High power photonics for satellite communications and on-board optical signal processing — that spells HIPPO. Considering their objectives, this is the future of space-based communications and some day will replace the RF technology used by today’s satcom spacecraft.
NASA recently proved lasers work well and the increase in throughput will be a revolutionary game-changer.
Today marks ten years since the Cassini spacecraft arrived at Saturn. The image above is one of my personal favorites (similar images also available via BigBangPrints.com).
The team of scientists at Cassini have selected their own “top 10” list of images. More importantly, their list of the top ten discoveries is far more impressive…
I love the preview of what we can expect in the coming years…
NASA spacecraft show an improvement in air quality. That’s a good thing!
Jersey and Long Island didn’t change much, however.
This video is good for kids, too.
German and American astronauts aboard the International Space Station stopped working to watch the U.S.A./Germany FIFA World Cup match today. Their Internet connection was probably uninterrupted, unlike for most people watching while at work.
WatchESPN (app and site) counted 1.4 million concurrent live viewers today and many more were probably denied viewing access due to congestion (or somebody in IT security woke up and shut that bandwidth mother down). After Germany scored the only goal, viewership rose to 1.7 million. Univision’s stream had no trouble (non-Spanish-speakers don’t know it exists; others know satellite is better).
Interestingly, Univision’s feed via DirecTV was more than 2 seconds ahead of ESPN’s — probably to allow for multiple satellite paths and processing in Bristol.
Falcon 9 after successful test firing – Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com – Universe Today
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rolled out to Cape Canaveral launch pad in preparation for 6:08 P.M. EDT scheduled launch of six advanced OG2 satellites for ORBCOMM.
[Universe Today – 06/20/20014]
A Russian-Ukrainian Dnepr silo-launched rocket on June 19 successfully deployed 33 satellites ranging in size from several hundred kilograms to less than 5 kilograms each into low Earth orbit.
[Space News – 06/20/2014]
Airbus and Safran propose new Ariane 6 design and reorganization of Europe’s rocket industry.
[Space News – 06/20/2014]
Viasat asks court to halt SSL work on at least one satellite.
[Space News – 06/20/2014]
British satellite communications firm Inmarsat eyes disaster-response as a new market as it launches three satellites in the next nine months.
[Business Mirror – 06/20/2014]
Gerald Herbert/AP File Photo – Nextgov
FCC slams Chinese GPS jammer vendor with $34.9 million fine.
[Nextgov – 06/19/2014]
One of the ships searching for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Photograph: David Le-May/BBC/David Le-May – The Guardian
New revised search zone for Flight 370, based on an intensive study of satellite communications from the jet and other data, expected to be hundreds of miles south of the previous search zone.
[The Guardian – 06/19/2014]
Eutelsat plans a new triple-payload satellite designated Eutelsat 172B, to launch in 2017 at 172 degrees east to boost capacity and expand coverage across the Asia-Pacific.
[Via Satellite – 06/19/2014]
Belarusian satellite to be managed through Azerbaijan’s ground control center.
[TMCnet – 06/19/2014]
The Russian military will test its new mobile satellite communications system during the Vostok-2014 strategic exercise in Russia’s Eastern Military District.
[SatNews – 06/19/2014]
Dream Chaser – Credit: Sierra Nevada Corp. – Space News
Sierra Nevada Corp. to acquire ORBITEC.
[Space News – 06/19/2014]
Newtec M6100 modulators installed on Thaicom 6 platform, enabling TV Broadcasting services in both C-band and Ku-band in Thailand.
[realwire – 06/19/2014]
Harris publishes a patent application online titled “Portable Satellite Communication System.”
[4-traders – 06/19/2014]
Panasonic to bring satellite connectivity to Pacific aircraft routes in partnership with Eutelsat.
[Aviation Today – 06/19/2014]
Emerging Markets Communications adds 13 new field support centers in strategic remote areas worldwide in 2014.
[Satellite Spotlight – 06/19/2014]
Addvalue Innovation to preview Wideye iSavi for Smart Device Satellite Connectivity at this year’s CommunicAsia trade show in Singapore.
