Really Rocket Science

Northrop Grumman testbed creates significant efficiencies for Air Force’s  Defense Weather Satellite System program.
[Terra Daily – 11/24/2011]

ViaSat UK launches range of high-capacity satellite-based products  designed for use by the UK military and government.
[Tech World – 11/24/2011]

Raytheon tests its Army Secure Mobile Anti-Jam Reliable Tactile Terminal  with the on-orbit Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite, becoming  first company to test the satellite.
[emoney daily – 11/24/2011]

Taiwan wins European Satellite Navigation Competition for creative  Geo-coupon App based on Global Navigation Satellite System.
[Market Watch – 11/23/2011]

KVH honored with two awards for the small size, fast data rates, and  affordable service of the 14.5″ TracPhone V3 maritime terminal  operating on its global miniVSAT system.
[Market Watch –  11/23/2011]

ViaSat UK expands beyond traditional secure storage device market,  offering satellite broadband for businesses and government departments.
[V3.co.uk – 11/23/2011]

Globalstar contracts Thales Alenia Space to develop software patch to be sent  to Globalstar satellites to overcome momentum-wheel failures that have taken one  satellite out of service and threaten others.
[Space News – 11/23/2011]

Iridium offers iOS app AxcessPoint Mail & Web App to bring satellite  connectivity to iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
[Slash Gear – 11/23/2011]

Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited plans launch of replacement  satellite NigComSat-1R on December 19.
[all Africa –  11/23/2011]

ULA successfully completes second milestone toward certification of Atlas V  launch vehicle for human spaceflight.
[SatNews –  11/22/2011]

Gilat is selected by leading Latin American operator for delivery of full  scale SkyEdge II network for national post office program.
[SatNews –  11/22/2011]

SatCom Global announces point of presence in Sydney, Australia allowing its  customers to terminate Inmarsat BGAN and FleetBroadband IP traffic locally,  reducing latency and cost.
[SatNews –  11/22/2011]

Four-year partnership with ESA allows Air France passengers to see satellite  photos of landscape below the aircraft.
[SatNews –  11/22/2011]

Due to popular demand, Pactel International to continue the just concluded  2011 series of satellite communication seminars in 2012.
[SatNews –  11/22/2011]

BGP of China names Marlink as supplier of high quality and high capacity VSAT  satellite communications for its fleet of advanced seismic vessels.
[SatNews –  11/22/2011]

U.S. Committee report on China urges satellite preparation for potential  cyber attack from China and prepare for situations where U.S. space satellites  are partially or completely destroyed.
[Satellite Today – 11/22/2011]

U.S. satellite hacking case a mystery; satellite services firm running ground  station says there’s no evidence of any attack against its systems; commander of  U.S. military space operations says insufficient evidence makes it impossible to  confidently attribute blame over possible attempts to take over satellites.
[The  Register – 11/21/2011]

China places two more satellites into orbit, Chuangxin 1-03 and Shiyan  Satellite 4, via Long March 2D carrier rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch  Center.
[SatNews – 11/21/2011]

SES-4 satellite, built by Spaced Systems/Loral for SES, arrives at Baikonur  launch base – will be 50th and largest satellite in global SES fleet.
[Business Wire – 11/21/2011]

AsiaSat7 satellite set for launch on November 27th.
[Media Mughals – 11/21/2011]

Head of Iranian Space Agency states that it is ready to set up national  satellite launch base in the country’s southeastern region.
[SatNews –  11/21/2011]

Thales Alenia to build Turkmenistan’s first satellite to be launched in 2014  into orbital slot controlled by government of Monaco.
[Space News – 11/21/2011]

U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in appeal challenging use of GPS data in  conviction of drug dealer.
[SatNews –  11/21/2011]

Decision by Canadian Conservative government to spend nearly half a billion  dollars on construction of U.S. military satellite sparks concerns about secrecy  surrounding project and who will ultimately control information it transmits.
[Montreal Gazette – 11/21/2011]

All systems go for NASA’s third generation upgrade (TDRS-K) of the  orbiting TDRS satellite network communications network.
[PHYSORG –  11/21/2011]

U.S. Geological Survey has stopped acquiring images from 27-year-old Landsat  5 (designed to last three years) due to rapidly degrading electronic component.
[Satnews –  11/21/2011]

Harris Corporation completes preliminary design review for synthetic aperture  radar payload on modular space vehicle.
[Market Watch – 11/21/2011]

U.S.A.F. Los Angeles AFB gets upgrade addressing telemetry, tracking, and  control for all Air Force communication satellite constellations.
[SatNews –  11/21/2011]

Avanti Communications welcomes two new service provider customers – Antech  S.p.A in Italy, and BriteYellow Ltd in the U.K., while NASSAT of Spain extends  commitment to Avanti.
[SatNews –  11/21/2011]

 WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Blue Origin’s New Shepherd features a reusable first stage booster.

