Archive for October, 2010

WBMSAT News Bits October 29, 2010

Saturday, October 30th, 2010

Eutelsat loses W3B satellite following "an anomaly" detected on the propulsion subsystem; shares decline sharply on Paris exchange.
[Business Week – 10/29/2010]

Post-launch maneuvers of the SES WORLD SKIES satellite NSS-12 are successful.
[SatNews – 10/29/2010]

Iridium successfully closes financing for its next generation satellite constellation with a syndicate of nine banks.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/29/2010]

November 25 Ariane 5 flight to launch Intelsat 17 and HYLAS 1 satellites.
[SatNews – 10/29/2010]

Middle East space and satellite sector booming – government investment, educational and research facilities, and numerous new satellites and space projects
[SatNews – 10/29/2010]

MTN Satellite Communications completes major upgrade of Wi-fi network aboard two Silversea Cruises vessels.
[RF Globalnet – 10/29/2010]

KVH Industries reaches distribution agreement with Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. of Japan for KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband service.
[SatNews – 10/29/2010]

Gauteng, South Africa High Court dismisses a case brought by multimedia firm Black Earth Communications and German satellite broadcaster Deukom against Icasa for not awarding BEK a satellite subscription broadcasting license in 2008.
[Business Day – 10/29/2010]

Ariane 5 launches Eutelsat’s W3B and B-SAT Corporation’s BSAT-3b satellites.
[SatNews – 10/28/2010]

NASA to send Discovery space shuttle on its last voyage Monday, November 1.
[SatNews – 10/28/2010]

Hughes Network Systems selected by U.S. GSA to provide commercial satellite communications subscription services worldwide.
[PR Newswire – 10/28/2010]

China plans to complete a manned space station around 2020, as the Asian nation pushes ahead with its ambitious space exploration program.
[SatNews – 10/28/2010]

Debt-free Sea Launch emerges from bankruptcy.
[Spaceflight Now – 10/28/2010]

Research and Markets adds Frost & Sullivan’s new report assessing world market for commercial satellite communications purchased by the U.S. Government and Military.
[Trading Markets – 10/28/2010]

New Intelsat satellite arrives safely at European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, for November launch.
[Space Travel – 10/28/2010]

 ESA’s Earth-observing satellite Envisat is moved to lower orbit to conserve fuel and extend its life by three years; it is again delivering data to thousands of scientists.
[SatNews – 10/28/2010]

Astrium and Air Liquide agree to establish new joint venture to develop and produce cryogenic tanks for the Ariane 5 ME upperstage.
[SatNews – 10/28/2010]

Lockheed Martin completes Intersegment System Testing (IST) of second Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications satellite.
[SatNews – 10/28/2010]

GeoEye to add the EMS Osprey personal tracker solution as a custom two-way tracking and messaging solution to its Marine Services business suite of services.
[SatNews – 101/28/2010]

TIBA (Telepuerto Internacional Buenos Aires), of Latin America installs advanced Miranda graphics system to streamline branding and promotional graphics across the HD and SD channels.
[SatNews – 10/28/2010]

Harris Corporation is awarded third option year of its Network and Space Operations and Maintenance (NSOM) program by the U.S. Air Force, valued at $64 million.
[SatNews – 10/28/2010]

ViaSat completes operational testing of airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) satcom system that provides 4 Mbit/sec high-speed return link off the aircraft.
[SatNews – 10/28/2010]

Norsat satellite systems used in Chilean mine rescue broadcasts.
[Business Today – 10/28/2010]

TAM Airlines offering inflight mobile communications through pioneering partnership with OnAir.
[SatNews – 10/28/2010]

Amazing images of reflection Nebulae captured by NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE).
[SatNews – 10/28/2010]

International Datacasting Corporation and Deluxe / EchoStar LLC reach agreement for initial order of IDC’s digital cinema specific equipment and content distribution solutions, that will potentially be worth several million dollars.
[SatNews – 10/28/2010]

Thales Alenia Space contract with Iridium for launch of 81 communications satellites is now in full effect.
[SatNews – 10/27/2010]

Comtech EF Data receives New Product Innovation of the Year award by Frost and Sullivan.
[Market Watch – 10/27/2010]

Expand Networks recommends features for Space Communications Protocol Standard to help deliver better TCP performance over a satellite Wide Area Network (WAN).
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/27/2010]

MEASAT announces that Sky News HD will be distributed via the MEASAT-3a satellite.
[SatNews – 10/27/2010]

Joint venture Spaceopal between Telespazio and DLR GfR of Germany signs contract with European Space Agency in plan to bring European satellite navigation system Galileo to full operational capacity.
[SatNews – 10/27/2010]

GlobeCast Australia to launch HD transmissions of UK reality show on an important anniversary of the show.
[SatNews – 10/27/2010]

Vizada launches proprietary VSAT fixed satellite service, the latest addition to its maritime broadband protfolio.
[SatNews – 10/27/2010]