[CBS8.com – 06/19/2014]
Avanti launches “Avanti Mobile Assist” app for Android phones to assist satellite installation engineers with Ka-band satellite field installations.
[Satellite Spotlight – 06/19/2014]
IPSTAR Japan, a Thaicom subsidiary, reports that Tokyo-based shipping company Ocean Trans Co. has selected its end-to-end broadband service to provide its crew with Internet access.
[Digital Ship – 06/19/2014]
Obama administration opposes appropriations bill provision: $220 million to start development of a large rocket engine to replace the Russian-built RD-180.
[Space News – 06/18/2014]
Proton Rocket Launch – PHSY-ORG
A Russian startup says it will launch several satellites in the coming weeks, the country’s first private satellite constellation, to offer maritime monitoring services.
[PHYS-ORG – 06/18/2014]
Kymeta, commercializing innovative metamaterials-based flat-panel antennas for satellite communications, named by CNBC among world’s top 50 disruptors second year in a row.
[PCB007 – 06/18/2014]
SpeedCast of Australia acquires Oceanic Broadband, a leading integrator and solutions provider in the Oceania region.
[Bloomberg Businessweek – 06/18/2014]
ATCi tailors its Simulsat RF transport solution, a complete integrated RF ingest and distribution system, for the Asian market.
[Digital Journal – 06/18/2014]
SES CEO emphasizes the satellite industry’s “right to play” in the overall communications industry during address at CASBAA Satellite Industry Forum 2014.
[Via Satellite – 06/17/2014]
Global uptake of ultra HD via DTH to reach nearly 300 channels by 2023.
[NSR Press Release – 06/17/2014]
C-band spectrum essential to Asia Pacific Region according to new study released at CASBAA Satellite Industry Forum.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 06/17/2014]
Artist’s concept of GPS III satellite – Lockheed Martin/AP File Photo – Nextgov
Delays in delivery of GPS III satellites by Lockheed Martin prompt U.S. Air Force to ask other vendors for proposals to develop and build up to 22 satellites.
[Nexgov – 06/17/2014]
Laser Light Communications (LLC) enters into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) relating to LLC’s Global Hybrid Satellite-Terrestrial All Optical Network technology.
[4-traders – 06/17/2014]
India’s Telecom Commission has given the approval for introducing satellite-based mobile services in the country.
[The Hindu Business Line – 06/17/2014]
Indian Telecom panel gives nod to reduced licence fee for VSAT operators in the country.
[Business Standard – 06/17/2014]
C-COM Satellite Systems is listed amongst Canada’s fastest growing companies.
[Market Watch – 06/17/2014]
Gilat Satcom launches satellite phone service to provide connectivity in African underground mines.
[Mining.com – 06/17/2014]
Vislink and ND SatCom have announced a cooperation agreement to offer a wider product range to their broadcast and surveillance customers.
[RAPIDTV News – 09/17/2014]
Gilat announces a breakthrough in LTE backhauling using its Capricorn TDMA VSAT, following completion of tests of its 200Mbps terminal on Thaicom’s IPSTAR satellite.
[Market Watch – 06/17/2014]
Global mobile satellite communications company Inmarsat will launch its personal connectivity device IsatHub globally in August 2014..
[Satellite Evolution Group – 06/17/2014]
Parade marking 100th anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s birthday Pyongyang, North Korea. // DigitalGlobe/AP File Photo – Nextgov
Independent nonproliferation experts can now get images offering much greater detail about Iran’s and North Korea’s above-ground nuclear facilities.
[Nextgov – 06/16/2014]
Connecting to the internet via satellite. Flickr/Michael Josh Villanueva, CC BY-NC – The Conversation
News that Google representatives are in talks with Virgin Galactic seen as further evidence it is looking to set up a series of low-orbit satellites to help connect more people to the internet.
[The Conversation – 06/16/2014]
Crystal Solutions launches its Carrier ID Detection System, which allows users to quickly distinguish a satellite carrier.
