Really Rocket Science

European Space Agency enters cooperation arrangement with Russia under which Roscosmos will provide two Proton rockets to launch the Euro-Russian ExoMars mission in 2016 and 2018.
[SatNews – 11/21/2012]

SES’ Astra 2F successfully completes in-orbit testing and is now fully operational and in commercial service.
[SatNews – 11/21/2012]

China will launch Democratic Republic of the Congo’s first satellite, which will also be developed by China, in 2015.
[SatNews – 11/21/2012]

Ball Aerospace & Technologies part of team to build first space-based instrument to monitor major air pollutants across North America for NASA.
[SatNews – 11/21/2012]

International Launch Services successfully delivers the EchoStar XVI satellite into orbit aboard an ILS Proton rocket.
[SatNews – 11/20/2012]

Shipments of satellite nodes for smart-grid applications projected to quadruple by 2020.
[Telecom Engine – 11/20/2012]

Passengers aboard historic first flight of Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner made heavy use of in-flight broadband and cellular networks to tweet, text, make phone calls, and browse the Internet.
[SatNews – 11/20/2012]

Frontier Communications Offers Satellite Broadband to Washington State
[Daily Finance – 11/20/2012]

Lockheed Martin selected to support new generation of agile, commercially based military satellite communications technologies.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/19/2012]

Following successful financial and operational restructuring, SATMEX reveals new branding image, “SATMEX Reaching Higher.”
[SatNews – 11/19/2012]

Rockwell Collins gets $35 million award for satellite communications services from the U.S. Army at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
[Equities – 11/19/2012]

China sends third satellite in its “Environment I” family into orbit.
[SatNews – 11/19/2012]

Hughes wins $24 million contract from Mexican government for 11,000 site satellite broadband system.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/19/2012]

University of Glasgow’s School of engineering led development of Aerodynamic End Of Life Deorbit System for cubesats to ensure de-orbit and incineration in atmosphere at end of life.
[Satnews – 11/19/2012]

MTN to transform at-sea communications with first ever hybrid satellite and land-based solution for maritime industry.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/19/2012]

Having already delivered most accurate gravity map of Earth, ESA’s GOCE gravity satellite’s orbit is being lowered to obtain even better results.
[SatNews – 11/19/2012]

Dual effect of optimizing operational efficiency and improving crew welfare expected to drive strong marine satellite communications market growth over the next ten years.
[gnom.es – 11/19/2012]

Television stations in Chicago and Houston successfully complete alpha-phase field testing to Exede Newsgathering service from ViaSat using first High-Capacity Ka-band SNG vehicle built in the U.S.
[SatNews – 11/19/2012]

With 25 percent of all ships sailing the world’s oceans using satellite communications using Marlink’s equipment, the company turns to Asia and China for further growth.
[China Daily – 11/19/2012]

Iridium finalizes agreement with NAV CANADA regarding Aireon LLC, a joint venture to provide air traffic management agencies around the globe the ability to continuously track aircraft anywhere in the world, leveraging Iridium’s NEXT LEO constellation.
[SatNews – 11/19/2012]

Charlie Ergen’s bet to enter wireless industry frustrated by failure of bid to acquire MetroPCS Communications.
[Wall Street Journal – 11/18/2012]

FCC close to granting Dish Network approval to use spectrum for ground-based network, but may attach limits unpalatable to Charlie Ergen.
[Denver Post – 11/17/2012]

Air Force decision on disaggregation (disperse payload sets to larger numbers of smaller satellites) not expected until 2015.
[Space News – 11/16/2012]

While U.S. worries about Chinese efforts in space, European governments are concerned about American competitors such as SpaceX.
[Citizens in Space – 11/15/2012]

 WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services/aa href=”http://www.spacenews.com/article/air-force-decision-on-disaggregation-not-expected-until-2015″

Highway work knocks out communications to Russian space facility, putting at risk return of astronauts from International Space Station until repair was affected.
[South China Morning Post – 11/16/2012]

Sri Lanka’s first communications satellite expected to be launched November 22 from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China.
[Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses – 11/16/2012]

Hunter Communications and SATMEX announce multi-transponder agreement for Satmex 7, and entrance into the Canadian marketplace.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/16/2012]

Google reportedly has held talks with DISH Network regarding potential mobile network joint venture.
[TeleGeography – 11/16/2012]

Lack of commercial satellite capacity in Asia-Pacific region huge risk for defense agencies’ ability to find capacity on the spot market in case of Pacific region engagement requiring communications capabilities for the warfighter.
[National Defense Magazine – 11/15/2012]