SES WORLD SKIES announces that the Philippine’s DTH operator GSAT has contracted an additional transponder on the NSS-11 satellite.
[SatNews – 10/27/2010]

Partnership of Astrium and JSC NC Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary (KGS) reaches milestone with signature of a contract for a Satellite Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) Centre in Astana.
[SatNews – 10/27/2010]

Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) announces its first fully integrated HD channel launch with Outdoor Channel throughout Asia and the Pacific.
[SatNews – 10/27/2010]

ORBIT Communication Systems, Inc. has contract to supply two Tri-Band (L/S/C) Telemetry Tracking Systems to the Telemetry Branch, Atlantic Test Ranges of the Naval Air Warfare Center.
[SatNews – 10/27/2010]

Avanti Communications signs three year managed services contract with the Hungarian service provider Banknet Kft for HYLAS-1 capacity.
[SatNews – 10/27/2010]

SatMAX delivers line-of-site wireless extension of satellite communications to major defense contractor.
[Market Watch – 10/26/2010]

Chinese satellite service hopes to be 4th largest in the world by 2015.
[Sat PR News – 10/26/2010]

T-Mobile to Launch Satellite TV Service in Czech Republic.
[Satellite Today – 10/26/2010]

Virgin Galactic celebrates the completion of Spaceport America, the first commercial purpose-built space port in Upham, New Mexico.
[SatNews – 10/26/2010]

Arqiva signs 30-plus European and Asian channel contribution deal with EchoStar.
[PR Newswire – 10/26/2010]

TeleCommunication Systems receives another $4.1M in funding from the U.S. Army under the SNAP deployable satellite systems equipment and support program.
[Trading Markets – 10/26/2010]

Lockheed Martin-Built BSAT-3b Satellite Ready for Launch for the Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation of Japan.
[PR Newswire – 10/26/2010]

CapRock Government Solutions partners with Tampa Microwave to deliver complete end-to-end man-packable military-grade satellite communications solutions.
[SatNews – 101/26/2010]

EADS Astrium putting final touches on Eutelsat’s KA-SAT high capacity broadband satellite.
[ZDNet – 10/25/2010]

Astrium to purchase a 75.1 percent stake in SES ASTRA’s satellite equipment provider and ground system integrator ND SatCom.
[SatNews – 10/25/2010]

Globecomm Wins $18 Million Ka-Band Infrastructure Contract from Hughes.
[Satellite Today – 10/25/2010]

ITT Corporation receives FAA clearance for nationwide deployment of satellite-based air traffic surveillance system, Automatic Dependent Surveillance — Broadcast (ADS-B), marking a major milestone in air traffic management.
[SatNews – 10/25/2010]

KVH and ViaSat double European capacity for Mini-VSAT with NSS-6 Addition.
[Satellite Today – 10/25/2010]

T-Mobile Czech Republic launches a new satellite TV service.
[Wireless Week – 10/25/2010]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services

DIY Friday: TRON Costumes

Friday, October 29th, 2010

 

 

Sure, I remember the Disney movie TRON . Loved it — thought it was one of the coolest movies around. Yes, it stars one of the girls who appeared in Caddyshack (heh). With the new TRON Legacy movie getting good reactions to the preview making the rounds, maybe this Halloween is a good time to make your own TRON costume using electroluminescent wire?

Sonja Thompson posted a "how to" on TechRepublic in August, so I’d start there. Pretty good step-by-step report. Yes, it features "Tron Guy" Jay Maynard, who has gained a fair amount of notoriety in geekdom.

 

 

Tech News Daily goes into some details about using EL wire…

“Electroluminescent (EL) wires are really the best option. When you use the LEDs, you have to put them in one at a time, and it takes a while. You can make them react to sound, or make different patterns with them,” said Diana Eng, a fashion designer and author of “Fashion Geek: Clothes, Accessories, Tech” (North Light Books, 2009).

“It’s pretty easy to use. All you need is some AA batteries,” Eng said.

EL wire is regular copper wiring coated in a colored sheath that glows when current runs through the wire. Essentially a very long LED, you can weave it through your costume to add highlights, or give it a futuristic touch, Eng said. By soldering EL wire to a controller, users can program the wires to blink in rhythmic patterns, or respond to sensor input like motion or sound.

The stuff’s made by LyTec, with distributors worldwide. Try Live Wire in New York.

Oh yeah, here’s the TRON lightcycle scene…

 

And I like this "I’m blue" mash-up…

 


Ahoy, Satcom!

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

 

 Simply amazed at how quickly KVH has expanded coverage of their service across the globe.

Now, with ViaSat’s ArcLight platform, their broadband services is really something else, with a 100% increase in bandwidth efficiency in Europe. Tell em, Brent:

“The addition of a new satellite and the rollout of a powerful new high-density waveform, dramatically enhances the ability of our mini-VSAT Broadband network to support existing and future subscribers,” explained Brent C. Bruun, KVH’s vice president of satellite sales and business development. “Designed to offer service and performance superior to traditional maritime VSAT services, the network is built upon a robust, flexible architecture and ViaSat’s ArcLight® spread spectrum technology, permitting us to quickly and easily expand the service. Most importantly, commercial, leisure, and government mariners who rely on mini-VSAT Broadband for their Internet and voice connections will enjoy the benefit from these enhancements via their existing, compact TracPhone® V7 hardware.”

