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WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 10/07/2011

Friday, October 7th, 2011

Will you be at SatCon NY? Email me if you’d like to meet there.

Attend Satellite Interference Forum the day before SatCon Expo – see details.


Intelsat 18 launched from Baikonur Space Center by Sea Launch provided Land Launch Zenit-3SLB launch vehicle.
[SatNews – 10/06/2011]

Thales Alenia Space, prime contractor for second generation of Globalstar mobile communications satellites, rejects Globalstar’s order for six quick-delivery spacecraft, alleging that the company “has no right to place the order.”
[SatNews – 10/06/2011]

Telecommunications par Satellite Mobiles launches Globalstar’s satellite telephone service in Belgium, France, Portugal, and Spain, bringing total number of locations where service is available to 15 countries across Europe, Asia, North America, and South America.
[SatNews – 10/06/2011]

U.S. military concerned about American dependence on space satellites, especially GPS birds – sees long endurance UAVs as salvation in event of space satellite apocalypse.
[Strategy Page – 10/06/2011]

Harbinger Capital Partners hedge fund manager Philip Falcone asked by U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for records of communications with Obama administration officials over LightSquared, beset by technical challenges and concerns over interference with GPS.
[Wall Street Journal – 10/06/2011]

With Avanti Communications Group stock in tailspin in recent months, Avanti Executives purchase large blocks of shares, as the startup company that launched Hylas 1 broadband satellite announces lower revenue and higher losses for year ending June 30.
[Space News – 10/06/2011]

ASC Signal awarded $3.8M sub-contract by L-2 Communications for ground satcom systems to support U.S. Navy MQ-4C Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System program.
[Market Watch – 10/06/2011]


Telesat satellite malfunction causes major communications disruption across Nunavut and much of Canada’s North.
[Nunatsiaq online – 10/06/2011]

Viasat’s first-ever satellite, ViaSat-1, slated for blast off on Oct. 19.
[Signon San Diego – 10/06/2011]

Senior Iranian commander says the Islamic Republic’s air defense has acquired the know-how to disrupt military and spy satellite communications.
[Press TV – 10/05/2011]

W3C satellite built for Eutelsat by Thales Alenia Space is set for October 7 launch by a Long March 3BE rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China.
[SatNews – 10/05/2011]

ESA’s first two Galileo navigation satellites set for launch by Soyuz from French Guiana on October 20.
[SatNews – 10/05/2011]

Eutelsat targets high-growth video markets across Europe as it adds new 9B satellite to occupy 9degree East neighbourhood.
[Rapid TV News – 10/05/2011]

Plans announced during Interference-Prevention Summit to address satellite interference problems already being implemented in several Asian nations.
[SatNews – 10/05/2011]

MIL-SAT Global Communications is awarded $11.9M contract for marine stabilized satellite communications terminals for the Force Training Assessment Department at the Naval Surface Warfare Center.
[AFCEA – 10/05/2011]

Al Yah Satellite Communications Company signs Memorandum of Understanding with DSEI Thales allowing it to offer highly secure satellite communications to military forces and government agencies through Yahsat’s Y1A satellite.
[AME Info – 10/05/2011]

Gilat Satellite Networks hires Brigadier General and creates new defense division to cater to U.S. defense establishments.
[Globes – 10/05/2011]

Boeing to host MILCOM 2011 conference and exposition at Baltimore Convention Center November 7th though 10th.
[SatNews – 10/05/2011]

Berkely students building CubeSat CINEMA (CubeSat for Ions, Neutrals, Electrons, and MAgnetic fields) could be at the forefront of the future of space research.
[R&D Magazine – 10/04/2011]

Astrium is selected to build Eutelsat’s next satellite, EUTELSAT 9B, a high-power broadcast satellite to address high-growth video markets in Europe, to be launched ad end of 2014.
[SatNews – 10/04/2011]

Nigeria launches first African built imagery satellite.
[Satellite Today – 10/04/2011]

South African Minister of Science and Technology addresses International Astronautical Congress, outlining plans to develop all aspects of space industry for the benefit of the whole of Africa.
[DefenceWeb – 10/04/2011]

Hughes to address SATCON 2011 on future trends in satellite communications, the U.S. government’s “Future Commercial Satellite Communications Services Acquisition,” and the future of military satellite communications.
[Market Watch – 10/04/2011]

Boeing demonstrates high data-rate transmission between FAB-T system and a test terminal for the U.S. Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite.
[UPI – 10/04/2011]

Newtec’s Business Partner Program called bePART quick to win acceptance as global satellite communications industry brands in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America join the program.
[SatNews – 10/04/2011]

TCS awarded $16.2m contract tfrom U.S. Army to continue to provide satellite communications equipment, engineering support, training, and maintenance.
[MENAFN – 10/04/2011]


Goodrich Corporation, builder of KH-9 spy satellite, was platinum sponsor of event at which National Reconnaissance Office revealed to the public details of the satellite, over 60 ft. long and 10 ft. in diameter, of which 20 were launched during cold war.
[SatNews – 10/04/2011]

Globalstar announces that second of six satellites launched in July now operational and processing mobile satellite voice and data traffic to customers in North America and around the world.
[SatNews – 10/04/2011]

SES secures further long-term contract with Channel 4 in UK to provide additional capacity on its recently launched ASTRA 1N spacecraft.
[SatNews – 10/04/2011]

Russia’s first test firing of new secret intercontinental missile with features to defeat air defence systems fails due to problem with the missile’s second stage.
[SatNews – 10/03/2011]

Soyuz-2.1B carrier rocket with Glonass-MN navigation satellite is launched from Plesetsk Space Center in northern Russia.
[SatNews – 10/03/2011]

Japan plans to establish network of four satellite GPS constellation.
[SatNews – 10/03/2011]

First Advanced Extremely High Frequency that failed to reach orbit when launched in August 2010 is now expected to reach its orbital slot in late October, as a result of orbit-raising activities by team of Air Force and civilian engineers.
[SatNews – 10/03/2011]

Hughes Network Systems launches new 9202 class 2 portable satellite terminal fully compatible for operation over Inmarsat’s BGAN satellite service.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/03/2011]

Surrey Satellite Technology plans to jump-start space innovation by combining state-of-the art avionics with flight proven systems in low cost microsatellite.
[SatNews – 10/03/2011]

DigitalGlobe and Ball Aerospace & Technologies jointly announce successful completion of Critical Design Review for next generation remote-sensing satellite WorldView-3.
[SatNews – 10/03/2011]

Avanti Communications secures more clients for its satellites, and HYLAS 2 is insured for less than expected, with its launch on track for second quarter of 2012.
[Proactive Investors – 10/03/2011]

Stratos Global opens Global Installation & Service Centers in Rotterdam, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Lafayette, Louisiana to provide complete managed-communications services for ship owners and ship management companies.
[PR Newswire – 10/03/2011]

Canadian Space Agency looks at launching pair of satellites that could improve weather forecasting and telecommunications in the Arctic.
[Montreal Gazette – 10/01/2011]

SpaceX plans to build fully re-useable orbiter.
[R&D Magazine – 09/30/2011]

U.S. Government Market Focus: The Risks of Insatiable Demand vs. Overloaded Supply
[Via Satellite Webinars – Free Webinar October 19]

MSS, FSS, and HTS (High Throuput Ka-band Satellites) – who will win the mobility battle?
[NSR free webinar October 19]

Earth Observation providers and data users spread around the globe, as revenues of two main satellite operators grew in 2010.
[NSR Report – October 2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications systems consulting services

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 09/30/2011

Friday, September 30th, 2011


Will you be at SatCon NY?  Email me if you’d like to meet  there.
Attend Satellite Interference Forum the day before SatCon Expo – see  details.