As Afghanistan drawdown progresses, EADS Satcom venture expects shift in customer base from military to organizations involved in emergency management and humanitarian relief.
[Bloomberg Business Week – 11/15/2012]

The second Advanced Extremely High Frequency U.S. military communications satellite is turned over to the 14th Air Force for operation following successful in-orbit testing.
[UPI – 11/15/2012]

Delivery of satellite-based communications nodes for smart grid applications expected to quadruple by 2020.
[DailyFinance – 11/15/2012]

Mark Dankberg of ViaSat named Visionary Executive of the Year at SATCON 2012.
[SatNews – 11/15/2012]

Spacecom, operator of AMOS satellite fleet, named Most Promising Company of the Year at SatCon 2012.
[SatNews – 11/15/2012]

Newtec IP modem capable of up to 380 Mbps wins Satellite Markes and Research Most Innovative Product Award.
[SatNews – 11/15/2012]

No new expensive satellite programs for the military in the foreseeable future, given today’s budgetary environment, according to Air Force’s Space and Missiles Center commander General Ellen Pawlikowski.
[National Defense Magazine – 11/14/2012]

Soyuz rocket launch puts Russian Meridian communications satellite into orbit. [Spaceflight Now – 11/14/2012]

Hughes contract  is to help the Air Force develop options and reduce acquisition risk for architecture to provide the U.S. and allied forces with protected satellite communications in future hostile environments.
[UPI – 11/14/2012]

Mexico says Orbital Sciences-built Bicentenario satellite is ready for January, 2013 launch.
[Fox News Latino – 11/14/2012]

Inmarsat’s $1.2 billion Global Xpress system will be focused on service quality, requiring mandatory Earth station testing in co-ordination with the Global VSAT Forum.
[SatNews – 11/14/2012]

Cobham is selected by Inmarsat to provide land-based satellite communication terminal antennas specifically designed to support the Global Xpress network.
[SatNews – 11/14/2012]

RRsat acquires SM2 Sports & Media Solutions, a U.S-based premier provider of occasional-use international sports distribution and syndication services.
[SatNews – 11/14/2012]

Globecomm Systems gets NATO contract to upgrade the GPS-Based Force Tracking System for more capacity and additional features.
[SatNews – 11/14/2012]

ATCi provides multiple cable TV and satellite channels with disaster recovery services to ensure seamless, uninterrupted programming.
[Herald Online – 11/14/2012]

Thuraya recognized as Satellite Communications Player of the Year by the Arab States Broadcasting Union.
[AME Info – 11/14/2012]

SES announces contract with Telespazio Brasil to uses SES-4 Ku-band capacity for high-speed broadband and high quality voice to companies operating in remote inland communities.
[SatNews – 11/14/2012]

Avanti begins installation of Ka-band VSAT services on HYLAS-2 for South African “Working for Water” programme.
[Gadget – 11/14/2012]

Paradigm to provide Global Xpress land terminal integration services for the Inmarsat Global Xpress global Ka-band network.
[SatNews – 11/14/2012]

Telesat and Panasonic sign pre-launch long-term agreement for capacity on Anik G1 allowing Panasonic to expand aeronautical broadband service over Latin America.
[SatNews – 11/14/2012]

Globalstar petitions FCC to use its licensed MSS spectrum terrestrially to support mobile broadband applications throughout the U.S.
[SatNews – 11/13/2012]

SES announces iPad application showcasing the SES global fleet of 52 satellites and including over 150 satellite footprints, with 3D earth navigation and augmented reality view.
[SatNews – 11/13/2012]

Beam Communication’s RapidSat700 offers portable satellite solution for disaster recovery, operating with the Inmarsat BGAN network.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/13/2012]

MTN extends contract with Norwegian Cruise Line for VSAT communications, crew calling, Internet services, access to MTN Worldwide TV, and related services around the globe.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/13/2012]

Inmarsat promoting new satellites and technologies it says will transform communications in Africa.
[IT Web – 11/13/2012]

RRsat will launch new C-band DVB-S2 MCPC platform with complete coverage of Africa.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/13/2012]

Red Cross chooses Exede Enterprise satellite services from ViaSat to provide satellite connectivity during disaster response.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/13/2012]

Israel’s Orbit Technologies announces contract worth up to $150 million to provide hundreds of Ka-band communications systems to one of the world’s largest satellite ventures, a consortium providing high-speed broadband to billions of people.
[Globes – 11/12/2012]

Satellite imagery shows North Korea has been testing rocket engines.
[abc6 – 11/12/2012]

Ka-band comes of age as enterprise, defence, and military organizations look at Ka-band to upgrade capability and capacity of their satellite communications.
[Milsat Magazine – November 2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

