Really Rocket Science

Space shuttle Atlantis on deck for grand finale launch of the space shuttle program on May 31.
[SatNews – 05/20/2011]

Ariane 5 rocket lifts two satellites into orbit; ST 2 of joint company Singapore Telecommunications and Chunghua Telecom of China, and India’s GSAT 8 satellite.
[Spaceflight Now – 05/20/2011]

American Geophysical Union calls on Congress to restore funding to the Joint Polar Satellite System for continuous data for weather forecasting, as an expected active hurricane season approaches.
[SatNews – 05/20/2011]

Hughes Europe forms U.K. initiative to promote satellite broadband.
[Satellite Today – 05/20/2011]

Smart, of the Philippines, to offer first satellite phone service for Filipino seafarers.
[Pinoy Worldwide – 05/20/2011]

ORAS-1 space vehicle approved for shipment to NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility for integration with Minotaur I launch vehicle.
[SatNews – 05/20/2011]

Camber Corporation acquires EADS North America Defense Security and Systems Solutions.
[Washington Technology – 05/19/2011]

West Point balloon satellite successfully travels to edge of space (85,000 ft.) and back, bringing high quality videos and still pictures.
[Army – 05/19/2011]

SES satellite ASTRA 1N arrives at European Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.
[SatNews – 05/19/2011]

Stratos nears completion of FleetBroadband deployment on 55 vessels for Harren & Partner.
[PR Newswire – 05/19/2011]

Thales Alenia Space awards GMV contract to supply flight dynamics system for O3b satellite constellation.
[SatNews – 05/19/2011]

Tesacom is first business to have Iridium license in Panama.
[Globe Newswire – 05/18/2011]

ORBCOMM signs MOU with Taiwan’s Council for Economic Planning and Development to assist in its plans to enter Taiwan market through potential partnership with local businesses.
[EON – 05/19/2011]

Space shuttle Endeavor carries postage stamp-sized satellites into space.
[The Atlantic – 05/18/2011]

ORBCOMM completes acquisition of substantially all of the assets of StarTrak Systems from Alanco Technologies.
[SatNews – 05/18/2011]

GATR supports local agencies and tornado victims with critical satellite connectivity.
[EON – 05/18/2011]

The Shipping Corporation of India selects Stratos to deploy FleetBroadband on its fleet of 156 ships.
[PR Newswire – 05/18/2011]

Cubic Defense Applications introduces digital data link that operates in KU, C, S, L and UHF-bands at data rates from 200Kbps to 45 Mbps, can fit in a shirt pocket, and weighs less than 1.7 pounds.
[SatNews – 05/18/2011]

Debate over LightSquared’s plans for first broadband network based on satellites hinges on plan for traditional land-based transmitters.
[National Journal – 05/18/2011]

Integral Systems introduces ultra-compact and efficient 200 Watt Ku-band SSPA offering small package and minimal heat production.
[SatNews – 05/18/2011]

Advantech Wireless signs distributionagreement with TRISPEC for resale of Advantech products throughout Canada.
[Satellite Spotlight – 05/18/2011]

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA’s Terra satellite provides images of smoke across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Northwest Territories, Canada, from over 100 fires.
[SatNews – 05/18/2011]

ViaSat receives award from Thales Alenia Space to supply Ka-band transceiver modules for the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation.
[PR Newswire – 05/17/2011]

TeleCommunication Systems announces immediate availability of commercial service for the Cisco Internet Routing in Space solution aboard the Intelsat IS-14 satellite.
[SatNews – 05/17/2011]

At Newtec-hosted seminar in Miami, President of Euroconsult USA Susan Irwin predicts robust growth in emerging markets for satellite broadcasting in next decade.
[Advanced Television – 05/17/2011]

New Deloitte business case study states that transforming the global air transportation system from ground-based communications and radar control to satellite-based navigation systems will generate significant savings for airlines and passengers.
[SatNews – 05/17/2011]

MTN Satellite Communications receives Hot Companies and Best Products award from Network Products Guide.
[PR Newswire – 05/17/2011]

Indian Space Research Organisation plans to set up advanced R&D center in field of spacecraft technologies in Karnataka’s Chitradurga and rocket sub-systems integration facility near spaceport of Sriharikota in coastal Andhra Pradesh.
[SatNews -= 05/17/2011]

TS2 Satellite Technologies selected by Polish Government to provide global accessibility for its anti-terrorism and VIP security services.
[TMCnet – 05/17/2011]

Ball Aerospace & Technologies successfully completes thermanl vacuum testing for NASA’s NPOESS Prepatory Project satellite, advancing it toward planned October 25, 2011 launch.
[SatNews – 05/17/2011]