Vertical landings are cool.

The company is backed by Amazon.com’s Jeff Bezos, so if you like what you see, do your shopping there this week.

Yeah, vertical landing is the stuff of old science fiction. Like this from Bugs Bunny…

Sony negotiating with U.S. broadcasters to provide content for system to  stream directly to PlayStation consoles, BluRay video players, and  television sets, competing directly with cable and satellite TV providers.
[NZ Herald – 11/19/2011]

Global VSAT Forum’s “White Paper for National Regulators on Satellite  Services in the Ka band” is centerpiece of global campaign launched by  international satellite industry to assure continued unfettered access to Ka-band  spectrum.
[SatNews –  11/18/2011]

Eutelsat “categorically refutes” allegations that it is generating  interference to its own satellite to prevent reception in Iran of international  Farsi satellite channels.
[MENAFN – 11/18/2011]

Shenzhou 8 ends highly successful mission for China’s human spaceflight  program, returning to a landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous  Region Nov. 17.
[Space  Daily – 11/18/2011]

Thales Alenia and ISS Reshetnev sign agreement intended to lead to joint  venture to build communications satellites.
[Space News – 11/18/2011]

Panasonic Avionics signs billion-dollar in-flight deal with Etihad Airways to  provide in-flight entertainment systems and in-flight connectivity, including  broadband Internet, for Etihad’s entire long-haul fleet.
[Satellite Today – 11/18/2011]

U.S. government report reveals attacks by hackers on at least two occasions,  targeting command-and-control systems of U.S. Earth observation satellites;  China internally reveals it is developing capabilities to cripple an enemy  satellite network.
[DailyTech – 11/17/2011]

SES plans acquisitions in Eastern Europe and Asia, and will reduce number of  satellites over the U.S. to address a glut of capacity, moving to markets such  as Latin America and Asia.
[Business Week – 11/17/2011]

The fourth of six Wideband Global SATCOM satellites arrives at Kennedy Space  Center for January launch.
[Florida Today – 11/17/2011]

SpaceX Dragon Capsule is successfully mated to the trunk that will carry  unpressurized cargo to the International Space Station.
[SatNews –  11/17/2011]

Cubesates Yahtzee and Farkle, predominantly created by Utah State University  students, circumnavigate earth every 90 minutes – experiments under global  scrutiny.
[USU Statesman – 11/17/2011]

NASA’s new Mars rover, “Curiosity,” will be launched on November 25 from Cape  Canaveral on an Atlas V rocket.
[SatNews –  11/17/2011]

Harris Corporation delivers two unfurlable mesh reflectors to Lockheed Martin  Space Systems in Sunnyvale CA for DoD’s first Mobile User Objective System  satellite.
[Market Watch – 11/17/2011]

Harris gets 5-year contract to maintain ground system for Defense  Meteorological Satellites Program.
[SatNews –  11/17/2011]

MIL-SAT Communications selects Cobham’s Sea Tel 2.4m marine stabilized  antenna to fulfil recently-awarded U.S. Navy contract.
[Defence Professionals – 11/17/2011]

Orange Business Services is certified as Silver Partner in Inmarsat’s Connect  Accreditation Program.
[SatNews –  11/17/2011]

ITT Exelis and Chronos Technology team up to develop product offerings for  Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Interference, Detection, and  Mitigation (IDM) market.
[SatNews –  11/17/2011}

The two main providers of consumer satellite broadband in the U.S., Hughes  and ViaSat, both reported zero growth in subscribers in 3rd quarter 2011.
[Space News – 11/17/2011]

KVH TracVision M1, world’s smallest maritime satellite TV antenna, receives  NMEA Industry Award for best marine entertainment product for third consecutive  year.
[SatNews – 11/17/2011]

Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited responds to N8 billion fraud  allegation leveled by a group called Nigeria Unites Against Corruption  Initiative.
[All  Africa – 11/17/2011]

Orbital Sciences Corporation announces completion of in-orbit-testing of  Intelsat 18, and hand-over to customer, Intelsat S.A. for commercial service  initiation.
[SatNews –  11/16/2011]

