Really Rocket Science

Joint Polar Satellite System – Credit: Ball Aerospace artist’s concept – Space News

House Appropriations Committee approves full funding for NOAA next-generation polar-orbiting and geostationary weather satellites, but not climate sensor plans.
[Space News – 05/09/2014]

SpaceX challenge to ULA block buy of Russian-made engines appears to hinge on the question of whether the plaintiff met the deadline for filing its protest.
[Space News – 05/09/2014]

NSR’s Global Direct-to-Home (DTH) Markets, 7th Edition, provides industry-leading analysis on the Satellite Television markets worldwide.
[NSR – 05/09/2014]

SES says Astra 2G has been cleared for shipment to Russia for launch.
[Space News – 05/09/2014]

Evolution of Milsatcom in India – a discussion of the space technologies deployed for defence and security of India.
[Pakistan Defence – 05/09/2014]

Echostar warns investors that use of its EchoStar 19 Ka-band satellite now in development may be affected by the patent litigation between ViaSat and Space Systems/Loral.
[Space News – 05/09/2014]

Recovering mobile satellite services operator Globalstar reports double-digit growth in handset saels and subscriber revenue for its key two-way voice service.
[Space News – 04/09/2014]

Global Satellite Engineering now integrates SkyWave’s IsatData Pro, Automatic Vehicle Location, and Garmin-based dispatch within its fleet management solution.
[SatNews – 05/09/2014]

Euroconsult releases report providing insight into Milsatcom industry.
[Via Satellite – 05/08/2014]

United States remains the leader in space competitiveness, but is the only nation to decline for seven straight years, according to Futron 2014 Space Competitiveness Index..
[Satellite Markets & Research – 05/08/2014]

Oilfield communications market expected to reach $3.18 billion by 2019 – new report by MarketsandMarkets.
[TMCnet – 05/08/2014]

Research and Markets announces the addition of the “Analysis of the Global Satellite Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) Market” report, analyzing the VSAT market 2012-2019, to their offering.
[Satellite Spotlight – 05/08/2014]

Navy’s floating Ice Camp Nautilus north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, uses the MUOS secure satellite system to transmit large data files and voice transmissions during March exercises.
[NUNATSIUAQ ONLINE – 05/08/2014]

Euroconsult and Hughes to share information about how latest satellite backhaul solutions are opening opportunities to expand cellular addressable markets beyond the current paradigm in a webinar.
[SatNews – 05/08/2014]

Judge lifts temporary band on purchase of Russian RD-180 engines by United Launch Alliance.
[Space News – 05/09/2014]

RSCC plans to implement Center for Geolocation and Space Monitoring in Dubna, Russia.
[Via Satellite – 05/08/2014]

The House Armed Services Committee calls on U.S. national security officials to report back on the threat posed by Russian satellite monitoring stations.
[SatNews – 05/08/2014]

Outside satellite experts say investigators could be looking in the wrong ocean for MH370 because the Inmarsat analysis doesn’t hold up.
[The Atlantic – 05/08/2014]

Inmarsat and Sea Launch say Russia sanctions won’t disrupt upcoming launches.
[SatNews – 05/08/2014]

Spaceflight Inc.’s first Sherpa hosted payload flight almost fully booked with smallsats.
[Via Satellite – 05/08/2014]

Bandwidth crunch will force Australian broadband project to ration capacity.
[Space News – 05/08/2014]

HISPASAT and Eskaltel sign agreement to provide broadband internet access throughout Spain.
[SatNews – 05/08/2014]

The International Media Associates (TIIMA) acquires capacity on the EUTELSAT 10A satellite in hopes of serving international news teams covering high-profile events such as Oscar Pistorius trial.
[Screen Africa – 05/08/2014]

Inmarsat says it now connects leisure and fishing vessels with a specially designed broadband service.
[Marine Link – 05/08/2014]

ORBCOMM will offer its portfolio of M2M solutions to government customers under Corp Ten’s General Services Administration schedule.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 05/08/2014]

ViaSat launches Exede Business internet service for small and medium-sized businesses.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 05/08/2014]

