Really Rocket Science

Nice video rendering. We know it’s really not that pretty.

Yeah, and no music in space…

This video shows Hubble observations of Arp 116, a pair of galaxies in the constellation of Virgo. It is made up of M60, a large elliptical galaxy, and a smaller, bluer spiral galaxy, NGC 4647. It has long been unclear whether the two galaxies are actually interacting, or whether they simply appear close together from our distant vantage point. However, detailed studies of Hubble pictures suggest that the pair are beginning to experience tidal forces.

Credit: NASA, ESA. Music: R. Vreeland

Via ESA. Makes a pretty picture Read the rest of this entry »

Government of Luxembourg asks ITU to deny license for Avanti’s Hylas 2 satellite.
 [Space News – 09/07/2012]

Curiosity’s tire tracks, made during 112 meters of travel in one month, visible in images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
[R&D Magazine – 09/07/2012]

AMOS-4 satellite set for Q2 2013 launch; GlobeCast will use AMOS-5 satellite for complimentary satellite services in Africa for Palaympic Games broadcasts.
[SatNews – 09/07/2012]

SES and Red Bee Media unveil remote recording service for satellite reception devices.
[SatNews – 09/07/2012]

Echostar showcasing comprehensive range of connected device solutions at IBC.
[SatNews – 09/07/2012]

Entropic Communications deploys Set Top Box system-on-a-chip and demodulator technology in three EchoStar models.
[SatNews – 09/07/2012]

Iranian government locates satellite operator willing to lease or sell an in-orbit telecommunications satellite, providing the country a placeholder for it’s expiring orbital slot assignment.
[Space News – 09/06/2012]

Astrium ready to launch European polar orbiting weather satellite Metop-B.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

35 year old Voyager 1 soon to be first man-made object to leave the solar system.
[NextGov – 09/06/2012]

Intelsat S.A. announces that Astrium Services Business Communications has expanded its capacity on Intelsat’s Ku-band mobility infrastructure.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

Gilat Satellite Networks gets initial order for several thousand SkyEdge II-c Aries self-install customer premise equipment kits from one of Europe’s largest satellite broadband ISP’s in support of SES Broadband Services Ka-band consumer service rollout.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

SES Broadband Ka-band consumer service to launch in November 2012.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

Singapore Airlines launching In-Flight Connectivity as part of $50 million program to bring Internet and mobile data services to customers, even at 35,000 feet.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

ND SatCom wins broadcast uplink technology deal in Germany.
[Satellite Today – 09/06/2012]

IsoTropic Networks upgrades global satellite network to iDirect Evolution platform with iDX 3.1 software to reduce operating costs and grow the business.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

New Lasso satellite interface allows easy and affordable access to Globalstar satellite network for remote M2M monitoring applications.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

Selex Elsag selects Teledyne Paradise Datacom high power X-band PowerMAX SSPAs to expand NATO ground satellite communications systems in Belgium and Italy, and provide upgrades in Greece and Turkey.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

Eutelsat promotes readiness of satellites for ultra HD, triple-play, digital cinema, new-generation newsgathering, and more, at IBC 2012.
[EE Times – 09/05/2012]

KVH TracPhone V11 C/Ku-band terminal adds global C-band coverage to mini-VSAT Broadband network, receiving  full FCC approval, including first-time approval for C-band on vessels under 300 gross tons.
[SatNews – 09/05/2012]

On Call Communications and Gray Television Group collaborate on combination of mobile satellite systems and 3G video encoders to create news gathering package for twenty Gray-owned news channels.
[Herald online – 09/05/2012]

Indonesia’s space agency to launch its two micro satellites LAPAN A-2 and LAPAN ORARI via India’s PSLV rocket later this month.
[SatNews – 09/04/2012]

First Intelsat EpicNG satellite, Intelsat 29e, will be Boeing 702MP.
[Herald online – 09/04/2012]

Russian President Vladimir Putin dismisses general director of Khrunichev Space Center, Vladimir Nesterov.
[SatNews – 09/04/2012]

United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan hold satellite frequency coordination meeting.
[AME – 09/04/2012]

Joint space agency for Africa considered at meeting in Sudan of continent’s communications and IT ministers.
[phys.org – 09/04/2012]