ViaSat conducts demonstration for U.S. armed services, (during a rainstorm),  unveiling industry’s highest performance mobile broadband system using  ultra-small 12-inch Ka-band tracking antenna, achieving 4 MBPS forward and 6  MBPS return link bit rates, with simultaneous encrypted HD video backhaul, video  conferencing, IP phone communications, and http web browsing.
[SatNews –  11/16/2011]

Arianespace signs to launch a new DirecTV Latin America service-providing  satellite.
[Satellite Today – 11/16/2011]

U.S. Army uses SNAP satellite terminals in its most recent Network  Integration Evaluation, seeking to ensure that new technologies and network  improvements work hand-in-hand with presently fielded systems.
[Tech Zone –  11/16/2011]

China completes second successful docking of unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8  with prototyupe space lab Tiangong-1.
[SatNews –  11/16/2011]

European Union states protest removal from EUY Budget of next-generation  nuclear reactor and an Earth observation satellite considered vital for Europe.
[SatNews –  11/16/2011]

Satworx selected to provide satellite communications for renowned storm  chasing team TVN for daring missions requiring driving within 1,000 feet of a  tornado.
[Market Watch – 11/16/2011]

Global VSAT Forum works with Ethiopian government for easing of VSAT market  rules, permitting authorized companies to use VSAT services in support of  famine-relief efforts.
[SatNews –  11/15/2011]

DARPA’s Airborne Launch Assist Space Access program seeks to reduce cost,  time, and weather constraints of satellite launches, launching 100 pound  satellites for 1/3 the cost.
[SatNews –  11/15/2011]

Yahlive and telecom operator du sign agreement for du to establish uplink  services to Yahlive’s Y1A satellite.
[TradeArabia –  11/15/2011]

BGAN from Stratos provides satellite communications for balloon expedition  over Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/15/2011]

ORBIT to showcase OrBand, a revolutionary, compact maritime VSAT system, at  METS 2011.
[Market Watch – 11/15/2011]

DeLorme announces retail availability of inReach two-way satellite  communicator for affordable communications with emergency responders, family,  friends, or colleagues using Iridium.
[PR Newswire – 11/15/2011]

Pleasant Software smartphone app iFlares calculates when and where reflected  sunlight by polished antennas of Iridium satellites can be seen from any  location on Earth.
[prMac –  11/15/2011]

Satellite Phone Solutions launches new social media forum for mobile  satellite community.
[PR Web – 11/15/2011]

Global Industry Analysts report indicates increased demand for satellite  transponders.
[Satellite Spotlight – 11/14/2011]

Canada invests in U.S. Wideband Global satellite communications system.
[Nextgov  – 11/14/2011]

New Zealand may join U.S. global satellite network.
[The Press – 11/14/2011]

O3b raises $137 million for construction of four additional satellites to  boost capacity and redundancy over emerging markets.
[SatNews –  11/14/2011]

AsiaSat selects Space Systems/Loral to build AsiaSat 6 and AsiaSat 8.
[Space Mart – 11/14/2011]

XTAR LLC is awarded Future COMSATCOM Services Acquisition Schedule-70 Special  Identification Number for transponded services, making it easier for government  users to acquire X-band capacity from XTAR.
[SatNews –  11/14/2011]

Gilat signs collaboration agreements with Russian Rostelecom Group subsidiary  RTComm to provide network equipment and Ka-band end-user terminals for RTComm’s  future constellation of multi spot-beam satellites.
[Globes – 11/14/2011]

Hughes to showcase tactical satellite solutions at Global MilSatCom 2011.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/14/2011]

Satcom 1 promotes recently-launched individual satellite airtime billing  solution for charters, fractionals, airlines, and business jet operators.
[Arabian Aerospace – 11/13/2011]

Asianet Satellite Communications to switch off analogue cable TV service and  become India’s first multi-system operator to offer only digital cable.
[Indiantelevision – 11/12/2011]

Loral Space and Communications expects to spin off its Space Systems/Loral  satellite manufacturing division in early 2012, contingent upon equitable  treatment of largest shareholder.
[Space News – 11/11/2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Our friends at KVH Industries have been on a tear in recent years. We last read about their TracVision M1 system being a critical component in a boat’s entertainment system. And in September, their MiniVSAT Broadband service went global, licensed to operate offshore and in-port in 125+ countries.

Today we read the National Marine Electronics Association has named the TracVision M1 “Best Marine Entertainment Product” for the 3rd year in a row.