Russian Satellite Communications Company and Eutelsat Communications will partner on commercialisation of broadband and data network services in Russia using KA-SAT.
[PR-USA – 05/17/2011]

VT iDirect to offer new web and UDP optimization solutions through reseller agreement with ZipLink.
[SatNews – 05/17/2011]

According to International Telecommunications Union, the price for broadband service is falling dramatically across the globe.
[Satellite Today – 05/17/2011]

PortVision introduces WorkBoat communications and tracking service with two-way cellular and satellite service with least cost routing at half the cost of satellite-only services.
[EON 05/17/2011]

Space shuttle Endeavor lifts off on its final flight as wife of flight commander, wounded Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, watches from wheelchair.
[NY Times – 05/17/2011]

Satellite Industry Association applauds release by Departments of Defense, State, and Commerce of interim report assessing national security impact of reforming United States export control policy for satellites.
[SatNews – 05/16/2011]

ISRO to launch France’s Spot 6 satellite.
[Satellite Today – 05/16/2011]

Opening of Morganza Spillway on Mississippi River is captured in image from NASA’s EO-1 satellite.
[SatNews – 05/16/2011]

Integral Systems, a Columbia company providing services to the satellite industry, to be acquired by San Diego military contractor Kratos.
[Gazette – 05/16/2011]

About 3,000 fishing vessels in 28 coastal provinces of Vietnam to be equipped with satellite monitoring devices in August.
[SatNews – 05/16/2011]

Globecomm Systems ranked 12th in large-sized companies category as one of best companies to work for in New York.
[SatNews – 05/16/2011]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services

How small can a satellite get? The answer, my rocket scientist friend, in blowing in the solar wind. It’s not big or red, but it is from Cornell University…

The thin, 1-inch-square chips, in development for three years in the lab of Mason Peck, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, will be mounted to the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE-8) pallet, which will be attached to the space station, exposing them to the harsh conditions of space to see how they hold up and transmit data.

Although grapefruit-size satellites have been launched before, they have functioned much like larger satellites. The flight dynamics of a chip satellite are fundamentally different from these larger “CubeSats.”

“Their small size allows them to travel like space dust,” said Peck. “Blown by solar winds, they can ‘sail’ to distant locations without fuel. … We’re actually trying to create a new capability and build it from the ground up. … We want to learn what’s the bare minimum we can design for communication from space,” Peck said.

When the MISSE-8 panel is removed and returned to Earth in a few years, the survival of the prototypes will be assessed.

The trip to space is the result of a phone call about a year ago, when one of Peck’s colleagues called to ask if he had anything small that could be ready within a few weeks time to put on the MISSE-8 pallet, as a small patch of space had opened up.

“He didn’t know that we had been working on the satellite-on-a-chip program for a long time, and over the next week we put together these prototypes,” Peck said.

The three prototypes were built entirely by three Cornell students when they were undergraduates — Ryan Zhou ’10 and doctoral candidates Zac Manchester ’09 and Justin Atchison ’10.

The prototypes are physically identical, but each transmits differently. “They all emit at the same frequency … [but] they are different and distinct from each other in ways that we can recognize on the ground,” said Peck. “That’s very important because it’s a pathfinder for something we hope to do in the future. We want to launch a huge number of these things simultaneously but still sort out which is which.”

The current prototypes are mostly made of commercial parts, but Peck’s group has partnered with Draper Lab in Boston to work on making a more space-ready prototype.

“We’re seeing such an explosion in personal electronics … all these components are super high performance, and they have far outstripped what the aerospace industry has at its disposal,” said Peck, noting that these technologies were used on the small satellites.

Cornell, he added, plays a leading role in the field of chip satellites. “We are definitely the first to launch something, and we are the first to be looking at the flight dynamics as a way to enable new ways to explore space,” he said.

Watch the local news report on this “Sputnik on a chip” from Newschannel 9/WYSR-TV…

Import-Export bank provides financing allowing Inmarsat to purchase Boeing satellites.
[SatNews – 05/14/2011]

At Global Space and Satellite Forum in Abu Dhabi, a call for an international space traffic management body.
[Gulf News – 05/14/2011]

Smart Communications lends Smart Link $-190 satellite phones and provides airtime to keep group in touch during 7-day trek through deep forest in Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park in the Phillipines.
[Phillipine Star – 05/14/2011]

Thaicom sees IPStar bandwidth business booming in first quarter.
[Satellite Today – 05/13/2011]

Astrotech wins $16.2M contract to fabricate, install, and test satellite Ground Support Equipment for U.S. government.
[SatNews – 05/13/2011]

