Really Rocket Science

Get ready, watchers of the skies!

Periodic Comet 209P/LINEAR is predicted to put on a show for us.

Preliminary results by Esko Lyytinen and Peter Jenniskens, later confirmed by other researchers, predict 209P/LINEAR may cause the next big meteor shower which would come from the constellation Camelopardalis on the night of 23/24 May 2014. There may be 100 to 400 meteors per hour. All the trails from the comet from 1803 through 1924 may intersect Earths orbit during May 2014. The peak activity is expected to occur around 24 May 2014 7h UT when dust trails produced from past returns of the comet may pass 0.0002 AU (30,000 km; 19,000 mi) from Earth.

This April 30, 2014 image was taken using the NASA Marshal Space Flight Center 20″ telescope located in New Mexico. A 3-minute exposure, it shows 14th magnitude Comet 209P/LINEAR shining faintly among the stars of Ursa Major. At the time of this image, 209P was just over 40 million km from Earth, heading for a relatively close approach (8.3 million km) with us on May 29, 2014.

Image credit: NASA/MSFC/Bill Cooke

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]

ASTRA 2G – Credit: SES Artist’s Concept – Space News

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]

Jupiter 1/EchoStar 17 – Credit: SSL Artist’s Concept – Space News

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 Ice Camp Nautilus on floating ice – (PHOTO COURTESY LOCKHEED MARTIN) – NUNATSIAQ Online

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]

A map showing satellite communications company Inmarsat’s global subscriptions. (Reuters) – The Atlantic

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]

Fishing Boats in NS Harbour – Marinelink file photo

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]

Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium. Credit: Image courtesy of Brazil’s government – Space News

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]

SatNews file photo

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

KickSat follow-up:

Regular updates as well as more background information are available on the project’s Kickstarter page. As an open source project, all of our code and design files are freely available. The primary source for technical information on the KickSat project is the project wiki. Academic publications are listed on our research group’s website.

The trends are pointing in favor of the cord-cutters.

Even BSkyB, the pay-tv service that put Astra on the map, is itself moving away from using satellite technology.

The Telegraph published an excellent report, which could be the slow de-orbiting of the satellite business…

BSkyB is preparing a major overhaul of its set-top box technology to address the threat to its subscription business from internet-based television services from American giants such as Amazon, Apple and Google.

A special unit has been set up within the company under the name “Project Ethan” to develop an entirely new system that will aim to make it easier for customers to access programmes on any device, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

For instance, Project Ethan is understood to include plans for television recorded using the Sky+ service to be stored in a central data centre rather than on set-top box hard disks. The recordings in “the cloud” will be accessible via smartphones and tablets, or on internet-connected televisions outside the living room.

For both recorded and on-demand video, the new software will make it possible for viewers pause on their main television and then pick up where they left off on another device, and vice-versa. Sources said BSkyB, which formerly referred to the investment as “Project 2016,” could roll out the system to millions of customers as soon as two years from now.

The multi-screen technology would also allow BSkyB to extend the reach and sophistication of its recently-launched targeted advertising service. In one possible scenario, retailers could target viewers in a given postcode on their sofa then follow up with a special offer delivered to their smartphone via the Sky app.

Almost sounds like the IP-PRIME service that SES killed back in 2009.

FightSquared is about to be resolved.

After “lawyering up” for the last few years, here comes the judge. She suggested everybody coffee-up for Thursday’s hearing.

Don’t call him “Nixon,” as Charlie seldom ever loses a hand in this game.

Here’s the latest tit-for-tat, via The Deal Pipeline…

“Mr. Ergen’s testimony cannot be believed,” said debtor counsel Andrew Leblanc of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP.

Dish Network Corp. chairman Ergen, who holds more than $1 billion in secured claims including interest, is the sole objector to the reorganization of Philip Falcone-backed LightSquared.

Leblanc told the court that Ergen impeached himself 27 times during testimony earlier in 2014 by disagreeing with his deposition before the trial.

LightSquared and supporting creditors are trying to convince Judge Shelley Chapman of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District in New York that the debtor should be able to give Ergen different compensation for his secured claims than other creditors holding secured debt. The plan supporters also want Chapman to designate, or disqualify, Ergen’s vote.