KVH Industries, Inc., and its TracVision family of satellite TV products are the choice of the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) for the 14th consecutive year. The company’s TracVision M1, the world’s smallest maritime satellite TV antenna, was recently honored with its third consecutive “Industry Award” for best marine entertainment product — the product received this honor after its introduction in 2009 and again in 2010. Each year, NMEA members vote for their favorite products in a range of categories, and the product that receives the most votes in a given category is honored with that year’s Industry Award. These awards have become a trusted symbol of outstanding quality throughout the marine electronics industry.

Marine electronics technicians continue to bestow this honor on TracVision M1 both for its ease of installation and because it opened up a completely new market for maritime satellite TV.

“The TracVision M1 allows us to put live TV on boats for which it was previously out of the question financially, or on which larger domes would look ridiculous,” says Duncan Nevard of Intrepid Marine Electronics in Stamford, CT. “It weighs less than eight pounds, so we can literally replace someone’s little flying saucer over-the-air TV antenna — on the same bracket — with a first-class, in-motion satellite TV solution. That allows us to bring high-end marine electronics to a whole new group of boats.”

I agree: a shrimp-size satellite TV set-up for a couple “Grover Clevelands” ain’t bad. Look, you’re paying for the damn boat, so why not pay a little more for the good stuff.

Meanwhile, back in Middletown, Rhode Island, it’s all smiles at KVH.

Satellite signal blocked by your oppressive government? Get the app.

The camel load, via BBC News…

Rim Abdolah delivers her news bulletin with admirable gusto for a woman who knows hardly any of the target audience is watching.

The Lualua TV presenter has been with the station since its launch in July.

Aimed at people in Bahrain, it carries news and talk shows about the country.

But since its inception, it has only managed to reach to televisions in the Gulf kingdom for four hours – before the signal was blocked.

“As a broadcaster I’m very upset and frustrated because we try to work hard to put our work out to let everyone see it, especially in Bahrain,” Miss Abdolah says.

“But it’s very disappointing, no-one in Bahrain can see us.”

Reports from the satellite provider show the signal is being blocked from within Bahrain.

While not officially blaming the country’s government, station management say it is hard to see who else would intervene.

Miss Abdolah’s pink headscarf stands out brightly against the blue backdrop of the news studio.

And while it was intended to run the channel from Bahrain’s capital Manama, it failed to get a licence there.

So instead, it operates thousands of miles from the Gulf, in a two-storey industrial unit on a drab north London estate – with cables running through the front door to a satellite dish in the car park.

Bahrain protest The station was formed in the aftermath of pro-democracy protests in Bahrain

Several people were killed in clashes with security forces, while hundreds of people were detained including doctors, teachers and opposition leaders – many of whom allege they have been tortured and now face military trials.

Thousands of demonstrators had gathered for several days in the centre of Manama, inspired by the popular uprisings which toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.

They demanded a greater say in government and an end to what the majority Shias said was systematic discrimination against them in jobs and services.

Lualua TV is named after the roundabout where the protesters had gathered and its logo is an image of the structure that sat on that roundabout until it was destroyed after the protests.

Station manager Yasser Al-Sayegh says the station aims to promote peace in Bahrain and champion the causes of democracy and freedom of expression.

“We are genuinely independent, we class ourselves as independent but unfortunately the Bahrain government classes us as an opposition because we don’t show what state-owned TV shows,” he says.

“We listen to the Bahraini authorities and we listen to the opposition. We have direct contact with people on the ground in Bahrain, journalists, doctors – and we have talks shows where they can talk, and they don’t have that on Bahraini TV.”

Too bad there’s no app for rain fade.

Well, at least one of them.

Smokin Joe Frazier passed away. Why does it matter to rocket scientists? He was one of the two boxers who fought in the Thrilla in Manila on 30 September 1975 (1 October locally, for all you international dateliners). The other was Muhammad Ali and it was their third fight, carried via satellite for closed-circuit viewing in the U.S. and, most importantly, to cable systems experimenting with using C-band satellites for distributing video to their cable headends.

It worked. HBO went from tower-to-tower distribution to full national availability via satellite. In fact, it was their commitment to RCA Americom that incubated, nurtured and grew the domestic satellite system to be the best in the world.

Without the Thrilla in Manila, I doubt so many fine rocket scientists would be employed today. Although that’s changing, too.