National Reconnaissance Office declassifies two of America’s top  satellite reconnaissance programs, GAMBIT (KH-7) and HEXAGON (KH-9) 25 years  after top secret Cold War-era missions ended.
[SatNews – 09/30/2011]

ILS Proton Breeze M booster lifts off from Baikonur with SES satellite  QuetzSat-1.
[SatNews –  09/29/2011]

China launches experimental module to lay groundwork for future space  station.
[R&D Magazine – 09/29/2011]

Hosted Payload Alliance meeting October 13 at SATCON 2011 expected to be  attended by more than 150 representatives from industry and government,  following panel session “Hosted Payloads on the Horizon: Opportunities and  Challenges.”
[SatNews –  09/29/2011]

Arianespace gets contract to launch Mexsat 3 for Mexico in 2012.
[SatNews –  09/29/2011]

Eutelsat subsidiary Skylogic signs with VIVACOM to provide new generation  Tooway satellite broadband service in Bulgaria.
[Sacramento Bee – 09/29/2011]

CCID Consulting launches China’s Satellite Application Industry Map White  Paper in Beijing, demonstrating industry layout and future trends.
[Market Watch – 09/29/2011]

European Space Agency provides research and development guidance to Finnish  company Patria, with help of Tampere University of Technology, in designing  search and rescue antenna that can be sewn into life vest.
[SatNews –  09/29/2011]

Globecomm Systems gets multiple contracts valued at approximately $4M to  provide U.S. Government end-users with Ku- and X-band aeronautical services,  following launch of Airborne managed network services offering.
[SatNews –  09/29/2011]

TCS gets another SNAP order from U.S. Army worth $15M.
[Market Watch – 09/29/2011]

New Guardian Mobility system brings real-time two-way text messaging to the  arena of portable satellite Automated Flight Following systems.
[SF Gate – 09-29-2011]

Comtech Telecommunications says it will continue to grow in spite of the loss  of two Army contracts, Blue Force Tracking and Movement Tracking System.
[Space News – 09/29/2011]


Stratos provides Inmarsat BGAN broadband satellite service enabling Hotmix  Radio to stream live, mobile show from Paris Techno Parade on Sept. 17th.
[Market Watch – 09/29/2011]

TC Communications provides Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro tor Himalayan expedition  led by Peter Hillary, son of legendary mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary.
[SatNews –  09/29/2011]

Comtech EF Data and Intellian announce successful technology integration of  v-Series antennas and ROSS Open Antenna Management protocol allowing maritime  vessels to globally roam across multiple satellite beams.
[SatNews –  09/29/2011]

First high resolution satellite imagery released from NigeriaSat-2, revealing  stunning 2.5m resolution photographs.
[SatNews –  09/28/2011]

Stratos introduces new FBB Flat Fee service plans for Inmarsat FleetBroadband.
[Market Watch – 09/28/2011]

EADS Astrium acquisition of Vizada prepares fighting lines for next MSS  battleground.
[NSR – 09/28/2011]

Minotaur Rocket launches from Alaska with Navy TacSat4 satellite designed to  allow troops with UHF radios to communicate without the need to deploy satellite  antennas in dangerous situations.
[Fox News – 09/27/25011]

U.S. Space completes study for USAF and identifies cost-effective ways to  procure military satellite communications.
[Market Watch – 09/27/2011]

Satellite Interference Reduction Group announces huge leap forward in fight  against satellite interference following number of developments at IBC including  introduction of video carrier ID across the industry.
[SatNews –  09/27/2011]

Thrane & Thrane signs to be key launch manufacturer for Inmarsat’s  forthcoming Global Xpress service, a new Ka-band satellite Internet service  expected to go live in 2013.
[SatNews –  09/27/2011]

Zenit 3-SL rocket launches from Sea Launch AG’s floating pad in equatorial  Pacific with Eutelsat’s Atlantic Bird 7 satellite, marking first Sea Launch  mission since emergence from bankruptcy.
[ninemsn – 09/26/2011]

NASA plans high-speed laser-based optical space communications system capable  of moving data up to 100 times faster than current systems.
[Information Week – 09/26/2011]

Bentley Walker upgrades satellite Internet platform to iDirect’s iDX 3.0, and  now provides faster satellite Internet across Europe, the Middle East, Africa,  and South America.
[SatNews –  09/26/2011]

Ozonio and O3b Networks commit to providing Internet services to may remote  towns and cities in Brazil’s State of Amazonas.
[Market Watch – 09/26/2011]

Adtec Digital’s EN-81 encoder/modulator and RD-60 decoder for 32APSK  (Amplitude and Phase-Shift Keying) promise up to 30 percent more data using same  bandwidth as 8PSK; companies testing include TV2Go of Canada, U.S. companies TNT  and Encompass, and UK based IMG Media and British Sky Broadcaster.
[SatNews –  09/26/2011]

NASA reports that all debris from decommissioned research satellite appears  to have fallen in remote section of Pacific Ocean.
[Wall Street Journal – 09/25/2011]

GOP presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann accuses administration of  allowing LightSquared to “put millions of Americans in harm’s way” by allowing  it to activate a wireless signal that interferes with GPS.
[CBS News  – 09/23/2011]

Wireless Backhaul via Satellite, 5th Edition report, available from NSR.
[NSR – September 2011]


WBMSAT satellite communications systems consulting services

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 09/23/2011

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

First global map of salinity of ocean surface produced from data  collected by NASA’s Aquarius, aboard the Aquarius/SAC-D  satellite/observatory.
[SatNews  – 09/23/2011]

RRsat expands backup and disaster recovery with Spacecom, acting as  Spacecom’s remote and mirror Earth station for telemetry monitoring, tracking,  and commanding (TT&C) and In-Orbit Testing (IOT).
[SatNews –  09/23/2011]

U.S. Department of Defense tracks NASA’s Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite as its orbit decays, expecting to predict when – and possibly where – it will  re-enter the atmosphere.
[SatNews –  09/22/2011]

SES-2 satellite built by Orbital, with CHIRP hosted payload, successfully launched from French Guiana.
[Market Watch – 09/22/2011]

Japan launches new military Information Gathering Satellite known as  Optical-4, with primary mission to provide early warning of impending hostile  launches (prompted by 1998 North Korean missile launch).
[SatNewqs –  09/22/2011]

Two vessels receive Inmarsat-sponsored award recognizing extraordinary  courage and seamanship for their rescue of a party of 64 students from sinking  Canadian tall ship Concordia.
[SatNews –  09/22/2011]

Eutelsat’s ATLANTIC BIRD 7 satellite set for September 24 launch.
[Market Watch – 09/22/2011]

Defense Department’s 1000 lb., $150M 10-channel high power UHF satellite set  to launch September 27 from Kodiak, Alaska – expected to free troops in the  field from carrying heavy radio equipment and fiddling with antennas.
[Stars and Stripes – 09/22/2011]

Sea Launch, now 95% owned by Russian aerospace giant Rocket & Space Corp.  Energia and headquartered in Switzerland, set to launch its first rocket Friday  in over two years – ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 7 for Eutelsat.
[LA Times – 09/22/2011]

Virgin Galactic unveils new $8M Final Assembly, Integration and Test Hangar  (FAITH) at Mojave Air and Space Port for final stages of production of  WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo.
[SatNews –  09/22/2011]

Thrane & Thrane to manufacture broadband terminals for Inmarsat’s Global  Xpress network.
[Reuters – 09/22/2011]

India seeks to disable satellite phones at the border to fight terrorism.
[ars technica – 09/22/2011]

Ariane 5 lifts off from French Guiana with Arabsat 5C and SES-2 one day after  being delayed by local strike by French Guiana workers.
[xinhuanet  – 09/21/2011]

China receives first contract in Europe to build communications satellite for  Belarus and launch from Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
[Satellite Today – 09/21/2011]

South Africa’s one and only satellite, Sumbandila, out of contact with its  Mission Control and not downloading any images since being hit by blast of solar  radiation in July.
[SatNews –  09/21/2011]

LightSquared claims filter developed by high-precision GPS receiver  manufacturer Javad GNSS will fix problem of potential interference by  LightSquared planned LTE network, can be adapted for receivers already in the  market, and won’t make devices more expensive for consumers.
[Wireless Week – 09/21/2011]