 Bubba, if I had a boat I’d get it.

 

Science is Fly at Tech Fest in D.C.

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

Nice job at the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington over the weekend. Via EETimes

The two-day festival on the National Mall over the Oct. 22 weekend drew tens of thousands of participants, many of them students who were able to get hands-on experience with technologies ranging from alternative energy to aerospace. Elementary, middle and high school students asked and answered questions, participated in applied physics lessons, tore apart gadgets, raced to solve the Rubix Cube in record time and listened to interactive lectures by legendary scientists like Albert Einstein (portrayed by some very convincing impersonators).

The tech festival was organized by national science and engineering groups, U.S. technology and aerospace companies like festival host Lockheed Martin Corp. and media organizations, including EE Times. This publication sponsored a training effort called “Innovation Generation,” in which groups of student reporters fanned out during the festival to cover a broad range of technology subjects.

One of the winning videos from the Kavli Science Video Contest — from Ramsey, N.J.

 

 

Fly The White Knight

Monday, October 25th, 2010

 

 

 

Virgin Galactic’s Spaceport in New Mexico is open and ready to make good on the $50 million in deposits it’s taken in from prospective space tourists after a runway dedication on Friday…

The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) today dedicated the nearly two-mile long “Governor Bill RIchardson Spaceway” at Spaceport America, representing significant progress toward launching commercial customers into space from the desert of New Mexico. Governor Bill Richardson, Sir Richard Branson and approximately 30 of more than 380 Virgin Galactic future astronauts attended the event along with guests from around the world and watched a flyover and landing by Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo, in a captive carry with SpaceShipTwo.

“We are celebrating the world’s first spaceway at the world’s first purpose-built, commercial spaceport,” said Governor Richardson. “New Mexico is not only helping to launch the commercial spaceflight industry, but we are launching new jobs and opportunities for the people of southern New Mexico. Today marks a significant milestone on our historic and exciting journey.”


The nearly two-mile long runway was officially named the “Governor Bill Richardson Spaceway” at the event, and Governor Richardson joined Sir Richard in placing their handprints in clay as a permanent commemoration of the historic day.
NMSA Chairman Ben Woods said the board of the NMSA had met early today to formally and unanimously approve the name of the spaceway.


Sir Richard Branson commented, “It is incredible to be here today with Governor Richardson and be part of the runway dedication at Spaceport America. To see for myself how far the construction has come from when I last visited New Mexico is truly inspiring – I for one can’t wait for the grand opening – today has brought it one step closer to reality for me. The last few weeks have been some of the most exciting in Virgin Galactic’s development. Our spaceship is flying beautifully and will soon be making powered flights, propelled by our new hybrid rocket motor, which is also making excellent progress in its own test program. The investment deal with our new partners Aabar has successfully closed, securing funding for the remainder of the development program and we are seeing unprecedented numbers of people coming forward to secure their own reservations for this incredible experience. To be here in New Mexico to witness this historic moment is the perfect end to a great month.”

They’ve got 380 "future astronauts?" Not too shabby.

 

 

 

 Great piece by Diane Alba in the Las Cruces Sun-News

Going into Friday, an unanswered question lingered in the air at Spaceport America: Would Virgin Galactic’s carrier plane and spaceship actually touch down on their inaugural visit to – dare we say – a "virgin" runway?

Since March, officials had advertised that the vehicles, WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceshipTwo, would participate in a "flyover" at Friday’s runway dedication ceremony.

And sure enough, soon after arriving in spaceport air space, the vehicles were piloted over the runway and nearby 600-person crowd several times.

After catering plenty to the spectators and their cameras, the plane disappeared out of sight, presumably to start the 800-mile trip back to Mojave, Calif., its home base.

Meanwhile, spaceport officials and Virgin Group head Richard Branson continued the event with a press conference. And about 10 minutes into it, Branson interrupted with some unsolicited remarks:

"I rang the pilot of the spaceship and said, ‘Look, we’ve got a runway here. Why are you going back to Mojave? Why can’t you come and sort of show it off?"

Branson then encouraged the audience to put their own "vibes" into the sky, in an attempt to persuade the pilots to turn back and get them to land.

The audience obliged, seemingly eagerly, with cheers and squinching finger motions to send out their "vibes." A few people busted out in a jig.

About 10 minutes later, Branson again told the audience to send out vibes and clap until the aircraft returned. And, after a couple minutes of clapping, the plane and spaceship were back in sight. Not long after, the duo had landed.

A plan was in the works all along for WhiteKnightTwo to touch down on the runway, said an official with Scaled Composites, the company partnering with Virgin Galactic to build the airplane.