Here’s a fitting video tribute to that boxing match…

Recently launched Eutelsat satellites Atlantic Bird 7 and W3C will  provide capacity to support growth in fast developing markets.
[Broadband TV News – 11/04/2011]

Astrium selected by DIRECTV to design and manufacture high power DIRECTV 15, with 30 Ku-, 24 Ka-, and 18 Reverse-band transponders.
[4-traders -11/04/2011]

Launch of NigComSat-1R on December 19 in China may be jeopardised unless  Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited comes up with N1.8 billion by November  5.
[This Day Live – 11/04/2011]

United Continental selects Panasonic Avionics to provide Wi-Fi connectivity  on more than 300 United Airlines and Continental Airlines mainline aircraft  beginning in 2012.
[Market Watch – 11/04/2011]

New House of Representatives legislation to reform U.S. satellite export  controls, removing satellites and related components from U.S. Munitions List,  gets strong endorsement from Satellite Industry Association.
[Satellite Today – 11/03/2011]

Chinese spacecraft successfully dock in orbit, moving China closer to manning  its own space station in about a decade.
[R&D Magazine – 11/03/2011]

ViaSat-1 reaches destined orbit following successful completion of all  maneuvers, to begin in-orbit testing.
SatNews –  11/03/2011]

Inmarsat subsidiaries Stratos Government Services and Segovia are awarded  Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract by DITCO for U.S. Navy Military  Sealift Command’s Next Generation Wideband commercial satellite communications  infrastructure and service.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/03/2011]

SES fleet extension program through 2014 to increase global capacity by 23%  over year-end 2010, with 85% of capacity dedicated to highly dynamic emerging  markets including Asia, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa; SES-7 and SES-8  represent $400 million program for South Asia and Asia-Pacific region.
[SatNews –  11/03/2011]

Spacecom satellite AMOS-5, to be launched December 11, is transported to  Baikonur Spaceport.
[SatNews – 11/03/2011]

Next Soyuz launch from Kourou, set for mid-December, to carry six satellites,  including Astrium Pleiades1 Very High Resolution Earth observation satellite,  Chilean satellite SSOT, and the four satellites of the Elisa constellation.
[SatNews –  11/03/2011]

GMV is awarded Euro 3 million contract to provide control center of new  Spanish satellite Paz, due for launch at end of next year.
[SatNews –  11/03/2011]

JITC certification of Thales Joint Tactical Radio System Enhance Multiband  Inter/Intra Team Radio allows users access to ultra high frequency SATCOM IW on  their fielded radios via software upgrade.
[SatNews –  11/03/2011]

Thuraya and Al Aan TV provide media feeds for starving Somalia.
[SatNews –  11/03/2011]

International Conference on Student Small Satellites CSSS2012 will bring  together young engineers and scientists in telecommunications, electronic  devices and systems for small satellites around the world.
[SatNews –  11/03/2011]

Congressional Budget Office urges U.S. Department of Defense to abandon  current GPS network upgrade plan and focus on upgrading GPS receivers; endorses  Iridium’s satellite constellation as potential alternative.
[Satellite Today – 11/02/2011]

Small Business Committee Republicans ask FCC to withhold LightSquared  approval.
[Nextgov – 10/31/2011]

Cobham announces two six-year contracts for ground antennas worth up to  $72.7M with U.S. Navy and Thales, following acquisition of antenna manufacturer  Trivec-Avant.
[Space News – 11/03/2011]

Though Inmarsat’s overall business has been flat, the company will have  record-breaking year in revenue and profit on cash coming in from LightSquared.
[Space News – 11/03/2011]

Federal government will conduct first nationwide test of Emergency Alert  System Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 1 P.M., interrupting television, radio, cable, and  satellite shows for up to 3 1/2 minutes.
[The Advertiser – 11/03/2011]

NSR report expects satellite capacity leasing revenues will reach US$17.2  billion by 2020, up from US$10 billion in 2010, as satellite operators continue  to buck global economic malaise.
[Market Watch – 11/02/2011]

China may be tinkering with U.S. satellites, and experts say other countries  are likely doing the same – some say that technological Cold War is well  underway.
[Discovery News – 11/01/2011]

Satellite communications evolved from use of C-band to use of Ku-band to  address demand for more bandwidth – Ka-band high throughput satellites are the  next step in the evolution, promising a revolution in satellite services.
[Voice &  Data – 11/01/2011]

Canadian satellite hardware and services provider MDA reports core business  doing well, but puts innovative satellite-servicing project on hold while  waiting for U.S. government contract.
[Space News – 11/01/2011]