Following successful trial on one of its LNG tankers, MOL LNG Transport Co.  Ltd. is adding the KVH TracPhone V7 satellite communications system and  mini-VSAT Broadband service to three of its LNG tankers.
[SatNews –  09/21/2011]

MTN Satellite Communications and Sensory International partner to deliver  global VSAT services and connectivity to superyachts.
[Market Watch – 09/21/2011]

Harris opens new and totally advanced center for manufacturing of tactical  radios and assured communication systems.
[SatNews –  09/21/2011]

General Dynamics receives FCC license for its Coms-on-the-Move terminals  enabling continuous access to private- and government-owned communications  satellites while on-the-move in vehicles.
[PR Newswire – 09/21/2011]

UtiliSat joins Satellite Industry Association as Associate Member.
[space ref –  09/21/2011]

Eutelsat and MultiChoice Africa Announce Winners of the First DStv Eutelsat  Star Awards in competition by over 800 students from across Africa.
[Sacramento Bee – 09/21/2011]

Gilat subsidiary Spacenet gets renewal contract valued at up to $27M from  U.S. retail giant for critical network solutions and potential store expansion.
[Market Watch – 09/21/2011]

NASA expects 26 of heaviest metal parts of a 20-year-old research satellite,  which should break into more than 100 pieces as it enters the atmosphere this  week, to reach Earth – but no one knows where.
[R&D Magazine – 09/20/2011]

Russia’s Proton-M carrier rocket successfully launched with a military  purpose spacecraft aboard.
[SatNews –  09/20/2011]

Satmex signs multi-year multi-transponder lease agreement with Telefonica  subsidiary Media Networks Latin America.
[SatNews –  09/20/2011]

Ratheon fields first AEHF satellite communications terminals to U.S. armed  forces tactical units.
[Space Daily – 09/20/2011]

NewSat Jabiru-1 contracts reach $279M with latest $40.2M contract with  Quicklink Communications.
[Satellite Today – 09/20/2011]

Marlink and Sea Tel team up to provide satellite communications for third  Kaisei expedition seeking viable solutions to problems associated with marine  debris in North Pacific Gyre.
[Maritime Executive – 09/20/2011]

Vizada and ARINC renew partnership to deliver mobile satellite services to  commercial, government aviation customers.
[Military & Aerospace – 09/20/2011]

Gilat to supply VSATs for e-Education program in Latin American country.
[Satellite Spotlight – 09/20/2011]

Zhongxing-1A satellite carried aloft by Long March-3B from Xichang Satellite  Launch Center in Sichuan Province, China.
[SatNews –  09/19/2011]

Senate Appropriations Committee approves $500M in funding for commercial  spaceflight as part of NASA’s 2012 budget.
[Satellite Today – 09/19/2011]

LightSquared CEO claims U.S. politicians using company as a pinata after  being denied opportunity to testify at U.S. House Armed Service Committee  hearing.
[Satellite Today – 09/19/2011]

Military communications satellite launched by China.
[Spaceflight Now  – 09/18/2011]

Component crunch slows delivery of Ka-band communications satellites as only  two companies manufacturing Ka-band TWTs, L-3 and Thales, are unable to keep up  with demand.
[Space News – 09/16/2011]

Low-cost Disaster Warning Dissemination System conceived by India Space  Research Organization can reach general public in local languages with early  warnings of potential weather dangers using satellite-based Direct-to-home  television broadcasts.
[Microwaves&RF – September 2011]

WBMSAT PS  satellite communications systems services


WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 09/16/2011

Monday, September 19th, 2011

Satellite operators SES SA and Telesat Holdings may need to stick to  partnerships to expand in fast-growing emerging markets as acquisitions are  often blocked by politics.
[Bloomberg – 09/16/2011]

Avanti Communications announces contract win for UK rural broadband supply.
[Proactive Investors – 09/16/2011]

Space Systems/Loral’s Viasat-1 Ka-band satellite arrives at Kazakhstan’s  Baikonur Space Center launch base.
[Satellite Spotlight – 09/16/2011]

SES S.A. contracts with Osterreichischer Rundfunksender of Austria for a  fourth transponder at 19.2 degrees East to launch two new public broadcasting  channels in Austria.
[SatNews –  09/16/2011]

Space Weather research report states that solar superstorm could kill  majority of in-orbit weather, telecommunications, and military satellites in  less than a year.
[Satellite Today – 09/15/2011]

NASA selects designs of new heavy-lift rocket and crew capsule for ferrying  cargo, equipment, and science experiments to Earth’s orbit and beyond, as well  as serving as backup for transportation services to International Space Station.
[SatNews –  09/15/2011]

U.S. National Reconnaissance Office gets hit with budget cuts but preserves  science and technology funding used to develop unique capabilities including  advanced satellites, six of which have been launched in last seven months.
[Federal Times – 09/15/2011]

Weathernews Inc. of Tokyo, Japan sets date for launch of WNISAT-1 from the  Yasny Cosmodrome in Russia for next September – satellite will monitor ice  conditions in the Artic Sea.
[SatNews –  09/15/2011]

House Armed Services Committee hearing delves into LightSquared LTE plans and  potential interference with military GPS systems – FCC Chairman chooses not to  appear.
[Washington Post – 09/15/2011]

Eutelsat extends agreement with Russian Satellite Communications Company for  satellite control from Dubna.
[Market Watch – 09/15/2011]

European Space Agency and Arianespace sign contract for launch of BepiColombo  spacecraft, designed to explore planet Mercury.
[SatNews –  09/15/2011]

New Iridium personal services package includes capability to use Iridium  satellite communications device together with your smart phone in areas where  there is no wi-fi or cellular phone service.
[digital energy – 09/15/2011]

Globecomm Systems gets contract to host the enhanced and extended GSM  wireless network of Chariton Valley Wireless Services of Northeast Missouri.
[SatNews –  09/15/2011]

TCS does it again- $9.3M order from U.S. Army for SNAP deployable satellite  systems upgrades and spares equipment following earlier $20.7M in funding for  equipment and field services support of SNAP systems. .
[Market Watch – 09/15/2011] [Market Watch – 09/14/2011]

ViaSat receives delivery order valued at approximately $27.6M for  Multifunctional Information Distribution System – Low Volume Terminals from the  Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command.
[SatNews –  09/15/2011]

Gilat U.S. subsidiary Spacenet Integrated Government Solutions wins third  U.S. government contract to provide satellite communications services.
[Globes – 09/15/2011]

Northrop Grumman signs three-year agreement to become leased services  provider and network services distribution partner of Inmarsat’s satellite  services around the world.
[Emoney Daily – 09/15/2011]

Euroconsult 8th annual awards go to:  Global Satellite Operator of the  Year – Inmarsat; Strategic Transaction of the Year – EchoStar Corporation;  Regional Satellite Operator of the Year – AsiaSat; Broadband Satellite Operator  of the Year – Hughes Communications.
[SatNews –  09/14/2011]

European Space Agency shut down the second European Remote Sensing satellite  ERS-2 after 16 years of providing data for thousands of scientists and projects.
[SatNews –  09/14/2011]

FCC wants further tests of LightSquared’s proposed mobile broadband network  as concern mounts over possible interference with GPS.
[Mobiledia – 09/14/2011]

Sirius XM CEO expects significant revenue growth in 2012 after company raised  subscription fees for first time in about a decade.
[LA Times – 09/14/2011]

KVH to unveil new 1-meter TracVision(R) HD11 marine satellite TV system for  global HD with digitally programmable multi-beam Universal World LNB.
[Market Watch – 09/14/2011]

U.S. Navy announces plans to launch September 27 the Tactical Microsatellite  (TacSat)-4, funded by Office of Naval Research and developed by Naval Research  Laboratory to allow service members around the world to use handheld radio for  mobile communications in the field without having to set up a satellite antenna.
[Stars & Stripes – 09/13/2011]

Worries about Russian rocket reliability delay launches of U.S. and French  satellites and crew rotation for International Space Station.
[The Hindu –  09/13/2011]

Graduate students at Purdue designing and building rocket engine that could  land a vehicle on the moon.
[R&D Magazine – 09/13/2011]

