WBMSAT News Bits 05/02/2014
U.S. sanctions against Russia sowing confusion, caution among space firms. [Space News – 05/02/2014]
Aging Palapa C2 in inclined orbit – Credit: Boeing artist’s concept – Space News
Indonesia’s Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) has sets collision course with Indonesia’s Indosat satellite operator by ordering a satellite to be placed into the same orbital slot as a satellite ordered by Indosat a year ago. [Space News – 05/02/2014]
French space agency CNES signs formal work-share agreement with NASA on the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) altimetry satellite to be launched in 2020. [Space News – 05/02/2014]
Xplornet Communications Inc. has contracted with ViaSat Inc. for all of the residential capacity covering Canada on the ViaSat-2 satellite. [SatNews – 05/02/2014]
Echostar 23 – Credit: SSL artist’s concept – Space News
MDA says 90 percent of bids for commercial telecommunications satellites that its SSL subsidiary is chasing are unaffected by the patent-infringement litigation between SSL and ViaSat. [Space News – 05/02/2014]
Avanti signs a multi-million dollar contract extension with Avonline broadband to target European consumers with new satellite broadband. [IFA Magazine – 05/02/2014]
Ultra Electronics AEP enables Thuraya to offer extremely secure communications over robust satellite network. [CIOL – 05/02/2014]
MEASAT’s new MEASAT-3b satellite to be launched from French Guiana on May 28. [BERNAMA – 05/02/2014]
U.S. Federal court bans United Launch Alliance from purchasing RD-180 engines from Russia’s NPO Energomash, following filing by SpaceX calling it an “unlawful contract” to send money to sanctioned Russian Deputy Prime Minister. [Via Satellite – 05/01/2014]
A successful Sea Launch launch – SatNews file photo.
Sea Launch announces its prime contractor will restart testing in preparation of rollout of EUTELSAT 3B satellite, now scheduled to launch May 26. [SatNews – 05/01/2014]
A proposed microsatellite mission would demonstrate technology for satellite-based quantum key distribution. [SPIE – 05/01/2014]
Arianespace on track to perform 12 missions during 2014, setting a new operational record surpassing the 10 flights in 2010. [SatNews – 05/01/2014]
AT&T has approached DirecTV about a takeover. [The Wall Street Journal – 05/01/2014]]
Telesat cut Q1 losses, growing revenue 10.6%, but it wasn’t enough to give the satellite communications company a profitable first quarter. [Ottawa Business Journal – 05/01/2014]
Thaicom 6 launch – Credit: SpaceX photo – Space News
Orbital Sciences will build, and SpaceX will launch, Thaicom 8. [Space News – 04/30/2014]
British government to adopt industry recommendations to reduce amount of insurance satellite companies must purchase before government guarantees on third-party liability take effect. [Space News – 04/30/2014]
TelOne, the Zimbabwean national telco, has announced a satellite broadband contract with Avanti Communications. [MIL-TECH – 05/01/2014]
Lockheed Martin testing facility enables more radio terminals to be qualified for use with MUOS communications satellites. [Satellite Spotlight. – 05/01/2014]
New Delorme inReach combines GPS navigation and emergency communications. [gizmag – 05/01/2014]
ViaSat 1 Broadband Satellite – Photo: Space Systems Loral – Via Satellite
Both ViaSat and Space Systems Loral (SSL) take further legal action following recent decision by U.S. Court for Southern District of California to award ViaSat $283M in damages against SSL. [Via Satellite – 04/30/2014]
IGNIS project spearheaded by HISPASAT concludes with demonstration combining satellite communications with range of services and technologies at scene of a forest fire. [SatNews – 04/30/2014]
SSL delivers satellite to Kourou launch complex for Optus of Australia. [Broadcaster – 04/30/2014]
GlobaFone brings leading satellite communications solutions to the Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference. [4-traders – 04/30/2014]
EUTELSAT signs distribution agreement with Wireless Innovation to enable it to use KA-SAT to provide critical communication services and connectivity for temporary and mobile offices. [SatNews – 04/30/2014]
The global military satellite market is expected to experience a growth of 3.74% during 2014-2024 in a report published by Strategic Defence Intelligence. [Yahoo Finance – 04/29/2014]
Inmarsat lost altitude amid market fears the satellite communications group’s $1.6bn (£950m) high-speed broadband programme would be hit by Western sanctions on Moscow. [Telegraph – 04/29/2014]
MDA wins strategic contact to provide communications satellite hosted X-band payload on Turksat 6A. [Yahoo Finance – 04/29/2014]
ATK merges Aerospace and Defense Group with Orbital Sciences. [Via Satellite – 04/29/2014]
United Launch Alliance (ULA) responds to SpaceX suit against the U.S. Air Force’s block buy of 36 cores from ULA for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program. [Via Satellite – 04/29/2014]
Planet2 Weather App in cockpit – Credit: Atmosphere – PHYS-ORG
Pilots using Planet2 satellite service can now receive inflight updates on weather hazards and warn other aircraft of storms they see ahead. [PHYS-ORG – 04/29/2014]
Ultra Electronics and Thuraya to provide end-to-end communications for government customers. [Via Satellite – 04/29/2014]
Age of satellites dedicated to broadcast is giving way to new technologies for handling massive data streams. [NY Times – 04/29/2014]
Telemar SpA appointed as Value Added Reseller for Inmarsat Global Xpress for the Global Government. [twst – 04/29/2014]
Carrier rocket Proton-M delivered Kazakh KazSat -3 and Russian Luch – 5B satellites to intermediate orbit, Russian Space Agency’s representative told RIA Novosti. [TMCnet – 04/28/2014]
SpaceX files suit against Air Force block buy of 36 cores from United Launch Alliance for Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program. [Via Satellite – 04/28/2014]
AT&T will use its considerable resources to challenge Gogo in the inflight connectivity market. [cnbc – 04/28/2014]
AT&T and Honeywell to redefine the air travel experience with world-class, high-speed wireless Internet, developed so it can integrate with Honeywell’s GX and L-Band satellite systems. [Aviation Today – 04/28/2014]
SSL selected to provide a satellite to PT. Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (BRI), the oldest and most profitable bank in Indonesia. [msn Money – 04/28/2014]
Iridium completes extensive upgrade of ground station infrastructure worldwide for enhanced reliability and performance. [Financial Content – 04/28/2014]
Iridium submits application to IMO for new GMDSS maritime offering. [Via Satellite – 04/28/2014]
The FAA Alaska Flight Services has announced that the DeLorme inReach satellite communicator has been approved for the Enhanced Special Reporting Service (eSRS) program. [AERO News Network – 04/28/2014]
Astrobus satellite platform – Photo: Airbus Defence and Space – Via Satellite
Airbus selected to build Peru’s first Earth Observation Satellite system. [Via Satellite – 04/28/2014]
International telecom and media company Millicom began its first Direct-to-Home (DTH) TV service in Bolivia. [Via Satellite – 04/28/2014]
ViaSat awarded $283M in damages in suite against Space Systems/Loral (SSL). [Via Satellite – 04/25/2014]
Aerojet’s CAD Rendering of its MPS 120 CubeSat propulsion system. Photo: Aerojet – Via Satellite
Cubesat propulsion systems to be 3-D printed by Aerojet Rocketdyne. [Via Satellite – 04/25/2014]
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