The debtor plans to repay Ergen’s first-lien debt with a third-lien note that would not pay cash for seven years, unless it were refinanced. Other secured creditors would receive cash payments in full shortly after confirmation of the plan.

Ergen’s counsel, Rachel Strickland of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, called the plan “totally unjust and in violation of the [Bankruptcy] Code,” in court Monday.

LightSquared sought Chapter 11 protection two years ago. The debtor was unable to fund its business when the Federal Communications Commission withdrew support for a proposal that would allow LightSquared to use is spectrum — which is licensed for hybrid satellite-terrestrial service — for wholesale wireless broadband service.

The confirmation hearing has focused as much on Ergen’s alleged misdeeds as it has on the plan supported by Fortress Investment Group, Melody Capital Advisors LLC, Philip Falcone’s Harbinger Capital Partners LLC and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

LightSquared argues that the plan, which incorporates $2.65 billion in new financing, compensates all creditors fully and fairly.

Ergen’s lawyers told Chapman that the debtors are buying the votes of junior classes by giving them better treatment than the Dish chairman. “They are patting themselves on the back for get a fully consensual plan?” Strickland asked the court. “They are trying to work around the [Bankruptcy] Code.”

Strickland called the effort to divide the secured debt into two classes a “completely unprecedented maneuver.”

LightSquared and creditors argue that Ergen violated a credit agreement by purchasing the claims, because terms of the loan blocked competitors such as Dish from purchasing the debt.

The debtor also accuses Ergen of disrupting its reorganization, and notes that another judge in the Southern District of New York designated Dish’s vote in the reorganization of DBSD North America Inc. Dish wound up buying the satellite communications company.

Dish offered $2.22 billion to purchase LightSquared’s most attractive portfolio of wireless licenses last year. LightSquared said the offer undervalued the debtor, though a group of secured creditors proposed a reorganization of a unit of the company built around Ergen’s offer.

Dish withdrew the bid in January, after termination dates for the deal passed. Chapman ruled that the company had the legal right to terminate.

LightSquared has negligible operations. The value of the debtor’s estates lies in its spectrum, and will swing widely depending on the FCC’s ruling on licensing.

Leblanc told Chapman that Ergen plays “the long game,” and would attempt to buy the company on the cheap if he could disrupt the reorganization plan. The lawyer noted that Dish’s purchase of DBSD played out over a long period, and predicted that the satellite TV company still has an interest in LightSquared and its wireless spectrum.

Know when to hold em, know when to fold em.

While pondering the possibility of geosynchronous spacecraft running into an out-of-control or very inclined one (around the 150-deg. West area), I was reminded there’s a reason we call it “space.” There’s a lot of it out there.

The gorgeous image from our friends at the Cassini Solstice Mission is one that’ll make you think about space.

Here’s their description…

Uranus is a pale blue in this natural color image because its visible atmosphere contains methane gas and few aerosols or clouds. Methane on Uranus – and its sapphire-colored sibling, Neptune – absorbs red wavelengths of incoming sunlight, but allows blue wavelengths to escape back into space, resulting in the predominantly bluish color seen here. Cassini imaging scientists combined red, green and blue spectral filter images to create a final image that represents what human eyes might see from the vantage point of the spacecraft.

Uranus has been brightened by a factor of 4.5 to make it more easily visible. The outer portion of Saturn’s A ring, seen at bottom right, has been brightened by a factor of two. The bright ring cutting across the image center is Saturn’s narrow F ring.

Uranus was approximately 28.6 astronomical units from Cassini and Saturn when this view was obtained. An astronomical unit is the average distance from Earth to the sun, equal to 93,000,000 miles (150,000,000 kilometers).

This view was acquired by the Cassini narrow-angle camera at a distance of approximately 614,300 miles (988,600 kilometers) from Saturn on April 11, 2014. Image scale at Uranus is approximately 16,000 miles (25,700 kilometers) per pixel. Image scale at Saturn’s rings is approximately 4 miles (6 kilometers) per pixel. In the image, the disk of Uranus is just barely resolved. The solar phase angle at Uranus, seen from Cassini, is 11.9 degrees.

The images our space program produce are free. Getting big print made suitable for framing is available here. They do custom orders, so if you don’t see what you want — go out and find it, then have it done that way you like it.