Congressman Mike Turner successfully includes language in National Defense Authorization Act requiring the Secretary of Defense to notify Congress in case of widespread interference with military’s use of GPS satellites.
[POB online – 05/13/2011]

Integral Systems chosen by SES to provide global geolocation services to help protect its global fleet of satellites from effects of radio frequency interference.
[SatNews – 05/13/2011]

Second-Generation Orbcomm satellites delayed until late 2011.
[Space News – 05/13/2011]

MDA selected by Thales Alenia Space to provide 486 high-performance Ka-band cross link and feeder link antennas for Iridium NEXT satellites.
[SatNews – 05/13/2011]

C-COM Satellite Systems receives its largest order in history for its iNetVu mobile satellite antenna systems from Telemann Communications Company, a reseller in Japan.
[TechZone360 – 05/13/2011]

National Broadband Network of Australia reaches agreement with Optus to provide Internet Satellite Services as part of its rollout.
[Broadband Expert – 05/13/2011]

Lockheed Martin wins $105M WIN-T contract to deliver on-the-move broadband networking capability using satellite and radio links.
[Satellite Spotlight – 05/12/2011]

Arianespace begins initial build-up at French Guiana Spaceport for its fourth heavy-lift mission of 2011, to launch BSAT-3c/JCSAT-110R and ASTRA 1N.
[SatNews – 05/12/2011]

Guardian Mobility intends to acquire Alakai Technologies in order to incorporate its data monitoring technology into Guardian’s open platform satellite communications and data management systems.
[Satellite Spotlight – 05/12/2011]

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency decides to send halt command to DAICHI infrared earth observation satellite after three weeks of unsuccessful attempts to communicate with it.
[SatNews – 05/12/2011]

Vizada adds VSAT capability to Universal Card prepaid voice service.
[Satellite Today – 05/12/2011]

iDirect VSAT platform chosen for Iridium Next ground-control upgrade.
[Satellite Today – 05/12/2011]

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtains first image of giant asteroid Vesta.
[SatNews – 05/12/2011]

Northrop Grumman and Applied Minds announce success of recent launch and orbit of a Mayflower test microsatellite.
[SatNews – 05/12/5011]

Israel’s Defense Ministry to invest millions in upgrading country’s space communication capabilities.
[Space News – 05/11/2011]

Florida’s governor and legislators commit more than $43M for growth of space industry in Florida.
[SatNews – 05/11/2011]

Northrop Grumman wins $372M Air Force contract to provide satellite antenna system for B-2 stealth bomber that will help it send and receive information up to 200 times faster than now.
[Business Week – 05/11/2011]

Pau Pyrenees in southern France becomes Europe’s first airport to use new EGNOS Safety-of-Life Service to guide aircraft in for landing using only this space-based navigation signal.
[SatNews – 05/11/2011]

Afcom Satellite Network deploys first dual mode Satellite/TETRA communications system for emergency response vehicle in Niger Delta.
[Business Wire – 05/11/2011]

Hughes deploys HX System broadband satellite networks for Microcom in Democratic Republic of the Congo.
[Satellite Today – 05/11/2011]

Russian Satellite Communications Company and Eutelsat announce signing of MOU to launch new satellite at 36 degrees East.
[Traders Huddle – 05/10/2011]

Arianespace’s third Ariane 5 mission enters final preparations, readying for May 19 launch of GSAT-8 and ST-2.
[SatNews – 05/10/2011]

Landsat images capture Memphis, Tennessee flooding.
[SatNews – 05/10/2011]

GlobeCast and JIB launch NHK World HD on Eurobird 1.
[Satellite Today – 05/10/2011]

RapidEye works with SST Software to integrate its precision farming maps into SST’s information management products and services.
[SatNews – 05/10/2011]

NewCom International develops Emergency Communications Response Network to provide instant, cost-effective contingency or back-up communications for government and law enforcement personnel.
[SatNews – 05/10/2011]

Sky Italia orders IP video solutions from T-VIPS.
[Satellite Today – 05/10/2011]

Syria blocks satellite phone communications.
[Financial Times (MENA) – 05/09/2011]

United Launch Alliance launches Space-Based Infrared System Satellite into orbit for U.S. Air Force.
[Military Aerospace – 05/09/2011]

Gilat wins Australia NBN satellite contract.
[Satellite Spotlight – 05/09/2011]

Mitec of Montreal sells satellite communications business to Quebec-based provider of microwave components.
[Montreal Gazette – 05/09/2011]

At Global Space and Satellite Forum, UAE’s DubaiSat-1 seen as part of focus on space technology as new common ground for organisations, governments, and individuals in the region and globally.
[AMEinfo – 05/09/2011]