Squire Tech Solutions serves hundreds of satellite Mobile Responder units in post hurricane response to Mississippi-, Louisiana-, and Arkansas-based teams.
[Azosensors.com – 09/04/2012]

MTN’s yacht customers can now view HD content, with MTN’s VSAT connections using Jetstream HD streaming content solution.
[SatNews – 09/04/2012]

Hungarian company Magyar Telekom signs long-term AMOS capacity lease.
[Satellite Today – 09/04/2012]

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. gets $1.2 million order from defense contractor for solid-state high-power amplifiers for use in transportable satellite communications systems by U.S. military.
[Herald online – 09/04/2012]

inthinc selects ORBCOMM for global M2M communications service.
[4-traders – 09/04/2012]

DARPA program to harvest and reuse satellite components involves high school students.
[Occupational Health & Safety – 09/03/2012]

Thales Alenia Space Espana to present Paper “Security in IP Satellite Networks:  .  .  .” at Sixth International Conference of Advanced Multimedia Satellite and Signal Processing for Space Communications.
[Defence Professionals – 09/03/2012]

HTS Paradigm Shift – Industry views of High Throughput Satellites change dramatically over past five years.
[NSR – 08/28/2012]

NSR 3rd edition, SCADA/M2M Via Satellite report available in October.
[NSR – October 2012]

NSR 5th Edition, Global Direct-to-Home Markets report available in September.
[NSR – September 2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Via The Onion News Network (from November, 2011).

Europe and China will share data from ocean-monitoring satellites.
[Space News – 08/30/2012]

Twin U.S. satellites rocket into orbit to explore radiation belts and protect planet from solar outbursts.
{R&D Magazine – 08/30/2012]

Defense Weather Systems Directorate celebrates 50 years of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP).
[SatNews – 08/30/2012]

Russia’s NPO Molnya Space Design Bureau developing hypersonic unmanned rocket vehicle capable of orbiting satellites.
[Satelllite Today – 08/30/2012]

Vizada is awarded five-year IDIQ contract with funding ceiling of $2.8 billion to provide land, sea, and air SATCOM services to all federal agencies.
[U.S. Politics Today – 08/30/2012]

Thaicom plans for interim satellite to be placed at its 50.5 degree East orbital slot to maintain the location rights.
[Satellite Today – 08/30/2012]

Dish Network urges FCC not to shift its spectrum holdings in the 2GHz band, and to approve rules for using satellite spectrum in terrestrial settings.
[TeleGeography – 08/30/2012]

Globecomm will introduce new business unit, Globecomm Europe, at IBC.
[SatNews – 08/30/2012]

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft to leave giant asteroid Vesta and travel three billion miles in 2 1/2 yeas to dwarf planet Ceres.
[SatNews – 08/30/2012]

Russia to launch two space laboratories within next four years.
[SatNews – 08/30/2012]

Satellite Interference Reduction Group (IRG), Global VSAT Forum (GVF), and Newtec announce number of meetings and initiatives relating to satellite interference at IBC.
[SatNews – 08/29/2012]

Largest public media enterprise in the U.S., Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), installs large set of Newtec M6100 modulators for content distribution as part of upgrade to DVB-S2 and H264, as well as Carrier ID for interference migigation.
[SatNews – 08/29/2012]

ITC deepens local presence in Africa with acquisition of Spidersat.
[Herald Online – 08/29/2012]

SES signs capacity agreement with Romantis, who will use NSS-12 Ku-band capacity to support growing connectivity needs across Russia and Central Asia.
[SatNews – 08/29/2012]

KVH introduces new onboard terminal for its mini-VSAT Broadband service including its breakthrough IP-enabled antenna control unit, CommBox ACU, with IP network and Wi-Fi features.
[SatNews – 08/29/2012]

United Arab Emirates is elected as member of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization Advisory Committee.
[Khaleej Times – 08/28/2012]

MTN Satellite Communications launches MTN Worldwide TV for maritime customers.
[SatNews – 08/28/2012]

Intelsat Mobility offering highlights convergence of FSS and MSS markets.
[Satellite Today – 08/28/2012]

Dish Networks broadens international Internet-based television service to be viewable on PCs and Mac computers.
[Home Media Magazine – 08/28/2012]

