Really Rocket Science

Courtesy of Bill McDonald...

Arianespace postpones launch of ArabSat-5A and the follow-on Coms satellite as an anomaly occurs in the Ariane 5's launcher subsystem during final countdown.
[Satellite today - 06/28/2010]

U.S. Air Force announces that U.S. Strategic Command has operationally accepted command and control of its third Wideband Global SATCOM satellite, WGS-3.
[SatNews - 06/25/2010]

Satellite firm Intellectual Ventures, having bought many patents of satellite technology from Motorola and Teledesic, sells some to Thales Alenia Space on the heels of the Thales deal with Iridium to build the next generation of its satellites.
[Wall Street Journal - 06/25/2010]

Harris wins five year $140m contract to redesign satellite ground system for NASA.
[Zacks - 06/25/2010]

Thales Alenia wins contract to build W6A satellite for Eutelsat.
[marisys - 06/25/2010]

NASA has selected Orbital Sciences to launch the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) mission in February 2013 aboard a Taurus XL 3110 rocket from Vandenberg’s U.S. Air Force Base, California.
[Satellite Today - 06/24/2010]

Boaters can now watch the the 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer games in 3D while on the water, thanks to the TracVision(r) HD7 from KVH.
[SatNews - 06/24/2010]

Anticipation of the peak of the solar 11 year cycle coming in 2013 sparks predictions of serious consequences to electronics and communications systems, including satellite communications.
[msnbc - 06/24/2010]

CapRock Communications signs three-year contract with BW to deploy its SeaAccess service onboard its fleet of approximately 100 vessels that include Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas Carriers (LPGCs).
[SatNews - 06/24/2010]

Astrium is awarded a contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop key technologies for new re-ignitable upper stages for new launchers.
[SatNews - 06/24/2010]

FCC takes steps to free spectrum from within S band currently available only for mobile satellite companies to build mobile applications to complement their satellite services, so it can be used by mobile broadband companies.
[BroadbandBreakfast - 06/24/2010]

Vietnam Telecom International picks Gilat's Skyedge II for broadband satellite network.
[Sat PR News - 06/24.2010]

CASBAA concludes 10th annual forum in Singapore, as attendees attest to a vibrant Asian satellite industry.
[Market Watch - 06/24/2010]

First attempt to launch South Korea's first weather satellite is delayed as pressure problems develop in the launch vehicle.
[Korea Times - 06/24/2010]

June 19, During the International Economical Forum in St. Petersburg, Roscosmos and Arianespace signed a contract which cover 10 additional missions of Russian Soyuz-ST rocket from Guiana Space Center (CSG).
[SatNews - 06/23/2010]

Spacenet introduces new emergency communications service by satellite with pay as you use service options.
[Market Watch - 06/23/2010]

OmniAccess S.L., a leading communications provider to super- and mega-yacht owners, has completed the launch of its Balearic Teleport and successfully upgraded its maritime broadband satellite network to iDirect’s Evolution platform.
[SatNews - 06/23/2010]

Israel launches spy satellite Ofek 9.
[Al Jazeera - 06/23/2010]

CapRock Government Solutions announces the award of four multimillion dollar contracts to provide managed network services and more than 400MHz of commercial satellite capacity to four separate U.S. Government agencies.
[SatNews - 06/23/2010]

Annual Ham Field Day on weekend of June 26-27 gives public chance to meet and talk with ham radio enthusiasts showing off the newest digital and satellite capabilities and voice communications, as well as historic Morse code.
[The Press News - 06/23/2010]

GlobeCast Australia has announces that GlobeCam — a specialist provider of live, miniature camera technology in the world today — has conducted successful trials of 3D coverage for V8 Supercars Television.
[Satnews - 06/23/2010]

Telecommunications experts from the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) are establishing emergency communications centers equipped with satellite-based phone, internet and radio lines along borders of Kyrgyzstan.
[UN Dispatch - 06/23/2010]

New iPhone application developed by Skobbler, teaming up with Apple and OpenStreetMap, will ensure that satellite navigation will become cost effective and easily used by most iPhone users.
[SatNews - 06/22/2010]

Integral Systems Europe (ISE) has been awarded a satellite ground station contract from British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) for Harlequin 1, Sky's state-of-the-art broadcast facility.
[Satellite Today - 06/22/2010]

Iridium expands reach with South African license.
[Market Watch - 06/22/2010]

EchoStar launches DishHD, a premier satellite pay-TV service, in Taiwan.
[Satellite Today - 06/22/2010]

Polaris Wireless and Globecomm Systems partnership will allow U.S. wireless operators to quickly, easily and cost-effectively meet Federal Communications Commission E911 Phase II requirements.
[TMCnet - 06/22/2010]

SES WORLD SKIES announces its SES-1 satellite has entered commercial service at the orbital location of 101 degrees West.
[SatNews - 06/21/2010]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services

Courtesy of Bill McDonald...

 

 

TSF deploys emergency telecoms team to Kyrgyzstan to provide emergency communications services to humanitarian community in support of relief operations.
[SatNews - 06/18/2010]

FCC announces it will focus on using satellite services to spread mobile wireless access to more Americans.
[Washington Post - 06/18/2010]

BSkyB announces that Sky Sports News will be removed from free to view service FreeView to become a pay TV only channel.
[TechWatch - 06/18/2010]

SatCom Global launches Horizon, incorporating state of the are compression technology and designed to optimize voice and data management, dramatically cutting cost of satellite communications for users in maritime, oil and gas, construction, government, emergency, and first responder markets.
[SatNews - 06/18/2010]

BT and RRsat enter 5 year strategic network alliance to combine RRsat's content management and global distribution services over satellite, fiber, and IP with BT's global media network.
[Satellite Today - 06/18/2010]

Wavestream introduces rugged, outdoor 600W C-band solid state amplifier 757C-o for broadcast satellite communications systems.
[SatNews - 06/18/2010]

Following successful debut flight of Falcon 9 launcher, SpaceX wins hotly contested contract to put next-generation Iridium communications satellites into orbit.
[Aviation Week - 06/17/2010]

Sky Sports gets rights for Euro 2010.
[TechWatch - 06/17/2010]

SES ASTRA satellite Astra B, launched May 21, is now operational.
[TechWatch - 06/17/2010]

Satworx, a provider of satellite phone communications, offers a new lightweight IsatPhone Pro at a reduced price.
[TMCnet Satellite Spotlight - 06/17/2010]

NASA chooses General Dynamics C4 Systems to upgrade TDRSS satellite communications ground system and network.
[Military Aerospace - 06/17/2010]

SkyWave, a global provider of M2M satellite solutions for trucking, rail, and maritime markets,
introduces jamming detection and other new security features including detection of antenna cut.
[Wireless Developer Network - 06/17/2010]

