WBMSAT News Bits 11/28/2014

Featured Article

Credit: European Space Agency graphic – Space News

Despite growing concern about orbital debris, and language in U.S. national space policy directing government agencies to study debris cleanup technologies, industry worries not enough is being done to implement the policy.
[Space News – 11/24/2014]

Read entire issue of WBMSAT News Bits at WBMSAT Talking Satellite

WBMSAT News Bits 11/21/2014

Featured Article

5th Galileo satellite orbiting earth – esa artist’s concept – esa

U.S warns EU that any preferential treatment it gives to its Galileo positioning, navigation and timing network may violate WTO agreements.
[Space News – 11/21/2014]

Read all of this week’s News Bits here.

WBMSAT News Bits 11/14/2014

Featured Article

Feds lift export ban on commercial satellites.
[The Hill – 11/10/2014]

Read the full version of WBMSAT News Bits

WBMSAT News Bits 11/07/2014

Featured Article

Wreckage of SpaceShipTwo. Credit: CNN/KABC video capture – Space News

Branson empire reverberates from shock of space-craft crash.
[Space News – 11/06/2014]
Real problem behind Virgin Galactic’s test flight disaster is bad business.
[Space News – 11/05/2014]

Read Entire Issue of This Week’s WBMSAT News Bits Here

Be A Giant

Fee-fi-fo-fum,
I smell the blood of an Englishman,
Be he live, or be he dead
I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.

That’s your new mantra at home — after you buy one of Florian Pucher’s Landcarpets. The carpets are based on actual satellite images. They’re not cheap, but they are unique.

So what do you do with ceilings? A Big Bang Print is probably a good idea. Costs less, too.


WBMSAT News Bits 10/31/2014

Featured Article

New study finds growth of African economies and markets threatened by mobile industry’s drive to access critical C-band satellite spectrum.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 10/29/2014]

Read This Week’s WBMSAT News Bits here

 

Big Boom on Wallops

This sucks. Critical failure for NASA tonight.

The statement from Orbital

Orbital Sciences Corporation confirms that today’s Antares rocket launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility was not successful. Shortly after lift-off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A at 6:22 p.m. (EDT), the vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure. According to NASA’s emergency operations officials, there were no casualties and property damage was limited to the south end of Wallops Island. Orbital has formed an anomaly investigation board, which will work in close coordination with all appropriate government agencies, to determine the cause of today’s mishap.

Is not nearly as creative and thoughtful as the one from William Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator of NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Directorate

Orbital has demonstrated extraordinary capabilities in its first two missions to the station earlier this year, and we know they can replicate that success. Launching rockets is an incredibly difficult undertaking, and we learn from each success and each setback. Today’s launch attempt will not deter us from our work to expand our already successful capability to launch cargo from American shores to the International Space Station.


WBMSAT News Bits 10/17/2014

Featured Article

ABS-2 Credit: Space Systems/Loral photo – Space News

Asia Broadcast Satellite files $214 million insurance claim for bad Russian beam on its ABS-2 satellite built by Space Systems/Loral.
[Space News – 10/17/2014]

Read the rest of this week’s WBMSAT News Bits here

WBMSAT News Bits 10/10/2014

Featured Article

European Commission decides to allow terrestrial broadband operators to use a portion of C-band spectrum that had been exclusive for satellite operations.
[Space News – 10/09/2014]

Industry Reports

New Companies and Markets report “Global Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) Market 2014 – 2018” projects CAGR growth during the period of 5.48%.
[Live-PR – 10/09/2014]

“Global Enterprise VSAT Market 2014-2018″ report at ReportsnReports projects CAGR growth of 10.49% by 2018.
[Green Technology World – 10/08/2014]

Euroconsult – 353 Earth observation satellites are expected to be launched over the next decade.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 10/09/2014]

Broadband now installed in more than 700 million homes worldwide.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 10/06/2014]

Industry Groups, Trade Shows

NSR Space and Satellite Regulatory Colloquium focused on emerging space law and regulatory issues facing the U.S. Administration and International governments will be held in Washington D.C. at the W Washington Hotel October 23.
[Satnews – October 2014]

Myanmar Satellite Forum to be attended by a number of global satellite operators at Myanmar Event Part, Yangon on November 19, 2014.
[telecomlead – 10/09/2014]

Launch Activity

O3b and Galileo satellites swap places in Soyuz launch queue; with the next O3b launch to now be in mid-December.
[Space News – 10/10/2014]

The commercial arrangement for NASA’s scheduled December 4 Orion EFT-1 launch  requires both a commercial launch license and a commercial re-entry license from the Federal Aviation Administration.
[Space News – 10/10/2014]

Tourists find it difficult to visit the Baikonur Cosmodrome to see a Soyuz launch- Space News

Space-launch tourism not blasting off as promised in Kazakhstan.
[Space News – 10/10/2014]

JAXA’s Himawari 8 satellite on its way to orbit. Photo: JAXA. – Via Satellite

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and JAXA launch Himawari 8 weather satellite.
[Via Satellite – 10/08/2014]