DeLorme to exhibit inReach two-way satellite communication solution using Iridium constellation at Fort Lauderdale boat show.
[SatNews – 10/26/2012]

TCS receives $18 million in funded orders for field services support and maintenance of SNAP VSAT satellite systems from the U.S. Army.
[SatNews – 10/26/2012]

Despite conceptually different ways of accessing satellite spectrum, there is increasing overlap among the market segments targeted by TDMA and SCPC solutions.
[NSR – 10/26/2012]

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates announces that U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has exercised one-year option to continue providing data on apparent land-cover changes anywhere around the globe.
[SatNews – 10/26/2012]

Thrane & Thrane to introduce its most advanced satellite television antenna ever for maritime satellite TV market at Fort Lauderdale boat show.
[SatNews – 10/25/2012]

ESA’s Cluster mission shows how easily solar wind penetrates magnetosphere.
[R&D Magazine – 10/25/2012]

Hughes Newtork Systems and ThinKom Solutions announce demonstration of ultra-low profile antennas and manpack for COTM missions.
[Sacramento Bee – 10/25/2012]

Iran and Syria accused of jamming satellite services in retaliation for satellite operators dropping Iranian channels.
[Strategy Page – 10/25/2012]

Helicopter flight gathers data on how Europe’s two satellite navigation systems – EGNOS and Galileo – will work together in the future.
[SatNews – 10/25/2012]

Ozone and Mapping Profiler Suite aboard NASA’s Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite makes its first ozone measurements of the Antarctic ozone hole, finding second-smallest hole in 20 years.
[SatNews – 10/25/2012]

MEASAT partners with GlobeCast to bring ITV Granada in HD to viewers across Asia and the Middle East.
[SatNews – 10/25/2012]

Orbital Sciences gets U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory contract to develop experimental maneuverable spacecraft platform capable of hosting multiple payloads and operating in low- and geosynchronous orbit.
[SatNews – 10/24/2012]

MTN Satellite Communications opens Seattle, Washington product innovation office.
[Area Development – 10/24/2012]

Quake Global and SkyWave combine to provide universal M2M coverage in Russia.
[Herald Online – 10/24/2012]

Private network by ViaSat provides continuous satellite broadband coverage for multiple global flights of VIP and other high-value aircraft.
[Sacramento Bee – 10/24/2012]

Managing Director of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited says NIGCOMSAT can create 100,000 jobs and generate N20billion monthly through DTH satellite broadcasting.
[Leadership – 10/24/2012]

Russian spacecraft blasts off for space station with U.S. and Russian astronauts.
[R&D Magazine – 10/23/2012]

Variations in Earth’s gravity and magnetic field tracked by satellites.
[R&D Magazine – 10/23/2012]

Global C-band demand to drop by approximately 190 TPEs between 2011 and 2021; forecast is no more or less than a compilation of well known industry trends.
[NSR – 10/23/2012]

Hughes, Bentley Walker enter partnership to launch Ka-band communications services into the Middle East over Hylas 2 satellite.
[Satellite Today – 10/23/2012]

Harris and Tampa Microwave have developed tri-band 1.3m VSAT antenna small enough to be checked as airline baggage, designed for rugged, tactical environments supporting military operations and other quick-react missions.
[SatNews – 10/23/2012]

Raytheon is awarded $51 million U.S. Ar4my contract to produce, upgrade, and modernize airborne radios including Phase 3 of the MUOS./CM upgrade program increasing satellite capacity for soldiers.
[Satellite Today – 10/23/2012]

Viasat is set to unveil portable broadband terminal featuring power-on auto-acquire antenna pointing to simplify and speed deployment, for military ground and maritime operations and optimized for ViaSat’s worldwide broadband network.
[Satellite Today – 10/23/2012]

Dish Network pays $700 million in Voom settlement; will receive 500 MHz of wireless multichannel video distribution and data service spectrum licenses as part of agtreement.
[Satellite Today – 10/22/2012]

NASA is developing technology to build Earth-orbiting “service stations” to repair satellites.
[Wired – 10/22/2012]

What are motives for Intelsat and Telesat IPOs on the horizon, and are they justifiable?
[NSR – 10/22/2012]

iDirect to share industry research on satellite usage in the utility industry at the European Utility Telecom Conference.
[Sacramento Bee – 10/22/2012]

Calhoun Satellite Communications upgrades multiplatform DSNG fleet with Aterme’s MPEG-2 and H.264 4:2:2 10-bit encoders and decoders to support legacy mobile uplink requirements..
[Satellite Today – 10/22/2012]

