Archive for October, 2013

Big Bang Monday: The Shrinking Moon

Monday, October 28th, 2013

Smithsonian scientist Tom Watters thinks the moon is shrinking

By looking at images and data taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a team of scientists, including Watters, a planetary scientist in the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the National Air and Space Museum, were able to examine geological features on the moon called lobate scarps—thrust faults that occur primarily in the lunar highlands. These scarps are the result of the interior of the moon slowly cooling, and as it does so, it shrinks causing its surface area to crack and buckle.

“One of the remarkable aspects of the lunar scarps is their apparent young age,” said Watters. “Relatively young, globally distributed thrust faults show recent contraction of the whole moon, likely due to cooling of the lunar interior. The amount of contraction is estimated to be about 100 meters in the recent past.

The moon’s lobate scarps were first recognized in photographs taken near the moon’s equator by the panoramic cameras flown on the Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions. Fourteen previously unknown lobate scarps have now been revealed in very high resolution images taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. The newly detected scarps indicate that the thrust faults are globally distributed and not clustered near the moon’s equator.

“The ultrahigh resolution images from the Narrow Angle Cameras are changing our view of the moon,” said Mark Robinson of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, coauthor and principal investigator of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. “We’ve not only detected many previously unknown lunar scarps, we’re seeing much greater detail on the scarps identified in the Apollo photographs.”

Because the size change is relatively small, however, Watters said that there would be no effect on lunar cycles, tides, etc. It would take millions of years for there to be a perceivable difference in the size of the moon to the naked eye. But this discovery does help change the commonly held belief that the moon is just a dead rock, showing that it is still active and dynamic.

The mare basalts that fill the Taurus-Littrow valley were thrust up by contractional forces to form the Lee-Lincoln fault scarp, just west of the Apollo 17 landing site (arrow). It is the only extraterrestrial fault scarp to be explored by humans (astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt). The digital terrain model derived from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) stereo images shows the fault extending upslope into North Massif were highlands material are also thrust up. The fault cuts upslope and abruptly changes orientation and cuts along slope, forming a narrow bench. LROC images show boulders shed from North Massif that have rolled downhill and collected on the bench. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

Apollo 17 images are some of those Moon prints featured by BigBangPrints.com, and you can get some LROC love here.


121 Megawatts of Solar Power

Monday, October 28th, 2013

The Ashalim solar energy plant in Israel is expected to produce 121 megawatts of solar energy in the Negev Desert by 2016, providing enough energy to fuel 40,000 Israeli homes.

Who knew?

The company responsible for building the facility, BrightSource Energy, also built the 377-MW Ivanpah plant in California’s Mojave Desert. It’s an engaging way to produce electric power, using the concentrated solar energy to produce steam, which powers turbines to produce the actual electricity.

Just as wind turbines are located where there’s constant, predictable wind, massive solar farms are a natural choice in desert climates — especially those with open space to spare. The desert isn’t good for much else, so let’s have at it!

According to the story in Israel21c.org, BrightSource employs quite a few researchers in Jerusalem…

After many bureaucratic hurdles, BrightSource –– which uses mirrors called heliostats to focus the sun’s rays on a tower to create steam to drive turbines –– is finally returning “home” and is fulfilling a dream to help make Israel energy secure, says BrightSource Israel CEO Israel Kroizer.

He was with BrightSource from its genesis and says that the new solar plant, developed by the Megalim consortium of BrightSource and France’s Alstom SA, is more than a business deal — it’s personal. BrightSource, he notes, employs about 400 people, 300 of whom are engineers and development staff working mainly in Jerusalem, where its international R&D happens.

“The staff is very happy to be working in the country, in Israel. It’s a real help to have a big project next door to us,” he tells ISRAEL21c. “We will learn a lot from it, instead of flying 10,000 miles to California every time we want to learn something.”

The $1.1 billion solar thermal energy plant being developed in Israel is the country’s first large-scale solar energy field, and one of the biggest of its kind in the world. It will heighten Israel’s prominence on the map of clean-tech entrepreneurship and green energy production.

Kroizer says: “The government gave us a very good structure and we appreciate it very much. The way we will run this project is as though it will be the crown jewel of all our projects. Yes, even over our project in California.