WhiteKnightTwo, carrying SpaceshipTwo, wasn’t the first aircraft to land on the new, 10,000-foot runway. Earlier in the day, Branson, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and other dignitaries arrived at the ceremony in Branson’s plane, "Galactic Girl." And a spaceport official said another smaller aircraft has landed previously.

 Yeah, there’s video…

 

 

WBMSAT News Bits October 22, 1020

Saturday, October 23rd, 2010

Administration’s plan to reallocate spectrum weather satellites use to commercial cellular carriers in support of national broadband plan is opposed globally.
[nextgov – 10/22/2010]

Goodrich successfully integrates sensor payload with OSR-1 satellite bus, paving way for delivery later this year.
[Bradenton – 10/22/2010]

Huntsville, Ala.-based Marshall may partner with industry and academia to field a low Earth orbiting debris tracking satellite as soon as 2014,
[Space News – 10/22/2010]

In a consent decree agreed to with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Globalstar has agreed to pay $275,000 to the U.S. Treasury by mid-November and to forgo any court challenge of the FCC’s spectrum decision.
[Space News – 10/22/2010]

Major cable operator will deploy ATCi’s 5B retrofit for its legacy Simulsat 5 antennas, improving antenna surface tolerances and performance.
[PR Newswire – 10/22/2010]

Iridium selects Blue Sky Network as service partner in Brazil.
[Trading Markets – 10/22/2010]

Gilat upgrades Regis UK communication network to allow broadband access to more than 400 of its salons in the U.K.
[Sat PR News – 10/22/2010]

SPOT Announces Availability of Intrinsically-Safe (IS) SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger for sending one-way location-based messages even from remote areas beyond cell phone range.
[Market Watch – 10/22/2010]

International Communications Group to install Iridium services on Embraer commercial aircraft.
[Satellite Today – 10/22/2010]

Telecommunications Systems receives another $1.6M from U.S. Army for world-wide satellite systems equipment.
[Market Watch – 10/21/2010]

KVH and Viasat boost Nexgen satellite communications in Europe by increasing the mini-VSAT broadband network’s capacity in the region by 100%.
[SatNews – 10/21/2010]

China out to get big chunk of global satellite market by 2015.
[The Economic Times – 10/21/2010]

RRsat works with Sm2 Sports Media Solutions and their teleport partner, TV2GO, to deliver live HD sporting events worldwide in MPEG-4.
[SatNews – 10/21/2010]

Aircell satellite connectivity added to Gulfstream’s factory product line.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/21/2010]

Red Crescent Authority of Saudi Arabia Equips Helicopter Fleet with Blue Sky Network’s Portable GPS Tracking and Communication Device using Iridium satellite system.

TerreStar Networks Files for Chapter 11 to Re-organize.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/21/2010]

New book "Satellite Systems for Personal Applications: Concepts and Technology" explores role of satellites systems in the modern personal technology context.
[Business Wire – 10/21/2010]

Canadian company Com Dev gets contract for more than C$6M to provide electronic components for communications satellite.
[Reuters – 10/20/2010]

Pakistan and China to launch joint communications satellite in 2011.
[Economic Times – 10/20/2010]

Russian Orthodox Soyuz TV channel starts broadcasting in Europe, Middle East, North Africa, and North America on HotBird 6 and Galaxy 19.
[SatNews – 10/20/2010]

Segovia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inmarsat, announces that it is one of first companies awarded a contract under GSA Schedule 70 to provide commercial satellite communications services.
[PR Newswire – 10/20/2010]

The 350th launch in the Delta program history will take place October 29 when a United Launch Alliance Delta II carries the COMSO-4 satellite into space.
[SatNews – 10/20/2010]

Globalstar announces successful launch of six of its next-generation satellites in a Russian launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
[Market Watch – 10/20/2010]

Astrium’s HYLAS-1 satellite arrives at launch pad ahead of schedule.
[SatNews – 10/19/2010]

GE Satcom partners with United Arab emirates’ integrated telecom service provider Du to deliver satellite network solutions throughout the Middle East and Africa.
[Satellite Today – 10/19/2010]

Ericsson provides new switching technology for Iridium satellite network.
[Market Watch – 10/19/2010]

EchoStar Releases U.S. News Gateway Service.
[Satellite Today – 10/19/2010]

Viasat acquires the SKYLink airborne broadband service from ARINC Inc. and adds those business jet customers to the ViaSat Yonder(r) high-speed Internet access network.
[SatNews – 11/19/2010]

Boeing ships LightSquared’s SkyTerra 1 mobile communications satellite to launch site.
[Logistics Week – 10/19/2010]

Navy orders Raytheon Co.’s NMT satellite terminals capable of providing military-band satellite communications up to five times the bandwidth of units they replace, in smaller package.
[UPI – 10/19/2010]

FCC provides rules for Sirius XM Radio to select minority programmers.
[Bloomberg – 10/19/2010]

Digi International introduces an embedded module that enables products with GSM/GPRS, global positioning system (GPS) and ORBCOMM satellite connectivity in a single solution.
[Electric Light & Power – 10/19/2010]