C-COM Satellite Systems receives type approval from ViaSat for its iNetVu Ka-75V antenna system, for operation on ViaSat’s Exede professional Ka-band high-capacity satellite service.
[SatNews – 08/28/2012]

Satlink upgrades MCPC platform on AsiaSat 5 satellite to DVB-S2.
[SatNews – 08/28/2012]

Advantech Wireless rolls out new X-, C-band manpack BUCs.
[Satellite Today – 08/28/2012]

EchoStar files patent application for rooftop weather station.
[Satellite Today – 08/27/2012]

Satellite companies look to drones for growth.
[Washington Post – 08/26/2012]

iDirect Government Technologies to provide satellite router board modems to L-3 GCS for Hawkeye III 2.0M VSAT terminals.
[U.S. Politics Today – 08/26/2012]

Eight satellite providers win Custom Satellite Communications Solutions contract awarded by the General Services Administration and the Defense Information Systems Agency for commercial satellite services.
[Space News – 08/24/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

He’s sure to be mentioned in every history book everywhere. Neil Armstrong: first man to set foot on the Moon.

He was a brave guy was flying before he was driving, according to the obituary in the N.Y. Times. Eagle Scout and a test pilot of the X-15.

It took balls to be the first, and to live with that fact for many years.

Iran’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology denies department’s involvement in satellite jamming; head of health committee rejects denial and claims jamming is dangerous to public health.
[Radio Free Europe Persian Letters – 08/24/2012]

RUAG Space selected by Orbital Sciences to provide two space-hardened GPS receivers for NASA’s ICESat-2 Earth observation mission.
[SatNews – 08/24/2012]

Gottlieb International Group announces first webinar, entitled “The Battle for the Broadband Maritime Customer – Global Xpress vs. EpicNG, the KVH V11, O3b” September 13.
[SatNews – 08/24/2012]

NASA twin space probes set to explore Earth’s Van Allen Belts, radiation belts that can jeopardize satellites and disrupt communications when deflected by solar flares.
[msnbc – 08/23/2012]

Euroconsult’s latest research report, “Satellite Communications & Broadcasting Markets Survey, Forecasts to 2021″ reveals a good year for FSS operators in 2011.
[SatNews – 08/23/2012]

Canadian Defense Department plans new $1 billion Arctic surveillance satellite network. [Satellite Today – 08/23/2012]

AsiaSat increases profits after abandoning unsuccessful joint venture with Dish Network.
[Satellite Today – 08/23/2012]

Cruise ship lines seek to offer land-quality communications at sea; MTN and Wireless Maritime Services partner to create new smart phone app designed to make at-sea communications less painful.
[Cruise Critic – 08/23/2012]

Inmarsat expects demand for mobile satellite communications in Malaysia to continue to grow, especially in the shipping industry.
[Bernama.com – 08/23/2012]

South Africa to launch nanosatellite weighing 1.2 kilograms and running on same amount of power as 5W light bulb in November to collect information about space weather.
[SatNews – 08/23/2012]

XCOR Aerospace to establish East Coast U.S. operational base in Florida, and if market develops, build a manufacturing and assembly center for XCOR Lynx Mark II suborbital reusable launch vehicles.
[SatNews – 08/23/2012]

Indian Space Research Organization plans 100th launch, carrying two foreign satellites into orbit in September.
[Satellite Today – 08/23/2012]

RIA Novosti planning a space satellite manufacturing plant in Shchyolkovo, just outside the Russian capital.
[SatNews – 08/23/2012]

Atlas V launch of National Reconnaissance Office NROL-36 payload rescheduled for September 13.
[SatNews – 08/22/2012]

Japan’s Marubeni Aerospace to help Myanmar launch small Earth observation satellite.
[Satellite Today – 08/22/2012]

Inmarsat to launch U.S. based global pre-paid satellite voice and data service.
[Satellite Today – 08/22/2012]

Terrorism trial at Gitmo delayed when Internet service at U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, serviced by satellite downlinks in Maine and Maryland, was interrupted because of fiber-optic lines cut during train derailment.
[Security Blogs – 08/22/2012]