Can a flat antenna made of metamaterials replace the familiar satellite dish antenna?
[Bloomberg Businessweek – 10/18/2012]

Momentum wheels for 03B satellites get rigorous testing as result of failures on Globalstar satellites.
[Space News – 10/18/2012]

Ku versus Ka-band debate hits airline in-flight connectivity market as plans ramp up.
[In-Flight Connectivity Insider – October 2012]

WBMSAT Satellite Communications Consulting

GPS shoes to be commercially available in the U.K and Ireland, enabling tracking of wandering Alzheimer’s patients who wear them.
[SatNews – 10/12/2012]

The Season of Bulgarian TV Shows II from Martin Simeonov on Vimeo.

Intelsat gets agreements with two Bulgarian media companies for transponder services to enable digital terrestrial television and distribution of HD programming.
[SatNews – 10/12/2012]

B612 Foundation Sentinel Special Review Team concludes that the Sentinel Mission implementation plans and mission design and will lead to successful Sentinel mission to find and track Near Earth Asteroids.
[Satellite Today – 10/12/2012]

SpaceX Dragon loses Orbcomm satellite on way to Space Station.
[NewScientist – 10/11/2012]

Astrium successfully completes ASTRA 2F testing in orbit and turns over control to SES.
[SatNews – 10/11/2012]

Boeing is selected by SES S.A. to build SES-9 Ku-band satellite for DTH to Asia and Indonesia.
[Space Daily – 10/11/2012]

Eutelsat chooses Thales Alenia Space to build the EUTELSAT 8 West B satellite for broadcast over the Middle East and North Africa.
[herald online – 10/11/2012]

Components for fourth, fifth, and sixth Soyuz launches from French Guiana have arrived at the Spaceport.
[SatNews – 10/11/2012]

Avanti’s $25 million operating loss sends shares down.
[Space News – 10/11/2012]

Russian Federation approves use of Iridium service throughout its territory.
[SatNews – 10/11/2012]

Marlink commits to completing a maritime VSAT installation within 24 hours.
[SatNews – 10/11/2012]

DigitalGlobe gets USGIF Industry Intelligence Award for its work with Satellite Sentinel Project, monitoring human rights violations in Sudan and South Sudan using satellite imagery.
[SatNews – 10/11/2012]

Air Force Space Command commander order Accident Investigation Board to investigate why a Delta IV RL-10B-2 upper stage engine did not perform as expected, even though the GPS IIF satellite was successfully deployed into orbit.
[SatNews – 10/11/2012]

Ariane 5 VA210 flight to orbit EUTELSAT 21B for Eutelsat and Star One C3 for Brazil in November; Soyuz Flight VS03 scheduled for launch October 12 with two European Space Agency GPS satellites.
[Space Ref – 10/10/2012]

Avanti announces that HYLAS 2 is now fully operational and providing coverage across Africa, Caucasia, and the Middle East.
[SatNews – 10/10/2012]

EADS and BAE Systems terminate merger discussions on heels of discussions with several governments about their issues with the merger.
[SatNews – 10/10/2012]

Australian company EM Solutions wins tender with Tokyo based Jepico Corporation to provide Ka-band Satellite on the Move (SOTM) platform to Japanese Government’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology.
[SatNews – 10/10/2012]

Azerbaijani Deputy Communications and IT Minister says first Azerbaijani telecommunications satellite Azerspace will be launched in January 2013.
[Trend – 10/09/2012]

ATK gets $50M NASA contract to complete engineering development and risk reduction tests as part of the Advanced Concept Booster Development for the Space Launch System.
[SatNews – 10/09/2012]

Beam Communications installs Inmarsat products IsatDock Pro at Russian Antarctic Polar Station.
[herald online – 10/09/2012]

GeoEye is connected to additional government networks through the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
[SatNews – 10/09/2012]

Hughes signs 10-year smart grid satellite connectivity deal with Emtele of Finland.
[Satellite Today – 10/09/2012]

Inmarsat signs long-term alliance with Cisco, enabling it to deliver advanced services over Inmarsat’s new high-throughput satellite broadband network, Global Xpress.
[Market Watch – 10/08/2012]

Indian Space Research Organization plans to launch 58 space missions, among them 33 satellites, by 2017.
[Satellite Today – 10/08/2012]

Inmarsat signs master distribution agreement with Honeywell for GX Aviation services, to bring the service to the business aviation market.
[SatNews – 10/08/2012]

Space Systems/Loral to build EchoStar 8 for Dish Network.
[Satellite Today – 10/08/2012]