Norsat International announces new lightweight and compact Ku-Band block up-converters.
[Market Watch – 10/19/2010]

Globalstar receives FCC approval for temporary operation of upgraded satellite gateway stations in Sebring FL and Clifton TX.
[Market Watch – 10/18/2010]

Global Gateway partners with Century TV Today to enhance programming, lower production costs, and increase viewership.
[PR Newswire – 10/18/2010]

Dean Olmstead, well-known in the satellite industry, and with Echostar since January 2008, loses his battle with cancer and passes away.
[Market Watch – 10/18/2010]

Satcom Direct, provider of satellite voice, fax, datalink, and internet solutions, launches web portal giving customers access to manage and personalize their service.
[TMCnet – 10/18/2010]

Inmarsat launches IsatPhone Pro in the Middle East.
[Zawya – 10/18/2010]

Good-bye, Dean O.

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

I was saddened to hear of Dean’s passing the other day. He accomplished much for the satellite business in the U.S. and he did alot for me as a marketing person.

Too bad SES only acknowledges his contribution anonymously  via their "timeline" Flash

SES reaches two major milestones that are hugely significant for the long-term growth and success of SES. SES AMERICOM signs a multi-year agreement, leasing long-term satellite capacity to EchoStar’s DISH Network, creating a strategic partnership that links North America’s largest satellite operator with the U.S.’s largets DTH network. EchoStar would eventually lease up to three entire satellites in the AMERICOM fleet.

He did the deal to buy Americom from GE Capital, becoming its CEO. I met him as the deal was announced in Washington and found him to be articulate, technologically-brilliant and well-grounded.

He hired some really good people, raising Americom’s performance to a level that, some would argue, embarrased senior managers in Luxembourg. Here’s what started it all…

Dean Olmstead, President and CEO of SES AMERICOM, speaking today at the Satellite Entertainment 2002 conference in Monterey, California, said: "These television services will be provided via a new satellite that we intend to launch into the 105.5° West Longitude orbital slot. Another new SES AMERICOM satellite, at the adjacent 105° W.L. slot, will enable us to provide high-speed broadband connections to U.S. residences. All of these services — TV and broadband — will be available to U.S. consumers who purchase a single, small satellite dish and related equipment, into which the latest twoway digital technologies will have been incorporated."

SES AMERICOM intends to offer the new platform, named AMERICOM2Home®, using a license granted to its affiliate by the Government of Gibraltar, relating to an orbital location over the United States at 105.5¼ W.L. This slot falls directly between orbital positions used by DirecTV and EchoStar at 101¼ and 110¼, respectively. Both AMERICOM2Home® and the existing satellites use frequencies in the 12.2-12.7 GHz range, which is set aside internationally for direct broadcasting to the home. SES AMERICOM also holds FCC licenses for both Ku-band and Ka-band satellites at the 105¼ W.L. location. Olmstead explained that the new AMERICOM2Home® system will be different from the current satellite television services offered by EchoStar and DirecTV. Unlike these providers, SES AMERICOM itself will not offer any retail services to consumers. Instead, Olmstead explained, "We will create a best-in-class DBS satellite platform, on which we expect a wide variety of content providers — large and small, established and start-up, mass market and niche, advertisingsupported and pay-per-view – will lease capacity in order to offer their programs and interactive entertainment directly to American consumers."

It was one of Americon’s "master plans," to build spacecraft and fully lease them to DTH operators using new spectrum filed via the ITU over the U.S. How did Dean sell it? He ran into Charlie Ergen in the hallway at a Sky Forum event at The Grand Hyatt in New York. "Hey Charlie: we gotta talk," said Dean. To which Charlie replied "yeah, we do." That exchange really got the ball rolling — and I eventually got to meet Charlie when he visited New Jersey.

Thanks, to Dean, we developed and executed the Americom2Home, WorldSat, and HD-PRIME branding campaigns, most of which resulted in major long-term contracts.

I was looking forward to seeing EchoStar’s FSS business succeed against SES, ironically using their leased capacity for occasional use, IPTV, et. al.

Good-bye, Dean. We’ll miss you.

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits October 15, 2010

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

 

Sirius XM-5 satellite successfully placed into transfer orbit aboard Russian Proton-M rocket.

[ITAR-TASS – 10/15/2010] 

Cyprus-based Intership selects broadband VSAT services by MTN for its 177,000 deadweight ton ships being built in China.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/15/2010]

Newcom expands worldwide reach with value added services including VideoMeetings, Internet Protocol TV (IPTV (News – Alert)) Services, and SatFAX.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/15/2010] 

Launcher integration enters final phase as Arianespace prepares for Soyuz 2 launch of 6 Globalstar satellites next week.
[SatNews – 10/14/2010] 

SatMAX presents at SATCON on wirelessly using satellite phones and modems in command centers, airplane hangars, and indoor installations.
[Market Watch – 10/14/2010] 

WTA publishes its annual Inside the Top Operators research report.
[SatNews – 10/14/2010]
 