Brazil awards satellite positions to Eutelsat, Hispasat, and SES affiliates.
[Space News – 05/07/2014]

Utility market full of satcom potential.
[NSR – 05/07/2014]

IPTV is set to overtake DTH in western Europe, according to a new report from Digital TV Research.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 05/07/2014]

Airbus Defence and Space launches a new Global Field-Service Alliance (GFSA) initiative to ensure quality installation and maintenance of VSAT equipment in major ports.
[Digital Ship – 05/07/2014]

Globalstar subsidiary SPOT LLC announces that its products have been used to initiate 3000 rescues around the world since 2007.
[Market Watch – 05/07/2014]

Intellian launches its new x60 terminal, designed to deliver efficient high-speed broadband on Inmarsat’s Global Xpress service, coming into service later this year.
[BYM News – 05/07/2014]

Research and Markets adds the “Global Satellite Transponder Market” report to their offering.
[Satellite Spotlight – 05/06/2014]

Pentagon funding for space programs is projected to fall 37 percent over the next four years when compared to last year’s projected spending over the same time period.
[Defense News – 05/06/2014]

Coming soon, NSR’s 4th edition of Satellite Manufacturing & Launch Services report combines thorough and invaluable market analysis with extensive and in-depth forecasts.
[NSR – 05/06/2014]

KVH doubles mini-VSAT broadband network capacity in Africa to support offshore oil and gas industry.
[MENA FN – 05/06/2014]

Sprite picosat developers hoping Kicksat, launched by Falcon 9 April 18, will deploy the 104 microsatellites it holds on May 16, before falling back into atmosphere.
[Space News – 05/06/2014]

ITC Global closes more than $30M in new service contracts and deploys 27 high-end satellite networks in first quarter 2014.
[Yahoo Finance – 05/06/2014]

NSA and British counterpart GCHQ seek ways of monitoring airplane passenger communication: Greenwald.
[Daily News – 05/06/2014]

Nigerian Communication Satellite Limited (NigComSat) urges National Conference to facilitate government policy to direct all security agencies to key into its National Public Security.
[Leadership – 05/06/2014]

U.S. sanctions against Russia’s space industry affect Europeans.
[Space Daily – 05/05/2014]

Avonline Broadband signs multi-million dollar contract extension with Avanti Communications, in order to provide a series of tailored broadband solutions to SME customers across Europe.
[SatNews – 05/05/2014]

Globecomm receives service contract extension for mission-critical distribution systems from global media and information firm in New York.
[Business Wire – 05/05/2014]

Thaicom selects Orbital Sciences Corp. and SpaceX to build and launch another television broadcasting satellite.
[Spaceflight Now – 05/04/2014]

WiFi on airlines: users will find it’s worth the trouble.
[eweek – 05/04/2014]

Nigeria Internet Group chief urges Nigerian government to sell NigComSat to private investors.
[The Nation Online – 05/04/2014]

Today’s SatHealth vehicles help save lives, time, and money. [SatMagazine – May 2014 issue]

Armenian government official says the former Soviet republic will launch its own satellite into orbit, with the newly created company called Armcosmos now busy registering an orbital position for the satellite.
[Ria Novosti – 06/23/2013]

Speedcast announces buyout of Pactel.
[Satellite Today – 06/23/2013]

SES, Inverto, Abilis and MaxLinear partner to develop IP-LNB for satellite TV home distribution.
[Satellite Today – 06/22/2013]

Republican-backed NASA authorization bill backs development of crew transportation systems to end reliance on Russia.
[Space Mart – 06/21/2013]

ESA’s SatFinAfrica pilot project begun in 2011 was so successful that a company called SatADSL was established in Belgium to provide SATCOM for financial services to Africa and now serves more than 100 offices.
[SatNews – 06/21/2013]

Turkmenistan’s first satellite to be launched by SpaceX, under contract with Thales Alenia Space.
[Venture Beat – 06/21/2013]

Intelsat decides to stop providing satellite services in Iran.
[SatNews – 06/21/2013]

EUSATCOM 203 coming up in Amsterdam at the Casa 400 conference centre on June 27th. [SatNews – 06/21/2013]