“The Israel project is close to us and everyone involved in it wants to make it the best,” he tells ISRAEL21c, not disclosing any financial developments still in sensitive boardroom talks.


Satellite of Love

Monday, October 28th, 2013

Satellite’s gone
up to the skies
Thing like that drive me
out of my mind

I watched it for a little while
I like to watch things on TV

Satellite of love
satellite of love
Satellite of love
satellite of

Satellite’s gone
way up to Mars
Soon it will be filled
with parking cars

I watch it for a little while
I love to watch things on TV

Satellite of love
satellite of love
Satellite of love
satellite of

I’ve been told that you’ve been bold
with Harry, Mark and John
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday to Thursday
with Harry, Mark and John

Satellite’s gone
up to the skies
Thing like that drive me
out of my mind

I watched it for a little while
I love to watch things on TV

Satellite of love
satellite of love
Satellite of love
satellite of

Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love


WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 10/25/2013

Monday, October 28th, 2013

 

Latest solar flare – Daily Mail

X1.7 solar event with potential to disrupt satellite communications and harm astronauts sparks temporary radio blackout.
[MailOnline – 10/26/2013]


Proton-M launches with Sirius FM-6 satellite.
[NASA Spaceflight – 10/25/2013]

Northrup Grumman’s production of fifth and sixth Advanced EHF communication satellite payloads off to a strong start thanks to delivery of customized integrated circuits.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/25/2013]

Space debris, NASA graphic – Space News

Ground radars count 1,369 objects in geostationary orbit of which nearly half of are in an uncontrolled drift orbit, and another 178 dead satellites have converged at one of two libration points on opposite sides of the earth.
[Space News – 10/25/2013]

Globecomm Systems chooses Amino set top boxes as parts of deployment of managed communications solution to over 1,000 locations across the U.S. for a national retailer.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/25/2013]

Minot Air Force Base B-52 bomber crews to get upgraded communication system that can send and receive information via satellite links.
[Minot Daily News – 10/25/2013]

Business aviation forecast spells good news for satellite communications market.
[Via Satellite – 10/24/2013]

Emerging Markets Communications becomes first global VSAT and terrestrial connectivity provider to obtain a Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) license to provide services directly to oil and gas companies in Nigeria.
[WatchList News – 10/24/2013]

Cygnus capsule – Space News

Orbital Science’s Cygnus space capsule concludes its first ISS cargo run, breaking up during re-entry and burning up over the Pacific Ocean.
[Space News – 10/23/2013]

ViaSat CEO Mark Dankberg gets Clarke Foundation’s Innovator Award.
[Yahoo Finance – 10/23/2013]

Astrium is awarded contract by DirecTV Latin American to build the latest addition to its fleet, based on the E3000 platform, to be launched in early 20176.
[SatNews – 10/24/2013]

Avanti will buy Artemis data-relay satellite along with all rights to its orbital slot from the European Space Agency.
[Space News – 10/24/2013]

Harris-CapRock win of Carnival Cruise Line digital communications contract against MTN Satellite Communications means hit to MTN bottom line, but MTN still has key ingredients to remain relevant in maritime market.
[NSR – 10/24/2013]

NASA liquitos – Satellite Today

Media Networks and Conekta to provide Ku-band satellite internet for rural towns in the Amazon.
[Via Satellite – 10/24/2013]

Blue Sky introduces HawkEye 7200 portable satellite tracking unit that operates on the U.S. GPS, Russian Glonass and European Galileo systems and also supports Iridium satellite communications for mobile devices.
[AIN online – 10/24/2013]

Aircell, a subsidiary of Gogo, signs with Honeywell Aerospace to become distributor for Inmarsat’s Ka-band GX Aviation Services.
[Hispanic Business – 10/24/2013]

Honeywell is enhancing its satellite communication product lines with a supplier agreement to bring to market the Aspire 300, a new FANS over Iridium product that improves safety and operational efficiency.
[SatNews – 10/24/2013]

Hispasat’s Amazonas 4A near completion, getting ready for launch in December.
[Via Satellite – 10/23/2013]

SES-6 Ku-band Atlantic beams – Space News

SES is now designing its satellites with dedicated beams for mobile markets, including the maritime market.
[Space NMews – 10/23/2013]

NASA awards Astrotech Space Operations a contract to provide facilities and pre-launch processing services for the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) mission to launch in late 2014 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
[Via Satellite – 10/23/2013]