New ESA project led by Irish industry puts satellite data to use for monitoring quality of coastal water.
[SatNews – 10/08/2012]

NASA plans space network upgrade for Goddard Space Flight Center to accommodate third generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellites, with launch of TDRS-K scheduled for December.
[Satellite Today – 10/08/2012]

NASA’s Terra satellite observes plume cause by eruption of Shiveluch volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
[SatNews – 10/08/2012]

Two TV market studies show increasing IPTV effect on traditional video, giving satellite TV providers something to think about.
[Satellite Today – 10/08/2012]

NASA TDRS-K satellite under final system checks by Boeing in preparation for December launch.
[phys.org – 10/06/2012]

FCC lets access rules expire that required cable companies to sell local content like sports channels to satellite TV providers.
[Wall Street Journal – 10/05/2012]

Race for gigabit satellite throughput explored in WTA report, “Teleports in a Gigabit World.”
[World Teleport Site – October, 2012]

Satellite industry girds for another likely spectrum battle in 2015.
[Satellite Today – 10/01/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

High rate of reported incidents of counterfeit electronic parts set in 2011 continue in 2012, representing widespread risk to electronics supply chain in general and aerospace and defense in particular.
[SatNews – 10/05/2012]

United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV rocket lifts U.S. Air Force GPS satellite into orbit.
[SatNews – 10/04/2012]

TechEdSat cubesat released from International Space Station.
[SatNews – 10/04/2012]

Thenty-three microgravity experiments designed by participants of NASA’s Student Spaceflight Experiment Program to be carried to International Space Station by SpaceX launch October 7.
[SatNews – 10/04/2012]

China plans introduction of two new versions of DFH-4 communications satellite in 2013.
[Space News – 10/04/2012]

Galileo FM3 and FM4 satellites integrated on payload dispenser for October 12 Soyuz flight from French Guiana.
[SatNews – 10/04/2012]

KVH TracVision HD7 and TracPhone V3 get “Best Product Awards” from National Marine Electronics Association.
[Nasdaq – 10/04/2012]

Northrop Grumman completes payload integration of U.S. Air Force’s third Space Based Infrared System highly elliptical orbit spacecraft HEO-3.
[SatNews – 10/04/2012]

Globalstar signs re-seller agreement with ESIS in Republic of Venezuela.
[Satellite Today – 10/04/2012]

Hughes Network Systems announce new Gen4 high capacity satellite broadband service on Echostar XVII satellite.
[SatNews – 10/04/2012]

Orbital Sciences rolls first stage of Antares rocket to launch pad of newest U.S. spaceport at Wallops Island and SpaceX continues preparation for October 7 ISS resupply mission in latest milestones toward return to U.S. resupply activity for ISS.
[SatNews – 10/03/2012]

Quantum Teleportation and satellites – among five planned Chinese satellites is one devoted to a quantum teleportation experiment, to be launched in 2016.
[Wired – 10/03/2012]

Nigerian communications satellite bill gets second reading in Nigerian senate. [All Africa – 10/03/2012]

Eutelsat satellite broadband chosen by Albanian Government to provide free public internet access across Albania.
[4-traders – 10/03/2012]

DeLorme partners with SpaceNet Communications Services de Mexico to reach Central America with its services.
[Trade Only – 10/03/2012]

Eutelsat W2 satellite glitch forces off-load of customers to backup satellite capacity.
[Advanced Television – 10/02/2012]

U.S. helps Vietnam fund second communications satellite.
[Advanced Television – 10/02/2012]

Vislink announces Mantis MSAT, world’s lightest battlefield SATCOM terminal.
[Broadcast Newsroom – 10/02/2012]

Eutelsat leases old Chinese satellite to hold new European slot at 1.6 degrees East.
Advanced Television – 10/02/2012]

SES satellite reportedly to be leased by Thailand to hold orbital slot.
[Advanced Television – 10/02/2012]

Bermuda searches for second-hand satellite to preserve its orbital slot.
[Advanced Television – 10/02/2012]

Odyssey Moon Litd. and Israeli-based NSL Satellite Ltd in partnership with NanoRacks LLC of U.S. to fly number of educational microgravity experiments to International Space Station.
[SatNews – 10/02/2012]

SingTel presents plan to invest in new satellites.
[Satellite Today – 10/02/2012]

Clear Channel Satellite deploys first XtremeSat Media satellite broadcast distribution platform for TeleSouth Communications.
[Herald Online – 10/02/2012]

India’s 101st space mission lofts its heaviest satellite and Mars is targeted for 2013.
[MINNPOST – 10/01/2012]