Frozen hydrazine lines blamed for August 25 Fregat launch anomaly that left two uninsured Galileo navigation satellites in unintended orbits.
[Via Satelite – 10/08/2014]

Artist’s rendition of ArSat-1 – NASA Spaceflight

Ariane 5 scheduled to launch ArSat-1, Argentina’s first satellite, on October 15, 2014.
[NASA Spaceflight – 10/06/2014]

Satellite Construction

Space Based Infrared System payload delivered by Northrop Grumman to Lockheed Martin for SBIRS BEO-4, to be launched in 2016.
[Space Ref – 10/07/2014]

Venezuela signs contract with China Great Wall Industry Corporation to build and launch its third satellite, earmarked for regional development.
[Venezuelanalysis – 10/07/2014]

Satellite Operations

TRA hosts frequency coordination meeting for officials from UAE and Republic of Belarus to discuss techniques to resolve interference between their satellite networks.
[TMCnet – 10/08/2014]

Satellite Technology

South Africa to commercialize its first indigenous micro satellite, using advanced remote sensing system based on hyperspectral imaging.
[Via Satellite – 10/07/2014]

Image: Journal of Micrelectromechanical Systems/colorized by MIT News – R&D Magazine

MIT Microsystem’s Technology Laboratories develops dense arrays of microscopic cones that eject streams of ions, and could provide propulsion for nanosatellites.
[R&D Magazine – 10/06/2014]

Ground Systems Technology

ViaSat tests 1 Mbps L-band terminal throughput over LightSquared satellite.
[Via Satellite – 10/09/2014]

Government, Military & Defense

Inmarsat’s L-band Tactical Satellite (L-TAC) service delivers a resilient Ultra High Frequency (UHF)-like tactical satellite capability to existing military and commercial radios used by the U.S. government.
[Intelligent Aerospace – 10/10/2014]

General Dynamics’ MUOS-Manpack PRC-155 radio connects U.S. Air Force aircraft to Operations Center via MUOS satellite system.
[TMCnet – 10/10/2014]

U.S. ceases decades-long practice of jamming television and radio broadcasts from Cuba, a decision that will strengthen the U.S. position against intentional jamming by Iran, China, Ethiopia and elsewhere.
[Space News – 10/10/2014]

Russian government keen to develop space infrastructure amid turbulent political backdrop.
[Via Satellite – 10/09/2014]

Credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Amber Whittington – Space News

U.S. Air Force awards $26 million contract extension to Harris satellite-control support contract.
[Space News – 10/09/2014]

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) has won the Ellersick Best Paper Award at MILCOM 2014 Conference for its Faster-Than-Nyquist (FTN) technology.
[Satnews – 10/08/2014]

Intelsat focuses on interference reduction in its next generation  EpigNG High Throughput Satellites to provide advantages in its marketing to government entities.
[Via Satellite – 10/07/2014]

Northrop Grumman features three variants of protected low-cost terminals to protect nation’s warfighters and advance military satellite communications.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/07/2014]

Iridium complains to Indian government that state-run Gharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. did not follow fair process in selecting Inmarsat as partner for establishing mobile satellite communications gateway.
[Business Standard – 10/09/2014]

Zambian government ministry plans to link remote districts using satellite technology.
[Zambia Daily Mail – 10/09/2014]

Thales Canada completes trials for new system for Royal Canadian Navy.
[Ottawa Citizen – 10/08/2014]

Rockwell Collins’ ARC-210 becomes first airborne radio to operate on MUOS satellite system.
[Aerospace Manufacturing and Design – 10/07/2014]

Inmarsat’s Global Xpress begins service for U.S. government customers.
[Via Satellite – 10/07/2014]

GVF certifies 21 militaries in Asia-Pacific area in use of satellite communications systems for disaster preparedness.
[GVF Press Release – 10/07/2014]

Tesacom has won a contract for the provision of fixed and mobile satellite communications to government buildings and top officials in Peru.
[telecompaper – 10/07/2014]

Intelsat General gets contract extension for delivering American Forces Radio and TV service.
[The New York Times – 10/06/2014]

Inmarsat signs MOA with TECOM to manufacture Global Xpress aviation terminals for the government market.
[TWST – 10/06/2014]

Regulatory

Signal interference proposal could make the ITU a watchdog with some teeth.
[Space News – 10/10/2014]

FCC is trying to overhaul its existing satellite supervisory framework.
[RapidTV News – 10/06/.2014]

Aeronautical

Boeing completes testing of low profile aeronautical satellite antenna developed for Al Yah Satellite Company of the United Arab Emirates.
[Defense World – 10/10/2014]

Testing Transaero Airlines InFlight Connectivity (IFC) – it “is kind of like a swimming pool at a hotel: You don’t use it every time — maybe not even 50 percent of the times — but it is always nice to know it is there.”
[Via Satellite – 10/06/2014]