SES renews contract with Sony Entertainment Television Asia.
[Via Satellite – 10/23/2013]

XIPLINK and Hughes to offer broadband connectivity to public schools in Mexico.
[Hispanic Business – 10/23/2013]

Signalhorn to connect thousands of locations across Europe for one of the world’s leading oil producers and gas retailers, using its Xtend solution fully integrating terrestrial, 3G cellular, and satellite technologies.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 10/23/2013]

Australian satellite firm NewSat gets $2.4 million deal to supports U.S. Department of Defense in the PACOM region.
[CRN – 10/23/2013]

Winegard deploys mobile antenna solution designed for IP Access International Isis network, guaranteeing access to the network when there is a regional disruption. [Satellite Evolution Group – 10/23/2013]

RSCC (Russian Satellite Communications Company) ready to commission three new satellites.
[Via Satellite – 10/22/2013]

Spacecom reports Amos 5 satellite fault that will shorten the satellite’s lifespan by eleven months.
[Globes – 10/22/2013]

Spacecom’s Amos 5 wins $3.6 million broadcast contract in East Africa.
[Via Satellite – 10/22/2013]

Raytheon supports U.S. Army’s Aviation units with additional satellite radio equipment.
[Providence Journal – 10/22/2013]

TeleCommunication Systems gets $14 million contract to supply satellite equipment and support to the U.S. Army.
[Wall Street Journal – 10/22/2013]

Inmarsat and Honeywell announce that Satcom1 will be a distribution partner to deliver GX Aviuation to VIP, government and business aircraft across the globe.
[SatNews – 10/22/2013]

Global Telesat Communications will provide satellite tracking solution for yachts participating in the Atlantic Odyssey rallies.
[Digital Journal – 10/22/2013]

Comtech Telecommunications receives $1.1 million of orders for satellite equipment spares from Brazilian military.
[Market Watch – 10/22/2013]

PBS announces request for information process for industry input into definition of the Public Television Interconnection System – Version 6 (PTISv6), to succeed present system in 2016 – DEADLINE November 1, 2013.
[PBS Press Release- 10/21/2013]

ESA declares end of mission for the GOCE satellite as its fuel is depleted.
[Via Satellite – 10/21/2013]

EU commissioner welcomes milestone achievement of satellite broadband connectivity now being available to all 28 countries in the European Union.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/21/2013]

U.S. Department of Defense awards Iridium, a $400 million, five-year contract for Iridium(R) airtime services.
[Yahoo Finance – 10/21/2013]

Harris delivers first satellite terminals for the U.S. Army’s Modernization of Enterprise Terminals program.
[4-traders – 10/21/2013]

Successful operational test of Phasor Solution’s flat, electronically steered antenna array puts the company on fast track to deliver the world’s first commercially available, highly affordable Ku-band phased array antenna in 2014.
[Yahoo Finance – 10/21/2013]

Global Xpress satellite – Satellite Today

L-3 GCS receives first military band type approval for GX terminals from Inmarsat.
[Via Satellite – 10/21/2013]

Cobham Satcom’s two-box Aviator S family of satellite communications systems is more powerful than larger three-box systems.
[AIN online – 10/21/2013]

Fort Worth, Texas company Elbit Systems of America delivers hundreds of lightweight satellite communications amplifiers to the Army, Air Force and Navy each year for rotary wing aircraft.
[UPI – 10/21/2013]

Just as U.S. Air Force is finally revamping approach to attracting more companies to the military satellite business, cuts in defense spending threaten to undermine the progress.
[Reuters – 10/20/2013]

NSR’s Satellite Operator Financial Analysis report provides comprehensive picture of the satellite telecom industry from a financial standpoint.
[NSR – October 2013]

The new SATCOM standard (DVB-S2 extensions) explained – is the standard relevant for the MILSATCOM market?
[MilsatMagazine – October 2013 edition]

Earth – SatNews file photo

Incorporating satellite into Continuity of Operations plans for severed weather or disaster events.
[MilsatMagazine – October 2013 edition]

“The Changing Face of MILSATCOM.”
[MilsatMagazine – October 2013 edition]

 WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services


DIY Friday: Frankenstein Bulbs

Friday, October 25th, 2013

Via Instructables

Step 1.) Remove The Tab on the light Bulb
Step 2.) Break the insulation layer (black part)
Step 3.) Break the fialament and pulling it out
Step 4.) Add Water to wash it out if white (if clear skip step)
Step 5.) Add Gel i ended up using a different gel i used a garage door lubricate instead of the hand sanitizer
Step 6.) Add Padding to bottom of box
Step 7.) Make an outline of the cut your about to do to fit the light bulbs in
Step 8.) Cut out the holes made with 7/8 bit
Step 9.) Wire the leds two both battery terminals and the switch Refer To This Diagram ——–> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owgrUYC0Sfw&feature=youtu.be
Step 10.) Glue together and Turn On And Enjoy


Mark Dankberg’s Award

Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013

The 2013 Arthur C. Clarke Awards presentation: Innovator Award for Mark Dankberg, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of ViaSat in Washington, D.C., on 22 October 2013.

2013_clarke_trio


WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 10/18/2013

Friday, October 18th, 2013

GOESR satellite – Space News

Spending bill passed by Congress provides NOAA funding flexibility for maintaining launch schedules for two weather satellite programs.
[Space News – 10/18/2013]

Companies interested in taking part in a revolution in the way Europe develops and builds rockets have submitted more than 150 proposals for overturning the current launch vehicle industrial base to build the next-generation Ariane 6 within the cost objectives.
[Space News – 10/18/2013]

MetOp4 satellite – Space News

ESA delays the contract award for next-generation polar-orbiting MetOp satellite system to assure the spacecraft are built to disintegrate over the Pacific Ocean on retirement.
[Space News – 10/18/2013]

Orbital Sciences pursues commercial launch opportunities for its Antares rocket following two successful NASA funded test flights.
[Space News – 10/18/2013]

Sirius FM-6 to launch October 20 on Proton M/Breeze M; – Via Satellite webcast starts October 20th at 1:45pm EDT.
[ILS Launch – current] [Webcast at imgondemand – ongoing]

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory expects to download 700 terabytes of data per day from NASA missions; its engineers are busy developing creative tools to better store the data.
[R&D Magazine – 10/18/2013]

U.S. Air Force awards two-year contract extension to SES for hosted payload.
[Via Satellite – 10/18/2013]

NSSLGlobal announces further expansion of their VSAT Ku-Band network to include an additional two satellite beams covering the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean region.
[CiOL – 10/18/2013]

$4.1 billion of Department of Defense contracts awarded prior to the U.S. Government shutdown is a tree hiding a forest of not-so-good news that gives the impression the bottom of the milsatcom wave is yet to come for the satellite industry.
[NSR – 10/17/2013]

Raytheon leverages its position as the only provider of AEHF satellite terminals to three branches of the military to show that it can provide an affordable protected tactical solution using an unclassified secure waveform.
Azosensors – 10/17/2013

SATCON 2013 will shine spotlight on intersection of satellite communications and future media capabilities.
[Yahoo Finance – 10/17/2013]

Reportlinker adds new report to its catalogue: Global Markets for Satellite Technology — Focus on the EMEA Market.
[Yahoo Finance – 10/17/2013]

IRG Challenge industry to implement Carrrier ID 100 percent by June 2014, the date of the 2014 Football World Cup.
[Via Satellite – 10/17/2013]

ESA awards Astrium three new contracts for Ariane 6 and Ariane 5 ME.
[Via Satellite – 10/17/2013]

HISPASAT and Astrium present Europe’s first reconfigurable Ku-band satellite antenna, boasting four simultaneous beams, which will be installed in the Hispasat AG1 satellite.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 10/17/2013]

Nippon Television Network Corporation chooses SES as its satellite operator of choice to provide live transmissions of three key sporting events in Europe.
[Via Satellite – 10/17/2013]

Media Networks launches satellite Internet wholesale service in Latin America on the nine Ka-Band beams on ISAT-KA.
[Via Satellite – 10/17/2013]

Satellite Evolution file photo

Europe reaches major milestone in drive to bridge the Digital Divide, launching broadband satellite services in the Baltics, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, now reaching all 28 EU countries.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 10/17/2013]

Thales merges the navigation, surveillance, and simulation segment of the Thales air traffic management organization and the former Thales USA Defense and Security organization with 2012 acquisitions Tampa Microwave, Viosionix, and InterSence.
[Military Aerospace – 10/17/2013]