GVF expands its VSAT Installation Training & Certification in Asia Pacific.
[Satellite Today – 06/21/2013]

Secret, highly secure quantum communications system used at Chinese Party Congress in Beijing.
[South China Post – 06/21/20013]

OHB and Astrium to share work on German radar satellites.
[Space News – 06/21/2013]

Canada becomes first international partner to connect over U.S. Air Force’s protected comms AEHF satellite system.
[Defense Systems – 06/20/2013]

Satellite manufacturing sector cuts jobs in spite of 23 percent revenue increase in 2013.
[Satellite Today – 06/20/2013]

EUTELSAT 3D goes into full commercial service at 3 degrees East.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 06/20/2013]

Falcon 9 selected to launch German military radar satellites.
[Space News – 06/20/2013]

Astrium Services plans to sign a bulk-purchase agreement with Inmarsat for Ka-band capacity aboard Inmarsat’s three Global Xpress mobile communications satellites.
[Space News – 06/20/2013]

Chinese seek greater share of global satellite-launching market.
[China Daily – 06/20/2013]

Honeywell develops new broadband satcom hardware for Inmarsat’s new Global Xpress Ka-band satellite network.
[AIN online – 06/20/2013]

ViaSat partners with Boeing for inline in-flight satellite connectivity system.
[Satellite Today – 06/20/2013]

World Teleport Association will explore development of quality certification program for teleports based on clearly defined technical and operational standards. [Satellite Evolution Group – 06/20/2013]

Cobham announces Aviator S series at Paris Air Show, which will allow secure data communication for aircraft operation, maintenance and management services.
[SatNews – 06/20/2013]

OmniAccess becomes first iDirect customer to go live with iDX 3.2 and X7, successfully launching a live satellite communications network that reached data throughput of 50 Mbps.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 06/20/2013]

European Defense Agency says consolidating European countries’ military telecommunications satellite networks would result in huge savings, but obstacles are faced if European defence ministries fear their budgets would be cut.
[Space News – 06/19/2013]

European rocket designers crafting a defense against U.S. startup rocket builder SpaceX.
[Space News – 06/19/2013]

Scientists and engineers from around the world meet in South Dakota to discuss collecting images from Landsat 8.
[R&D Magazine – 06/19/2013]

Mexico’s state-owned Mexsat system to be augmented by second nearly six-ton Centenario satellite in 2014.
[Fox News – 06/19/2013]

Asia DTH executives outline their satellite capacity plans.
[Satellite Today – 06/19/2013]

ORBIT Technologies receives order for $3 million worth of ORION-based Communications Management Systems to major European aircraft manufacturer.
[SatNews – 06/19/2013]

Gilat Satellite Networks and Thaicom sign Cooperation Framework Agreement to provide customers across the Asia -Pacific regions with integrated solution using Gilat’s ground equipment and the Thaicom 4 satellite.
[Satellite Today – 06/19/2013]

O3b signs deal with Maju Nusa to provide ultra-high speed 3G backhaul services across rural Malaysia.
[National Post – 06/19/2013]

SpeedCast sees substantial gains with Newtec MDM6000 modem on multicarrier applications during intensive trial of Newtec’s latest S2 Extensions and Clean Channel Technology.
[MENAFN – 06/19/2013]

PolarSat’s hubless VSATPlus3 network control algorithms allow for geographic redundancy and ensure no single point of network failure is ever present at any one time. [SatNews – 06/19/2013]

The worlds most sophisticated commercial communications satellite, Alphasat, built by Astrium for Inmarsat, and carrying four technological demonstration payloads for ESA, is shipped to its launch site in Kourou, French Guiana.
[Astrowatch – 06/18/2013]

Sprint files suit to stop Clearwire, DISH tie-up.
[Bloomberg – 06/18/2013]

Thuraya strengthens its partnership with Astrium Services with launch of IP+, SatSleeve and Maritime Broadband in Asia.
[Herald online – 06/18/2013]

Initial Defense Communications Satellite Program launched first cluster of 7 small satellites 47 years ago.
[Seattle PI – 06/18/2013]