 

 

 

New KVH TracVision HD7 employed by boaters to receive DirecTV HD signals for 2010 boating season.
[MarketWatch - 06/17/2010]

Arabsat announces that launch of 5A by Arianespace will take place on June 23, Arabsat's second launch this month.
[SatNews - 06/16/2010]

Integral Systems subsidiary SAT Corporation receives contract to upgrade CHINA SATCOM's satellite signal monitoring and interference detection system.
[Market Watch - 06/16/2010]

Murdoch's News Corp makes move on UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB.
[Tech Watch - 06/16/2010]

BBC World signs deal with intelsat renewing satellite and teleport services throughout Asia and the Americas.
[TechWatch - 06/16/2010]

iDirect launches ReadyCONNECT, a portable emergency response satellite communications system developed by global satellite equipment leader Cobham Satcom and partner Australian Satellite Communications.
[SatNews - 06/16/2010]

Space Data's test of high altitude balloons with radio communications for border patrol, more cost-effective than satellite technology, receives rave reviews but then - no contract to show for it.
[Fox News - 06/16/2020]

iDirect Government Technologies releases new line of software packages for its SatManage network management system.
[SatNews - 06/16/2010]

Battle lines being drawn between Virgin Media and BSKYB over 3D TV.
[TechWatch - 06/15/2010]

DirecTV teams with NCC Media, the ad-sales company owned by Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications, to bring the satellite operator to the spot-advertising market and provide ability to expand an ad's coverage in 25 select markets.
[Multichannel News - 06/15/2010]

Microsoft working on 3D technology using special lens on TV screen that would not require users to wear glasses.
[TechWatch - 06/15/2010]

Hughes Network Systems receives contract from state of Oregon to provide broadband satellite internet services to state agencies, local governments, and school districts.
[Business Week - 06/14/2020]

 

 

 

U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin complete testing of first satellite for next generation of tactical
communications, under the Mobile User Objective System program.
[UPI - 06/15/2010]

Arianespace announces agreement with Lockheed Martin to launch VINASAT-2 satellite for Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group in 2012.
[SatNews - 06/15/2010]

SpeedCast signs multi-year agreement for capacity on North and Central American beams of Telesat's Telstar 11N satellite.
[SatNews - 06/14/2010]

Swedish Space Corporation indicates that the Swedish Prisma satellites have been successfully launched aboard a Dnepr launcher from Yasny,Russia.
[SatNews - 06/15/2010]

Aerojet announces an agreement with NEC corporation to jointly supply HAYABUSA-derived ion propulsion systems for the U.S. and Japanese aerospace markets.
[SatNews - 06-15-2010]

SpaceX to launch Taiwanese earth observation satellite in 2013.
[Satellite Today]

C-Com Satellite Systems receives $1M worth of new orders for its iNetVu mobile antenna systems from China.
[SatNews - 06/15/2010]

Space Systems/Loral contracts to build DirecTV 14.
[Satellite Today - 06/14/2010]

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. announces orders received aggregating $12 million, including Ka-band amplifiers for satellite broadband services, DTH services and strategic airborne communications.
[Market Watch - 06/14/2020]

Thaicom Pcl shares jump after Thailand's government announces plans to buy Temasek Holdings Pte's stake in the satellite monopoly for national security reasons following anti-government protests.
[Business Week - 06/14/2010]

Microspace introduces Velocity Microburst, allowing Velocity satellite data users to acquire occasional "bursts" of additional bandwidth for short term needs.
[PRWeb - 06/14/2010]

ATCi designs and delivers low-cost complete Fly Away Broadcast System designed for broadcasting sporting events to smaller communities in Latin America and Africa.
[SatNews - 06/14/2010]

Vizada is selected by ARINC to help fulfill Department of Defense contract for international broadband services.
[SatNews - 06/14/2010]

PolarSat completes VSATPlus3 network testing for Chinese gas market.
[Satellite Today - 06/14/2010]

Orbit Technologies receives additional orders from large satellite communications companies in Brazil for its OrSat satellite communications systems to be installed on offshore Oil and Gas platforms.
[SatNews - 06/14/2010]

GlobeCast Australia wins major delivery deal with Event Cinemas that offers 3D HD coverage of more than a dozen sporting events over the next month, in a first for Australian cinema audiences.
[SatNews - 06/14/2010]

Ottawa may lift telecom restrictions relating to foreign ownership of companies in the Canadian telecom industry, including satellite communications companies.
[Montreal Gazette - 06/12/2010]

 

California teenager rescued from crippled sailboat by French fishing vessel describes her three days adrift after the mast was broken during a storm, knocking out her satellite communications.
[Fox News - 06/12/2010]

 

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services

 

Courtesy of Bill McDonald...

Korean navy recovers what is believed to be debris from the Korea Space Launch Vehicle 1 that exploded shortly after liftoff Thursday, the country's second major space setback in less than a year.
[Korea Times - 06/11/2010]

Thales Alenia Space gets contract from Eutelsat for satellite with forty Ku-band transponders to be launched during third quarter of 2012.
[Tech Watch - 06/11/2010]

 

 

Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) ships Dish Network’s EchoStar 15 communications satellite to the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan where it will be launched by International Launch Services.
[Satellite Today - 06/10/2010]

NASA has selected Orbital Sciences to launch the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) spacecraft in December 2012 aboard a Pegasus XL rocket from Vandenberg U.S. Air Force Base.
[Satellite Today - 06/10/2010]

As sun emerges from one of its quietest periods ever during its 11 year cycle, it may spell trouble for a world increasingly reliant upon communications satellites and power grids.
[Houston Chronicle - 06/10/2010]

German satellite service provider Atrexx launches trio of C-band services for the Africa and Middle East markets.
[Satellite today - 06/10/2010]

Two PRISMA satellites to be launched next week feature Thales Alenia Space's technology that determines the two satellites' relative positions to within 1 centimeter, and relative attitudes to within 1 degree.
[SatNews - 06/10/2010]

Hughes Network Systems unveils broadband Internet satellite services for government and enterprise emergency networking solution.
[Satellite Today - 06/10/2010]

BBC World News signs renewal and expansion contract for satellite and teleport services with Intelsat S.A. to distribute programming to Asia-Pacific and Americas audiences.
[SatNews - 06/10/2010]

Azerbaijan government has contracted with Orbital Sciences to build the country's first satellite, but questions are being asked about the country's ability to pay, as unnamed source states that the finance ministry is delaying funding of the project.
[Eurasianet - 06/10/2010]

Telespazio's orders for Orbit Technologies Ltd.'s high performance stabilized marine satellite communications systems to be installed on oil and gas industry platforms worldwide reach $1.1M.
[SatNews - 06/10/2010]