Globalstar and Arianespace enter home stretch in preparation for fourth and final launch next February of remaining satellites to complete the Globalstar constellation.
[SatNews – 10/01/2012]

NOAA temporarily replaces broken GOES-13 satellite with GOES-14 backup while engineers work to fix GOES-13.
[Satellite Today – 10/01/2012]

NASA awards three contracts totaling $137.3 million to improve affordability, reliability and performance of an advanced booster for the Space Launch System.
[SatNews – 10/01/2012]

L3 GCS gets $36.3 million U.S. Army contract to upgrade the Satellite Data Network Family of Terminals.
[Empire State News – 10/01/2012]

LightSquared offers FCC plan to avoid GPS interference by sacrificing the upper 10 MHz of its 15 MHz of spectrum.
[Daily Tech – 10/01/2012]

Harris Corporation introduces Liberty-Radio Control Equipment for Air Traffic Control communications over satellite, traditional telecommunications links, or topologies like Internet Protocol (IP).
[Daily Finance – 10/01/2012]

France, Italy, Poland, Romania, and the United Kingdom to benefit from pooled procurement of commercial satellite communications services under framework contract between EDA and Astrium Services.
[Defence Professionals – 10/01/2012]

China launches remote sensing satellite VRSS-1 for Venezuela.
[The Economic Times – 09/29/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

NSR report projects strong long term growth in government and military demand for satellite services in spite of short term slump caused by troop withdrawals and budgetary challenges.
[SatNews – 09/28/2012]

Dish Network offers broadband Internet to underserved U.S. rural market.
[Chicago Tribune – 09/28/2012]

Indra closes with European Space Agency the definition of requirements for management system for Spanish satellite Ingenio.
[SatNews – 09/28/2012]

Beam Communicatons entire range of Inmarsat products approved for sale into Japanese market.
[SatNews – 09/28/2012]

Astrium Services is awarded ESCPC framework contract by the EDA for commercial satellite communications for European military needs.
[Defence Professionals – 09/28/2012]

Four instruments on the Metop-B weather satellite activated this week.
[SatNews – 09/28/2012]

Danish shipping company TORMN selects Inmarsat XpressLink to deliver next generation high-speed broadband to its entire bulk carrier and tanker fleets.
[SatNews – 09/28/2012]

Iridium Pilot terminals to be added to NSSLGlobal’s portfolio.
[SatNews – 09/28/2012]

Canadian pioneer in space technologies recalls NASA’s first reservations that Alouette satellite program was too ambitious.
[The Province – 09/28/2012]

Arianespace’s Ariane 5 mission with ASTRA 2F and GSAT-10 gets go ahead for September 28. [Space Ref – 09/27/2012]

GE Capital’s GE 23 satellite goes to Eutelsat.
[Digital Edge – 09/27/2012]

TCS, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin team to produce affordable satellite terminals for protected communications on the move and at the halt.
[Defence Professionals – 09/26/2012]

First ECME and live hybrid event in Dubai and Bahrain deemed huge success.
[AME info – 09/26/2012]

Satellite communications have crucial role in helping bridge digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa.
[African Business Review – 09/26/2012]

Astrium reveals first demo of robotics in space for maintenance and disposal of satellites.
[SatNews – 09/25/2012]

ORBCOMM’s first OG2 satellite to launch on October 7.
[4-traders – 09/25/2012]

Collaborative efforts of stakeholders in the satellite industry and Pacific militaries improve disaster preparedness in the Pacific with training program at Changi Naval Base.
[SatNews – 09/25/2012]

Spacenet to showcase “Pay-as-You-Use” emergency communications solutions at International Association of Chiefs of Police.
[Daily Finance – 09/25/2012]

Bentley Walker unveils new Freedomsat service to Iraq and Afghanistan, the fastest satellite broadband connection available in both countries to date.
[SatNews – 09/25/2012]

Cassidian and Astrium enhance regional Tatrapol networks, enabling interconnection of the networks over satellite.
[Defence Professionals – 09/25/2012]

Air Force Space Command to build Space Fence radar site on Kwajalein Island in 2017.
[SatNews – 09/25/2012]

ViaSat developing a vertically integrated communications play.
[Seeking Alpha – 09/25/2012]

Russia’s first satellite manufactured and operated by a private firm to be launched next year.
[SatNews – 09/25/2012]

Vizada to showcase latest innovations in maritime communications at National Marine Electronics Conference in Orlando, FL.
[SatNews – 09/25/2012]

Telesat mounts PR offensive in Nunavut to prove relevance of satellite communications in spite of the company’s battered reputation.
[Succeed – 09/24/2012]