SES CEO Romain Bausch to be succeeded by Karim Michel Sabbagh.
[boston.com – 06/17/2013]

Google Internet balloons – what do they mean for VSAT, and satellite communications in general?
[Newtec blog – 06/17/2013]

Lockheed Martin promises to support South Korea’s effort to develop and launch military communications satellites if it wins Seoul’s multi-billion dollar fighter jet deal.
[Global Post. – 06/17/2013]

Watch George Clooney Puts Spotlight on Bloodshed, Crisis in Sudan on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

George Clooney’s Satellite Sentinel project reveals war crimes and security violations using DigitalGlobe imagery.
[Satellite Today – 06/17/2013]

 WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

SpaceX Dragon to attempt first commercial cargo run to the International  Space Station on February 7.
[Satellite Today – 12/16/2011]

NSR report – military satellite revenues will double for cost-conscious  providers.
[Satellite Today – 12/16/2011]

NovelSat, developers of 3G-Sat modulation technology, announce new satellite  data rate world record of 357Mbps on 72 MHz transponder.
[SatNews –  12/16/2011]

Artel contracts Cable & Wireless to connect 30 satellite earth stations  around the globe with MPLS data network.
[Satellite Today – 12/16/2011]

Indian Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology states  that foreign tourists are illegally using satellite phones and could pose a  national security threat.
[Press Information  Bureau, Government of India – 12/16/2011]

Second Soyuz mission is scheduled to launch from French Guyana the morning of  December 175h, carrying the French Earth observation satellite Pleiades-1, four  French ELISA micro-satellites, and Chile’s SSOT Earth Observation Platform..
[SatNews –  12/15/2011]

Replacement for NIGCOMSAT 1, deorbited in 2008, NIGCOMSAT 1R is scheduled to  be launched from China on December 19.
[Daily Times – 12/15/2011]

New generation of weather and environmental satellites, GOES-15, officially  becomes operational as GOES-West as of December 13.
[SatNews –  12/15/2011]

Lockheed Martin delivers U.S. Navy’s first Mobile User Objective System  satellite to Cape Canaveral for scheduled February 16th launch.
[Market Watch – 12/15/2011]

National Space Society hails announcement of Stratolaunch Systems, a Paul  Allen Project to reduce cost of space travel, carrying launch rockets to high  altitude aboard largest aircraft ever built, with six 747 engines.
[SatNews –  12/15/2011]

AsiaSat and THAICOM announce signing of cooperative agreement to provide  satellite services from orbital location of 120 degrees East.
[SatNews –  12/15/2011]

U.S. Air Force’s first Advanced Extremely High Frequency military  communications satellite is successfully progressing through initial on-orbit  tests.
[SatNews  – 12/15/2011]

Republic of Estonia signs accession agreement to become full Member State of  EUMETSAT by 2012.
[SatNews –  12/15/2011]

FCC passes rules requiring broadcast, satellite, and cable companies to quiet  down loud ads.
[Washington Post – 12/15/2011]

Physicists in Low Temperature Laboratory of Aalto University show how a  nanomechanical oscillator can be used for detection and amplification of feeble  radio waves or microwaves with almost no noise.
[R&D Magazine – 12/15/2011]

NXP Semiconductors announce SiGe:C Low Noise Amplifiers that improve  linearity, noise figure, and reception of GPS signals, delivering 10 dB  improvement under -40 to -20 dBm jamming conditions.
[SatNews –  12/15/2011]

Government committee says that LightSquared’s network affects a “majority” of  general-purpose GPS receivers and technology used to land planes.
[Wireless Week – 12/15/2011]

PacStar is awarded $12.2 million contract by U.S. Dept. of Defense to deliver  tactical communications solution to U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
[Market Watch – 12/15/2011]

Satellite industry warns governments of the world of their concerns over  proposed piece of international legislation called the Unidroit Space Assets  Protocol which risks complicating and damaging what is currently in place.
[SatNews –  12/14/2011]