U.S. sanctions against Russia sowing confusion, caution among space firms. [Space News – 05/02/2014]

Indonesia’s Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) has sets collision course with Indonesia’s Indosat satellite operator by ordering a satellite to be placed into the same orbital slot as a satellite ordered by Indosat a year ago. [Space News – 05/02/2014]

French space agency CNES signs formal work-share agreement with NASA on the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) altimetry satellite to be launched in 2020. [Space News – 05/02/2014]

Xplornet Communications Inc. has contracted with ViaSat Inc. for all of the residential capacity covering Canada on the ViaSat-2 satellite. [SatNews – 05/02/2014]

MDA says 90 percent of bids for commercial telecommunications satellites that its SSL subsidiary is chasing are unaffected by the patent-infringement litigation between SSL and ViaSat. [Space News – 05/02/2014]

Avanti signs a multi-million dollar contract extension with Avonline broadband to target European consumers with new satellite broadband. [IFA Magazine – 05/02/2014]

Ultra Electronics AEP enables Thuraya to offer extremely secure communications over robust satellite network. [CIOL – 05/02/2014]

MEASAT’s new MEASAT-3b satellite to be launched from French Guiana on May 28. [BERNAMA – 05/02/2014]

U.S. Federal court bans United Launch Alliance from purchasing RD-180 engines from Russia’s NPO Energomash, following filing by SpaceX calling it an “unlawful contract” to send money to sanctioned Russian Deputy Prime Minister. [Via Satellite – 05/01/2014]

Sea Launch announces its prime contractor will restart testing in preparation of rollout of EUTELSAT 3B satellite, now scheduled to launch May 26. [SatNews – 05/01/2014]

A proposed microsatellite mission would demonstrate technology for satellite-based quantum key distribution. [SPIE – 05/01/2014]

Arianespace on track to perform 12 missions during 2014, setting a new operational record surpassing the 10 flights in 2010. [SatNews – 05/01/2014]

AT&T has approached DirecTV about a takeover. [The Wall Street Journal – 05/01/2014]]

Telesat cut Q1 losses, growing revenue 10.6%, but it wasn’t enough to give the satellite communications company a profitable first quarter. [Ottawa Business Journal – 05/01/2014]

Orbital Sciences will build, and SpaceX will launch, Thaicom 8. [Space News – 04/30/2014]

British government to adopt industry recommendations to reduce amount of insurance satellite companies must purchase before government guarantees on third-party liability take effect. [Space News – 04/30/2014]

TelOne, the Zimbabwean national telco, has announced a satellite broadband contract with Avanti Communications. [MIL-TECH – 05/01/2014]

Lockheed Martin testing facility enables more radio terminals to be qualified for use with MUOS communications satellites. [Satellite Spotlight. – 05/01/2014]

New Delorme inReach combines GPS navigation and emergency communications. [gizmag – 05/01/2014]

Both ViaSat and Space Systems Loral (SSL) take further legal action following recent decision by U.S. Court for Southern District of California to award ViaSat $283M in damages against SSL. [Via Satellite – 04/30/2014]

IGNIS project spearheaded by HISPASAT concludes with demonstration combining satellite communications with range of services and technologies at scene of a forest fire. [SatNews – 04/30/2014]

SSL delivers satellite to Kourou launch complex for Optus of Australia. [Broadcaster – 04/30/2014]

GlobaFone brings leading satellite communications solutions to the Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference. [4-traders – 04/30/2014]

EUTELSAT signs distribution agreement with Wireless Innovation to enable it to use KA-SAT to provide critical communication services and connectivity for temporary and mobile offices. [SatNews – 04/30/2014]

The global military satellite market is expected to experience a growth of 3.74% during 2014-2024 in a report published by Strategic Defence Intelligence. [Yahoo Finance – 04/29/2014]

Inmarsat lost altitude amid market fears the satellite communications group’s $1.6bn (£950m) high-speed broadband programme would be hit by Western sanctions on Moscow. [Telegraph – 04/29/2014]

MDA wins strategic contact to provide communications satellite hosted X-band payload on Turksat 6A. [Yahoo Finance – 04/29/2014]

ATK merges Aerospace and Defense Group with Orbital Sciences. [Via Satellite – 04/29/2014]

United Launch Alliance (ULA) responds to SpaceX suit against the U.S. Air Force’s block buy of 36 cores from ULA for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program. [Via Satellite – 04/29/2014]