U.S. Weather satellite used for East coast hurricanes is busted.
[SatNews – 09/24/2012]

SpaceXs Grasshopper vertical takeoff and landing test vehicle takes first test flight hop.
[SatNews – 09/24/2012]

Lockheed Martin reaches major software design milestone in development of “switchboard in the sky” for Iridium NEXT constellation.
[Sacramento Bee – 09/24/2012]

MDA-Loral satellite deal clears U.S. national security hurdle.
[Reuters – 09/21/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

If the head of the USAF Space Command has doubts, our friends at ViviSat and MDA ought to be concerned about their satellite-servicing business proposition. Via Popular Mechanics…

It sounds like such a good idea: When satellites run out of fuel, send up a robot to top them off instead of launching a new one. NASA and DARPA have active programs researching this concept. But Gen. Shelton, as head of Air Force Space Command, says he doesn’t see the need. By the time a satellite runs out of propellant, the hardware is about 22 years old. After that much time, he argues, the solar arrays have degraded and the computers are relics. “Now we want to go up and refuel it?” he asks. “When you peel back a few layers of this onion, it makes less sense to me.”

The Space Command celebrated their 30th last week in Colorado Springs and their opinions do matter. However, with DARPA and NASA remaining interested, the business still has reason to go forward. Except for Intelsat.

Europe and China will share data from ocean-monitoring satellites.
[Space News – 08/30/2012]

Twin U.S. satellites rocket into orbit to explore radiation belts and protect planet from solar outbursts.
{R&D Magazine – 08/30/2012]

Defense Weather Systems Directorate celebrates 50 years of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP).
[SatNews – 08/30/2012]

Russia’s NPO Molnya Space Design Bureau developing hypersonic unmanned rocket vehicle capable of orbiting satellites.
[Satelllite Today – 08/30/2012]

Vizada is awarded five-year IDIQ contract with funding ceiling of $2.8 billion to provide land, sea, and air SATCOM services to all federal agencies.
[U.S. Politics Today – 08/30/2012]

Thaicom plans for interim satellite to be placed at its 50.5 degree East orbital slot to maintain the location rights.
[Satellite Today – 08/30/2012]

Dish Network urges FCC not to shift its spectrum holdings in the 2GHz band, and to approve rules for using satellite spectrum in terrestrial settings.
[TeleGeography – 08/30/2012]

Globecomm will introduce new business unit, Globecomm Europe, at IBC.
[SatNews – 08/30/2012]

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft to leave giant asteroid Vesta and travel three billion miles in 2 1/2 yeas to dwarf planet Ceres.
[SatNews – 08/30/2012]

Russia to launch two space laboratories within next four years.
[SatNews – 08/30/2012]

Satellite Interference Reduction Group (IRG), Global VSAT Forum (GVF), and Newtec announce number of meetings and initiatives relating to satellite interference at IBC.
[SatNews – 08/29/2012]

Largest public media enterprise in the U.S., Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), installs large set of Newtec M6100 modulators for content distribution as part of upgrade to DVB-S2 and H264, as well as Carrier ID for interference migigation.
[SatNews – 08/29/2012]

ITC deepens local presence in Africa with acquisition of Spidersat.
[Herald Online – 08/29/2012]

SES signs capacity agreement with Romantis, who will use NSS-12 Ku-band capacity to support growing connectivity needs across Russia and Central Asia.
[SatNews – 08/29/2012]

KVH introduces new onboard terminal for its mini-VSAT Broadband service including its breakthrough IP-enabled antenna control unit, CommBox ACU, with IP network and Wi-Fi features.
[SatNews – 08/29/2012]

United Arab Emirates is elected as member of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization Advisory Committee.
[Khaleej Times – 08/28/2012]

MTN Satellite Communications launches MTN Worldwide TV for maritime customers.
[SatNews – 08/28/2012]

Intelsat Mobility offering highlights convergence of FSS and MSS markets.
[Satellite Today – 08/28/2012]

Dish Networks broadens international Internet-based television service to be viewable on PCs and Mac computers.
[Home Media Magazine – 08/28/2012]

C-COM Satellite Systems receives type approval from ViaSat for its iNetVu Ka-75V antenna system, for operation on ViaSat’s Exede professional Ka-band high-capacity satellite service.
[SatNews – 08/28/2012]

Satlink upgrades MCPC platform on AsiaSat 5 satellite to DVB-S2.
[SatNews – 08/28/2012]

Advantech Wireless rolls out new X-, C-band manpack BUCs.
[Satellite Today – 08/28/2012]

EchoStar files patent application for rooftop weather station.
[Satellite Today – 08/27/2012]