Enhanced compression technology and digitization is improving the efficiency  of satellite transponders – by 2017 global demand for C- and Ku-band  transponders is forecast to total 7,840.36 MHz TPEs (transponder equivalents)..
[Official Wire – 12/14/2011]

Avanti Communications shares are lifted by satellite bandwidth contract win  from Bentley Walker for U.S. $1.1 million.
[Proactive Investors – 12/14/2011]

European Space Agency updates application for iPhone and iPad, allowing users  to see ESA’s latest satellite imagery from Envisat in near-real time.
[SatNews –  12/14/2011]

Gilat is selected by JSC NC Kazsatnet’ of Kazakhstan for high speed data  connectivity among over 200 VSATS in multi-star topology with NetEdge Gateway  solution.
[Market Watch – 12/14/2011]

Arianespace signs contract with MEASAT for launch of MEASAT-3b in 2013.
[SatNews –  12/14/2011]

SES announces four global sales regions with dedicated management to  consolidate positions in the Americas and Europe, and further focus on emerging  and growth markets.
[SatNews –  12/14/2011]

XTAR joins Operation First Response to support wounded U.S. soldiers.
[Satellite Today – 12/14/2011]

Globecomm Systems gets 1-year $6 million service contract from U.S.  Government agency to provide IT support services relating to Internet  connectivity via its teleport.
[SatNews –  12/14/2011]

CalAmp begins volume shipments of new product designed to facilitate whole  home networking and communications of set top boxes to its Direct Broadcast  Satellite (DBS) customer.
[Market Watch – 12/14/2011]

Astrium imagery from two TerrSAR-X StripMap acquisitions show large crack in  Pine Island glacier in Antartica; ice shelf ready to break off is larger than  New York City.
[SatNews –  12/14/2011]

Dish Network indicates desire to form strategic partnership with T-Mobile USA  if AT&T’s bid for acquisition of T-Mobile fails.
[Telegeography – 12/14/2011]

Arianespace signs for launch of two satellites in the European Union’s  Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 families on the first launch of Europe’s new light  launcher Vega from French Guiana in 2014-2016.
[SatNews –  12/14/2011]

O3b exercises additional launch option on Arianespace contract.
[Satellite Today – 12/13/2011]

Since SPOT Satellite Messenger products were introduced in 2007 over 1,500  emergency rescues have been initiated worldwide.
[Market Watch – 12/14/2011]

Amos 5 communications satellite launched for Israel’s Spacecom.
[Globes – 12/13/2011]

NewSat signs $67 million contract for Jabiru satellite capacity.
[ARN – 12/13/2011]

Emergency satellite communications platform developed by government of  Luxembourg to be available to international humanitarian community as of 1  January, 2012.
[IEWY  –  12/13/2011]

OnAir WiFi internet connectivity launched across the Emirates A380 fleet.
[SatNews –  12/13/2011]

Opinion – Why is FCC stonewalling Senator Grassley on LightSquared? –  (Grassley put holds on two Barack Obama nominees to FCC).
[Hot Air – 12/13/2011]

LightSquared ‘Outraged’ over Report Leak; Primary Backer Harbinger Faces SEC  Scrutiny.
[Wireless Week – 12/12/2011]

ViaSat subsidiary WildBlue begins offering 5 megabit-per-second satellite  broadband service in Colorado, using recently launched ViaSat-1 satellite.
[Denver Post –  12/12/2011]

Japan launches H-2A rocket carrying a radar satellite.
[SatNews –  12/12/2011]

TCS introduces portfolio of managed mobile communications services called  TotalCom for government agencies and businesses.
[Computer World – 12/12/2011]

Russian data relay satellite and Spacecom’s Amos 5 share a ride into space.
[Spaceflight Now –  12/11/2011]

Echo II:  When satellites were young and shiny (photo).
[CNET – 12/10/2011]

NATO facing fast-approaching deadline for replacing satellite communications  capacity to avoid “satcom blackouts.”
[Space News – 12/09/2011]

“Doing more without more” – Space Command looks to fill communication gaps as  budgets tighten yet requirements for secure communications continue to grow.
[National Defense Magazine – January 2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services