Major U.S. broadcaster selects NovelSt to upgrade the satellite communication technology in their global Digital Satellite News Gathering fleet.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 10/17/2013]

Boatracs Inc. to provide a broadband communications solution to B & J Martin, Inc., outfitting the site clearance trawling division of their fleet with KVH TracPhone V7-IP VSAT terminals and mini-VSAT Broadband service.
[PR Web – 10/17/2013]

First satellite communications ship – Space.com

The United States Navy built the first satellite communications ship, the U.S.N.S. Kingsport, in 1963.
[Space.com – 10/16/2013]

10 reasons why Global MilSatCom 2013 is set to become SMi’s biggest SatCom event to date.
[Digital Journal – 10/16/2013]

GPS 2 satellite – Space News

U.S. Air Force delays upcoming GPS 2F-5 launch for unspecified reasons.
[Space News – 10/16/2013]

Iridium Communications Inc. announces successful completion of a Critical Design Review of the complete Iridium NEXT satellite network system, on schedule for first launch in early 2015.
[Wall Street Journal – 10/16/2013]

SES enters public-private partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the development of a full-electric propulsion satellite platform.
[Via Satellite – 10/16/2013]

UK Solar Orbiter – Space News

Thales Alenia and Italy’s CGS to build a visible and ultraviolet imaging telescope for Europe’s future Solar Orbiter satellite.
[Space News – 10/16/2013]

SkyVision donates an iDirect-powered satellite network for the Crossover International Academy in Tongor-Attokrokpo, Ghana.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/16/2013]

Inmarsat selects Kratos subsidiary Sat Corporation’s Monics system to provide satellite interference detection for Global Xpress.
[Via Satellite – 10/16/2013]

Thales Alenia Space will build Multi Element Telescope for Italian Space Agency’s Imaging and Spectroscopy instrument.
[Via Satellite – 10/16/2013]

Alcatel-Lucent to provide ground station for monitoring of spectrum in satellite communications for Anatel of Brazil.
[Telecompaper – 10/16/2013]

Morgan Stanley report claiming the FSS sector has entered a “no-growth” cycle and that “HTS will struggle to find a market” misses the mark.
[NSR – 10/15/2013]

Boeing to build fourth satellite for the Inmarsat Global Xpress network.
[UPI – 10/15/2013]

Harris CapRock to provide communications services for more than 100 Carnival Corporation cruise ships worldwide.
[Yahoo Finance – 10/15/2013]

Newtec and SniperHill deploy new satellite technology providing increased throughput and service availability for network serving NATO and U.S. Troops in Afghanistan.
[Government Video – 10/15/2013]

NewSat signs $5 million worth of new teleport business contracts in first quarter of FY 2014 to provide satellite communication services across the Middle East and Austaliasia.
[SatNews – 10/15/2013]

United Airlines launches 100th aircraft with satellite Wi-Fi.
[Via Satellite – 10/15/2013]

Arabsat gets exclusive rights to broadcast Sudan’s football.
[all Africa – 10/15/2013]

The Global VSAT Forum (GVF), and the Satellite Interference Reduction Group (IRG) will be joining Cobham Technical Services and Eutelsat for a pre-conference workshop on satellite interference alongside Global MilSatCom in London. [SatNews – 10/14/2013]

Broadband Satellite Services Limited (BSS), an investment company based in the North East of England, completes the acquisition of AND Group & the Satcom Global group of companies.
[MarineLink – 10/14/2013]

iDirect Wins VSAT 2013 Technology Innovation Of The Year Award for high performance X7 remote.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/14/2013]

Cable & Wireless to sell its Algerian satellite communication business Divona SpA to Smart Link Com SpA of Algeria for $1.4 million..
[4-traders – 10/14/2013]

LaPaz Bolivia – Via Satellite

Gilat Satellite Networks continues to make strong progress in Latin America, getting an award for equipment and services from Entel S.A., the largest telecom operator and satellite network operator in Bolivia.
[Via Satellite – 10/14/2013]

Spacecom gets five-year capacity deal from an East African video service provider worth just under $6 million.
[Via Satellite – 10/14/2013]