Fleet Management Solutions is selected by U.S. Justice Department Federal  Bureau of Prisons to equip fleet vehicles and mobile assets with Fleet Director  Global Iridium-base asset tracking system.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/01/2011]

Boeing to manufacture and test its Crew Space Transportation spacecraft at  Kennedy Space Center’s Orbiter Processing Facility-3, as NASA and Space Florida  partner for exclusive use of the facility, with Space Florida leasing it to  Boeing.
[SatNews – 11/01/2011]

China plans to launch 20 carrier rockets with 25 satellites into space by end  of the year.
[SatNews –  10/31/2011]

Space X’s and Tesla’s Elon Musk recognized as Innovator of the Year in  Technology by Wall Street Journal Magazine.
[SatNews –  10/31/2011]

Arianespace signs for launch of Optus 10 in 2013.
[SatNews –  10/31/2011]

Intelsat signs capacity agreements with Turner Broadcasting for Latin  American coverage.
[Satellite Today – 10/31/2011]

United Arab Emirates re-opens negotiations with France regarding acquisition  of military surveillance satellite to monitor Iranian activity.
[SatNews –  10/31/2011]

MBC group picks Eutelsat’s Atlantic Bird 7 to support HDTV roll-out across  Middle East and North Africa.
[Market Watch – 10/31/2011]

NGA selects Harhttp://www.reallyrocketscience.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=2125&action=editris to participate in mentor-protégé program with Spatial Data  Integratoins, designated as women- and minority-owned small business in  geospatial industry.
[SatNews –  10/31/2011]

Soyuz-U rocket with Progress M-13M cargo spacecraft successfully launches  from Baikonur with supplies for International Space Station.
[SatNEws –  10/30/2011]

Satellites built by Utah State University students successfully launched  aboard rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
[HJ News – 10/29/2011]

Turkmenistan to launch satellite to escape Russian dependency.
[Euraisanet – 10/29/2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications systems consulting services

Making what could be its final flight, Delta II rocket deploys new  weather and environmental research satellite for NASA and NOAA.
[NASA Space Flight – 10/28/2011]

China will launch Long March-2F/H rocket early next month, carrying unmanned  spacecraft Shenzhou-8 which will conduct the country’s first space docking with  Tiiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace-1, a space lab module.
[Space Daily – 10/28/2011]

Secure World Foundation to discuss evolution in China’s role in space, as the  country has developed and deployed space-based intelligence, surveillance, and  reconnaissance capabilities to support military and national security and  enhance their regional power.
[SatNews –  10/28/2011]

Miami-based NewCom International donates year’s worth of Internet  connectivity to aid Germany-based NGO Welthungerhlife’s humanitarian work in  Liberian refugee camps.
[PR Web –  10/28/2011]

Coalition to Save Our GPS challenges LightSquared’s forecasts that FCC will  be able to resolve controversy over company’s planned LTE network, using  conference call to slam LightSquared’s business plan and technical claims.
[PC World – 10/28/2011]

Mitec Telecom employees plan to buy all its VSAT satellite communications  division.
[Montreal Gazette – 10/28/2011]

Marine Data Solutions of Cape Town begins implementing Automatic  Identification System coastal network at lighthouses along South African coast.
[SatNews –  10/28/2011]

LightSquared enters into collaborative partnership with antenna solutions  provider PCTEL to develop technology to resolve concerns regarding interference  with GPS.
[PR Newswire – 10/27/2011]

Astrium hands over Arabsat-5C to ARABSAT after successful completion of  in-orbit testing.
[SatNews –  10/27/2011]

Suspected Chinese hackers interfered with Landsat-7 and Terra AM-1 satellites  in 2007 and 2008 according to Bloomberg Businessweek story citing upcoming  congressional commission report.
[Computer World – 10/27/2011]

Arianespace’s full launcher family in place as flight-ready versions of  Ariane 5, Soyuz, and Vega are together at the Spaceport for the first time.
[SatNews –  10/27/2011]

TV and radio stations, and satellite, cable, and wireline video systems  required to participate in first national test of Emergency Alert System  Wednesday, November 9.
[Examiner – 10/27/2011]

TeleCommunications Systems’ Commercial Mobile Alert System receives FEMA  certification as emergency alert system for delivery to mobile phones.
[SatNews –  10/27/2011]

Canadian government plans to invest as much as $477M in U.S.-led Wideband  Global Satellite system.
Vancouver Sun – 10/27/2011]