Pilots using Planet2 satellite service can now receive inflight updates on weather hazards and warn other aircraft of storms they see ahead. [PHYS-ORG – 04/29/2014]

Ultra Electronics and Thuraya to provide end-to-end communications for government customers. [Via Satellite – 04/29/2014]

Age of satellites dedicated to broadcast is giving way to new technologies for handling massive data streams. [NY Times – 04/29/2014]

Telemar SpA appointed as Value Added Reseller for Inmarsat Global Xpress for the Global Government. [twst – 04/29/2014]

Carrier rocket Proton-M delivered Kazakh KazSat -3 and Russian Luch – 5B satellites to intermediate orbit, Russian Space Agency’s representative told RIA Novosti. [TMCnet – 04/28/2014]

SpaceX files suit against Air Force block buy of 36 cores from United Launch Alliance for Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Program. [Via Satellite – 04/28/2014]

AT&T will use its considerable resources to challenge Gogo in the inflight connectivity market. [cnbc – 04/28/2014]

AT&T and Honeywell to redefine the air travel experience with world-class, high-speed wireless Internet, developed so it can integrate with Honeywell’s GX and L-Band satellite systems. [Aviation Today – 04/28/2014]

SSL selected to provide a satellite to PT. Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (BRI), the oldest and most profitable bank in Indonesia. [msn Money – 04/28/2014]

Iridium completes extensive upgrade of ground station infrastructure worldwide for enhanced reliability and performance. [Financial Content – 04/28/2014]

Iridium submits application to IMO for new GMDSS maritime offering. [Via Satellite – 04/28/2014]

The FAA Alaska Flight Services has announced that the DeLorme inReach satellite communicator has been approved for the Enhanced Special Reporting Service (eSRS) program. [AERO News Network – 04/28/2014]

Airbus selected to build Peru’s first Earth Observation Satellite system. [Via Satellite – 04/28/2014]

International telecom and media company Millicom began its first Direct-to-Home (DTH) TV service in Bolivia. [Via Satellite – 04/28/2014]

ViaSat awarded $283M in damages in suite against Space Systems/Loral (SSL). [Via Satellite – 04/25/2014]

Cubesat propulsion systems to be 3-D printed by Aerojet Rocketdyne. [Via Satellite – 04/25/2014]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Speaking in South Korea as satellite images show North Korea may be preparing for another nuclear test, Obama warns of stiffer sanctions. [Yahoo News – 04/25/2014]

U.S. Sanctions putting the brakes on Russia-bound satellite shipments. [Space News – 04/25/2014]

Falcon 9’s first stage – Credit: SpaceX photo – Space News

SpaceX’s latest cargo flight delivers a step toward rocket reusability, as first stage fired back up and successfully performed a test “soft landing” in the Atlantic. [Space News – 04/25/2014]

SpaceX files formal protest in U.S. Court of Federal Claims over multibillion-dollar U.S. Air Force contract to its incumbent launch provider, United Launch Alliance. [Space News – 04/25/2014]

Increasing shift towards satellite TV drives demand for satellite transponders according to new Global Industry Analysts report. [Digital Journal – 04/25/2014]

Government of Canada decides not to proceed with scheduled June, 2014 launch of M3M satellite constructed by COM DEV – launch to be rescheduled.. [Space Ref business – 04/25/2014]

Glonass satellite collage – Space Daily file image

Russia plans to build 50 stations for the global navigation satellite system Glonass in 36 countries, a senior official said. [GPS Daily – 04/25/2014]

Russia’s GLONASS has resumed normal operations after suffering an outage earlier this month caused by a malfunctioning satellite. [GPS Daily – 04/25/2014]

High resolution satellite proposed for Peru –
Credit: Airbus Defence and Space artist’s concept – Space News

Airbus beats a crowded field for the right to build a reconnaissance satellite for Peru. [Space News – 04/25/2014]

Russian startup Yaliny hopes crowdfunding will launch its business — and its 135 satellites. [cnet – 04/25/2014]

M2M specialist Ovinto’s monitoring solution is certified for use with Globalstar Simplex satellite technology, and the company is a Globalstar Value Added Manufacturer. [SatNews – 04/25/2014]