Yahsat’s new satellite, Y1A, reaches orbital position.
[7DAYS – 05/09/2011]

Use of Ka-band along with L-band satellites with 400 narrow beams (planned Alphasat 1-XL by Inmarsat) and use of lighter materials allow very compact, lightweight satellite systems for the warfighter.
[Defense Systems – 05/09/2011]

DigitalGlobe cooperates with two German companies to provide new range of high quality 3D data maps.
[SatNews – 05/09/2011]

MDA signs multi-year contracts to supply oil field monitoring products utilizing advanced RADARSAT-2 surveillance capabilities covering entire Canadian oil field.
[SatNews – 05/09/2011]

U.S.-based Space Adventures offers to equip Soyuz launch vehicle with additional living space for eight-day commercial flights around the moon.
[SatNews – 05/09/2011]

Mercury Computer Systems to provide leading prime contractor with Ensemble and Echotek products for use in high-speed satellite communications system to transfer ISR data from UAVs to ground forces.
[SatNews – 05/09/2011]

Norsat satellite terminals used by U.S. military as part of relief efforts in Japan following earthquake and tsunami.
[SatNews – 05/09/2011]

Arianespace receives “keys” to Soyuz launch complex at Guiana Space Center from the European Space Agency.
[SatNews – 05/08/2011]

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo hits another milestone on way to beginning commercial operations in suborbital space.
[Satellite Spotlight – 05/06/2011]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services

A couple of years ago, the Americom name went away. That’s when owner SES S.A., having bought out GE’s stake via a creative asset & cash transaction, decided to combine Americom’s Princeton-based operation with the New Skies organization in Den Haag. All got mashed up into a thing called SES WorldSkies.  A dozen employees were let go, including yours truly. All of them in the U.S.

Recently, just prior to the Satellite 2011 show in Washington, a call went out from Betzder Schlass, headquarters for SES S.A., that the companies are slated for a re-org and “right sizing.” Yeah, heads were going to roll. Officially, it was not about “headcount,” only a justification of expenses. The networking among long-time U.S. employees immediately preceding this news was darkly startling: never have I seen more activity from former Americom colleagues on LinkedIn.com.

Ironically, the corporate rattling started just as the Society of Satellite Professionals International announced their 12th induction into the SSPI Hall of Fame. Three of the seven inductees were past CEOs of SES Americom: Dean Olmstead, Ed Horowitz and Rob Bednarek.

To many “old pros,” this wasn’t really news. They’ve seen the writing on the wall and concluded there would be less and less people running the business in the U.S., with the possibility of shutting down the Princeton office once the lease expired in 2014.  Earlier this month, a couple of dozen people lost their jobs, the lion’s share in New Jersey. Some were happy to “get a package” and move on, others not so much.

The office in Den Haag will likely be shut down, with most of the jobs moving to Luxembourg. Princeton jobs will likely be moved to Washington. Remaining will be token offices to satisfy licensing requirements.

What does this say about the state of the satellite business in the U.S.? Are EchoStar and DirecTV the only true American commercial satellite operators? Both SES and Intelsat are based in Luxembourg, Telesat’s based in Ottawa, Canada, and Eutelsat’s in Paris. And they’ve all benefited from the U.S. government’s need for satellite bandwidth in the Middle East and Central Asia (Iraq & Afghanistan). How much of the profits from U.S. sources, commercial and government, are used toward economic benefit in the U.S.? Perhaps a few satellite builds with Space Systems/Loral and Orbital Sciences.

Makes for an interesting argument. Bring it.

The Commercially Hosted Infrared Payload (CHIRP), set to piggy-back on the SES-2 spacecraft later this year, passed thermal vacuum chamber testing. According to DefPro, all is nominal and you can’t get any better than that in the space business…

SES-USG today announced that the Commercially Hosted Infrared Payload (CHIRP) and its host spacecraft, SES-2, have completed thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing.
The experimental wide field-of-view sensor was designed by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) for the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. After integration onto the SES-2 spacecraft, built by Orbital Sciences Corp., the TVAC tests were conducted to demonstrate the sensor’s ability to withstand the space environment it will experience following the launch this August. A preliminary review of the test data indicates the CHIRP payload thermal performance was as expected.
Victoria Kennedy, CHIRP Program Manager at SES noted, “The TVAC was a key milestone for CHIRP, and puts the program well on track for the remaining environmental tests.”
The TVAC is one of a series of recent successful tests completed by the CHIRP program. In January, the payload was integrated onto the SES-2 spacecraft and passed what is known as the initial post-mate electrical checkout. Following this milestone, an integrated ground-to-payload test was completed where the sensor was commanded from SAIC’s Mission Analysis Center in Seal Beach, CA through Orbital’s Mission Operations Center in Dulles, VA. Through this process, payload data, including images and state-of-health data were successfully transmitted. This demonstration was a key risk reduction activity in the development and testing of the CHIRP Ground Segment.
Brent Armand, CHIRP Program Manager at Orbital Sciences Corporation remarked, “The team is very pleased with the payload performance during TVAC. We are all systems go as we look forward to the upcoming vibration test campaign and the near-term completion and delivery of the SES-2 spacecraft.”