Farstaed Shipping signs 5-year satellite communications contract with Harris  CapRock Communications for 53 offshore supply vessels.
[Market Watch – 09/13/2011]

Comtech receives $12.1M in orders for broadband high-power amplifiers to  un-named U.S. contractor.
[Bloomberg  Business Week – 09/13/2011]

Eutelsat aims to improve quality assurance standards for satellite TV ahead  of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
[Cable – 09/12/2011]

Hughes is awarded extension contract for U.S. Air Force study of commercial  communications satellite systems capabilities.
[Market Watch – 09/12/2011]

LightSquared forges ahead with another wholesale agreement, with VoX  Communications.
[Market Watch – 09/12/2011]

Arabsat announces that all necessary technical and logistics requirements for  global distribution of Saudi League matches in Europe and the U.S. have been  finalized.
[SatNews –  09/11/2011]

Thuraya IP, world’s smallest satellite high throughput solution, attracts  praised from British and French Ministries of Defence, will be showcased at  upcoming DSEi exhibition in London.
[Teletechwire – 09/11/2011]

LightSquared says it can avert interference problems with GPS systems by  limiting power levels and adjusting height and tilt of antennae.
[Kansas City Star – 09/10/2011]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services


WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 09/09/2011

Friday, September 9th, 2011

SES S.A. presents new brand identity and logo as operating units merge into single entity, with independent subsidiary SES Government Solutions to market to U.S. government.
[SatNews – 09/09/2011]

New unified approach and identity of merged entities forming SES S.A. outlined by CEO of SES Government Solutions.
[SatNews – 09/09/2011]

Iridium adds new services to “personal mobile satellite communications” product, including extending beyond satellite phones to include enabling a Wi-Fi hotspot capability for connecting devices.
[Satellite Spotlight – 09/09/2011]

Launch of ViaSat-1, delayed in August due to Proton Breeze-M failure, is now scheduled for October.
[SatNews – 09/09/2011]

MIT led NASA GRAIL moon mission, twin spacecraft set to precisely map moon’s gravitational field, suffered launch delay yesterday due to high winds.  Re-scheduled to launch today, Friday September 9,
[R&D Magazine – 09/09/2011]
the launch is scrubbed a second time.
[SatNews – 09/09/2011]

Skyware Global debuts new Cielo Ka-band product range with world’s first truly integrated Ka-band VSAT transceiver.
[SatNews – 09/09/2011]

International Datacasting announces debut of IDC Systems & Solutions, offering comprehensive end-to-end systems integration for broadcasters.
[SatNews – 09/09/2011]

Satellite operators SES SA and Intelsat SA push services such as military drones in preparation for biggest increase in satellite capacity in at least 10 years (more than 200 commercial communication satellites to be launched by 2020).
[Bloomberg – 09/08/2011]

Orbit of NASA’s Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite decays, with re-entry into atmosphere expected by late September or early October.
[SatNews – 09/08/2011]

Satlink Communications’ live trial of Novelsat’s 3G-SAT NS3(TM) technology shows over 50% increase above DVB-S2 in bandwidth efficiency.
{MarketWatch – 09/08/2011]

TRACE selects Eutelsat’s EUROBIRD 9A satellite to broadcast its platform of HD channels across Europe and Middle East.
[PR Newswire – 09/08/2011]

Newtec signs contracts with Eutelsat’s Skylogic (for TOOWAY product), SES ASTRA (for ASTRA2Connect product), and African company SkyVine for the Newtec Sat3Play hub systems to provide two-way IP broadband services.
[SatNews – 09/08/2011]

Space Systems/Loral selected to provide two high-power satellites to Intelsat.
[Market Watch – 09/08/2011]

SES S.A. gets contract from GlobeCast for transponder on SES-4 as well as additional transponder on ASTRA-4A to launch two new broadcast platforms for sub-Saharan African region.
[MarketWatch – 09/08/2011]

TCS continues its successes with the U.S. military as the U.S. Marine Corp signs contract for integrated communications system that carries potential value of $139.8M.
[UPI – 09/08/2011]

Vizada expands Satcom portfolio to include new Iridium Extreme and Iridium AxcessPoint with location-based services like online tracking and emergency SOS notification.
[Market Watch – 09/08/2011]

Globecomm Systems is awarded two contracts from US Government customers valued at $12.8M, with options that could potentially increase value up to $66.6M for both contracts.
[Market Watch – 09/08/2011]

Emergency services professionals choose KVH TracPhone V3 Mini-VSAT for portable satellite communications.
[4-traders – 09/08/2011]

Marlink signs agreement with Wilson Ship Management to provide 80 of its ships with SCAP FleetBroadband on 36 month contract.
[SatNews – 09/08/2011]

C-COM debuts new 98cm iNetVue Ka-band antenna, tested by Gilat and fully integrated with Gilat’s SkyEdge II Ka-band terminals.
[SatNews – 09/08/2011]

ATCi tailors Simulsat transport system for European market.
[PR Newswire – 09/08/2011]

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory provides scientists with new information that energy from some solar flares is stronger and lasts longer than previously thought.
[R&D Magazine – 09/08/2011]

Sea&Space of Belgium signs for capacity on Telesat’s Telstar 11N to bring advanced broadband services to remote African communities.
[SatNews – 09/08/2011]

DIRECTV Latin America signs with Intelsat for capacity on two new satellites to expand its DTH offerings and provide backup and restoration services.
[SatNews – 09/08/2011]

Advanta Technologies joins list of companies signing wholesale-only compacts with LightSquared.
[SatNews – 09/08/2011]

Optimal Satcom awarded multi-year contract by Asia Broadcast Satellite to provide enterprise satellite capacity system to help manage ABS’ growing commercial satellite business.
[SatNews – 09/08/2011]

Work Microwave announces new-generation DVB-S/S2 modulator.
[SatNews – 09/08/2011]

British scientists attempt to revive only satellite ever launched by the British (in 1971) – Prospero was only launched because it was finished; Ministers had already pulled the plug on the Black Arrow project.
[Daily Mail – 09/07/2011]

SES and Gazprom agreement boosts Russian satellite capacity with relocation of Astra 1F satellite.
[Digital TV Europe – 09/07/2011]

Eutelsat and Eser Telekom announce agreement to expand reach of Tooway(TM) satellite broadband into Turkey and neighbouring countries.
[Market Watch – 09/07/2011]

Hughes ships Ka-band broadband satellite solution to YAHSAT.
[Market Watch – 09/07/2011]

Hispasat selects Arianespace to launch its new Amazonas-3 telecommunications satellite.
[SatNews – 09/07/2011]

GlobeCast cuts ribbon on new Rome teleport.
[Satellite Today – 09/07/2011]

New Globalstar satellites now providing improved voice and data service for North American customers.
[GlobeNewswire – 09/06/2011]

ORBIT aims to expand tracking and telemetry/satellite earth observation business in the U.S.
[Market Watch – 09/06/2011]

ViaSat wins contracts from Boeing for ground based beam forming system for Mexican satellite.
[Market Watch – 09/06/2011]

KVH mini-VSAT broadband service now available in South America to all subscribers, completing original global coverage plan for the maritime satellite communications network.
[Market Watch – 09/06/2011]

Broadcom announces entry into Out Door Unit market with Full-Band Capture Satellite Channel Stacker solution supporting 24 independent channels, delivering more HD streams, multi-room DVR and IP services throughout the home.
[Market Watch – 09/06/2011]

Independent mobile and satellite networks likely to benefit from AT&T’s antitrust woes, and Justice Department sues to prevent AT&T merger with T-Mobile.
[Seeking Alpha –  09/05/2011]

Pakistan Chairman SUPARCO confident that recently launched PAKSAT-1R has capacity to bring revolution to national education programme.
[Pak Observer – 09/05/2011]

Croatia’s KLasik TV joins AMOS satellite system.
[News on News – 09/05/2011]

Hong Kong-based telco PCCW Global and Vizada Networks team up to expand international terrestrial and satellite services coverage of both companies.
[Trade Arabia – 09/04/2011]