Loral and SSL plan to appeal jury decision in ViaSat lawsuit. [MarketWatch – 04/24/2014]

Thuraya sets its sights on maritime sector, aiming for 10% market share in 2 years. [Business Times – 04/24/2014]

Hispasat is bidding for a majority stake in Israeli satellite operator Space Communication to boost its international exposure. [Reuters – 04/24/2014]

International Maritime Organization to consider Iridium applications to be a global maritime distress and safety system service provider. [CNBC – 04/24/2014]

Globalstar is unlocking the value of its $1 billion investment in the world’s newest, most modern satellite network and challenging customers to experience the best in voice quality, data speeds and affordability. [money.msn.com – 04/24/2014]

AsiaSat of Hong Kong terminates its cooperation agreement with GeoMetWatch to place a hyperspectral meteorological sensor on the AsiaSat 9 telecommunications satellite. [Space News – 04/24/2014]

Sea Launch in Pacific Ocean –
Credit: Sea Launch photo – Space News

Boeing’s petition to a Swedish court to rulke on its attempt to collect $356 million in back bills from its former Russian and Ukranian partners in Sea Launch is rejected. [Space News – 04/24/2014]

Gondwana selects Avanti to power multiple broadband and VOIP services to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and South Africa via HYLAS 2. [MarketWatch – 04/24/2014]

United States Department of Defense awards Orbcomm partner Savi Technology with a five-year contract as the sole provider to the $204 million RFID-IV program. [Via Satellite – 04/24/2014]

General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service issues combined synopsis/solicitation notice for acquisition of Worldwide Satellite Communication Services (WSCS II). [TMCnet – 04/23/2014]

U.S. Navy awards Harris Corporation potential $133 million broadband satellite communication terminal contract. [Satellite Spotlight – 04/23/2014]

Artist’s rendition of Eutelsat 65 west A. –
Photo: SSL – Via Satellite

All Eutelsat 65 West A Ka-band capacity is scarfed up by Hughes Network Systems do Brazil. [Via Satellite – 04/23/2014]

Critical military satellite systems are vulnerable to hacking. [Defense Sysems – 04/23/2014]

Silversea Cruises renews and extends its relationship with MTN for its eight-ship fleet, substantially increasing broadband connectivity and optimizing WiFi. [SatNews – 04/23/2014]

Effnet licenses its header compression technology to a leading broadband satellite communications companyu. [Globe Newswire – 04/23/2014]

New NSR report finds demand for traditional satellite capacity will remain strong, especially in the energy sector. [Reuters – 04/22/2014]

Third Kazakhstani communications satellite to be launched from Baikonur cosmodrome on April 28. [TMCnet – 04/22/2014]

Express-AT1 was launched jointly with Express-AT2 from
the Baikonur space center by a Russian Proton-M rocket
© ITAR-TASS/Oleg Urusov

[Russia puts into operation 2 new telecoms satellites. [ITAR-TASS – 04/22/20104]

General Dynamics opens new radio testing laboratory for MUOS satellite-ground station communications. [Reuters – 04/22/2014]

SkyWave launches dual satellite-cellular HSPA device. [M2M World News – 04/22/2014]

Comtech EF Data Corp., has received a USD3.1m order for SLM-5650A satellite modems from a government systems integrator. [Financial News – 04/22/2014]

US Finance Inc. commits to lend $24 million to Laser Light Global Limited, UK to build the HALO Center, a laser communications test and evaluation facility. [SatNews – 04/22/2014]

Thuraya Telecommunications Company announces a partnership with Satcom Direct, a US-based provider of voice and data communication services. [TMC News – 04/22/2014]

The satellite industry is at a critical inflection point, poised to expand beyond niche status and play a broader, more vital role in global communications. [Via Satellite – 04/21/2014]

Azerbaijan is finishing a tender procedure for the launch of the first national low-orbit satellite. [ABC.AZ – 04/21/2014]

Intelsat sees African over-capacity situation as temporary. [Via Satellite – 04/21/2014]

Astronauts get Easter treat courtesy of Space X Dragon 9. [R&D Magazine – 04/20/2014]

Handout picture released by the Peruvian Geological
Institute INGEMMET – NDTV

Satellite imagery can be used to predict which volcanoes are most likely to erupt, scientists have found. [NDTV – 04/20/2014]