ND SatCom receives Global Telecoms Business Innovation Award 2010 in the Business Service Innovation category for its XWARP(r) solution, which provides IP applications / Cloud Computing over satellite.
[SatNews - 06/10/2010]

BSkyB gains $460.3M settlement in its lawsuit with system integrator Electronic Data Systems, a subsidiary of Hewlett Packard.
[Satellite Today - 06/10/2010]

Globecast is selected to deliver four major Latin American channels to cable headends throughout the United States via the AMC-1 satellite.
[SatNews - 06/10/2010]

Avanti signs long-term Hylas 1 capacity contract with unnamed triple-play consumer telecom service in the U.K. and Ireland.
[Satellite Today - 06/10/2010]

Barrett Xplore Inc. of Canada will lease Loral Space & Communications Inc. owned payload which will be hosted on the Viasat 1 broadband satellite that Loral is building for Viasat.
[TMCnet - 06/09/2010]

Iridium introduces new features for its Next generation of satellites, making laptop connections easier and providing extended SMS messaging for the Iridium 9555 satellite phones.
[Market Watch - 06/09/2010]

Orbit Alchut Technologies Ltd. and Telespazio SpA to supply satellite communications systems for marine oil and gas platforms using C-band capacity and 4m antennas to provide high reliability even during stormy weather.
[Globes Online - 06/09/2010]

Satellite Industry Association (SIA) releases 2010 State of the Satellite Industry Report, showing 11% growth from 2008 to 2009 in overall world satellite industry revenues.
[SatNews - 06/08/2010]

Andreas Georghiou, CEO of Spacenet, accepts a Circle of Excellence award from Washington SmartCEO in recognition of the company's product innovation.
[SatNews - 06/08/2010]

Eutelsat makes four satellites available for broadcasts from South Africa of the World Cup football tournament.
[Tech Watch - 06/08/2010]

Integral Systems gets contract from a leading satellite service provider integrating an additional geostationary satellite into their existing Epoch Integrated Product Suite satellite management system.
[Market Watch - 06/08/2010]

 

 

German ship manager Phoenix Reederei reports drop in monthly satellite expenses of more than EURO1,000 since installing Iridium OpenPort satellite terminals on five of its vessels.
[Market Watch - 06/08/2010]

Inmarsat wins 41st annual royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award, Britain's biggest prize for engineering innovation.
[PR Newswire - 06/08/2010]

 

 

European Space Agency reports successful completion of thermal-vacuum checks in India on the HYLAS 1 advanced broadband satellite being constructed for Avanti.
[Top 10 - 06/08/2010]

Industry experts advise relief agencies and governments to learn from the Haiti experience, where earthquake damage would have made emergency response nearly impossible without satellite communications.
[PR Newswire - 06/08/2010]

Skycasters submits proposal to the USDA RUS Broadband Initiatives Program in Washington, D.C. requesting a $5.1M grant to improve public safety and prompt economic recovery for 37M Americans.
[SatNews - 06/08/2010]

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden professes increased confidence that a resupply vehicle will be available after the Space Shuttle fleet is retired, on the heels of the successful launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 on June 4.
[Satellite Today - 06/08/2010]

Satcom Direct adds graphical weather to its existing FlightDeck Freedom satellite service for aircraft.
[SatNews - 06/08/2010]

NASA successfully completes comprehensive pre-shipment review of the Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite, of FASTSAT, a microsatellite class spacecraft that will carry 6 experiment payloads to low-Earth orbit.
[SatNews - 06/08/2010]

German Earth observation satellite TanDEM-X, part of project to "map the Earth in 3D" is readied for launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
[SatNews - 06/08/2010]

Australian Satellite Communications (ASC) and Cobham announce launch of ReadyCONNECT, a portable, quick-deploy emergency response satellite communications solution.
[SatNews - 06/08/2010]

Arqiva provides Sky with 36MHz of W7 satellite capacity for duratioin of football World Cup in South Africa.
[SatNews - 06/08/2010]

NOORSAT selected by Al Jazeera network to provide satellite capacity to backup the FIFA world Cup 2010 coverage, including the use of the NOORSAT Bahrain teleport as an alternative transmission facility.
[SatNews - 06/08/2010]

SES ASTRA enters into distribution agreement with Polish data network operator NASK to offer its satellite-based broadband service to business customer in the Polish market.
[SatNews - 06/07/2010]

BSkyB pays Virgin Media £160m for its TV channels in deal where Virgin Media gets to offer its subscribers the premium BSkyB HD channels.
[Tech Watch - 06/07/2010]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services

Courtesy of Bill McDonald...

Indian security agencies tell the Indian Department of Telecom that foreign satellite communication service providers should be asked to set up an earth station in India if they want to offer services there.
[the Hindu Business Line - 06/05/2010]

 

The Falcon 9 rocket fired up its nine first stage engines and took off on its first test flight from Cape Canaveral at 2:45 p.m. EDT June 4.
[Space Travel - 06/04/2010]

Intelsat CTO Thierry Guillemin describes details of its behind-the-scenes cooperative effort with customers and AMC-11 operator SES to mitigate interference threats posed by Galaxy 15.
[Satellite Today - 06/04/2010]

 

A Russian Proton M rocket launches a European-made telecommunications satellite, Arabsat-5B (Badr 5), for the ARABSAT satellite communications operator.
[Bernama - 06/04/2010]

HBO Asia signs long-term transponder lease agreement with APT for capacity on Apstar 2R and its replacement satellite, Apstar 7, to be launched in early 2010.
[Satellite Today - 06/04/2010]

Stratos Global Corporation becomes a distributor for SkyWave Mobile Communications products and services for the global SCADA market.
[Machine to Machine - 06/04/1020]

Thales Alenia beats out Lockheed, winning contract worth some $2.1B to build 81 satellites for Iridium's next generation satellite fleet.
[BBC - 06/03/2010]

RapidEye (who owns and operates its own constellation of five EO satellites) has signed on Panaxx Corporation to be its distributor in Japan.
[SatNews - 06/03/2010]

The Indian Space Research organization (ISRO) replaces the director of its liquid propulsion systems center following a series of launch mishaps.
[Satellite Today - 06/03/2010]

Rockot Launches Japanese SERVIS-2 Satellite from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Northern Russia.
[Space Travel - 06/03/2010]

SkyWave Introduces Flex Messaging to IsatM2M Satellite Service, allowing up to 7 times more data than traditional IsatM2M messages.
[GIS User - 06/03/2010]

Zodiac Maritime installs Iridium OpenPort(R) across entire fleet of 156 ships.
[MarketWatch - 06/03/1010]