Hughes Communications India receives Prasad Film Laboratories contract to implement broadband satellite network to distribute digital cinema content to 1000 sites.
[Telecom Tiger – 08/22/2012]

Kongsberg Satellite Services gets contract to provide ground station services for the next generation of NAS weather satellites.
[SatNews – 08/22/2012]

IPSTAR partners with iDirect to expand broadband satellite solution portfolio for Asia Pacific.
[Broadcast Newsroom – 08/22/2012]

Global Data Broadcast, developed by Celestech Inc., enables delivery of data to users everywhere on Earth via new satellite-based wireless broadcast capability using small low-power mobile terminals, high-power transmissions, and pole-to-pole coverage.
[SatNews – 08/22/2012]

Invisibility cloak technology research develops metamaterials which are being used in the design of cheaper and easier-to-use satellite communications equipment.
[Cnet – 08/21/2012]

SatLink Communications has partnership with Telesat to deliver TV programming to Latin America on new Ku-band MCPC DVB-S2 platform using Telesat’s Telstar 12 satellite.
[SatNews – 08/21/2012]

New Satellite Hot Spot product launched by Maxwell Technology set to empower South African township and rural entrepreneurs – World Bank research shows direct correlation between broadband penetration and gross domestic product (GDP).
[Biz Community – 08/21/2012]

NASA’s Landsat time lapse photos show catastrophic destruction caused by Mt. St. Helens eruption in 1980, and remarkable recovery in the 30 years since.
[SatNews – 08/21/2012]

Mississippi low level during 2012 drought contrasted with high level during 2011 flooding in satellite photos.
[SatNews – 08/21/2012]

“Tackling Satellite Interference,” a Microwave Journal special report with detailed discussion of sources of satellite interference and methods to combat it, including Carrier ID and Geolocation services.
[Microwave Journal Special Report – 08/20/2012]

NASA awards California Institute of Technology 5 year $8.5 billion contract to manage the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
[R&D Magazine – 08/20/2012]

Intelsat 21 launched successfully from a mobile launch platform in the Pacific Ocean; Intelsat 21 will replace Intelsat 9 at 302° East and is expected to have a useful life of more than 18 years.
[Space.com – 08/19/2012]
View the launch replay

Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association announces commitment to promote hiring of 4,000 qualified veterans and military spouses into consumer satellite industry by 2014.
[SatNews – 08/19/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Mars Panorama – Curiosity rover: Martian solar day 2 in New Mexico

Very cool.

Hope more Mars images become available by our friends at Big Bang Prints soon.

Newtec rapidly expands Latin American presence beyond Brazil into Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Peru, while increasing efficiency with Clean Channel Technology and combating interference with Carrier ID insertion in its new broadcast modulator.
[IT News Online 08/17/2012]

Penny-sized rocket thruster may soon power the smallest satellites in space.
[SatNews – 08/17/2012]

PacStar wins TacSat Nano contract from 6th Contracting Squadron, MacDill AFB.
[SatNews – 08/17/2012]

As Russian Prime Minister Medvedev orders Roscosmos to sort out its problems to reverse the string of 7 failed launches and 10 satellites lost in last year an a half, the head of the Krunichev State Research and Production Space Center, Vladimir Nesterov, resigns.
[SatNews – 08/16/2012]

Harris is awarded Space Systems/Loral contract for reflector deployment booms for use on two unnamed high-throughput communications satellites.
[Satellite Today – 08/16/2012]

Space Tracking and Surveillance System demonstration satellites participate in test of next generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense weapon system.
[SatNews – 08/16/2012]

Ball Aerospace Technologies will incorporate essential data communication enhancements for the Joint Polar Satellite System under development for early launch in 2017.
[Space Daily – 08/16/2012]

Kratos SAT Corp to supply Monics carrier monitoring system and related products to Space Systems/Loral in support of one of its customers that will provide broadband communications services in remote areas.
[iStockAnalyst – 08/16/2012]

Sagetech Corporation wins Harris Corporation subcontract for AireonSM, a revolutionary advancement in air traffic management that will be hosted on Iridium’s second-generation satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT.
[Virtual Strategy – 08/16/2012]