[Via Satellite – 06/16/2014]
Nine Network Australia deploys several of Newtec’s solutions in order to boost efficiency in its satellite network, allowing 64% more data rate throughput.
[Newtec Press Release – 06/16/2014]
Eutelsat Communications, in partnership with ST Teleport, is set to introduce its 4K Ultra HD channel on the Eutelsat 70B satellite reaching Southeast Asia and Australia.
[Via Satellite – 06/16/2014]
INTEGRASYS has released their Satmotion Pocket Remote Commissioning Solution for Google Glass, at CommunicAsia2014 tradeshow.
[SatNews – 06/16/2014]
Gilat announces that Wireless Nation, a leading New Zealand ISP, will be deploying Gilat’s SkyEdge II VSATs powered by Optus’s wholesale satellite services.
[Globe Newswire – 06/16/2014]
ST Teleport and Eutelsat seal partnership to offer enhances connectivity solutions in Asia.
[Satellite Spotlight – 06/16/2014]
Hughes broadband satellite technology selected by Thaicom for in-flight connectivity services.
[Yahoo Finance – 06/16/2014]
TelOne of Zimbabwe says it expects its fledgling satellite broadband service, delivered in partnership with Avanti, to be contributing at least USD5 million to revenue annually within a year.
[4-traders – 06/16/2014]
Vislink & ND SatComm enter into agreement giving the companies access to each other’s product portfolios.
[IPTV News – 06/16/2014]
Scientist rescued after fall in Nepal in May will embark on a Peruvian expedition carrying the DeLorme inReach satellite communicator that saved him.
[Reuters – 06/16/2014]
As more MSS constellations and more powerful FSS and HTS satellites launch, the satellite mobility market is on the cusp of major change.
{NSR report – June 2014]
The next Italian astronaut to work aboard the International Space Station will be Samantha Cristoforetti and she’s bringing an espresso machine — actually an ISSpresso machine.
It’s a high-tech contraption jointly developed by Lavazza and Argotec. Probably cost a fortune and I don’t care. They deserve a good espresso up there.
Using the ISS for marketing is not as easy as it seems — not very glamorous, either. So the folks at Lavazza went a little further and likened it to experiencing espresso at the Moonbase Alpha cafe. They dig old space TV shows — especially stylish ones like Space 1999 (co-produced by Italian broadcaster RAI).
Soyuz-2.1b modernized rocket – Space Daily
Soyuz rocket puts Russian GLONASS-M navigation satellite into orbit.
[GPS Daily – 06/16/2014]
Reportlinker.com announces new market research report analyzing worldwide markets for satellite transponders in number of 36 MHz Transponder Equivalents (TPE) by application area.
[MarketWatch – 06/15/2014]
Proposed AT&T and DirecTV merger heading to streamlined Senate hearings, with little observable opposition.
[eWeek – 06/14/2014]
ReportsnReports.com offers “In-depth Research and Development Forecast of Satellite Application Industry in China, 2014″ report in its store. [Satellite Spotlight – 06/13/2014]
Avanti raises $ 157.5 million in bond market, to be used to begin HYLAS 4 satellite project.
[Hispanic Business – 06/13/2014]
Spacecom is planning new satellites to reach 80 percent of the world by 2020.
[Via Satellite – 06/13/2014]
Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 capsule (interior shown above), Credit: Boeing artist’s concept – Space News
Two companies vying to build space taxis to fly NASA astronauts to the international space station plan to offer unmanned versions of their vehicles in competition for cargo resupply services.
[Space News – 06/13/2014]
Eutelsat taps Siemens to improve satellite monitoring in Latin America.
[RAPIDTV News – 06/13/2014]
Months before awarding sole source contract to United Launch Alliance, the USAF rejected an unsolicited offer from SpaceX to launch GPS 3 satellites for $80 million each.
[Space News – 06/13/2014]
Eutelsat to introduce its 4k Ultra HD TV channel in Asia on the Eutelsat 70B satellite, in partnership with ST Teleport, one of Asia’s leading full-service communications service providers.