Inmarsat launches a price War and goes direct – the risks and the possible rewards.
[SatMagazine – September issue]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits September 2, 2011

Friday, September 2nd, 2011

Two-foot-wide model of world’s first geosynchronous commercial communications satellite, Syncom, shares the stage at Boeing celebration of 50 years in the satellite business.
[SatNews – 09/02/2011]

Stellar Group utilizes Newtec’s Flex ACM and three transponders on inclined orbit satellite to provide reliable high speed satellite link to camp of 40,000 in Afghanistan.
[SatNews – 09/02/2011]

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) pre3pares for launch of Megha-Tropiques advanced weather and climate satellite later this month aboard Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.
[SatNews – 09/02/2011]

Orbital Sciences receives Commercial Space Transportation License from Federal Aviation Administration to conduct Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program demonstration mission in 2012.
[SatNews – 09/02/2011]

National Polar-orbiting Operational Environment Satellite System Preparatory Project satellite,. first of new generation of satellites to observe many facets of our changing Earth, arrives at Vandenberg for October launch.
[SatNews – 09/02/2011]

Aljazeera invests in several Multimedia Exchange Network over Satellite TV interactive terminals from Newtec.
[SatNews – 09/02/2011]

Comtech EF Data’s new LPOD to get deployed by U.S. Government under $1.2M satellite earth station equipment order from leading solutions provider.
[SatNews – 09/02/2011]

iPONT International and SES Astra to demonstrate glasses-free 3DTV on SES stand at IBC 2011.
[SatNews – 09/02/2011]

Orbital awarded $135M contract by NASA for Icesat-2 earth science satellite program.
[Reuters – 09/01/2011]

Inmarsat GX and Rockwell Collins team up to expand airborne connectivity for aeronautical industry.
[Satellite Spotlight – 09/01/2011]

Gaps in smart grid network communications technologies lead many utility companies to consider two-way satellite IP networks.
[Electric Light & Power – 09/01/2011]

Worried National Research Council committee urges NASA to place greater focus on space junk.
[Science Magazine – 09/01/2011]

Repaired Amos 5 satellite to be launched in December 2011.
[Globes – 09/01/2011]

Three men responsible for damaging Waihopai Valley intelligence gathering satellite dome in 2008 found liable for damages by High Court at Wellington, NZ
[NZ Herald – 09/01/2011]

New Euroconsult report says growth continues but slows as challenges emerge for the satellite communications sector.
[Broadcast Engineering – 08/31/2011]

Roscosmos considers returning the federal space program to the framework of the state defense order to ensure steady financing and reduce the number of accidents with space launches.
[SatNews – 08/31/2011]

Launch of China’s Tiangong satellite will be delayed due to failure of experimental orbiter SJ-11-04 to enter orbit following its launch last weerk.
[SatNews – 08/31/2011]

Hughes wins two orbital slots in Brazilian auction.
[PR Newswire – 08/31/2011]

Thuraya partners with SRT Wireless to redefine the future of satellite data transmission.
[MarketWatch – 08/31/2011]

LightSquared and Inmarsat join forces to support hurricane Irene emergency responders.
[Satellite Spotlight – 08/31/2011]

Expand Networks offers satellite optimization for reliable communications in disaster events.
[Satellite Spotlight – 08/31/2011]

American Family Radio chooses Ka You Communications and VSAT Systems to connect 156 of their transmitter sites to the Internet to comply with new Common Alerting Protocol for the Emergency Alert System.
[PR Newswire – 08/31/2011]

Gilat is selected to provide multi-million dollar SkyEdsge II broadband network and services for security communications in Latin America.
[MarketWatch – 08/31/2011]

Russia lifts suspension on launches of main Proton-M rockets, pointing to problem with Briz-M booster stage as cause of August 18 failed launch.
[Reuters – 08/30/2011]

Kratos wins $6M in contracts to provide critical SATCOM situational awareness products and value added services to the military, government and intelligence communities.
[MarketWatch – 08/30/2011]

Eutelsat Communications announces six-year distribution agreement between Skylogic subsidiary and Egyptsat, bringing satellite broadband to Egyptians.
[Broadband TV News – 08/30/2011]

RRsat signs with Spacecom for Amos-5 satellite remote and mirror earth station for telemetry monitoring, tracking, and commanding, and In-Orbit Testing of the satellite following its December launch.
[PR Newswire – 08/30/2011]

KVH and ViaSat enhance KVH’s Mini-VSAT Broadband network, doubling uplink speeds and implementing adaptive return-link technology.
[SatNews – 08/30/2011]

Vizada launches SkyFile C Store & Push to offer customers highly-reliable data reporting and polling services, enabling shipping companies to adhere strictly to international maritime law.
[SatNews – 08/30/2011]

Arianespace places hold on launch of Arabsat 5X and SES-2 in order to carry out supplementary checks on the ESC-A upper-stage cryogenic engine.
[SatNews – 08/30/2011]

One-day International satellite-industry forum organized by Global VSAT Forum and Satellite Interference Reduction Group will be held in Netherlands September 8 to target satellite interference.
[SatNews – 08/30/2011]

TSF lands in Tripoli, and establishes satellite links to benefit medical establishments and organizations charged with treating injured that have been evacuated.
[SatNews – 08/30/2011]

Dish Network unveils portable satellite TV antenna for tailgaters, campers, and customer engaging in other outdoor activities.
[Satellite Today – 08/30/2011]

Pakistan telco awards $134M satellite contract to NewSat.
[The Express Tribune – 08/30/2011]

As 6,500 cell sites in four states are knocked out by Irene, Army North coordinates with FEMA and dispatches defense coordinating officer teams equipped with Chevrolet Suburban Emergency Response vehicles with satellite communication systems.
[NextGov – 08/29/2011]

ViaSat completes Yonder mobile high-speed Internet coverage over South America.
[MarketWatch – 08/29/2011]

X Class solar flare of August 9, 2011 and subsequent disruption to Japan’s Kodama communications satellite illustrate the vulnerability of Earth’s communication systems to astronomical events – underscores need to prepare.
[PR Web – 08/29/2011]

Globalstar completes French authorization of new satellite constellation.
[MarketWatch – 08/29/2011]

Raytheon ground system passes launch test for critical Polar orbiting satellite.
[Ottawa Citizen – 08/29/2011]

Dish Network and DirecTV take opposite tacks, as Dish embraces diversification including launch of new LTE network, while DirecTV is “well-advanced on a debt-fueled share buyback.”
[DSL Reports – 08/29/2011]

T-Mobile rolls out new satellite backhaul-supported emergency voice service.
[Satellite Today – 08/29/2011]

Research satellite set for launch from Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska on September 27.
[Chron – 08/28/2011]

ISRO issues request for proposal seeking available satellite capacity to lease.
[SatNews – 08/28/2011]

Dish Network seeks FCC approval of TerreStar-DBSD merger.
[Space News – 08/26/2011]

Nigerian satellite launched August 17 returns first pictures.
[BBC News – 08/26/2011]

Russian cargo rocket bound for International Space Station with food and fuel fails and lands in Siberian forest.
[The New York Times – 08/24/2011]

Dish Network wants FCC to let it use Terrestar’s satellite spectrum to roll out LTE-Advanced, although the new standard is not yet ready.
[Wireless Week – 08/23/2011]


WBMSAT News Bits – post July 4th catchup issue

Friday, July 8th, 2011

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits July 8, 2011

Thales Alenia Space selects EMS Technologies to supply hardware for  French-Italian Ka band and EHF satellite to support armed forces and civil  security agencies.
[Market Watch – 07/07/2011]

Arianespace will launch THOR 7 satellite for Telenor.
{Space Travel – 07/07/2011]

NOAA deputy administrator tells local leaders that satellite programs are key to saving lives and lessening economic impact of severe weather.
[Market Watch – 07/07/2011]

Freeing up some government broadband spectrum for commercial use could take more than 10 years.
[Government Video – 07/07/2011]