Newtec hosted free webinars December 14 and 15 to explore expected growth in  government demand for satellite bandwidth for data, video, and voice  communication.
[SatNews –  10/27/2011]

RRsat launches second DVB-S2 platform on MEASAT-3a.
[PR Newswire – 10/27/2011]

Vizada and Mexican service provider MultiSAT deliver satcom services and  solutions for Mexican mining industry.
[Marketwatch – 10/27/2011]

Astrium Services launches portal to provide satellite imagery of forests in  Congo Basin to organizations working to conserve the regions forests.
[Satellite  Evolution – 10/27/2011]

Fourteen months after launch, the Air Force’s first Advance Extremely High  Frequency military communications satellite is finally on station following  arduous maneuvers precipitated by premature engine shutdown.
[Florida Today – 10/26/2011]

After disappointing results in marketing to U.S. Government’s National  GeoSpatial Intelligence Agency, EADS Astrium shifts attention to Asia where  demand for EO satellites and imagery is growing across the board.
[NSR Report – 10/26/2011]

Intelsat partners with du of United Arab Emirates to jointly offer MCPC  television program distribution solutions on Intelsat 10.
[Market Watch – 10/26/2011]

DigitalGlobe and NTT GEOSPACE launch new online geospatial intelligence  service powered by DigitalGlobe featuring on-demand access to imagery of  Japanese landmass.
[SatNews –  10/26/2011]

Iridium announces complete suite of AxcessPoint products and services that  allow laptop connected to Iridium phone to become wireless hotspot connecting  smart phones, laptops and other devices to the Internet over the Iridium  network.
[TMCnet – 10/26/2011]

Stratos Government Services is awarded five-year Indefinite Delivery  Indefinite Quantity contract by United States Coast Guard to provide large  cutter connectivity.
[SatNews –  10/26/2011]

Spirent positioning & navigation test solution now supports China’s  Compass/Beidou-2 satellite navigation system.
[Market Watch – 10/26/2011]

SES Astra 1N enters commercial service over Europe.
[Satellite Today – 10/25/2011]

United Arab Emirates reopens negotiations with France for a military  surveillance satellite.
[UPI – 10/25/2011]

UK regulator Ofcom writes to International Telecommunications Union asking it  to rescind the satellite spectrum granted to ICO Satellite after its failure for  32 months to establish viable business using the spectrum.
[The Register –  10/25/2011]

U.S. space entrepreneur warns that China could own the moon by 2026.
[SatNews –  10/25/2011]

UltiSat Europe gets sole-source contract from Danish National Procurement  agency allowing Danish federal and local government agencies to buy satellite  services more easily.
[Market Watch – 10/25/2011]

NSSLGlobal opens up new spot beam for maritime use in southeast Asia on SES’  NSS6 satellite.
[SatNews –  10/25/2011]

Spacenet selected to provide upgraded network performance capabilities at  Cumberland Farms’ 600-plus convenience and gasoline retail stores in 11 states.
[TMCnet – 10/25/2011]

Hughes Network Systems provisions GTECH Columbia with advance HN satellite  networking solution, connecting more than 1,100 lottery sites in Colombia.
[SatNews –  10/25/2011]

ARINC successfully launches GLOBALink/Iridium Data Link communications  service for Asiana Airlines of South Korea.
[SatNews –  10/25/2011]

U.S. Strategic Command commander Gen. Kehler warns satellite industry service  providers that rising amount of data collected by U.S. satellites is starting to  exceed Pentagon’s ability to process it.
[Satellite Today –  10/24/2011]

EUTELSAT announces full entry into commercial service of its high capacity  ATLANTIC BIRD 7 satellite, with enhance footprint providing coverage in North  Africa and Gulf states.
[SatNews –  10/24/2011]

AsiaSat 7, built for AsiaSat by Space Systems/Loral, arrives at Baikonur  Space Center.
[SatNews –  10/24/2011]

Polar satellite project under consideration by Canadian government might be  required to fix inability of F-35 Joint Strike fighter plane to communicate in  Canadian North.
[CTV News – 10/24/2011]

Harris receives $20M in orders to provide manpack radios to U.S. Army and  Marine Corps that include ability to upgrade to Mobile User Objective Systems  satellite communications.
[Market Watch – 10/24/2011]

Globecomm Systems sees growth in satellite communications in the areas of  Media, Wireless, Government, Enterprise, and Maritime, with increasing trend  toward use of multiple devices.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/24/2011]