Comtech EF Data wins $3.2M order from unnamed U.S. Government Agency for satellite communications equipment to upgrade fielded terminals.
[Satellite Today – 10/14/2010] 

Stratos Global is provides world’s largest media organizations with Inmarsat BGAN] mobile broadband satellite service to broadcast coverage of the Chilean Mine Rescue.
[SatNews – 10/14/2010]

GlobalTop Technology announces GlobalTop Gms-u1LP, an all-in-one, high sensitivity, low power consumption, small SMD form factor (16 x 16 x 6 mm) GPS antenna module.
[SatNews – 10/14/2010] 

Northrup tests new computers and satellite communications hardware on B2 bomber.
[UPI-10/14/2010] 

Applied Satellite Engineering (ASE) has unveiled their SatChat Program for Windows(tm) as a powerful enhancement for the Iridium 9555 satellite phone.
[SatNews – 10/14/2010] 

LightSquared assembles rapid response team to deploy its technologies (basically a box of satellite-capable phones) quickly at disaster locations.
[The Register – 10/14/2010] 

Sirius co-founder Robert Briskman to be inducted into hall of fame at his alma mater, the University of Maryland’s Clark School of Engineering.
[PR Newswire – 10/14/2010] 

Canada’s Telesat sells out its Anik G1 X-band satellite capacity entirely to Paradigm Services two years before it is to be launched.
[Ottowa Business Journal – 10/13/2010] 

TSI Wins $5.5 Million NASA Emergency Ground Station Upgrade Contract.
[Satellite Today – 10/13/2010] 

Asia Broadcast Satellite signs Space Systems/Loral to build its ABS-2, with 12 KW of payload power and upt to 87 C-band, Ku-band, and Ka band transponders over 10 different beams.
[Market Watch – 10/13/2010] 

The Nigerian FederaL government announces plans to launch pico satellite to monitor its space assets, hoping to avoid another loss of a satellite.
[SatNews – 10/13/2010]
 

Israel-based Gilat to buy Wavestream for $130M in cash.
[Bloomberg – 10/13/2010]
 

SES signs agreement with South African information and communications technology provider SkyeVine to deliver its satellite broadband service in Africa.
[SatNews – 10/13/2010] 

IBM introduces new cloud services platform making it easier for communications service providers including satellite companies to use cloud computing.
[Venture Beat – 10/13/2010] 

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting,  a regional satellite operator delivering services throughout Europe and the Middle East, has launched a nexgen satellite network based on the iDirect’s Evolution platform.
[SatNews – 10/13/2010] 

Globecom Systems announces contracts with various U.S. Government Agencies valued at $8.8M.
[Market Watch – 10/12/2010]

LightSquared to provide free satellite phones and services to serve needs of American Indians and Alaskan Natives.
[Urgent Communications – 10/12/2010]
 

Phoenix Releases Iridium Satellite-based Asset Tracking, Monitoring Gateway.
[Satellite Today – 10/12/2010] 

NATO orders 3 UHF control stations from satellite communications equipment provider Viasat, for use in Afghanistan, the Balkans, and other theaters.
[Space News – 10/12/2010] 

CapRock gets long term contract renewal from Diamond Offshore for Gulf of Mexico fleet.
[Kansas City.com – 10/12/2010] 

Intelsat General and iDirect Government Technologies partner to implement SatManage system for major maritime network for military vessels.
[PR Newswire – 10/12/2010] 

YTL, declaring that Malaysian consumers are dissatisfied with TV services and costs, warns incumbent Astro that it is going after the digital TV market currently served by Astro.
[The Edge – 10/12/2010] 

SES Astra brings Astra2Connect to U.K. business customers.
[Satellite Today – 10/11/2010] 

Thuraya signs service provider agreement in Taiwan with Chunghwa Telecom to provide mobile satellite services focusing on disaster prevention and restoration, maritime, and global travelers.
[TMCnet – 10/11/2010] 

03b signs multi-year deal with Netcom Africa to deliver high capacity broadband connectivity to offshore platforms and ships.
[Satellite Today – 10/11/2010] 

NSR Report – is mobile banking in the developing world the next "killer app" for satellite backhaul?
[NSR – October 2010] 

Microwave Journal MilSatCom webcast October 26 to discuss military satellite communications market trends through 2020, and new opportunities for advanced electronic components.
[Microwave Journal – October 2010]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services

   
   
   
   

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 10/8/2010

Saturday, October 9th, 2010

KVH mini-VSAT with TracPhone V7 tops Inmarsat product and VHF radio to win Marine Electronics Industry Award for best marine communications product.
[Market Watch – 10/08/2010]

Wellington District Court jury finds trio in New Zealand not guilty on charges of burglary and wilful damage of the Wahopai satellite communications interception station in 2008 – the Crown seeks recompense of $1,229,289 in damages including beer, pies.
[NZ Herald – 10/08/2010]

TeleCommunication Systems is awarded  new order with ceiling value of $9.3M to provide satellite terminal spare parts to the U.S. Army.
[Market Watch – 10/08/2010]