Challenger Communications acquires assets of former Patriot Antenna Systems. [Press release – 03/19/2014]

 WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Ukraine’s Yuzhnoye Design Office continues to produce engines and other rocket components for customers in the United States, Brazil, Russia, Europe and elsewhere with no interruptions stemming from the crisis in Ukraine’s relations with Moscow. [Space News – 04/18/2014]

Lockheed Martin engineers in Denver install the Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUVI)
on the GOES-R Sun Pointing Platform. – Phys Org

New satellite sensor will analyze and predict severe space weather. [Phys Org – 04/18/2014]

India’s Department of Space consulting with telecom department (DoT) on planned overhaul of 17-year old satellite communications policy to allow auctioning of satellite bandwidth. [India Times – 04/18/2014]

Inmarsat will offer airlines free tracking using its satellite communications. [SKIFT – 04/18/2014]

Leading military and industry experts to meet in Rio de Janeiro in August at MilSatCom Latin America Conference. [PR Web – 04/18/2014]

Qualcomm assigned patent for forward link data rate control and rate indication for satellite-enabled communications systems. [TMC News – 04/18/2014]

Power system failure detected on Amazonas 4A likely to reduce transponder capacity- since the problem cannot be fixed, Orbital Sciences will lose millions in incentive payments. [Washington Business Journal – 04/17/2014]

Falcon 9 launch – Space Travel file photo

SpaceX cargo mission launches to International Space Station. [Space Travel – 04/17/2014]

Satellite terminals widely used in transportation, military, and industrial plants contain backdoors, hardcoded credentials, weak encryption algorithms, and other design flaws. [Information Week – 04/17/2014]

German satellite and Internet company Stellar tells GCHQ and NSA “Call me!” – wants answers why it may have been hacked by them. [DW – 04/17/2014]

Atmospheric satellite – Artist’s concept at Angelpub – Wealth Daily

Atmospheric satellites can alleviate most of problems affecting polar and geosynchronous satellites, and do things like provide low-cost, wide-area-effective internet access to people and places that would never have had it before. [Wealth Daily – 04/17/2014]

Africa’s demand for bandwidth is doubling every year, outpacing the laying of terrestrial fiber links and encouraging satellite operators to launch more satellites. [Yahoo News – 04/17/2014]

Lockheed Martin completely renovates its flagship A2100 satellite bus as it moves forward to reengage the commercial satellite market. [Via Satellite – 04/17/2014]

Russian Aerospace Corp. president suspected of office abuse in instructing subsidiary to grant loans to two companies involved in commercial space project Sea Launch. [Space News – 04/17/2014]

exactEarth and SRT release new technology called ABSEA to enable global tracking for small commercial and leisure vessels. [Via Satellite – 04/17/2014]

GlobaFone to offer Iridium GO! personal Wi-Fi hotspot that allows users to connect up to five devices to the Iridium satellite network and use a smart phone to make calls and send data. [Officer.com – 04/17/2014]

Advantech Wireless CEO expects Gallium Nitride (GaN) to be the technology of choice over Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTAs) and Klystrons in the future. [Via Satellite – 04/17/2014]

Measat 3b satellite transported to Kourou, French Guiana for a dual launch with the SSL-built Optus 10 by an Arianespace Ariane 5 launcher. [Via Satellite – 04/16/2014]

SpaceX signs 20-year agreement with NASA for use of Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, the site of numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions. [Via Satellite – 04/16/2014]

Satellite photo of California wildfires in 2013 May 2, 2013 by UK DMC2. Photo: DMCii

Even with current and planned proliferation of Earth Observation satellites, DMC International Imaging CEO advises governments and industry not to get comfortable with the level of coverage just yet. [Via Satellite – 04/16/2014]

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the air force to adopt an integrated air and space defence capability, in what was called a response to the increasing military use of space by the United States and others. [Space News – 04/16/2014]

Pentagon seeks information on potential launch service providers for ORS-5 satellite. [Space News – 04/16/2014]

IceSat 2 – Credit: NASA artist’s concept – Space News

Science instrument for NACA’s ICESat-2 will be delivered at least nine months late and continues to face development challenges. [Space News – 04/16/2014]

DigitalGlobe and MDA will offer combined optical and synthetic aperture radar satellite solution to their global defense and intelligence customers. [Via Satellite – 04/16/2014]