Satellite companies look to drones for growth.
[Washington Post – 08/26/2012]

iDirect Government Technologies to provide satellite router board modems to L-3 GCS for Hawkeye III 2.0M VSAT terminals.
[U.S. Politics Today – 08/26/2012]

Eight satellite providers win Custom Satellite Communications Solutions contract awarded by the General Services Administration and the Defense Information Systems Agency for commercial satellite services.
[Space News – 08/24/2012]

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Newtec rapidly expands Latin American presence beyond Brazil into Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Peru, while increasing efficiency with Clean Channel Technology and combating interference with Carrier ID insertion in its new broadcast modulator.
[IT News Online 08/17/2012]

Penny-sized rocket thruster may soon power the smallest satellites in space.
[SatNews – 08/17/2012]

PacStar wins TacSat Nano contract from 6th Contracting Squadron, MacDill AFB.
[SatNews – 08/17/2012]

As Russian Prime Minister Medvedev orders Roscosmos to sort out its problems to reverse the string of 7 failed launches and 10 satellites lost in last year an a half, the head of the Krunichev State Research and Production Space Center, Vladimir Nesterov, resigns.
[SatNews – 08/16/2012]

Harris is awarded Space Systems/Loral contract for reflector deployment booms for use on two unnamed high-throughput communications satellites.
[Satellite Today – 08/16/2012]

Space Tracking and Surveillance System demonstration satellites participate in test of next generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense weapon system.
[SatNews – 08/16/2012]

Ball Aerospace Technologies will incorporate essential data communication enhancements for the Joint Polar Satellite System under development for early launch in 2017.
[Space Daily – 08/16/2012]

Kratos SAT Corp to supply Monics carrier monitoring system and related products to Space Systems/Loral in support of one of its customers that will provide broadband communications services in remote areas.
[iStockAnalyst – 08/16/2012]

Sagetech Corporation wins Harris Corporation subcontract for AireonSM, a revolutionary advancement in air traffic management that will be hosted on Iridium’s second-generation satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT.
[Virtual Strategy – 08/16/2012]

Dish Network expected to offer nationwide satellite broadband on Echostar 17, with early offering download speeds of up to 5 Mbps though rates up to 15 Mbps are possible.
[Bloomberg – 08/16/2012]

MTN Satellite Communications and Wireless Maritime Services launch Connect at Sea voice application.
[Telecom Lead – 08/16/2012]

Russian manufacturer ISS Reshetnev makes contact with PT Telkom’s Telcom-3 satellite that was placed in useless orbit following failed launch last week.
[Satellite Today – 08/15/2012]

Arianespace sets launch date for Indian Space Research Organization’s next communication satellite, GSAT-10.
[Satellite Today – 08/15/2012]

Satellite Interference Reduction group pushes participation in use of carrier ID with catchy slogan “Stop Interference Now . . . its a SIN.”
[SatNews – 08/15/2012]

Georgia Tech to assist Sierra Nevada Corporation in quest to develop commercial space flight system by providing expertise on how to ensure the smoothest possible re-entry for SNC’s Dream Chaser spacecraft.
[R&D Magazine – 08/15/2012]

Automated L-72 hour launch countdown sequence is initiated by the Sea Launch and Energia Logistics teams at the Equator for the launch of Intelsat 21 on August 17.
[SatNews – 08/14/2012]

Atlas V mission carrying the National Reconnaissance Office NROL-3 payload including cubesats is rescheduled for September 6.
[SatNews – 08/14/2012]

View of London’s Olympic Park is captured by the smallest imager aboard ESA’s smallest mission – the High Resolution Camera aboard the Proba-1 microsatellite.
[SatNews – 08/14/2012]

Cobham gets $65 million Boeing contract to supply electronic systems for three satellites of WGS satellite program.
[SatNews – 08/13/2012]

New detection technique could predict solar flares more than a day before they occur, providing advance warning to protects satellites, power grids, and astronauts from potentially dangerous radiation.
[R&D Magazine 08/13/2012]

NASA selects three teams to advance the state of the art for small spacecraft in the areas of communications, formation flying, and docking systems.
[SatNews – 08/13/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

It still amazes me how many resources went into spy satellites in the 60’s and 70’s. Designing, building, launching and operating — all under super-secret conditions — using transistor radio era technology must have been mind-boggling for the non-scientists. And film. They used film to get the images they needed. And how did they get the film back to earth? Why, drop the huge canister in the ocean, of course!

Recent news about the declassification of rescue mission in 1972 to retrieve a canister that dropped into the ocean without a parachute. Imagine that: the rescue mission was classified!