Justice Department and FCC may require Comcast Corp to accept arbitration in disputes over programming sales as condition of merger with NBC Universal, to ensure that rivals including satellite broadcasters have access to content.
[Bloomberg – 10/08/2010]

International Datacasting Corporation and Arqiva partnership in which IDC will support and supply Arqiva with digital cinema-specific content distribution applications.
[TMCnet – 10/08/2010]

03B Networks signs deal with Netcom, Nigeria to provide fast and reliable connectivity to ships and offshore platforms.
[Financial Post – 10/08/2010]

Payload integration for Arianespace’s upcoming Soyuz mission is nearly complete, as dispenser with six Globalstar satellites has been installed on the launcher’s Fregat upper stage.
[SatNews – 10/08/2010]

EADS Astrium selects MDA to provide three advanced technology solutions for SES-6 satellite.
[Satellite Today – 10/08/2010]

Preparations for ILS launch of Sirius XM-5 proceeding on schedule for target of October 14/15.
[SatNews – 10/08/2010]

LightSquared announces that Qualcomm will develop chipsets to enable 1.6 GHz terrestrial LTE and satellite access; two partners will buy wholesale capacity on LightSquared’s ATC network.
[Urgent Communications – 10/07/2010]

Harris wins 21-month $25M contract to upgrade ground-based space control systems for U.S. Space and Missile Systems Center’s Space Superiority Systems Wing at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California.
[SatNews – 10/07/2010]

Automated Transfer Vehicle Kepler to be launched on Ariane’s milestone 200th flight targeted for February 15, 2011.
[SatNews – 101/07/2010]

Comtech receives order in excess of $2.5M for state-of-the-art 500W Ka-band high power amplifiers supporting emerging high-throughput satellite market.
[Market Watch – 10/07/2010]

Russian Satellite Communications Company and Russian Fish Company conclude contract on providing satellite communications services.
[SatNews – 10/07/2010]

Pactel announces successful implementation of DVB-S2 platform to provide internet radiocast service to Cook Island’s leading bilingual radio station Matariki FM.
[SatNews – 10/07/2010]

Servsat Communications develops Flyaway system for transmission of High Definition TV signal.
[PR.com – 10/07/2010]

European Space Agency launches behind-the-scenes campaign to shut down illicit radio and TV transmissions interfering with a major climate satellite.
[Spaceflight Now – 10/07/2010]

KVH inertial navigation system from KVH critical to breakthrough in real-time video tracking technology developed by Churchill Navigation and Paravion Technology that allows airborne law enforcement teams to overlay street maps and other data on live video.
[SatNews – 10/06/2010]

TeleCommunications Systems wins Marine Corp contract worth up to $269M to provide a wireless communication and data system for secure transmission of voice, video, and data.
[Market Watch – 10/06/2010}

Stellar Satellite Communications locates its world headquarters and customer base for rail, trailer, oil and gas and container industries near the Dulles International Airport.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/06/2010]

Horizon Satellite Services based in Dubai signs new agreements with Eutelsat extending its capacity on the W5 satellite to 15 transponders.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/06/2010]

Hughes executives to address broadband satellite solutions for government and military at SATCON conference and Expo.
[PR Newswire – 10/06/2010]

FCC grants Tennis Channel a hearing in complaint against Comcast to determine if rules holding that cable and satellite TV providers cannot discriminate against networks in which they have no ownership have been violated.
[Television Broadcast – 10/06/2010]

Harbinger sells half of its 28% stake in Inmarsat.
[Wall Street Journal – 10/05/2010]

International Launch Services and Asia Satellite Telecommunications have contract for launch of AsiaSat 7 satellite on an ILS Proton.
[SatNews – 10/05/2010]

Norsat International wins $4.2M in government contracts for satellite terminals.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/05/2010]

GlobeCast expands facilities in Asia with addition of new multi-channel HD playout facility and new staff fore post-production and playout services.
[SatNews – 10/05/2010]

Russian satellite due to launch in December suffers damage to its container in transit.
[SatNews 10/05/2010]

Al Jazeera TV resolves major interference issue during FIFA World Cup using Integral Systems’ Integrated Satellite Interference Monitoring, Detection and Geolocation System.
[Market Watch – 10/05/2010]
\

Global VSAT Forum Maritime Satcom Forum holds first meeting, identifying education, outreach, and regulatory issues among top priorities.
[PR Newswire – 10/05/2010]

Wavestream receives $19M purchase order from General Dynamics SATCOM technologies for high power 50W Ka-band solid state amplifiers to support U.S. Army and Marine Corp satellite communications systems.
[SatNews – 10/05/2010]

Broadcom announces single-chip solution for mobile devices supporting the new Quasi-Zenith Satellite System launched by Japan.
[PR Newswire – 10/05/2010]

Iridium settles with Motorola on $24.7M lawsuit filed by the latter.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/04/2010]

Globecomm Systems receives $2.5M increase in total value of four-year contract from major U.S. Government prime contractor.
[SatNews – 10/04/2010]