SSL is selected to provide two communications satellites to SKY Perfect JSAT of Japan, with a fleet currently including 16 satellites. [MarketWatch – 04/16/2014]

Arabsat CEO calls for the satellite industry to up the pace of progress, saying the industry is moving too slow. [Via Satellite – 04/16/2014]

The German Aerospace Center and the Japanese National Institute of Information and Communications Technology sign memorandum of understanding strengthening their cooperation in the crucial research area of optical satellite-Earth communication. [DLR – 04/16/2014]

SES Broadband Services (SBBS) and Gilat expand consumer Ka-band services to Germany and Italy over SES’s ASTRA 2E satellite. [Satellite Spotlight – 04/16/2014]

Harvey Gulf International Marine chooses KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband network to support onboard applications including crew Internet access, business email, and voice. [MarineLink – 04/16/2014]

DeLorme announces inReach Explorer, the world’s first satellite communicator with built-in navigation. [Yahoo Finance – 04/16/2014]

Shaw Communications will make changes to its operating units as part of its bid to improve efficiency and enhance growth, laying off as many as 400 but making up to 100 new hires. [mediacaster – 04/16/2014]

Global military satellite market expected to experience growth of 3.74% during 2014 – 2024 in new report published by Strategic Defence Intelligence. [Yahoo Finance – 04/15/2014]

Frost and Sullivan report based on a Hughes Network Systems solution posits that satellite backhaul is the best way for 3G/LTE cellular providers to extend their networks in hard-to-reach areas where terrestrial facilities are limited or cost-prohibitive. [Financial News – 04/15/2014]

Second of three new NASA TDRS-L spacecraft arrives at launch pad at Cape Canaveral ready for launch. [Scientific Computing – 04/15/2014]

U.S. intelligence community recommends granting U.S. satellite imagery provider DigitalGlobe’s request for permission to sell high resolution images to non-government customers. [Space News – 04/15/2014]

Reaction Engines’ Skylon – Credit: Reaction Engines artist’s concept – Space News

Two companies take radically different approaches to launcher reusability – Britain’s Reaction Engines and SpaceX of the U.S. [Space News – 04/15/2014]

Acquired by Broadband Satellite Services last year, Satcom Global and the AND group are being unveiled as the unified global brand Satcom Global offering wider portfolio of services. [SatNews – 04/15/2014]

Mario Zucchelli, Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica – Photo courtesy of ESA – SatNews

SES and Milano Teleport have signed a capacity and ground satellite infrastructure deal to provide connectivity to Mario Zucchelli, the Italian research station in Antarctica. [SatNews – 04/15/2014]

Iveriasat to broadcast to Europe and Middle East via Azerspace 1 satellite. [Via Satellite – 04/15/2014]

A model of the Solara 50, Titan Aerospace’s commercial “atmospheric satellite” – arstechnica

Google buys “atmospheric satellite” builder Titan Aerospace, previously identified as a Facebook acquisition. [ars technica – 04/14/2014]

According to recent revelations, Britain’s GCHQ Intelligence agency has been able to hack into German communications and satellite firms. [Acumin – 04/14/2014]

With an impending gap in meteorological satellite coverage looming over the United States, NOAA is being pushed to make greater use of commercial data sources. [Via Satellite – 04/14/2014]

Artist’s concept image of ISEE-3 (ICE) spacecraft. Image Credit: NASA

Launched in 1978 to study solar wind, ISEE-3 returns to make its closest approach to Earth in August 2014 before it heads back out to interplanetary space. [NASA – 04/14/2014]

Turkmenistan plans to launch communications satellite in November 2014. [TMC News – 04/14/2014]

Key companies providing in-flight WiFi include Gogo Inc. of the U.S., Row44 of the U.S., LiveTV, owned by Thales of France, Panasonic Avionics of Japan, and SITA unit OnAir based in Geneva – article includes the satellite providers they work with. [Reuters – 04/14/2014]

RigNet and CPN introduce new packages SCADA solution for oilfield service companies. [The Wall Street Journal – 04/14/2014]

Huawei and Comtech EF Data announce integrated satellite solution platform using Comtech EF Data’s advanced VSAT and Huawei’s routers, communications, and monitoring systems. [WhaTech – 04/12/2014]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services