Airmen from the 2nd and 19th Space Operations Squadrons take control of the Air Force's newest GPS satellite following its launch into orbit May 28 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
[Space Daily - 06/03/2010]

China to launch fourth orbiter into space as a part of indigenous satellite navigation and positioning network known as Beidou, or Compass system.
[Space Daily - 06/02/2020]

Gilat to provide satellite communications equipment for SchoolNet project expansion in Ethiopia.
[MarketWatch - 06/02/2010]

SPOT Launches Outdoor Safety Initiative at Teva Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado.
[MarketWatch - 06/02/2010]

Inmarsat to launch its first global handheld IsatPhone Pro at CommunicAsia 2010 in Singapore.
[SatNews - 06/02/2010]

Stratos' AmosConnect 8 enhances broadband connectivity at sea
[TMCnet - 06/02/2010]

Due to popular demand, Newtec to repeat FREE webinar: "IP is Forcing its Way into the Contribution, DSNG and Distribution Workflows over Satellite. Are you Ready?"
[SatNews - 06/02/2010]

KVH Industries announces that Fleetwood RV, Inc., has selected KVH's TracVision SlimLine series along with TracVision R6 ST and R6 TX to be the exclusive satellite TV option offered on its 2011 motor homes.
[SatNews - 06/02/2010]

Orbital selected for Azerspace/Africasat-1a satellite by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
[MarketWatch - 06/01/2010]

Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) is selected to provide a satellite, Anik G1, to Telesat of Canada.
[SatNews - 06/01/2010]

Russian Space Systems corporation and the U.S. Trimble Navigation Group sign an agreement to create a joint satellite navigation venture in Russia
[Space Daily - 06/01/2010]

International Launch Services (ILS) has contract for ILS Proton launch of two commercial satellites, YAMAL 401 and YAMAL 402, for Russian satellite operator, Gazprom Space Systems.
[SatNews - 06/01/2010]

SES Astra enters partnership with Italian public broadcaster RAI to bring more content to its 3-D demo channel.
[Satellite Today - 06/01/2010]

Serbian government indicts former Serbia-Montenegro defense minister over deal to rent Israeli spy satellite from ImageSat.
[Satellite Today - 06/01/2010]

Australia's NBN Co is weeks away from issuing a request for tenders to satellite network operators hoping to get a slice of the $43 billion national broadband network project.
[The Australian - 06/01/2010]

The Highly Adaptable Satellite (HYLAS) 1 being developed by Astrium for the satellite broadband operator Avanti Communications, successfully completes month-long test designed to expose the satellite to the rigors of space.
[SatNews - 06/01/2010]

BSkyB releases Sky Mobile TV app for the Applie iPad in the United Kingdom.
[Satellite today - 06/01/2010]

CapRock Communications selects Alpheus Communications’ complete suite of terrestrial connectivity services to provide reliable circuit access and supporting services to its clients.
[Business Wire - 05/31/2010]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services

Courtesy of Bill McDonald...

Bryan McGuirk, senior vice president of media services at SES World Skies, will be leaving the company at the end of May to form a new venture in the media and entertainment sector.
[Satellite Today - 05/21/2010]

 

Arianespace’s delayed opening launch of 2010, with the Astra 3B and COMSATBw 2 satellites, has launched from the European Spaceport in French Guiana  via the Ariane 5 ECA.
[NASASpaceFlight - 05/21/2010]

Harris agrees to acquire satellite-communications provider CapRock for about $525M in move to expand international presence and customer base.
[Wall Street Journal - 05/21/2010]

FCC frees up 25 megahertz of spectrum in the Wireless Communications Services band by allowing satellite radio operators to use digital repeaters.
[RCR Wireless - 05/21/2010]

Ohio cable company executive echoes concern of many that rogue satellite Galaxy 15 may cause interference to AMC-11 "Despite these best efforts" of SES WorldSkies and Intelsat.
[Columbus Dispatch - 05/21/2010]

DBSD North America, a telecommunications satellite operator owned by ICO Global Communications, asks judge to preserve its bankruptcy restructuring plan pending approval by the FCC.
[Business Week - 05/21/2010]

At the SES World Skies' site you can view an amazing CGI rendering created by AGI that reveals the AMC-11 orbital maneuvers to hopefully avoid having their cable broadcasts interrupted by Intelsat’s Galaxy 15, aka Zombie satellite.
[SatNews - 05/20/2010]

Intelsat relocates IS-709 for World Cup Broadcasting.
[Satellite Today - 05/20/2010]

International Datacasting receives series of new orders for its 3D Live solution, prompted by the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.
[SatNews - 05/20/2010]

Israel's Yes satellite TV provider launches video-on-demand and broadband services by satellite.
[Satellite Today - 05/20/2010]

MEASAT Satellite Systems signs agreement with GlobeCast Asia to provide transponder capacity for the FIFA World Cup 2010.
[SatNews - 05/20/2010]

Google and DISH Network L.L.C. launched Google TV, an open platform that seamlessly integrates multichannel television with rich web media content.

Indian Navy will receive naval communication and surveillance satellite by year-end.
[SatNews - 05/20/2010]

Boeing completes on-orbit handover of DirecTV 12 satellite to DirecTV.
[Satellite Today - 05/20/2010]

Global MilSatCom 2010, a gathering of satellite communication professionals, will be held at the Millennium Conference Centre, London, United Kingdom this November 8-10.
[SatNews - 05/20/2010]

MTN reports a positive reception in international cruise industry, with seven cruise lines already signed up for the at-sea telecasts.
[SatNews - 05/20/2010]

Iridium's OpenPort terminal provides reliable, high-quality voice and data links throughout voyage of sailboat Ocean Watch on its Around the Americas  expedition.
[SatNews - 05/20/2010]

Rapideye confirms partnership of several years with S2Bvisio in development and distribution of expert agricultural services based on RapidEye imagery.
[SatNews - 05/20/2010]

Cambridge Conltans achieve breakthrough in collaboration with Iridium Communications to develop new transceiver 70% smaller than previous model.
[SatNews - 05/20/2010]

Glowlink has releases GEO4, the manufacturer’s next-generation Model 8000 interference detection solution.
[Satellite Today - 05/20/2010]

World's largest airship, as long as a 23-floor skyscraper is tall, is intended to serve as a stratospheric satellite, or "stratellite," according to its developers.
[Space.com - 05/20/2010]

Lockheed Martin realigns structure of commercial space systems division.
[PR Newswire - 05/20/2010]

New commercial space rocket Falcon 9 to make first test launch as early as May 28.
[Space.com - 05/20/2010]

Iridium Communications enters Russian market.
[Benzinga - 05/20/2010]