Broadband

Squire Tech Solutions updates website with extensive satellite product and service information to help customers and partners understand the complete range of satellite internet communication solutions.
[Broadway World – 10/09/2014]

Vizocom partners with Eutelsat for Internet connectivity in Middle East and Africa.
[TMCnet – 10/06/2014]

Earth Observation

AP Photo/NASA, JPL-Caltech, Univ. of Michigan – R&D Magazine

Satellite data shows surprising hot spot of potent global-warming methane gas over part of southwestern U.S.
[R&D Magazine – 10/10/2014]

Exelis and Airbus team up to streamline access to and use of geospatial imagery products from both companies.
[Via Satellite – 10/06/2014]

Enterprise

Earth observation satellite images used to compose animations of severe cyclone Hudhud, approaching India.
[Wall Street Journal, India – 10/10/2014]

Home improvement project at International Space Station will continue next year with addition of large, inflatable workroom from Bigelow Aerospace.
[venturebeat – 10/06/2014]

Oil & Gas

Elite Communications selects Emerging Markets Communications as its satellite connectivity provider for existing oil and gas customers in North America and prospects worldwide.

[Satnews – 10/06/2014]

Video

One of Toshiba’s currently available 65? 4K TVs. Photo: Toshiba – Via Satellite

ViXS XCode 6400 High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) System on a Chip (SoC) to be used in Toshiba Ultra HD TV sets for Sky Perfect JSAT’s 4K broadcasts.
[Via Satellite – 10/09/2014]

International sports broadcaster Setanta Sports selects SES Astra 5B satellite to broadcast two HD sports channels to 13 countries in Central Asia.
[Via Satellite – 10/08/2014]

Space

Russia to build space-based ballistic missile warning system.
[Satnews – 10/10.2014]

SpaceX Dragon 2 (left) and Boeing CST-100 capsules. Credit: SpaceX artist’s concept and Boeing artist’s concept – Space News

NASA resumes work on commercial crew contracts, ending delay during the ongoing contract protest.
[Space News – 10/09/2014]

Mars Curiosity rover – Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS image – Space News

NASA IG says planetary science senior review process needs work.
[Space News – 10/09/2014]

Cygnus cargo tug foundation for an Exploration Augmentation Module? Credit: NASA – Space News

NASA examines adding a habitation module to the agency’s proposed Asteroid Redirect Mission.
[Space News – 10/08/2014]

An analysis by a team of MIT students of the Mars One concept to send people to Mars on one-way missions to establish a settlement there offers a bleak picture of the outcome.
[Space News – 10/08/2014]

Downtown Seattle. Credit: Photo by Daniel Schwen courtesy of Wikimedia Commons – Space News

Space X gears up a new Seattle-area office, heavily recruiting engineers from Microsoft and other companies in the region.
[Space News – 10/07/2014]

Artist’s concept of the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM). Image Credit: Bigelow Aerospace – Via Satellite

“Home improvement” at the International Space Station to continue, with a large, inflatable workroom from Bigelow Aerospace to be added in 2015.
[Via Satellite – 10/09/2013]

Legal

Inmarsat issues LightSquared a Notice of Default for $17.5 million.
[Via Satellite – 10/06/2014]

Capacity Agreements

Orange ramps up Africa satellite coverage with multi-year agreement for C-band capacity on EUTELSAT 3B.
[Market Watch – 10/08/2014]

Services Contracts

BringCom gets $1.1 million in orders for managed communications services including satellite circuit services in last 3 months.
[MarketWatch – 10/06/2014]

Market Strategy & Revenues

Globalstar strikes back against short-seller attack, with its CEO saying he stands by to add to his current investment in the company.
[Space News – 10/10/2014]

Hedge fund manager claims Globalstar Inc’s business is worthless, and sends the company’s stock tumbling.
[Reuters – 10/06/2014]

GS Group plans to implement a satellite-broadcasting project in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
[telecompaper – 10/06/2014]

Skyline Communications, provider of network management and OSS software for satellite and other telecom industries, is 1 of Belgium’s 50 fastest growing companies.
[Satnews – 10/06/2014]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Russian Lie of the Week: Putin T-shirt Business in NYC

There’s a guy from New Jersey with Lithuanian roots selling Putin t-shirts on East 20th Street in New York City, who came up with the idea and financing himself.

So how does an office manager for Goetz Firzpatrick LLP come up with the financing to pay rent, print shirts and still have enough left over to pay for two bodyguards?

Retail space in that neighborhood goes for $400 per square foot. You can buy plain shirts for $6 each, then print them yourself. Selling them at $25 each, he probably needs to sell 2,000 shirts per month for any hope of breaking even.

Besides one piece in The Atlantic, the only media reporting this bullshit is RT, RIA Novosti and ITAR-TASS. All direct outlets for Putin and chief liar Kisilev.

However, the best Putin T-shirt ever seen in New York was ФАК ПУТІН (transliterated cyrillic for “fuck putin”), at a demonstration at the Russian Consulate in September, which was notably commented upon by the diplomatic guards (Russian FSB).