LightSquared creates rural initiative to drum up popular support for its wireless network plans while arguing that installing filters on GPS systems would address possible interference problems.
[Connected Planet Online – 07/07/2011]

Vizada looks to Expand Networks to enhance its existing Inmarsat BGAN, Swift  Broadband, and Fleet Broadband offerings with WAN optimization features for the  satellite networks.
[TMCnet – 07/07/2011]

Thuraya introduces specialised suite of solutions aimed at offering all the functionality of satellite communication indoors.
[Al Bawaba – 07/06/2011]

‘Remote Cueing’ capabilities of the Space Tracking and Surveillance System demonstration satellites built by Northrop Grumman demonstrated during Aegis test.
[Market Watch – 07/06/2011]

General Dynamics Information Technology gets task order from Defense  Intelligence Agency for enterprise communication services including satellite  communications support on coalition networks.
[PR Newswire – 07/06/2011]

India set to launch GSAT-12 communications satellite onboard a Polar  Satellite Launch Vehicle on July 15.
[Satellite Spotlight – 07/06/2011]

Hughes to connect 1,500 broadband satellite sites for India’s Restructured Accelerated Power Development & Reforms Programme.
[TMCnet – 07/05/2011]

Lockheed Martin’s BSAT-3c/JCSAT-110R satellite ready for launch aboard Ariane  5-ECA launch vehicle.
[Satellite Spotlight – 07/05/2011]

Comtech announces receipt of a SATCOM equipment contract from India-based  Bharti Airtel.
[TMCnet – 07/05/2011]

Spanish Ministry of Defence awards Indra maintenance contract for its  satellite communications terminals worth C17 million.
[Defence Professionals – 07/05/2011]

European Space Agency saves a four-satellite Cluster mission from near loss  by using “an unorthodox, dirty hack.”
[Satellite Today – 07/04/2011]

Italian Space Agency to cooperate with Eutelsat and Skylogic on broadband  connectivity in Italy.
[PR Newswire – 07/04/2011]

Consilium partners with Orange to market maritime VSAT service.
[Satellite Today – 07/04/2011]

Space rock passes through satellite belt within 12,000 kilometres of  Australia.
[University World News – 07/03/2011]

Dual launch of ASTRA 1N and BSAT-3c/JCSAT-110R scrubbed due to LH2 valve  fault on vulcain core stage of Ariance 5 ECA vehicle.
[NASA Spaceflight – 07/01/2011]

LiightSquared offers three-part solution to interference to GPS by its  proposed network, saying it remains committed to a robust GPS system and GPS  manufacturers could have avoided the problem with filters as cheap as 5 cents  each..
[SatNews  – 06/30/2011]

HISPASAT selects Gilat for broadband VSAT network in Spain.
[MarketWatch – 06/30/2011]

Pentagon’s ORS-1 imaging satellite carried to orbit aboard Orbital Sciences  Corp. Minotaur 1 rocket.
[Space News  – 06/30/2011]

Dish Network wins bid for TerreStar for $1.375 billion.
[Multichannel – 06/28/2011]

Raytheon triples bandwidth on National Weather Services’ satellite broadcast  network.
[PR Newswire – 06/28/2011]

Airport Authority of India says GAGAN {GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation)  satellite is in position and certification is underway.
[Inside GNSS – 06/26/2011]


WBMSAT PS  satellite communications systems services


WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 06/24/11

Saturday, June 25th, 2011

TeleCommunication Systems is awarded additional incremental funding of $2.4 million to provide U.S. Marine Corps with field services support for its Wireless Point-To-Point Link-Delta Solutions.
[Satellite Spotlight – 06/24/2011]

Hughes Network Systems introduces new business-grade satellite Internet service plans for small- and mid-sized business offering download speeds up to 5 Mbps.
[Small Business Trends – 06/24/2011]

Spacecom, operator of the AMOS satellite fleet, pre-sells capacity on the AMOS-5’s Ku- and C-band beams to existing leading Southern African Internet technology provider.
[SatNews – 06/24/2011]

NASA’s plans to demonstrate on-orbit satellite refueling and encourage U.S. companies to enter that business causes great concern at Canadian company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates, which plans to build its own spacecraft servicing vehicle.
[Space News – 06/23/2011]

Astrium continues to prepare Europe’s future propulsion technology by signing a 60 million euros rider with the European Space Agency (ESA) and its partners of the joint propulsion team consortium: Avio SpA (Italy) and SNECMA (SAFRAN Group) (France).
[SatNews – 06/23/2011]

Kazakhstan signs deal with the Russian Information Satellite System Reshetnev (ISS-Reshetev) Company to build KazSat3, a communications satellite for the country; Thales Alenia Space will build the communications payload.
[Satellite Spotlight – 06/23/2011]

Y1A satellite in-orbit testing is completed and satellite is handed over to Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (YAHSAT) by Astrium and Thales Alenia Space.
[WEBWIRE – 06/23/2011]

KVH announces that coverage for the last remaining region in its original plan – South America – is now under contract and scheduled to go live in July 2011 using the IS-14 satellite, making its seamless global network the largest Ku-band marine network.
[Market Watch – 06/23/2011]

Inmarsat launches IsatPhone Link, new global fixed satellite phone service offering same capabilities as IsatPhone Pro in a fixed rather than mobile installation.
[SatNews – 06/23/2011]

TeleCommunications Systems receives $12.8 M in funding from U.S. Army for equipment and field services in support of Secret Internet Protocol Router and Non-secure Internet Protocol Router Access Point VSAT satellite systems.
[Satellite Spotlight – 06/23/2011]

Alphabus, world’s largest communication satellite platform, meets all technical requirements and is ready to offer satellite operators worldwide unrivalled payload capacity and high power for new services.
[Space Ref – 06/22/2011]

Is NASA repeating European Space Agency mistakes resulting in high costs for Arianespace, with respect to SpaceX?
[NSR – 06/22/2011]

Dish Network wins approval of bankruptcy court to be opening ‘stalking horse’ bidder at auction of assets of TerreStar Networks.
[RTT News – 06/22/2011]

Globalstar, Inc. announces that the second launch of six new Globalstar satellites is scheduled for July 11, 2011, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
[SatNews – 06/22/2011]


Department of Defense military surveillance satellite is set to launch from Wallops Island aboard a 70-foot tall U.S. Air Force Minotaur I rocket June 28.
[delmarvanow – 06/22/2011]

Astrium is selected by the European Space Agency and the European Union as prime contractor for the Galileo Full Operational Capability Ground Control Segment.
[SatNews – 06/22/2011]

Integral Systems’ wholly owned subsidiary SAT Corporation successfully completes installation of a fully integrated carrier monitoring, satellite interference detection and spectrum scheduling system for MEASAT Satellite Systems.
[Market Watch – 06/22/2011]


DeLorme has just announces the Fall 2011 release of the DeLorme inReach, the first Iridium-based personal communicator to deliver truly global two-way satellite text messaging; delivery confirmations; SOS capabilities; remote tracking, and an Android smartphone interface.
[SatNews – 06/22/2011]

Intelsat allows MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates to extend the requirements phase of its service initiative to extend the life of Intelsat’s on-orbit satellites via a space-based service vehicle.
[Satellite Today – 06/21/2011]

SES continues trend by selecting Arianespace to launch its new Astra 5B satellite in mid-year 2013.
[SatNews – 06/21/2011]

University of South Pacific, owned by governments of 12 countries, switches VSAT service to iDirect’s Evolution platform.
[PR Newswire – 06/21/2011]

Affiliates of the bankrupt telecommunications firm TerreStar Networks are disputing a $104 million bill from Sprint Nextel, claiming that the invoice is based on a flawed interpretation of an earlier Federal Communications Commission ruling.
[Satellite Spotlight – 06/21/2011]

Space Systems/Loral named Top Performing Company in Space Systems category by Aviation Week.
[Market Watch – 06/21/2011]

Integral Systems’ wholly-owned subsidiary Newpoint Technologies introduces Mercury G3 Remote Site Manager with high redundancy and complete visibility into all remote site equipment.
[Market Watch – 06/21/2011]