[SatNews – 06/13/2014]
European Space Agency modifies frequencies used by some radar Earth observation satellites to reduce the interference from ground-based wireless communications systems often operating illegally.
[Space News – 06/13/2014]
Though DigitalGlobe wins approval to sell its highest-resolution imagery to all customers, regulators reserve the right to impose some restrictions on commercial sales of data from the company’s newest, most capable satellite to be launched in August.
[Space News – 06/13/2014]
More than 300 Chinese space enthusiasts have booked tickets costing nearly $100,000 for a five minute trip to outer space.
[Space Travel – 06/13/2014]
TelOne announces new broadband through satellite product in the United Kingdom.
[TMC News – 06/13/2014]
New report from Markets and Markets defines and segments the global Nano and Microsatellites market, which it projects to be worth $1.887 billion by 2019.
[Satellite Sppotlight – 06/12/2014]
SMi presents the 16th annual Global MilSatCom conference and exhibition – Europe’s leading Military Satellite Communications event.
[University Chronicle – 06/12/2014]
The UK officially joins the US, Canada and the Netherlands in using the Lockheed Martin-produced Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) protected communications satellite system.
[Airforce Technology – 06/12/2014]
Google is in talks with Virgin Galactic about a deal that will hand it crucial access to satellite-launch technology and an equity stake in its space tourism venture.
[Space News – 06/12/2014]
Eutelsat’s KA-SAT during electromagnetic testing. Photo courtesy of Airbus Defence & Space. – SatNews
Eutelsat’s KA-SAT satellite has been selected by Wireless Innovation as part of an emergency mobile communications solution to help protect EDF Energy’s critical infrastructure in the UK.
[SatNews – 06/12/2014]
Eutelsat completes carrier ID implementation for its American coverage satellites in advance of the World Cup.
[The Wall Street Journal – 06/12/2014]
Intelsat and Speedcast join forces to bring market leading broadband and mobility solutions to the Maritime, Oil & Gas and Enterprise sectors.
[University Chronicle – 06/12/2014]
Gilat’s low-profile maritime terminals deployed on naval vessels of an unnamed Asian country.
[Yahoo Finance – 06/12/2014]
McMurdo Group integrates Iridium GO! into its fleet management software.
[Digital Ship – 06/12/2014]
NASA first demonstrated laser communications in space in October 2013. (Artist’s illustration} – Defense Systems
DISA mulls laser system for satellite communications.
[Defense Systems – 06/11/2014]
Google buying satellite maker Skybox for $500 million to improve quality and immediacy of satellite imagery used in its digital maps.
[Top Tech News – 06/11/2014]
The U.S. military’s Africa Command supervises project to improve communications for allies in North Africa and Sahel; awards $8.2 million contract to SES Government Solutions for transponders to support satellite communications from Africom.
[World Tribune – 06/11/2014]
Inmarsat names Satcom Direct Communications a “value added reseller” for Global Xpress.
[ExecutiveGov – 06/11/2014]
Intelsat aims for close cooperation with Azerbaijan`s “Azercosmos” OJSC satellite operator, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Communications and High Technologies reported.
[TMC News – 06/11/2014]
ViaSat focuses on creating a more economically favorable M2M system designed to provide higher speeds, greater security, and faster response to small fixed and mobile terminals.
[Market Watch – 06/11/20104]
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. receives $5.3 million order for Ka-band satellite power amplifiers from an existing customer, to be used in the HTS market.
[Satellite Spotlight – 06/11/2014]
New NovelSat solution for DSNG allows units to deploy multiple cameras through a single satellite modem without requiring additional bandwidth for each camera.
[Via Satellite – 06/11/2014]
WORK Microwave DVB-S2 equipment now features Carrier ID technology.
[Broadcast Newsroom – 06/11/2014]
MultiChoice to expand its leading Direct-to-Home services in sub-Sharan Africa via new Intelsat satellite, Intelsat 36.
[The Wall Street Journal – 06/11/2014]
Globecomm gets orders for WGS certified tri-band satellite terminals.
[BusinessWire – 06/11/2014]
Morelos 3. Photo: Boeing – Via Satellite
Boeing completes second Mexsat 702HP satellite.