To simulate the hot and cold extremes possible in space, the thermal vacuum chamber can reach temperatures in a 600-degree F range from 302° F all the way down to minus 310° F. Wow, the best we can do as humans on earth is the 300-degree Club in Antarctica.

What’s next? Vibration testing, which includes random vibration, base-drive modal and quasi-static load tests – all conducted while the spacecraft is mounted on a shaker.

This NASA video does an excellent job of explaining these critical tests…

Nice video edit from the launch service provider, United Launch Alliance. The payload, an interesting missile defense spacecraft. The report, via Aviation Week…

Sbirs GEO-1 is based on Lockheed Martin’s A2100 satellite bus and carries two payloads capable of collecting in the short- and mid-wave infrared (IR) bands, as well as one “wider, more open shortwave band” that can “see through to the ground,” Jeff Smith, Lockheed Martin Sbirs program manager told Aviation Week late last year. One of the payloads is a scanning IR detector. It is designed with shorter revisit times than those offered by DSP, which operates using a spinning scanner.

Additionally, Sbirs GEO-1 will have a staring sensor that can focus on different geographical areas than the scanner. The Air Force currently hopes to buy six Sbirs satellites.

Sbirs GEO-1 vehicle separation from the Atlas V’s Centaur upper stage took place 43 min. into the flight. At that point, the spacecraft was at 100 nm altitude heading for an apogee altitude of 19,323 nm.

A series of six liquid apogee engine burns are planned over nine days to reach a geosynchronous orbit slot 22,000 mi. over the Earth for initial checkout and operations, says Lt. Col. Ryan Umstattd, an Air Force Sbirs official. At this point, the satellite will deploy its light shade (designed to protect the sensor payload), antennas and payload doors, he says.

Thirty-five days after launch, officials expect to turn the IR payloads on and begin transmitting raw data from the satellite. Full integrated tactical warning and attack assessment certification, allowing the satellite to officially tip missile defenses in the event of a threat, is expected within 18 months of launch.

More about the system here.

Spectacular light show over Russia’s Ural mountains not Aurora Borealis or
UFO, but a Russian military rocket launching a military communications
satellite.
[Mail Online – 05/06/2011]

U.S. to finance Azerbaijan’s first communications satellite, AzerSat, from
Orbital, despite objections from some U.S.-based Armenian groups that it could
be used for military purposes.
[eurasianet – 05/06/2011]

Hughes Communications adds 613,000 satellite broadband subscribers in first
quarter, and credits governments broadband stimulus package for much of the
gains.
[Space News – 05/06/2011]

Telesat CEO silent on acquisition rumors during first quarter report.
[Satellite Today – 05/06/2011]

NASA Earth Observatory images created using Landsat data from US Geological
Survey illustrate extensive Mississippi River flooding.
[SatNews – 05/06/2011]

Gilat Satellite Networks to initiate hubs and VSATs in Australia under new
contract with Optus Networks Pty Limited.
[SatNews – 05/06/2011]

OmniGlobe EMEA assets acquired by satellite communications start-up iSat.
[Satellite Today – 05/06/2011]

Slovenia National TV renews broadcast relationship with Eutelsat with new
10-year contract for the Hot Bird neighbourhood.
[PR Newswire – 05/06/2011]

Data gathered by the Gravity Probe B satellite during 16 month mission
confirms two previously unproven subtle physical affects predicted by
Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity.
[SatNews – 05/06/2011]

U.S. Air Force’s GEO-1 SBIRS satellite scheduled for launch May 6 is delayed
due to weather.
[Aviation Week – 05/06/2011]

BGAN from Stratos Connectivity plays vital role in expanding archaeological
study in remote Mongolia.
[PR Newswire – 05/05/2011]

Satellites made Osama bin Laden raid possible.
[Spaceflight Now – 05/05/2011]

Russian Meridian series military communications satellite is placed in orbit
aboard a Soyuz-2.1a rocket with a Fregat booster.
[RIA NOVOSTI – 05/05/2011]

Newtec is awarded acclaimed Trends Gazellen award.
[SatNews – 05/05/2011]