Recently published standard ETSI TC SES specification TS 102 856 Parts 1 and  2 describes how to support transport of Multi-Protocol Label Switching data and  signalling flows over a Broadband Satellite Multimedia network.
[SatNews –  10/24/2011]

European Space Agency’s Galileo constellation will use Passive Hydrogen Maser  atomic clock stable to 1 second every 3 million years, developed by SELEX  Galileo, an Finmeccanica company.
[SatNews –  10/24/2011]

German satellite ROSAT re-entered atmosphere over Bay of Bengal.
[Space Daily – 10/23/2011]

Since Craig Cooning took over Boeing’s struggling space and intelligence  systems in 2008 it has doubled its backlog from five years ago.
[LA Times – 10/23/2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications systems consulting services

I love a good customer service “moment of truth” situation. Something that’ll either keep or boot a customer. Whether it’s B2B or B2C, this is a moment when you should delight the customer — or else.

HughesNet just blew it in Texas. The report, via the Austin American-Statesman…

When a police officer in their driveway screamed for Ken and Linda Schutt to evacuate their home as a wildfire closed in, they grabbed two dogs, three framed photos and clothes in a suitcase. Two days later, they surveyed what was left of their double-wide mobile home and started taking care of business: call the insurance company, the utilities and HughesNet, their satellite Internet provider. That’s when the headaches began.

Linda Schutt said she called the Maryland-based HughesNet to cancel service and couldn’t believe how the customer representative handled the call.

“She wanted me to send back the equipment — the dish, the cable and modem. When I asked her what part of me saying that our house burned to the ground that she didn’t understand, she insisted I return their equipment. If we didn’t, she said we owed $100,” Linda Schutt said.

The Schutts temporarily put aside dealing with HughesNet. They’d lost everything in the Sept. 5 fire, including the American flag that was used on the casket of Linda Schutt’s brother after he was killed in the Vietnam War.

The week after the fire, she wrote HughesNet a letter complaining about the service and saying she’d never use the company again.

“I included the burned satellite dish because that’s all that we found. It wasn’t any good, but since they insisted they wanted their equipment, we sent what we could find,” she said.

On Saturday, Linda Schutt got a call from someone who she thought was a HughesNet representative. “I thought he was calling about my letter, but I later found out it was a bill-collecting agency,” she said.

That call also didn’t end well. “He also told me we owed $100 for the equipment,” she said.

On Tuesday, Schutt said she noticed Hughes withdrew $106.25 from her bank account, presumably the cost to replace the equipment.

Statesman Watch contacted HughesNet on the Schutts’ behalf. Spokeswoman Judy Blake said the complaint was referred to the company’s executive customer service team. Within minutes, HughesNet called Linda Schutt to tell her the $106.25 would be credited back to her bank account.

“I’m sorry that she went through that,” Blake said, referring to the customer service representative who first spoke with Schutt. “I don’t know what went wrong, but perhaps the customer rep didn’t have the authority to give her credit or thought about asking a higher-up.”

Schutt is happy to get the refund. “But that wasn’t the point. We could afford the $100. It’s just that after all we’d been through, they could have been a little understanding. It’s the principle. If Statesman Watch hadn’t called on our behalf, we’d still be fighting this,” she said.

The good people at Hughes should be reminded of the Two Rules of Business:

1. The customer is always right.
2. If the customer is ever wrong, re-read rule #1.

Well, not exactly vampires. In keeping with the spirit of the season, Jamie Zawinski chose to call DARPA’s Phoenix Program “space vampires,” which was picked up by Boing Boing and spun up as “vampire satellite,” a la zombie satellite.

Communication satellites in geosynchronous orbit (GEO), approximately 22,000 miles above the earth, provide vital communication capabilities to warfighters. Today, when a communication satellite fails, it usually means the expensive prospect of having to launch a brand new replacement communication satellite. Many of the satellites which are obsolete or have failed still have usable antennas, solar arrays and other components which are expected to last much longer than the life of the satellite, but currently there is no way to re-use them.

The goal of the Phoenix program is to develop and demonstrate technologies to cooperatively harvest and re-use valuable components from retired, nonworking satellites in GEO and demonstrate the ability to create new space systems at greatly reduced cost. Phoenix seeks to demonstrate around-the-clock, globally persistent communication capability for warfighters more economically, by robotically removing and re-using GEO-based space apertures and antennas from de-commissioned satellites in the graveyard or disposal orbit.

I suspect we’ll get a response from the good people at ViviSat and MDA in Canada. Although they’re talking about on-orbit refueling, not scavenging for parts.