[Via Satellite – 06/10/2014]
The High Throughput Satellite Roundtable, which is being organized for the second consecutive year, will feature dynamic new program content developed jointly by GVF and EMP.
[SatNews – 06/10/2014]
Will Google be the new Big “G” in the satellite industry? NSR professes cautious optimism in its analysis of Google’s plans to enter the satellite business.
[SatNews – 06/09/2014]
Financial district in Shanghai – PHYS.ORG
A Chinese military unit has run a hacking campaign that includes sending bogus email in a bid to intercept Western satellite communications and aerospace secrets, a US security firm said.
[PHYS.ORG – 06/10/2014]
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. gets $4.2 million order for DoubleTalk Carrier-in-Carrier satellite modems on behalf of the U.S. Army.
[Yahoo Finance – 06/09/2014]
Along with millions on earth, the ISS astronauts will be watching today’s opening match, too.
I like the soccer/football/futbol demo in zero gravity.
U.S. and European space chiefs urge public to look past incendiary Russian rhetoric and see the durable underlying value of the space station partnership.
[Space News – 05/23/2014]
Soyuz rocket with Fregat restartable upper stage – Credit: ESA/Starsem photo – Space News
Russian launch countdown resumes without Canadian satellite, carrying U.S., British and Norwegian satellites.
[Space News – 05/23/2014]
National Intelligence Director James Clapper hailed upstart launch services provider SpaceX during a keynote address, endorsing competition in the U.S. government launch industry.
[Space News – 05/23/2014]
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has successfully completed their latest milestone, a wind tunnel test, in the company’s NASA Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) agreement.
[SatNews ] 05/23/2014]
Europe’s work on the service module for NASA’s Orion crew-transport vehicle has made up most of the slip in schedule and is on track for delivery to NASA in time for a late 2017 launch.
[Space News – 05/23/2014]
Water was discovered in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that recently returned to Earth from a month-long stay at the international space station, but so far as NASA knew May 21, none of the agency’s cargo was damaged.
[Space News – 05/23/2014]
Antares’ AJ-26 engine, slated to power Orbital Sciences Cor[.’s 2015 mission to ISS, suffers test stand failure.
[Space News – 05/23/2014]
NROL-33 launch on Atlas % – Credit: ULA photo – Space News
An Atlas 5 rocket lifted off May 22 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying a classified payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
[Space News – 05/22/2014]
SES Broadband Services announces partnership with Meanswhat to deliver satellite communications for multi-national enterprises and Governmental Agencies with branch offices or production facilities in remote areas.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 05/22/2014]
Millicom selecs Eutelsat Americas satellite capacity to support its recent entry into the satellite pay-TV market in Latin America.
[Yahoo Finance – 05/22/2014]
Commercial Launch Services (LMCLS) will launch the WorldView-3 commercial remote sensing spacecraft, placing it into orbit on August 13 for DigitalGlobe.
[SatNews – 05/22/2014]
Hughes is selected to power delivery of high-speed satellite internet service in Columbia by HISPASAT Colombia.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 05/22/2014]
ITC Global expands presence in Asia-Pacific, opening branch office in Singapore.
[Satelllite Evolution Group – 05/22/2014]
Gogo gets STC from the FAA and certification from the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) to install Gogo’s Ku-satellite based connectivity service on Japan Airlines’ 767-300 aircraft.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 05/22/2014]
M7 Deutschland will acquire Kabelkiosk platform from Eutelsat.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 05/22/2014]
The United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada have signed a memorandum of understanding to work more closely together on space situational awareness activities.
[Space News – 05/21/2014]
Eutelsat Americas aligns names of satellites acquired with Mexsat with the Eutelsat brand.
[Market Watch – 05/21/2014]
Yahsat gets Satcom Africa “Satellite Operator of the Year” award for 2014.
[Star Africa – 05/21/2014]
Orbital Scinces begins production of Thaicom 8 commercial communications satellite, to be the second built for Thaicom by Orbital.