Tuaropaki Communications Limited (Tuaropaki), a satellite service provider based in New Zealand, launches a broadband network built on iDirect’s Evolution DVB-S2 with Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) product line.
[PR Newswire – 06/21/2011]

Space Systems Loral contracted by Telenor Satellite Broadcasting to build multi-mission THOR 7, with Ka-band payload for maritime broadband, and Ku-band for expanded broadcast capacity in Central and Eastern Europe.
[SatNews – 06/20/2011]

Chinasat 10 communications satellite delivered to orbit aboard Long March rocket to replace aging 12-year old satellite serving Asia.
[Spaceflight Now – 06/20/2011]

Sky Perfect JSAT to Launch JCSAT-13 Two Years Early .
[Satellite Today Insider – 06/20/2011]

Goodrich and sub-contractor ATK Space Systems successfully complete all programs and deliver ORS-1 satellite to NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility.
[Satellite Today – 06/20/2011]

European Commission signs agreement transferring 104 million euros to the European Space Agency for the initial operations of the space component for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security program.
[SatNews – 06/20/2011]

Iridium signs a contract with International Space Company (ISC) Kosmotras as a supplemental provider of launch services for its next-generation satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT.
[Market Watch – 06/20/2011]

LightSquared plans to use spectrum leased from Inmarsat instead of its own L-band spectrum until it can figure out how to avoid interfering with GPS..
[Wireless Week – 06/20/2011]

Raytheon gets $51.6M contract to provide logistics support for communication terminals of the Navy’s Extremely High Frequency Satellite Program.
[Space Daily – 06/20/2011]

Researchers use data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory to study “magnetic rope” phenomenon, which could trigger solar storms; might be first step toward mitigating adverse affects the storms can have on earth’s communication satellites.
[msnbc – 06/20/2011

Surrey Satellite Technology moves its technical operations into The Kepler Building, providing assembly, testing and integration of satellite platforms and payloads in a single location.
[SatNews – 06/2011]

Ico Global Communications changes name to Pendrell Corp.
[Satellite Today – 06/20/2011]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services

 

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 06/17/2011

Saturday, June 18th, 2011

Navy selects Raytheon for satellite communications terminals under $51.6m contract for Navy’s Extremely High Frequency Satellite Program.
[Military Aerospace Electronics – 06/18/2011]


Top secret Menwith Hill project in Yorkshire, UK, defence shield inspired by Ronald Reagan’s ‘Star Wars’ program, ready to open with 33 satellite dishes receiving data from SBIRS’s four satellites, after almost two decades of construction.
[The Observer – 06/18/2011]

Globecomm Systems is awarded GSA FCSA Schedule-70 Transponded and Subscription service awards covering five-year period with two five-year renewal options and total IDIQ value of approximately $3 billion.
[SatNews – 06/17/2011]

Honeywell acquisition of rugged mobile vendor EMS Technologies gives is a foothold in rugged products for satellite communications.
[eweek – 06/17/2011]

LightSquared sees setbacks on two fronts – attempt by primary investor Harbinger to gain access to S-band frequencies is foiled by Dish Network’s acquisition of Terrestar; then public safety group testing affects of use of L-band reach verdict that “interference to public safety operations (using GPS) will occur” if LightSquared deploys its network as planned.
[Space News – 06/17/2011]

Rural Cellular Association and Cellular South join other tech companies in urging FCC to come up with a “win-win” solution for LightSquared and the GPS industry in the controversy over possible interference to GPS by LightSquared.
[Wireless Week – 06/17/2011]

Euroconsult expects global mobile satellite revenue to grow 7% per year over next 10 years in new report.
[Space News – 06/17/2011]

U.S. House of Representatives attempts to kill DISA plan for long-term lease of commercial satellite in favor of additional WGS satellite – questions emerge regarding long-term viability of defense-related commercial satellite capacity.
[NSR briefing – 06/16/2011]

Key House lawmaker asks FCC to kill LightSquared network, but FCC gives company extra two weeks to report on potential GPS interference issue.
[nextgov – 06/16/2011]


Cablevision executive John Bickham feels “Satellite penetration (of cable market) at 30% is unnatural and unsustainable.  It’s a one-way network.  It has no tricks I know of that we can’t do twice as well.”
[Multichannel News – 06/16/2011]

Intelsat confirms upcoming launch schedule for four satellites, part of $1.3b fleet investment program in the Asia-Pacific region.
[SatNews – 06/16/2011]

Is DISH Network transforming itself by acquiring valuable wireless frequency spectrum which could allow it to grow a viable pay-TV distribution network or become a wireless service provider?
[Zacks – 06/16/2011]

ATCi to provide uplink disaster recovery services for the Outdoor Channel from its Southwest operations center, located in a storm free/earthquake free/hurricane free zone.
[SatNews – 06/16/2011]

Integral Systems announces plans to combine development for its RT Logic TElemetrix-500 series and the Avtec Programmable Telemetry Processors into the Satellite Ground Systems division of its subsidiary RT Logic.
[Benzinga – 06/16/2011]

Advantech Wireless launches new series of VSAT hubs and terminals.
[SatNews – 06/16/2011]

Cont-Trak offers reliable container tracking worldwide via satellite.
[Web Wire – 06/16/2011]

KNS and H2OSatellite announce 100th successful installation of SuperTrack A-Series VSAT on H2O Lightspeed Service, a high speed broadband VSAT solution specifically developed for the maritime market.
[SatNews – 06/16/2011]

Iran launches second domestically built satellite.
[SatNews – 06/15/2011]

USAF 50th Space Wing successfully completes two-phase GPS constellation expansion known as “Expandable 24,” providing civil, military, and commercial GPS users with more robust signal and higher signal acquisition probability.
[SatNews – 06/15/2011]

Vizada Networks ramps up capacity on Eutelsat W7 satellite.
[PR Newswire – 06/15/2011]


SES ASTRA announces that N24 will be first German news channel broadcasting in HD on the ASTRA HD+ platform.
[SatNews – 06/15/2011]

WildBlue launches low-cost rural broadband plan funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
[socaltech – 06/15/2011]

Satellite manufacturers around the world prepare to compete for contract to build Nigeria’s second satellite.
[Vanguard – 06/15/2011]

Scientists say magnitude of decrease in solar activity may indicate that the current solar maximum might be the last we’ll see for a few decades, as sunspot cycle may be going into hibernation.
[Bloomberg – 06/15/2011]

The Satellite Interference Reduction Group teams up with the Global VSAT Forum to develop initiatives to combat satellite interference.
[Satellite Today – 06/15/2011]

Vizada and Thrane & Thrane sign partnership agreement to launch new broadband offering to the maritime market.
[Satellite Today – 06/15/2011]

Satellite and cellular phone provider Mobal expands Website with comprehensive buyer’s guide to prepaid and postpaid phones and rental options.
[MailWire – 06/15/2011]

Air Force recoups costs to save AEHF satellite that failed to reach orbit, as Lockheed Martin will offset up to $25m of those costs.
[SpaceFlight Now – 06/14/2011

U.S. climate experts stress importance of new weather satellites in era of tight federal budgets, as current earth observation satellites have served past their lifetimes.
[R&D Magazine – 06/14/2011]

U.S. Air Force’s newest Space Based Infrared Systems GEO-1 satellite successfully achieves orbital slot postion.
[SatNews – 06/14/2011]

Burma to launch first state-owned satellite, expand communications.
[Mizzima – 06/14/2011]

MultiChoice Africa and Eutelsat initiate pan-African student competition called “DStv Eutelsat Star Awards” to inspire innovative thinking among secondary and high-school students, create awareness how science and technology can be applied in everyday life, and show impact of satellites on African continent development.
[PR Newswire – 06/14/2011]

ARY Digital leases C-band capacity on AsiaSat 3S.
[Satellite Today – 06/14/2011]

SpaceX is chosen to launch new Thaicom 6 telecommunications satellite into geosynchronous orbit.
[SatNews – 06/13/2011]