Globalstar receives regulatory approval for mobile satellite service in Korea.
Market Watch - 05/20/2010]

Researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute develop new nanotechnology-based “microlens” using gold, which could lead to a new generation of ultra-powerful satellite cameras.
[R&D Magazine - 05/19/2010]

Arianspace announces signing of contract with Astrium to launch Skynet 5D satellite in first half of 2013.
[SatNews - 05/19/2010]

LiveTV and Iridium Communications Inc. enter into agreement to develop aviation antenna based on the Iridium OpenPort(r) high-speed communications service.
[SatNews - 05/19/2010]

Schlumberger launches SeaConnect(tm) VSAT service, providing high-performance VSAT services using an innovative portable marine 60-cm C-band antenna and related technologies, for the offshore industry.
[SatNews - 05/19/2010]

Marlink announces an extension to its VSAT Ku-band service which will now cover sea routes around Australia for the first time.
[SatNews - 05/19/2010]

Iridium Communications Inc. receives orders for more than 100 Iridium OpenPort broadband satellite terminals for installation on Spanish commercial fishing vessels.
[SatNews - 05/19/2010]

MTN Satellite Communications and its Spanish joint-venture partner, ERZIA, are selected to provide VSAT products and services for Empressa Naviera Elcano.
[SatNews - 05/19/2010]

FCC taps satellite communications company ICO executive to manage review of proposed joint venture between cable companies Comcast and
NBC Universal.
[Reuters - 05/19/2010]

Caprock wins $50m GSA 70 contract to provide complete solution of technical design, field services, and program support to FBI for emergency restoration communications network.
[Satellite Today - 05/19/2010]

Experiments conducted by Sandia National Laboratories at the International Space Station preliminarily indicate that orbiting more complex computer chips to pre-reduce large data streams could facilitate transfer of greater amounts of information from space.
[R&D Magazine - 05/19/2010]

French Polynesian Office of Post and Telecommunications (OPT) has launched a high-speed satellite broadband network based on iDirect’s Evolution platform.
[Satellite Today - 05/19/2010]

SES WORLD SKIES signs an agreement with Astrium for the procurement of a new satellite to be named SES-6.
[SatNews - 05/18/2010]

Intelsat selects Arianespace to launch Intelsat 17 satellite at end of 2010.
[Satellite Today - 05/18/2010]

Hughes Network Systems forms Hughes Network Systems Australia Pty. Ltd. to serve the Ka-band satellite technology and services market in Australia.
[Satellite Today - 05/18/2010]

Globalstar receives regulatory approval for new mobile satellite service in Korea.
[MarketWatch - 05/18/2010]

SES World Skies plans to maneuver AMC-11 to match the eastward drift of zombie satellite Galaxy to avoid interference, bringing in AMC-1 on opposite side of orbital "box."
[Space.com - 05/17/2010]

Russian Satellite Communications Company reports it is no longer possible to maintain the orbital incline of the Express-AM1 satellite.
[SatNews - 05/17/2010]

WBMSAT PS services

 

 

We've got three launches coming up in the next few days.

From Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, an Ariane 5 will launch a dual-payload: ASTRA 3B and COMSATBw-2.

Ariane-V194 Launch window...

From 7:01 p.m. to 7:44 p.m., local time in Kourou, French Guiana
From 6:01 p.m. to 6:44 p.m. in Washington, D.C.
From 10:01 p.m. to 10:44 p.m. UTC, on May 21.
From 12:01 a.m. to 12:44 a.m. in Paris, on May 22. 

Watch it live here.

 

 

On 20 May 2010 21:58:22 UTC, JAXA's H-IIA rocket will launch (H-IIA F17) AKATSUKI to explore Venus and the IKAROS solar sail. You can watch that one live, too. That will be from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.

 

 

 

Friday night, live from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a Delta IV will launch GPS 2-F1 for the U.S. Air Force. Launch window: 11:25 - 11:43 p.m. EDT (22 May 2010 03:25 UTC). Noteworthy...

The GPS IIF system brings next-generation performance to the constellation. The GPS IIF vehicle is critical to U.S. national security and sustaining GPS constellation availability for global civil, commercial and defense applications. Besides sustaining the GPS constellation, IIF features increased capability and improved mission performance and longevity.

This is a mission of several important firsts. Not only is it the first IIF to be launched, this will be the first GPS satellite to ride on the Delta IV launch vehicle. 

Watch it live on the ULA site, or downlink the C-band broadcast...

 

SATELLITE - Galaxy 19
TRANSPONDER - G19C-08
BAND - C-band Analog
ORBITAL POSITION - 97 degrees
CARRIER - INTELSAT
BANDWIDTH - 36 MHz
DOWNLINK FREQ - 3860 MHz Horizontal
BARS AND TONE: 10:30 p.m.
BROADCAST START: 11:04 p.m.

 

  Go Ariane! Go H-IIA! Go Delta IV!

 Courtesy of Bill McDonald...

 

Picture perfect last launch for Space Shuttle Atlantis.
[SatNews - 05/14/2010]

Solaris Mobile Ltd, the Dublin based operator of new hybrid satellite and terrestrial wireless networks, Is Licensed For Mobile Satellite Services In Europe.
[SatNews - 05/14/2010]

The European Space Agency (ESA) and Interoute have signed an agreement with the latter to provide a new IP Wide Area Network (WAN) connecting the Earth Observation (EO) Payload Data Systems sites across Europe and Canada.
[SatNews - 05/14/2010]

Comtech Mobile Datacom Corporation receives a $140.5 million ceiling increase to its existing Blue Force Tracking ("BFT") program contract with the U.S. Army.
[SatNews - 05/14/2010]

While ESA’s Proba-2 keeps its main instruments trained on the Sun, it is also looking back to its homeworld.
[SatNews - 05/14/2010]

Severe floods struck Kentucky on May 1–2, 2010, causing statewide damage estimated at more than $30 million, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
[SatNews - 05/14/2010]

 

 

 

ESPN to use Globecast for live Cricket broadcasts.
[Satellite Today - 05/14/2010]

Drifting satellite threatens U.S. cable programming as Intelsat's Galaxy 15 continues to receive and transmit signals as it drifts toward SES WORLDSKIES' AMC-11 satellite.
[CED Magazine - 05/13/2010]

 Intelligent Communication Enterprise Corporation (ICE) to acquire satellite communication terminals and systems developer THISS Technologioes Ltd.
[TMCnet - 05/13/2010]

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. to launch toe NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X satellites for Nigerian National Space Research and Development Agency on October 29.
[Satellite Today - 05/13/2010]

Germany to test new SHarp Edge Flight EXperiment (Shefex) spacecraft, launching from Australia in early 2011.
[Space Travel - 05/13/2010]