Integral Systems expands satellite command and control system for the VINASAT satellite fleet.
[Market Watch – 10/04/2010]

Eiutelsat W3B satellite on track for October 28 Ariane launch.
[Space Ref – 10/04/2010]

Expand Networks to demonstrate WAN optimization capabilities across satellite environments at SatCon 2010 in New York.
[TMCnet – 10/04/2010]

RRSAT will provide uplink, playout, and connectivity services for Fashion TV Paris HD on Intelsat 805 for distribution over North, Central, and South America.
[SatNews – 10/04/2010]

Japanese satellite receiving station inaugurated in Lalitpur, Nepal, is first of a series being set up in South Asia.
[SatNews – 10/04/2010]

China’s second unmanned lunar probe is maneuvered to correct its trajectory on the earth-moon transfer orbit.
[SatNews – 10/04/2010]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services

 

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 10/01/2010

Monday, October 4th, 2010

Courtesy of Bill McDonald

Microspace Communications to offer shared hub services using X-Digital Systems platform.
[PRWeb – 10/02/2010]

Orange picks Gilat for broadband satellite communications solutions.
[TMCnet – 10/01/2010]

Fashion TV HD now delivered to North, Central, and South America by RRsat on Intelsat-805.
[PR Newswire – 10/01/2010]

KVH wins $42m Coast Guard contract to install mini-VSAT on as many as 216 small cutters over next 3 – 5 years.
[Trade Only – 10/01/2010]

NASA awards Raytheon $1.7B contract to create Joint Polar Satellite System to replace older weather-monitoring satellite program.
[Executive Biz – 10/01/2010]

The Society of Satellite Professionals International honors three outstanding young satellite professionals with its 2010 Promise Awards.
[SatNews – 09/30/2010]

Harris Corp and Atlas Telecom  launch joint venture to deliver intelligence solutions and geospatial 3-D visualization for the United Arab Emirates.
[Satellite Today – 09/30/2010]

Cobham SATCOM’s Sea Tel Product and Uplogix announce new levels of automated control and recovery for maritime VSAT IP networking devices.
[SatNews – 09/30/2010]

LightSquared is donating up to 2,000 satellite phones and service to Indian Health Service (IHS), a federal agency that serves the health needs of the country’s American Indian and Alaska Native populations.
[Wireless Week – 09/30/2010]

Hylas-1 to be shipped to French Guiana in preparation for November launch following extensive testing in India.
[SatNews – 09/29/2010]

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency successfully injects MICHIBIKI satellite into quasi-zenith orbit above Japan.
[SatNews – 09/29/2010]

NASA EPOXI exploration satellite successfully performs its 20th trajectory correction maneuver as it speeds toward comet Hartley 2.
[SatNews – 09/29/2010]

LightSquared, building hybrid satellite-terrestrial mobile broadband network, faces significant financing challenges and difficult competitive market.
[Wireless Week – 09/29/2010]

Military terrestrial satcom market projected to peak in 2014 according to recently published Strategy Analytics Advanced Defense Systems forecast.
[Space Daily – 09/29/2010]

China’s satellite navigation system struggles as delayed release of decoding files for access limits early use of the system.
[Market Watch – 09/29/2010]

Two Russian companies plan to build first commercial low-earth-orbit space station.
[Universe Today – 09/29/2010]

Harbinger Capital’s Phil Falcone’s latest bet – bold move by LightSquared and SkyTerra to launch nationwide satellite/terrestrial broadband network.
[Bloomberg – 09/29/2010]

Glowlink rolls out capability to locate satellite interference emitters using a single satellite.
[SatNews – 09/28/2010]

ORBCOM partners with OHB and LuxSpace to build and launch two AIS enabled satellites.
[Business Wire – 09/28/2010]

Integral Systems to expand existing satellite fleet control system to support four Boeing 702 satellites already in orbit.
[Market Watch – 09/28/2010]

New surveillance satellite designed to detect and monitor debris and space objects that could be threat to national security and communications is launched from Vandenberg AFB, California.
[AP – 09/27/2010]

MTN Satellite Communications announces signing of MNESCO Limited as authorized reseller in Korea.
[SatNews – 09/27/2010]

ViaSat gets add-on order worth $5.5M for Multifunctional Information Distribution System – Low Volume Terminals and spares from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command.
[SatNews – 09/27/2010]

The Russian Satellite Communications Company signes contracts with Information Satellite Systems and Thales Alenia Space for three new satellites.
[Broadband TV News – 09/27/2010]

AT&T now selling satellite-enables smart phone, the TerreStar Genius.
[Online Athens – 09/26/2010]

Globecomm Systems awarded one-year contract worth $4M from a U.S. Government agency for Ku-band space segment and bandwidth management; with four options the contract could reach $20M over 5 years.
[Sat PR News – 09/26/2010]

Direct-to-Home (DTH) growth and consolidation over past year culminates in market with 113 operators at end of 2009, reaching more than 130 million subscribers in over 85 countries.
[NSR Report – September 2010]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services