Dish Network expected to offer nationwide satellite broadband on Echostar 17, with early offering download speeds of up to 5 Mbps though rates up to 15 Mbps are possible.
[Bloomberg – 08/16/2012]

MTN Satellite Communications and Wireless Maritime Services launch Connect at Sea voice application.
[Telecom Lead – 08/16/2012]

Russian manufacturer ISS Reshetnev makes contact with PT Telkom’s Telcom-3 satellite that was placed in useless orbit following failed launch last week.
[Satellite Today – 08/15/2012]

Arianespace sets launch date for Indian Space Research Organization’s next communication satellite, GSAT-10.
[Satellite Today – 08/15/2012]

Satellite Interference Reduction group pushes participation in use of carrier ID with catchy slogan “Stop Interference Now . . . its a SIN.”
[SatNews – 08/15/2012]

Georgia Tech to assist Sierra Nevada Corporation in quest to develop commercial space flight system by providing expertise on how to ensure the smoothest possible re-entry for SNC’s Dream Chaser spacecraft.
[R&D Magazine – 08/15/2012]

Automated L-72 hour launch countdown sequence is initiated by the Sea Launch and Energia Logistics teams at the Equator for the launch of Intelsat 21 on August 17.
[SatNews – 08/14/2012]

Atlas V mission carrying the National Reconnaissance Office NROL-3 payload including cubesats is rescheduled for September 6.
[SatNews – 08/14/2012]

View of London’s Olympic Park is captured by the smallest imager aboard ESA’s smallest mission – the High Resolution Camera aboard the Proba-1 microsatellite.
[SatNews – 08/14/2012]

Cobham gets $65 million Boeing contract to supply electronic systems for three satellites of WGS satellite program.
[SatNews – 08/13/2012]

New detection technique could predict solar flares more than a day before they occur, providing advance warning to protects satellites, power grids, and astronauts from potentially dangerous radiation.
[R&D Magazine 08/13/2012]

NASA selects three teams to advance the state of the art for small spacecraft in the areas of communications, formation flying, and docking systems.
[SatNews – 08/13/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

It still amazes me how many resources went into spy satellites in the 60’s and 70’s. Designing, building, launching and operating — all under super-secret conditions — using transistor radio era technology must have been mind-boggling for the non-scientists. And film. They used film to get the images they needed. And how did they get the film back to earth? Why, drop the huge canister in the ocean, of course!

Recent news about the declassification of rescue mission in 1972 to retrieve a canister that dropped into the ocean without a parachute. Imagine that: the rescue mission was classified!

That’s not a very compelling title for a fascinating post. Unless your one of the many astronomers who worked on this new discovery by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory…

Astronomers have found an extraordinary galaxy cluster, one of the largest objects in the universe, that is breaking several important cosmic records. Observations of the Phoenix cluster with NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, the National Science Foundation’s South Pole Telescope, and eight other world-class observatories may force astronomers to rethink how these colossal structures and the galaxies that inhabit them evolve.

Stars are forming in the Phoenix cluster at the highest rate ever observed for the middle of a galaxy cluster. The object also is the most powerful producer of X-rays of any known cluster and among the most massive. The data also suggest the rate of hot gas cooling in the central regions of the cluster is the largest ever observed.

The Phoenix cluster is located about 5.7 billion light years from Earth. It is named not only for the constellation in which it is located, but also for its remarkable properties.

“While galaxies at the center of most clusters may have been dormant for billions of years, the central galaxy in this cluster seems to have come back to life with a new burst of star formation,” said Michael McDonald, a Hubble Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the lead author of a paper appearing in the Aug. 16 issue of the journal Nature. “The mythology of the Phoenix, a bird rising from the dead, is a great way to describe this revived object.”

Like other galaxy clusters, Phoenix contains a vast reservoir of hot gas, which itself holds more normal matter — not dark matter — than all of the galaxies in the cluster combined. This reservoir can be detected only with X-ray telescopes such as Chandra. The prevailing wisdom once had been that this hot gas should cool over time and sink to the galaxy at the center of the cluster, forming huge numbers of stars. However, most galaxy clusters have formed very few stars during the last few billion years. Astronomers think the supermassive black hole in the central galaxy of a cluster pumps energy into the system, preventing cooling of gas from causing a burst of star formation.