Mercury Computer Systems selected to deliver multiple high-speed satellite
communications subsystems for transferring ISR data from UAVs to ground forces.
[Bradenton – 05/05/2011]

Integral Systems, with signal processing systems used by more than 85% of
U.S. space missions, is awarded more than $30M  in multiple contracts
during past three months.
[SatNews – 05/05/2011]

Newsat signs new contracts in April worth $1.7M in additional revenue,
providing satellite communication services in Australia and internationally.
[SatNews – 05/05/2011]

Research fleets choose Mini-VSAT broadband from KVH for onboard Internet and
data connections.
[Globe Newswire – 05/05/2011]

KVH downgrades future outlook though VSAT sales increase 59%, because of
losses in other divisions affected by rising fuel prices and decline in new
boat sales.
[Satellite Today – 05/02/2011]

At Global Space and Satellite Forum in Abu Dhabi May 9-11, leading experts
will discuss how satellite communications play important role in disaster
relief.
[AME info – 05/04/2011]

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting signs agreement with Elektrikom for IS 10-02
Spot 1 capacity, to deliver VSAT services for oil, gas, and cruise ship
industries throughout Europe.
[SatNews – 05/04/2011]

Australian communications regulator warns that more spectrum (to come from
satellite, broadcast, or government agencies) must be allocated to mobile
companies to support traffic growth by end of decade to 1000 times that at end
of 2007.
[Sydney Morning Herald – 05/04/2011]

NTD Asia Pacific Television files appeal at Taiwan’s National Communications
Commission charging that Chunghwa Telecom Company is unlawfully refusing to
renew satellite capacity lease.
[NTD Television – 05/04/2011]

Intelsat reports antenna reflector deployment delay with Intelsat New Dawn
satellite.
[Business Wire – 05/03/2011]

Charlie Ergen says acquired DBSD North America should be viewed as asset
whose existing S-band satellite and U.S. operating license are sufficient for
Dish Network and EchoStar to create wireless broadband business.
[Space News – 05/03/2011]

SES Astra’s German HD Plus service subscriber gains exceed expectations.
[Satellite Today – 05/03/2011]

Gilat Satcom launches iDirect Evolution-based service in Nigeria to deliver
high-speed C-band satellite service throughout the country.
[SatNews – 05/03/2011]

Pakistan will have its first satellite broadband service by the end of this
year using Yahsat YahClick satellite broadband product using satellite launched
April 23.
[TMCnet – 05/03/2011]

United Arab Emirates launches fifth communications satellite, the first to
provide secure and independent telecommunications for its armed forces as Persian Gulf Arab state boosts its military capabilities against Iran.
[UPI – 05/02/2011]

Arianespace wins launch contract for ABS-2 satellite for Asia Broadcast
Satellite.
[Satellite Today – 05/02/2011]

Dish Network and Echostar settle with TiVo for $500M as chances dwindle in
DVR patent suit.
[CED Magazine – 05/02/2011]

iDirect Government Technologies to resell Riverbed Technology products to
maximize bandwidth efficiencies and increase satellite network performance.
[marketwire – 05/02/2011]

Find loved ones anytime, anywhere, with new GPS bracelets.
[Satellite Spotlight – 05/02/2011]

Myanmar sets up central committee and working committee for launching a
satellite, the first for Myanmar.
[TMCnet – 4/30/2011]

Satellite images taken by GeoEye the day after tornadoes blasted through the
South, in an interactive display, show before and after the tornadoes.
[NY Times – April 29, 2011]

More competition, new entrants, fluctuating levels of usage in a slow and
uncertain recovery, and a flurry of new products with High Throughput
Satellites hitting the market in the coming years, all keep the Mobile
Satellite Services sector dynamic.
[NSR Mobile Satellite Services report – June 2011]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services

First thought upon hearing the news of Usama bin Laden’s demise was “that’s an interesting name for a Pakistani city.” No, Abbottabad wasn’t named after Bud Abbott, originally from Asbury Park, NJ. “Hey, Abbott! I’m a bad boy,” is the signature one-liner from another Jersey guy, Lou Costello of Paterson. The city was actually named after Major John Abbott, an Indian Army Officer.

So U.S. intelligence found no telephone or Internet connection for this “fortress” in Pakistan, which they thought was remarkable in a neighborhood such as this. Judging from the widely published architectural rendering, I’d conclude they had a satellite antenna capable of two-way communications. Not impossible to intercept, but that depends on encryption and which spacecraft is being used.

Wouldn’t it be funny if they were using the SES satellites at 57° East? Both NSS-12 and NSS-703 provide plenty of two-way satcom services, and the look angle is favorable. However, the rendering shows the antenna pointed toward the southwestern horizon, suggesting perhaps one of the Arabsat birds. We’ll follow up on that.