DirecTV wins 7th Circuit Appellate court decision against defendants David Barczewski and Jonathan Wisler, who were accused of decrypting and stealing DirecTV signals.
[Leagle - 05/13/2010]

Congress renews satellite TV authorization to extend through Dec. 31, 2014 compulsory license programs that satellite providers use to carry broadcast TV signals without having to negotiate with individual providers.
[CQ Politics - 05/12/2010]

Intelsat gets favorable GAO decision as it dismisses protests of Artel, CapRock, and Segovia over U.S. Navy's Commercial Broadband Satellite Program award to Intelsat earlier this year.
[Satellite Today - 05/12/2010]

Hughes Network Systems announces sale of its HX System to Rostelecom, Russia's largest international and long-distance operator, to provide satellite broadband services in Russia.
[PR News wire - 05/12/2010]

 

 

 

Qatar set to launch first satellite at the end of 2012 to provide superior coverage across Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, in deal with Eutelsat.
[SatNews - 05/12/2010]

Thrane & Thrane ships 10,000th SAILOR FleetBroadband terminal to Certified Partner Telemar.
[SatNews - 05/12/2010]

Iridium announces important advancement in quest to reach regulatory compliance in Russia.
[SatNews - 05/12/2010]

EMS Aviation technology on stage with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger May 3 as he watched real-time demonstration of the state's new aircraft tracking system technology.
[SatNews - 05/12/2010]

Sea Launch files plan of reorganization.
[SatNews - 05/12/2010]

Microwave Filter Company announces model 17140 C-band interference filter with 80% better rejection of unwanted signals without compromising the C-band passband.
[SatNews - 05/12/2010]

PolarSat announces receipt of multiple orders for major expansion of an existing Air Traffric Network.
[SatNews - 05/12/2010]

Dish Network's CEO Charlie Ergen warns that the company may shut down millions of digital video recorders if a court sides with TiVo in a patent dispute.
[CED Magazine - 05/11/2010]

Lockheed to sell second telecommunications satellite to Vietnam in contract worth $215m.
[Reuters - 05/11/2010]

Loral hires investment banks to manage initial public stock offering of up to 19.9% of its satellite manufacturing division.
[Space News - 05/11/2010]

Eutelsat may raise dividend as sales climb in emerging markets.
[Bloomberg Businessweek - 05/11/2010]

Hughes Communications India recognized as best VSAT operator in India.
[TMCnet - 05/11/2010]

Organa releasing "Hidden Sky," an application that lets iPhone users track any of the thousands of satellites that orbit the Earth, as well as the planets and other objects in the sky.
[SatNews - 05/11/2010]

"Johannes Kepler", the second European spacecraft for the International Space Station (ISS), is on its way to the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
[SatNews - 05/11/2010]

SIS LIVE provided 70 satellite uplink vehicles to main UK broadcasters for coverage of UK general election.
[SatNews - 05/11/2010]

Marlink launches @SEAdirect, a new entry-level maritime VSAT service with internet, email, and voice capability.
[SatNews - 05/11/2010]

Initial launch of Soyuz to take place during 4th quarter of 2010.
[SatNews - 05/11/2010]

India asks satellite service providers to seek OK for buying equipment.
[Wall Street Journal - 05/10/2010]

Ericcson is commissioned by Indosat to modernize network and launch Asia's fastest mobile network, capable of up to 42Mbps.
[SatNews - 05/10/2010]

Space Systems/Loral is selected to provide Satmex 8 for Satelites Mexicanos, a high-power C- and Ku-band satellite replacing Satmex 5, with North and South American FSS coverage.
[SatNews - 05/10/2010]

Insurance company Aon to launch new policy for space investors which aims to enhance satellite operator's initial credit rating by reducing the financial risk of commercial launches.
[Satellite Today - 05/10/2010]

GlobalPartnersUnited and Global VSAT Form join to promote state-of-the-art telepractice solutions for education and health services.
[SatNews - 05/10/2010]

Satellite Today poll reveals most readers believe the MSS market is not big enough for the amount of companies.
[Satellite Today - 05/10/2010]

Eutelsat signs 3-D content deal with Euro1080 for additional content for Eutelsat's 3-D channel on the Eurobird 9A satellite.
[Satellite Today - 05/10/2010]

Telespazio, Thales win $375m contract from Italian Ministry of Defense and French Defense Procurement Agency for development of Sicral 2 satellite and ground segment for military communications.
[Satellite Today - 05/10/2010]

VIASAT completes around the world coverage with addition of service over the Indian Ocean, Guam, and waters north of Australia for its Yonder(r) mobile broadband network.
[SatNews - 05/10/2010]

Comtech Telecommunications to buy Communications & Power Industries Inc. (CPI) for $427m.
[San Francisco Business Times - 05/10/2010]

Dish Network's net income dropped 26% in first quarter due to stepped-up promotions to attract customers; net subscribers increased by 237,000.
[CED Magazine - 05/10/2010]

International Datacasting contracts with large pan-European content distribution company to expand customer's network to deliver 3D live content and digital cinema content.
[SatNews - 05/10/2010]

TeleCommunication Systems gets $1.8m contract to provide managed satellite bandwidth services for U.S. Government.
[TMCnet - 05/08/2010]

NSR examines SES 'low risk approach to European Satellite Broadband Access - will the position that the broadband market does not justify the expense of building Ka-band satellites turn out to be right or wrong?
[NSR Industry Briefing - May 2010]

WBMSAT PS services

 

 

Satnews is reporting EMC Satcom was able to fit an STM-1 circuit into a 72-MHz transponder. That's just awesome...

EMC Satcom Technologies GmbH established a new landmark in satellite link optimization by achieving a symmetrical 155/155Mbps circuit inside a single transponder and, in tur, liberating a full 72MHz transponder. The existing STM-1 in Asia-Pacific was using a 72MHz transponder of the outbound carrier 155Mbps and another 72MHz for the inbound carrier 155Mbps. By placing EMC Satcom’s NRS Bandwidth Booster at each end of the link, a full 72MHz has been cancelled, allowing the existing symmetrical 155/155Mbps STM-1 to operate within one transponder only.

That's right, it's patented, too (United States Patent 7,522,877). The abstract...

The reduction of echo noise in satellite communications includes receiving an aggregate signal from multiple remote stations, where the aggregate signal includes a transmit signal, whose bandwidth is in the range of 0.1 MHz to 66 MHz, is previously sent from a hub to the multiple receiving stations, computing a scaled, delayed and distorted replica of the transmit signal and using the replica to compensate for satellite transponder nonlinearities and reduce echo noise interference from a received aggregate signal received by the hub from the multiple remote stations.