Earth station constructed by Harris near Arua Town, Uganda in 1976 for Idi Amin is now rotting away.
[Hispanic Business – 10/14/2013]

As part of U.S. Army’s recently announced 4.1 billion communications budget, Lockheed Martin gets IDIQ contract to deliver satellite and terrestrial communications to the Army.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/14/2013]

SatStream Media launches new maritime service, SatstreamNet, a multicast-IP content delivery network developed specifically for the maritime industry.
[Via Satellite – 10/14/2013]

BT and BSkyB sign multi-year agreement for Sky Movies to be made available through BT TV.
[Via Satellite – 10/14/2013]

Via Satellite speaks with Michel de Rosen of Eutelsat about all things Latin America, and how his vision for Eutelsat is shaping up.
[Via Satellite – November issue]

Oil companies see a future in satellite, but want lower prices.
[Via Satellite – November issue]

U.S. government changes its business approach with satcom vendors under Sequestration, but what does this mean?
[Via Satellite – November issue]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Technical Proposals System Acceptance Testing
Link Analysis System Quality Testing
Systems Engineering Project Management
Systems Integration Satellite Industry Research

360-895-0478   email:  [email protected]


Felix Baumgartner: Multi-Angle + Mission Data

Thursday, October 17th, 2013

Timed to coincide with the documentary film, in the Inside Story of Red Bull Stratos.


Patience, Grasshopper

Monday, October 14th, 2013

Awesome: another Grasshopper test filmed by a RC hexacopter, this time to 744 meters in altitude.


WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 10/11/2013

Monday, October 14th, 2013

Global VSAT and terrestrial connectivity provider Emerging Markets Communications (EMC) is sponsoring the annual NetHope Global Member Summit, October 14-18, 2013 in St. Charles, Illinois.
[WatchList News – 10/12/2013]

Space Daily file image

Chinese BeiDou satellite navigation system will include more than 30 satellites and a ground control operation system by 2020 in order to serve global clients according to mid and long-term okab approved by China’s State Council.
[GPS Daily – 10/11/2013]

Space Daily file image

Russia may build its own space station with International Space Station (ISS) units after 2020 if the ISS partners choose not to extend the project and there is political will to do so.
[Space Daily – 10/11/2013]

Iran launch pad – SatNews

Iranian aerospace official says the country plans to launch three indigenously designed and manufactured satellites into orbit by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2014).
[SatNews – 10/11/2013]

The SENER engineering and technology group has finished installing the deployable sunshield for the GAIA satellite in preparation for the final tests prior to its launch, slated for late November.
[Your Communication News – 10/11/2013]

Startup imagery provider Skybox Imaging executives view the company’s first satellite boxed up for its journey to the Yasny launch site in Russia, where it is scheduled to lift off Nov. 21 on a Russian Dnepr rocket.
[Space News – 10/11/2013]

Russia replaces space agency Roscosmos chief in bid to reform and turn around the program following series of high-profile setbacks.
[Space Daily – 10/10/2013]

SATCON, The Satellite Communication Conference & Expo, runs from November 13-14, 2013, New York, NY; the keynote is “Leadership Dialogue: Present Priorities, Future Vision.”
[SatNews – 10/10/2013]

The international space station’s robotic arm grapples the Cygnus spacecraft. – Space News, Credit: NASA TV

Orbital Sciences Corp.’s Cygnus capsule set to burn up in atmosphere October 23 following its first supply mission to ISS; NASA to decide upon review of report from Orbital Sciences whether to give go-ahead for 8 additional supply missions for Orbital Sciences.
[Space News – 10/10/2013]

Newtec webinar addresses threat to VSAT service providers presented by the introduction of the first Ka-Band High Throughput Satellites (HTS) a few years ago. [SatNews – 10/10/2013]

Laser Light™ intends to deploy and operate what it believes to be the world’s 1st commercial satellite communications constellation based entirely on optical wave technology.
[SatNews – 10/10/2013]

DARPA’s Phoenix experimental satellite servicing and salvaging project. – Space News; Credit: DARPA artist’s concept

Novawurks Inc. wins contract worth up to $40 million from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for another round of work on experimental satellite servicing and salvaging project known as Phoenix.
[Space News – 10/10/2013]

Harris Corporation is one of 12 companies selected for $4 billion U.S. Army Communications and Transmission Systems IDIQ contract
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/10/2013]