[Satellite spotlight – 05/21/2014]
Markets and Markets study projects M2M satellite communication market to be worth $4.76 billion by 2019.
[Satellite Spotlight – 05/21/2014]
Cobham’s new Aviator 5 series airborne satellite communications system will support wide range of communication applications in both the cockpit and the cabin.
[SatNews – 05/21/2014]
HeliosNet selects Newtec to provide Business-to-Consumer and Business-to-Business VSAT services across Eastern Russia.
[Via Satellite – 05/21/2014]
“Global M2M Satellite Communications Market Report 2014 – 2019″ added to Research and Markets offering; ) market represents an interesting and potentially huge revenue stream for the satellite industry.
[Business Wire – 05/20/2014]
Under pressure from families of passengers of Malaysia Flight 370, Inmarsat confirms it will publish full record of communications received from the plane the day it disappeared.
[New York Times – 05/20/2014]
Australian Communications Minister and his Parliamentary Secretary give contradictory statements within 3 months regarding possible sale of NBN’s satellite infrastructure soon.
[Delimiter – 05/20/2014]
Human error likely led to the recent failure of a Proton-M rocket carrying Russian telecommunications satellite, a source close to the commission investigating the incident told RIA Novosti.
[Space News – 05/20/2014]
Orbit 2.4m and 3.7m three axis tracking antennas, with radomes for withstanding extreme environments, can be mounted on building roofs and eliminate keyhole effect while tracking low earth orbit satellites. [SatNews – 05/20/2014]
Airbus delivers X-band satellite communications capabilities using Airbus’ Skynet 5 constellation to four United Kingdom Mine Counter Measure Vessels in the Arabian Gulf.
[Via Satellite – 05/20/2014]
NSR report – satellite industry generated almost $35 billion in 2013, and is expected to deploy 1000+ satellites and generate $275 billion in next 10 years.
[Yahoo finance – 05/19/2014]
“The Military Communications Report 2014-2024″ now available on ASDReports judges the market to be worth $16.35 billion in 2014. [SatNews – 05/19/2014]
Competition shrinks with more mergers – Credit: AP – Think Progress
AT&T $49 billion offer to acquire DirecTV includes promise of net neutrality.
[Think Progress – 05/19/2014]
AFP Getty Images – Daily Mail
UFOs found in Chinese fields identified as space debris, after Russion rocket failed in satellite launch attempt.
[Daily Mail – 05/19/2014]
Satcom1 accredited as Inmarsat SwiftBroadband Distribution Partner, acheiving highest level of partnership with Inmarsat.
[Satellite Spotlight – 05/19/2014]
Lockheed Martin begins final assembly of new GOES-R U.s. weather satellite.
[Reuters – 05/18/2014]
Military missions simply cannot succeed without reliable communications – this means satellite technology is essential for operations.
[MilsatMagazine – May 2014]
[WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services
The original agreement for the International Space Station was to operate it until 2020.
So why is deputy prime minister Rogozin telling NASA to use a trampoline?
Thanks to Emily Gertz for pointing it out.
The U.S. is relying on Russia for transporting astronauts to and from the ISS for several years, and Russia’s space station modules currently provide propulsion for the structure. But on board the station itself, Oberg says, Russia’s sections and crew rely upon American-made and operated equipment for electricity and communications. Further, Russia’s effort to to complete and launch its own science section is “years behind schedule,” says Oberg, so it must rely upon the labs contributed by other nations.
No matter what happens with Russian space policy, Oberg is excited for the next decade of space science, which he believes will be shifting from a “CERN model” of multiple nations contributing to and collaborating at one research facility, to “the Antarctica model” of many smaller stations forming and ending cooperative efforts as the science requires.
If Russia does exit the ISS soon after 2020, he says, it will happen at about the same time that new “human-rated” spacecraft like SpaceX’s Dragon come into use, and end Russia’s current lock on crew transportation.
“The Ukraine crisis has not diverted the station’s evolution into a new path,” Oberg says. “It may have put into sharper focus the different paths the station could follow, but that was happening anyway.”
Good luck with those sanctions.