And Claim 1...

A method for reducing echo noise in satellite communications in which a hub communicates with multiple remote stations via a satellite having a nonlinear satellite transponder, the method comprising the steps of: transmitting a transmit signal from the hub to the multiple remote stations, where the transmit signal contains at least one carrier; providing, at the hub, a replica of the transmit signal to a buffer that provides an integer sample delay; distorting, at the hub, the replica of the transmit signal according to nonlinearities of the satellite transponder to provide a distorted replica of the transmit signal; determining, at the hub, a scaled, fractional-sample time-delayed, frequency-shifted, and attenuated version of the distorted replica of the transmit signal to provide a compensated distorted replica of the transmit signal; and using, at the hub, the compensated distorted replica to represent the nonlinearities of the satellite transponder and reduce echo noise from a received aggregate signal received by the hub from the multiple remote stations via the satellite transponder; wherein the distorting step further comprises applying a block conversion to the transmit signal to form the distorted replica occupying a predetermined frequency range and the determining step further comprises tracking the integer sample closest to a weight vector centroid of an adaptive filter to provide fractional-sample delay of the distorted replica.

 Not something the satellite operators are excited about, as it uses less bandwidth. Further compression is not something they look forward to, hence the interest in 3DTV (and HDTV before that). In this case, the "less bandwidth, more through-put" benefit is for the customer.

The customer is always right.

 

FCC plans to reclassify broadband service as a telecommunications service in order to reassert its authority after U.S. Court of Appeals ruled against FCC in case brought by Comcast.
[cnet news - 05/07/2010]

 

Hughes engages Arianespace to launch its powerful Ka-band satellite Jupiter in the first half of 2012.
[SatNews - 05/07/2010]

SES closes acquisition of ProtoStar 2 satellite which it won at auction in December and renames it SES-7.
{Satellite Today - 05/07/2010]

Intelsat contracts ILS to launch Intelsat 22 in 2012.
[Satellite Today - 05/06/2010]

Globalstar announces timetable for upcoming launch of its 2G satellite constellation.
[SatNews - 05/06/2010]

SatMAX to provide satellite communications repeater system to Lockheed Martin for the Lockheed Martin Airdock in Akron OH.
[marketwire - 05/06/2010]

CapRock secures 60 month contract with Diamiemos Shipping Corporation of Greece for nine C-band shipboard terminals.
[SatNews - 05/06/2010]

Comtech subsidiary Xicom receives $3.4m contract from Navy for ruggedized Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers to be fitted to existing systems and provide improved Ka-band access to the new WGS satellites.
[Market Watch - 05/06/2010]

GeoEye signs multi-year multi-million dollar order with Russian reseller, ScanEx Research and Development Center for high-resolution satellite imagery.
[SatNews - 05/06/2010]

Australian government releases $25M National Broadband Network study which concludes the government's objectives can be implemented within original $43B estimate, mixing fibre, wireless, and satellite technologies.
[Network World - 05/06/2010]

XTAR remembers William R. Schmidt, who passed away April 28.
[SatNews - 05/06/2010]

Eutelsat and Euro1080 enter exclusive partnership to enrich content of Eutelsat's 3D channel, broadcast across Europe via EUROBIRD 9A.
[SatNews - 05/06/2010]

ORBCOMM commences construction of Gateway Earth Station in Hartebeesthoek, South Africa.
[SatNews - 05/06/2010]

"Zombiesat" Galaxy 15, owned by Intelsat, resists attempts by manufacturer Orbital Sciences to force it to shut down - Galaxy threatens to interfere with SES WORLDSKIES AMC-11 satellite around May 23.
[Space.com - 05/05/2010]
[Fox News - 05/03/2010]

Arqiva supplies Sky News with extensive Satellite News Gathering services to support coverage of the UK general election.
[SatNews - 05/05/2010]

Hughes' large all Ka-band satellite Jupiter to be launched by Ariane 5 in deal backed by France's Coface export-credit agency.
[Space News - 05/05/2010]

Globecomm Systems becomes most recent member of the Satellite Industry Association.
[SatNews - 05/05/2010]

Vizada Networks and Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation expand existing co-operation with Framework Agreement for supply of commercial satellite capacity and services.
[SatNews - 05/04/2010]

Aerojet and Florida Turbine Technologies enter into strategic partnership to compete for R&D and production on NASA's new hydrocarbon engine and advanced upper stage engine.
[SatNews - 05/04/2010]

NASA and DARPA ask for proposals to enhance small satellite experiments on the International Space Station.
[SatNews - 05/04/2010]

Slovak Telekom's Magio TV launches satellite TV service on Spacecom's AMOS-3 satellite.
[SatNews - 05/04/2010]

MTN Satellite Communications is selected by Singapore-based Goodwood Ship Management to provide ship-board C-band VSAT services.
[SatNews - 05/04/2010]

OHB-System AG is awarded contracts under Europeanization of Satellite-Based Reconnaissance program for operation of French and German ground stations.
[SatNews - 05/04/2010]

C-COM Satellite systems delivers initial quantity of iNetVu Mobile antenna systems to Malaysia based reseller Numix-Engineering SDN GHD for deployment by Post Malaysia for mobile post offices.
[SatNews - 05/04/2010]

NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites help NOAA track expanding oil spill in from exploded BP rig in Gulf of Mexico.
[SatNews - 05/03/2010]

Lockheed Martin delivers cutting-edge communications system module for second satellite in U.S. Navy's UHF satellite MUOS program.
[SatNews - 05/03/2010]

Thales Alenia Space to build Apstar 7B for $148.7M.
[Satellite Today - 05/03/2010]

Singapore Telecommunications will launch Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro satellite phone to enhance communications in Afghanistan and Iraq.
[SatNews - 05/03/2010]

German radar satellite TanDEM-X proves its suitability in program for 3D mapping of earth from space.
[SatNews - 05/03./2010]

PAC Tel International announces successful implementation of large satellite IP trunk linking two French overseas territories of Wallis and Futuna to international IP backbone via Australia.
[SatNews - 05/03/2010]

Comtech EF Data gets $4.8M SATCOM equipment order from leading telecommunications service provider in Asia.
[SatNews - 05/03/2010]

Inmarsat introduces new class of SwiftBroadband service, SwiftBroadband 200, designed to extend cost effective Inmarsat services to smaller aircraft.
[SatNews - 05/03/2010]

Sirius XM satellite radio resists FCC plan to make it easier for wireless internet companies to use frequencies that Sirius believes could cause interference to its signals.
[Wall Street Journal - 05/03/2010]

GeoEye busily builds next satellite while waiting for major contract decision by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
[Washington Post - 05/03/2010]

ND SatCom, and SES ASTRA company, launches new global "Valued Partner Program" aimed at resellers of its satellite router brand SkyWAN.
[SatNews - 05/03/2010]

Cinedigm Digital Cinema plans to more than double its SatCinema network of satellite-enables theatre locations across U.S. by deploying additional 300 sites by end of 2010.
[SatNews - 05/03/2010]

RRSAT is appointed by Inmarsat as distribution partner for its Global Satellite Phone Services.
[PR Newswire - 05/03/2010]

Speculators think T-Mobile might become wholesale customer for nationwide satellite LTE network being funded by Harbinger Capital Partners.
[connected planet - 05/04/2010]

WBMSAT PS services

 

 

 

We knew this was trouble. Now, Peter de Selding and Fox News report a crisis in the making...