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. receives a letter of award for equipment and services from Entel S.A., the largest telecom operator and satellite network operator in Bolivia.
[Financial News – 10/10/2013]

YahClick continues to boost connectivity across Kenya helping businesses flourish, offering business users free modem, free YahClick dish and reduced installation charges.
[Sacramento Bee – 10/10/2013]

Turksat satellite – World Bulletin

Turkey’s third satellite, Turksat 5A, to be commissioned in 2016, following launches of 4A and 4B.
[World Bulletin – 10/10/2013]

The U.S. Air Force has gives the Harris Corporation a $65 million contract modification for worldwide satellite data and communications support for the Air Force’s Satellite Control Network and Global Positioning System antenna sites.
[UPI – 10/10/2013]

Gilat Satcom to unveil new services tailored to help SMEs, larger enterprises and Governments in West Africa improve their broadband connectivity and reduce costs at the Niger HTA telecoms conference.
[Satellite Spotlight l- 10/10/2013]

Singapore Technologies Engineering secures approximately $333 million worth of contracts including satcom in Q3 2013 and its Agilis compact Ka-band VSAT transceivers are certified for use with the latest generation of Inmarsat Global Xpress High Throughput Satellites.
[Via Satellite – 10/10/2013]

Harris Broadcast creates global sales organization with four customer-facing regions.
[Via Satellite – 10/09/2013]

Joint venture in Brazilian pay-TV market planned by Vivendi subsidiary GVT and EchoStar Technologies makes sense for both companies,but not expected to challenge market dominance of two main players – DirecTV (Sky) and Americ Movil.
[Via Satellite – 10/09/2013]

Swiss Space Systems and Spaceport Colorado sign Memorandum Of Understanding formalizing a collaborative relationship and advancing the spaceport’s long-term development and licensing plans.
[Via Satellite – 10/09/2013]

Mobile communications improve disaster relief – Haiti disaster highlighted the importance of satellite backup networks, which are not dependent on terrestrial cell towers to broadcast signals.
[USA Today – 10/09/2013]

The U.S. Army has given CACI International Inc. two prime contracts worth a combined total of $237 million to support encrypted and open communications for deployed troops and command centers.
[UPI – 10/09/20132]

Acquisition plans of Comtech Telecommunications stymied by fuzzy U.S. Defense Department spending.
[Space News – 10/09/2013]

 

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and suporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi march through Cairo’s Maadi Neighborhood on September 6, 2013 – Yahoo News; (AFP Photo/Gianluigi Guercia)

 

Jihadist group claims responsibility for an attack on a Cairo satellite communications dish it said was an “infidel mouthpiece” of Egypt’s military- installed authorities.
[Yahoo News – 10/08/20132]

A string of attacks killed nine members of Egypt’s security and military forces and hit the country’s main satellite communications station Monday.
[The Vancouver Sun – 10/08/2013]

Accepting satellite control authority of Wideband Global SATCOM-5 at Schriever AFB Oct. 7, the 3rd Space Operations Squadron added increased capability to the constellation.
[Shriever AFB News – 10/08/2013]

ArabSat to invest $700 million in HellasSat expansion, planning to launch three new 6th generation satellites.
[Financial Mirror – 10/08/2013]

Inmarsat triggers option to purchase fourth Inmarsat-5 satellite from Boeing to be delivered in mid-2016.
[Marine Line – 10/07/2013]

Inmarsat Government says its new L-band tactical satellite solution has been tested and acquired by the U.S. government, enhancing military communications capabilities.
[UPI – 10/07/2013]

The movie “Gravity” – Space News

Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors, and Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, both convinced that space object tracking system programmatic risks have been eliminated, both submit fixed-cost bids for U.S. Air Force’s next generation system.
[Space News – 10/09/2013]

Hughes Communications India Ltd wins orders worth Rs 150 crore in the first half of this fiscal year for providing satellite-based solutions to banks and other institutions in India.
[The Times of India – 10/07/2013]

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting A.S. (TSBc) selects iDirect’s new Velocity® product line as the ground infrastructure solution for its new THOR 7 high throughput satellite (HTS).
[SatNews – 10/07/2013]

SES 8 arrives in Florida ready for next launch of Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than November 1, 2013.
[Spaceflight Now – 10/05/2013]

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