-bound Constellation program, test firing an abort motor designed to whisk the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle away from its Ares 1 launcher in an emergency.

WASHINGTON — A Japanese navy destroyer equipped with the U.S.-developed Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system failed to intercept a target in a Nov. 19 test, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said in a Nov. 20 press release.

PARIS — Satellite-fleet operator Intelsat has signed an agreement with Sea Launch Co. for five spacecraft to be launched between 2010 and 2012 from Sea Launch's Pacific Ocean platform, Sea Launch Chief Executive Kjell Karlsen said Nov. 20.

WASHINGTON — Pentagon leaders have directed the U.S. Air Force to quickly acquire a new geosynchronous-orbiting missile warning satellite system that will launch by the end of 2013, according to a memo from the Pentagon's acquisition chief.

PARIS — The ViaSat-1 Ka-band consumer-broadband satellite will be launched aboard a European Ariane 5 rocket in early 2011 under a contract signed by ViaSat Inc. and the Arianespace launch consortium of Evry, France, ViaSat announced Nov. 17.

TURIN, Italy — The Italian Space Agency (ASI) has agreed to increase its spending on Europe's ExoMars rover-lander mission to assure that its industry keeps the prime contractor's role and to prove its good faith as it enters into negotiations on a broad multiyear European space-spending plan, ASI Techology Director Carlo Bonifazi said Nov. 17.

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama has tapped two former NASA officials, Lori Garver and Roderic Young, to head up his transition efforts at the U.S. space agency.

PARIS — The Astrium space division of Europe's EADS aerospace conglomerate reported double-digit revenue and pretax profit increases for the nine months ending Sept. 30, with both being propelled by the Astrium Services division, EADS announced Nov. 14.

WASHINGTON — United Launch Alliance (ULA) of Denver will cut 350 jobs in February and may eliminate more jobs in the fourth quarter of 2009 depending on business conditions, according to a Nov. 13 ULA press release.

PARIS — Satellite-fleet operator Intelsat said demand for its satellite capacity has increased in every part of the world so far in 2008, even in the long-oversupplied Asia-Pacific region, and shows no sign of softening as a result of the global economic slowdown.