Galaxy 15 stopped responding to ground controllers on April 5. The satellite's manufacturer, Orbital Sciences Corp. of Virginia, has said an intense solar storm in early April may be to blame.

An adrift Intelsat satellite that stopped communicating with its ground controllers last month remains out of control and has begun moving eastward along the geostationary arc, raising the threat of interference with other satellites in its path, Intelsat and other industry officials said.

In what industry officials called an unprecedented event, Intelsat's Galaxy 15 communications satellite has remained fully "on," with its C-band telecommunications payload still functioning even as it has left its assigned orbital slot of 133 degrees west longitude 36,000 kilometers over the equator.

Galaxy 15 stopped responding to ground controllers on April 5. The satellite's manufacturer, Orbital Sciences Corp. of Virginia, has said an intense solar storm in early April may be to blame. It was launched into space in 2005.

The first satellite likely to face signal interference problems from the adrift Galaxy 15 is the AMC-11 C-band satellite owned by SES of Luxembourg and stationed at 131 degrees west, just two degrees away from Galaxy 15's starting position.

Rob Bednarek, chief executive of the SES World Skies division, which operates AMC-11, said Intelsat and SES have been meeting since April 5 to coordinate how to minimize the Galaxy 15 impact on AMC-11's media customers. [Spot satellites from Earth.]

Adrift in space

In an interview Friday, Bednarek said that while it remains unclear whether SES World Skies will be able to avoid a signal interference problem as Galaxy 15 enters the AMC-11 orbital territory, the company has benefited from full disclosure on the part of Intelsat, SES's biggest competitor.

"The cooperation with them really has been very good," Bednarek said. "We all realize that we could be in the same position tomorrow. We are neighbors in space."

Alan Young, chief technology officer at SES World Skies, said the company's best estimate is that Galaxy 15 will enter AMC-11's neighborhood — meaning one-half of one degree distant — May 23. It will continue traveling at its own pace through the AMC-11 slot, exiting on the east around June 7.

Young said the period of May 31 to June 1 is going to be the riskiest time for AMC-11 customers as SES World Skies seeks to maneuver AMC-11 to the maximum extent possible out of the Galaxy 15 track while at the same time maintaining links with the company's AMC-11 customers.

Tobias Nassif, Intelsat's vice president for satellite operations and engineering, said Friday that the company, in concert with Galaxy 15 manufacturer Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., has sent between 150,000 and 200,000 commands to the satellite in the nearly four weeks since the satellite stopped sending or responding to commands.

These communication attempts, the equivalent of mild wake-up calls to return Galaxy 15 to service, have had no effect. As it moved all Galaxy 15 customers onto Galaxy 12, which was pulled into service from another orbital location, Intelsat at first focused on recovering Galaxy 15 to regular service.

Zombie satellites in space

On May 3, Intelsat will play what as of Friday appeared to be its last card by blasting Galaxy 15 with a more powerful signal intended not to salvage the satellite, but to force it into a complete shutdown.

That attempt will last about 30 minutes. It will not be repeated, both because a second attempt is viewed as unnecessary — the treatment works or it does not — and because sending out powerful radio frequency signals carries the risk of interfering with other satellites in the area.

Even if the May 3 action succeeds, Galaxy 15 will remain a problem as it continues to wander the geostationary arc. But it is a problem that satellite operators know how to deal with. Industry experts say there are several dozen spacecraft, sometimes called "zombiesats," that for various reasons were not removed from the geostationary highway before failing completely.

Depending on their position at the time of failure, these satellites tend to migrate toward one of two libration points, at 105 degrees west and 75 degrees east. Figures compiled by XL Insurance of New York, an underwriter of space risks, say that more than 160 satellites are gathered at these two points, which Bednarek described as the orbital equivalent of valleys.

"Unfortunately for us, we were downhill from Galaxy 15 as it rolls toward" the 105 degrees west libration point, Bednarek said.

Satellite signal stealer

Satellites like Galaxy 15 and AMC-11 are so-called "bent-pipe" designs that receive signals from the ground, amplify them on board and redistribute them to customers' ground antennas. Emptied of its customers — except one, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which uses an L-band payload on Galaxy 15 to guide aircraft landings — Galaxy 15 is no longer broadcasting. But its electronics payload is ready to capture and rebroadcast signals it receives that are intended for other spacecraft.

Young said that both SES and Intelsat are fortunate in this case because their two satellites' customers are mainly media companies using fairly large antennas to communicate with the satellites. During the period of maximum danger for AMC-11, SES expects to be able to reroute customer signals to SES-operated teleports with still-larger antennas to maintain communications links.

Nassif said Intelsat and Orbital Sciences have solicited outside opinions from other satellite manufacturers on possible maneuvers that might return Galaxy 15 to control or force it to shut down.

"The fact is that this is the first major anomaly on an Orbital-built satellite," Nassif said. "Other manufacturers have been through problems and might have something to suggest to us."

Because nothing like this has happened before, Intelsat remains uncertain as to when Galaxy 15, as its Earth sensor realizes it is no longer in the desired position, might lose its Earth-pointing capability. That would lead to its solar arrays losing their lock on the sun. Within hours, the satellite's batteries would discharge and the spacecraft would shut down on its own.

While cautioning that the company is revising its most-likely-scenario thinking almost on a daily basis as it gets input from Orbital Sciences and others, Nassif said the current estimate is that Galaxy 15 will lose Earth pointing by late July or early August.

As luck would have it, that timetable would mean the only other satellites in Galaxy 15's C-band frequency that face interference issues are owned by Intelsat.

After it leaves the vicinity of AMC-11, Galaxy 15 is expected to approach Intelsat's Galaxy 13 satellite, at 127 degrees west, around July 13. On July 30, it will enter into the Galaxy 14 satellite's orbital territory at 125 degrees west before heading toward Galaxy 18 at 123 degrees in mid-August.

"We are in regular contact with all our customers of these satellites to keep them apprised of the situation," Nassif said.