Amazing how close it was to Pakistan’s “West Point.”

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Holy Wild Kingdom, Batman!! A wandering leopard could have risked the launch of PSLV C-16 the other day…

A prowling leopard in Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Shar at Sriharikota in SPSR Nellore district created a flutter among scientists in the space port on Thursday. According to information, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel guarding the Shar noticed the leopard late on Wednesday night near the second launching pad from where PSLV C-16 is slated for launch in the third or fourth week of April.

Wildlife officials of Sullurpeta swung into action after the CISF alerted them and beat drums and burst crackers to drive away the animal into the forest till the early hours of Thursday. The district forest officer, wildlife management, Mr Ch. Pardhananda Prasad, said that they became aware of the presence of a leopard in the Shar forest during January. Referring to the pugmarks they had spotted then, he said that the animal was about five years old. Speaking to this newspaper on Thursday, Mr Prasad struck down apprehensions about its movements, causing any obstruction to the proposed launching. “Shar is situated in the midst of 18,200 hectares of forest area which is a totally restricted zone. The leopard does not have to search for its prey since there is a sizeable population of deer and wild boars in the forest, among other animals.”

He ruled out rumours of trapping the animal, pointing to wildlife rules. He said that such a situation will arise only when animals turn into man-eaters. Mr Prasad said that they were ensuring that the animal was driven away from habitations in Shar with the help of their staff.

In the launch business, you’ve got to make sure you have every angle covered. Including leopards.

Nice job on the successful launch, by the way. Maybe we should introduce Florida Panthers to all the wild boars around The Cape.

Global satellite machine-to-Machine (M2M) service revenues to reach $1.7B by 2017 according to new Gobal Industry Analysts report.
[San Francisco Chronicle – 04/15/2011]

U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency wants to lease a single commercial satellite for 15 years for $440M, meeting 78% of U.S. Central Command’s requirements in Afghanistan and Iraq while dramatically cutting costs.
[Next Gov – 04/15/2011]

Cheetah “Morale Satellite” system provides free phone calls home and fast Internet connectivity for soldiers in Afghanistan.
[DIVIDS – 04/15/2011]

Comtech receives $1.2M satellite ground station equipment order from a large integrator for a military requirement in a Latin American country.
[Your Industry News – 04/15/2011]

Senators Pat Roberts (R-Kan) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb) in an open letter ask fellow senators to call on FCC to stop LightSquared from deploying its nationwide LTE network until it proves service does not interfere with GPS services.
[Fierce Wireless – 04/15/2011]

Space Data Association announces full operational capability of its Space Data Center, established by commercial satellite operators to improve the safety and efficiency of space operations.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carries National Reconnaissance Office’s L-34 secret satellite payload aloft from Vandenberg.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

Arianespace to launch ASTRA 2E satellite for SES ASTRA in 2013.
[Brahmand – 04/14/2011]

New way to cool military satellite payloads to be tested by Northrop Grumman Corporation with an experiment on the International Space Station.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

Newtec extends invitation to all to join their 2011 Business Seminar “How to Keep Satellite Services Profitable” in Miami May 11 and 12, with first day capped by leisurely cruise and dinner.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

ITT successfully concludes Critical Design Review for imaging payload for the Worldview-3 Earth observation satellite being built for DigitalGlobe.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

Iridium excecutive states that the biggest opportunity ever for placing hosted payloads aboard telecommunications satellite system (the 66-satellite next generation Iridium system) may be lost because of slow-moving government bureaucracies.
[Space News – 04/14/2011]

Gilat’s SkyEdge II Broadband Satellite Network selected by Telecom Namibia to provide hundreds of locations throughout Namibia with VOIP and Internet services.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

New satellite to be launched from Kodiak Alaska, TACSAT-4, will carry UHF payload in highly elliptical orbit that will allow soldiers to communicate from deep canyons rather than out in the open, saving lives, though only available 6-7 hours a day.
[National Defense – 04/14/2011]

Advantech Wireless signs contract with Hoje Telecom of Brazil to provide VSAT upgrade hub, RF equipment, and more than 1,000 remote terminals.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

Globalstar Europe Satellite Services, in conjunction with Globalstar Avrasya of Turkey, provisioned to cover all of European sub-continent as well as northern Africa, Middle East, and most of Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic ocean maritime region.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

U.S. Air Force awards Integral Systems $6.99M contract for Rapid Attack Identification, Detection, and Reporting System to provide near real-time detection, characterization, geolocation, and electromagnetic Interference reporting for critical satellite communication systems.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