House appropriators slam USAF satellite block buy proposal, stating that detailed information on the strategy is “woefully lacking,” and denying request for advance appropriations.
[Space News – 06/13/2011]

Orbital Sciences wins contract to build Thailand communications satellite.
[Examiner – 06/13/2011]

Norsat granted $3.5 million satellite-based communications network and services contract by First Nations’ Emergency Services Society of British Columbia.
[Satellite Today – 06/13/2011]

San Marino RTV signs three-year contract with Eutelsat to broadcast SMtv channel on Eurobird 9A satellite.
[Satellite Today – 06/13/2011]

Inmarsat and Thrane complete IPv6 trials over BGAN.
[Satellite Today – 06/13/2011][

Expanding use of remotely piloted aircraft by Defense Department consumes large amounts of satellite bandwidth – currently over 80% is commercial capacity – commercial operators are expected to upgrade geosynchronous fleets over next few years to meet increasing demand.
[National Defense Magazine July Report]

Air Force embraces small satellites as budget outlook grows dim.
[National Defense Magazine July Report]


WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 06/10/2011

Friday, June 10th, 2011


International satellite Aquarius/SAC-D built in Argentina and carrying NASA instruments is carried into orbit by Delta 2 rocket in launch from Vandenberg AFB.
[SatNews – 06/10/2011]

SES-3 satellite arrives safely at Baikonour Launch Base aboard Anatov cargo plane, scheduled for July 10, 2011 liftoff.
[4-traders – 06/10/2011]

Northrop Grumman completes systems requirement review for new spacecraft bus to reduce costs to space operations, under NASA contract in support of DoD.
[SatNews – 06/10/2011]

exactEarth books multiple orders for its global vessel tracking and monitoring system.
[SatNews – 06/10/2011]

MDA receives $8.1M contract for multi-satellite ground station for an unnamed customer.
[Satellite Today – 06/10/2011]

Boeing receives Thales Alenia Space contract to provide system integration and testing support for Iridium NEXT.
[SatNews – 06/09/2011]

Taiwanese operator Chunghwa Telecom informs New Tang Dynasty TF that it will not renew contract because new ST-2 satellite does not have enough broadband to carry NTDTV signals.
[Satellite Today – 06/09/2011]

Romantis, international group of companies specializing in space trading and VSAT network solutions, forms Romantis Inc. in Montreal offering satellite capacity, ground infrastructure, VSAT hardware, and IP and video solutions.
[SatNews – 06/09/2011]

Advantech Wireless to deliver VSAT equipment, including new DVB-RCS VSAT hubs and hardware to one of China’s largest satellite communications providers, as it renews supplier contract.
[SatNews – 06/09/2011]

Northrop Grumman provides power system for first spacecraft to orbit Mercury that works to its maximum even in searing heat surrounding closest planet to sun.
[SatNews – 06/09/2011]

NewCom International of Miami adds worldwide satellite phone coverage and mobile global broadband services to its bundled communications portfolio.
[SatNews – 06/09/2011]

Gilat selected by one of Russia’s largest telecom operators to expand network reach of data and telephony services with SkyEdge II broadband satellite network.
[SatNews – 06/09/2011]

Gateway Communications and Altobridges’ combined remote community satellite solution, African Cell Direct/Altobridge lite-site, is named best ‘Wholesale Service Innovation’ at Global Telecoms Business Innovation Awards.
[SatNews – 06/09/2011]

Echostar closes $2B deal for Hughes Communications.
[Denver Business Journal – 06/08/2011]

Astrium will build Measat-3b satellite.
[Satellite Today – 06/08/2011]

Clear Channel Radio announces that five of its stations started simulcasting on XM satellite radio.
[Wall Street Journal – 06/08/2011]

Raytheon completes upgrade of Antarctic satellite communications system at McMurdo Sound, increasing the off-continent communications bandwidth from 20 Mbps to 60 Mbps and integrating alternate downlink station in Australia.
[UPI – 06/08/2011]

Second set of six satellites for Globalstar G2 constellation being prepped for July launch.
[SatNews – 06/08/2011]

Latest solar flare, generating greatest amount of radiation since 2006, could threaten satellite communications.
[mystateline – 06/08/2011]

VT iDirect survey indicates that up to 30% of maritime non-users of VSAT may conduct trials of VSAT within the next 24 months.
[Satellite Spotlight – 06/08/2011]

AT&T Government Solutions gets task order to support U.S. Marine Corps’ MoraleSat Program.
[TechZone360 – 06/08/2011]

Soyuz and NASA astronauts travel as a team aboard Russian spacecraft to the International Space Station.
[SatNews – 06/07/2011]

Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency announces that it will launch two new satellites by the end of June.
[Satellite Today – 06/07/2011]

Data from GPS testing in Las Vegas area indicates LightSquared transmitters interfere with high-precision GPS receivers within 1,800 meters and medium precision receivers within 1,200 meters of tower.
[GPS World – 06/07/2011]

KVH mini-VSAT, integrated with KVH’s CommBox Ship/Shore Network Manager, being selected by many competitive fleet operators to meet new ECDIS regulations from the International Maritime Organization.
[SatNews – 06/07/2011]

NSR predicts over $250B in satellite hardware to be orbited by 2025, with over 1,600 satellites to be launched for replacement satellites, growth of Ka-band satellites, and government, science and navigations applications.
[NSR – 06/07/2011]

Trailblazers in digital voice and data communication Irwin Mark Jacobs and Jack Keil Wolf wing prestigious 2011 Marconi Prize.
[benzinga – 06/07/2011]

Telepresence and HD videoconferencing over satellite made possible from anywhere on the planet by Emerging Markets Communications.
[Telepresence Options – 06/07/2011]

Missouri Hospital Association relies on rapid satellite deployments by Spacenet to meet emergency communications needs.
[infoTECH – 06/07/2011]

Departing Nigerian Science and Technology Minister urges the National Space Research and Development Agency and Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited to close ranks and maintain peace over launch of NigeriaSat2.
[SatNews – 06/07/2011]

Members of Software Practitioners of Nigeria confident that satellite projects of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited capable of improving Nigeria’s economy and taking it to the next level of advanced technology.
[Afrique en ligne – 06/07/2011]

International mission aims to measure saltiness of the sea, with instruments from the United States and other nations aboard an Argentine-built spacecraft to be launched this week from Vandenburg.
[R&D Magazine – 06/06/2011]

Boeing set to lay off 510 employees in its Space Exploration division as the Space Shuttle program comes to an end.
[SatNews – 06/06/2011]

Metacom develops low-cost satellite communications solution ideal for low usage industrial and commercial applications in remote areas of Southern Africa.
[SatNews – 06/06/2011]

Mitsubishi Electric plans to double satellite production capability.
[Satellite Spotlight – 06/06/2011]

UK Government Cabinet Office’s Civil Contingencies Secretariat to discuss its High Integrity Telecommunications System project with Paradigm at CNI 2011 in London.
[info4 Security – 06/06/2011]

Indian former communications and IT minister Dayanidhi Maran takes control of granting spectrum to satellite channels and telecom firms, in direct conflict of interest with his family’s satellite TV business.
[Hindustan Times – 06/06/2011]

Philippine lawmaker expresses grave concern over China’s access to only Philippine satellite Agila 2, in light of China’s continued military aggression in disputed Spratly group of islands.
[Journal Online – 06/06/2011]

Thomas Choi of Asia Broadcast Satellite states that Africa and the Middle-East lose at least $1.4B in annual local market share of satellite communications because of spectrum assignments to Europe and American markets.
[SatNews – 06/06/2011]

STMicroelectronics introduces first member of family of power transistors fully qualified for use in electronic subsystems on board satellites and launchers.
[EETimes – 06/06/2011]

Broadband to be hot topic and CommuncAsia tradeshow according to organizer Singapore Exhibition Services.
[ZDNet Asia – 06/06/2011]

Indra to supply rapid deployment satellite communications systems to Brazil’s armed forces.
[defpro – 06/06/2011]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services