Dynetics and Pratt & Whitney join Rocket City Space Pioneers team competing for Google $30M Lunar X Prize to be awarded to first team to build and launch to the moon a privately funded spacecraft capable of completing a series of exploration and transmission tasks.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

MDA signs contract worth more than $40M to provide technology support for satellite communications and information service for a confidential customer.
[Windsor Star – 04/14/2011]

92,708 total registered attendees for 2011 NAB show in Las Vegas, with 25,691 international attendees and 1,314 news media, beating 2010 final attendance of 88,044.
[SatNews – 04/13/2011]

German aerospace contractor approved for taking lead role in designing European data relay satellite to promptly relay images of Earth from orbiting spacecraft back to ground stations.
[Spaceflight Now – 04/13/2011]

Top Azerbaijani official says country will launch communications satellite in 2012.
[RFE/RL – 04/13/2012]

Russia plans to test a next-generation spacecraft, build a new cosmodrome and even consider a manned mission to Mars after 2035.
[R&D Magazine – 04/13/2011]

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology announces launch of eighth satellite of the Beidou-2 global navigation system aboard a Long March 3A rocket on April 10, 2011.
[Examiner – 04/13/2011]

RRSAT grows global broadcast network to over 590 channels featuring SD, HD, and 3D formats and increased number of playout centers in Israel and U.S.
[PR Newswire – 04/13/2011]

Arqiva will launch dedicated DVB-S2 MPEG-4 shared platform at Los Angeles teleport, affording broadcasters and mobile providers access to 100% of U.S. cable headends via SES WORLD SKIES’ AMC-10 satellite.
[TMCnet – 04/13/2011]

Raytheon leads team bidding on U.S. Air Force Launch and Test Range System (LTRS) Integrated Support Contract (LISC).
[Defense – Aerospace – 04/13/2011]

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approves merger of XM Canada and Sirius Canada.
[Satellite Today – 04/13/2011]

Intelsat’s New Dawn African satellite rescheduled for April 22 launch.
[Engineering News – 04/12/2011]

SES ASTRA Platform Services opens new playout centre near Munich, significantly expanding capabilities to provide broadcasters and production houses around the world with state-of-the-art playout and platform services.
[SatNews – 04/12/2011]

Harris to deliver shipboard satellite communications terminals to Canadian Navy.
[Satellite Spotlight – 04/12/2011]

SES WORLD SKIES announces AMC-3 C-band capacity deal with Weigel Broadcasting to deliver new digital ME TV channel to broadcast stations and viewers across U.S.
[Business Wire – 04/12/2011]

GMPCS unveils IsatTruck vehicular satellite phone package.
[PR Web – 04/12/2011]

TeleCommunications Systems selected as participant in FCSA contract allowing government agencies to procure services from commercial satellite services providers.
[Market Wire – 04/12/2011]

NSR press release – Revenues for Broadband Satellite Satellite Services to Exceed S$9 Billion by 2020.
[NSR – 04/12/2011]

GlobeCast selects Eurobird 9A to launch HD distribution platform.
[Indian Television – 04/12/2011]

Level 3 buys Global Crossing in effort to create a networking giant.
[Business Insider – 04/11/2011]

Maiden voyage of Ocean Star Pacific, first ship of the first national cruise line based in Mexico, to offer MTM satellite communications VSAT, crew calling, and Internet services.
[PR Newswire – 04/11/2011]

Qatar plans early 2013 launch of its high-powered communications satellite Es’Hail, being built under joint investment with Eutelsat.
[Gulf Times – 04/11/2011]

TerreStar GENUS satellite-enabled cellular smartphone provides expanded voice and data roaming coverage for mobile users.
[SatNews – 04/10/2011]

Iran’s claims about satellite service raise difficult question for ITU – “Can regulators refuse to accept word of sovereign nation about its own assets even if they are convinced it is lying?”
[Spacenews – 04/08/2011]

NSR Report “Broadband Satellite Markets” – VSAT networking and broadband access continue gains; a turning point for IP trunking.
[NSR – May 2011]

NSR Report “Global Satellite Manufacturing and Launch Markets” – 109 payloads were carried by 74 launch missions worldwide over the past 12 months, down from 2009 by 6.5%.
[NSR – May 2011]

Raytheon seeks new applications for System designed to communicate with deeply submerged swiftly moving submarines using satellites and underwater communications systems tied to buoys, since Navy has yet to come to decision on deployment.
[National Defense Magazine – May 2011]

NSR upcoming – HTS and KA-SAT: “Changing the European Telecom Landscape” – An Interview with Eutelsat.
[gotomeeting – May 24, 2011]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services