Really Rocket Science

 

Satellite Industry News Bits August 14, 2009

atrexx introduces SCPC satellite services to South America and the Caribbean using its 2way2sat platform and the Intelsat 903 satellite.
[SatNews – 08/14/2009]

Thaicom expects to launch its IPStar broadband service in India later this year, as it reports a net profit of $5.8m for the second quarter.
[Satellite Today – 08/14/2009]

Integration of Optus D3 on Arian 5’s core stage clears way for JCSAT-12 to be integrated in upper position, in preparation for August 21 launch.
[SatNews – 08/13/2009]

GSA to manage purchase of $5b worth of commercial satellite services during next 10 years for all federal agencies including defense department.
[SatNews – 08/13/2009]

U.S. gives OK for the Indian Space Research Organization to launch Algerian satellites having American components using an Indian launch vehicle.
[SatNews – 08/13/2009]

Ukraine plans to launch an Earth remote sensing satellite in April 2010.
[SatNews – 08/13/2009]

Satellite news gathering is taking on a new look, with smaller vehicles enabled by small automatic antennas and broadband connectivity offered by systems such as C-COM Satellite Systems’ iNetVu.
[TMCnet – 08/13/2009]

Harris raises 2010 forecast on 2009 fiscal year results which included 13% increase in net income, and a fourth quarter of new order bookings of $129b.
[FloridaToday – 08/13/2009]

Lockheed Martin begins construction of new facilities in Newtown, PA to support satellite construction programs for government and commercial customers.
[Satellite Today – 08/13/2009]

Intelsat sales increase 10% in second quarter, driven by demand for communications infrastructure.
[Washingon Business Journal – 08/12/2009]

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. announces that the UK-DMC2 satellite has commenced operations and is delivering images.
[Satellite Today – 08/12/2009]

Satellite gravity maps show disastrous draining in India’s breadbasket, resulting in shrinking aquifers.
[IEEE Spectrum – 08/12/2009]

Gilat second quarter revenues down from 2008 by $9.6m, with net loss of $1.2m.
[GlobeNewswire – 08/11/2009]

Globecomm Systems to design, build, and test RF electronic upgrade kits for legacy X-band terminals deployed around the globe which are no longer supportable, under $2m government contract from a major global organization.
[SatNews – 08/11/2009]

Asiasat 5 is launched into space aboard Proton rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on August 10.
[Space – 08/11/2009]

WildBlue Communications announces successful start of rural broadband service on a third satellite, EchoStar’s AMC-15, a satellite provided to Echostar by SES Americom.
[Agriculture OnLine – 08/10/2009]

Dish Network shows signs of getting churn under control as it shows positive subscriber growth in second quarter for the first time in five quarters, adding 26,000 net new customers.
[Bloomberg – 08/10/2009]

SPOT LLC to provide real-time race tracking and GPS mapping for Primal Quest Badlands co-ed teams race through South Dakota’s Black Hills and Badlands.
[Globe NewsWire – 08/10/2009]

Keystone selected by Channel One to provide nationwide satellite distribution to schools of the school news broadcast.
[Business Wire – 08/10/2009]

Delays in U.S. Navy satellite program and decision by military not to launch more backup transmitters and receivers may lead to dead zones in communications coverage for U.S. troops and operatives in very remote regions of world in 2010.
[Defense News – 08/10/2009]

Iridium second quarter profit is up by 53% over 2008, at $28.6m.
[Washington Business Journal – 08/10/2009]

Western Canada’s Telus reaches 115,000 IPTV customers overall, with a gain of 17,000 subscribers in second quarter, a gain of 125% over last year; its Bell TV satellite TV service reaches more than 90% of the households in its region.
[FierceIPTV – 09/10/2009]

Dish Network profit slides 81% due to costs of litigation with TiVo, although it was able to add subscribers and maintain revenue.
[CED Magazine- 08/10/2009]

New undersea cables to Africa planned to provide broadband alternative to satellite, with 10 planned to be in service by middle of 2010.
[NY Times – 08/09/2009]

Commercial satellite transponder demand growth appears to be set for steady growth over next 10 years, though specific S-band and Ku-band trends vary substantially by region.
[NSR Report – August 2009]

WBMSAT PS – Satellite Communications Consulting Services

DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-2 satellite to be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on October 9.
[Satellite Today – 07/03/2009]

EchoStar wins stay of contempt order in TiVo case in a U.S. Federal Court of Appeals.
[Satellite Today – 07/03/2009]

Global handset navigatikon subscribers to reach 26 million by 2010 according to ABI Research report.
[Satellite Today – 07/03/2009]

Globalstar completes financing of $738m to fund its next-generation satellite system.
[Satellite Today – 07/02/2009]

SES places five year 650 million euro bond, the company’s first since 2006.
[Satellite Today – 07/02/2009]

Satcom Direct successfully sends and receives satcom datalink (AFIS/ACARS) messages between onboard flight and ground stations over the Inmarsat-4 satellite constellation.
[TMCnet – 07/02/2009]

Solaris Mobile discovers issues with W2A S-band payload and files insurance claim.
[Satellite Today – 07/02/2009]

VSD acquires Television Direct to Sailors program from SES Americom subsidiary Americom Government Services.
[Satellite Today – 07/02/2009]

Viasat awarded $21m contract for Multifuncional Information Distribution System terminals from U.S. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego.
[Satellite Today – 07/02/2009]

MEASAT-3a successfully relocated to 91.4 degree orbital slot in preparation for in-orbit testing.
[SatNews – 07/01/2009]

Sirius FM-5 performing maneuvers successfully following June 30 launch from Baikonur on Proton Breeze M launch vehicle.
[SatNews – 07/01/2009]

IDL Corp., an Iridium Global Service Provider, develops multi-channel satellite communications interface that can act as emergency communication system.
[TMCnet – 07/01/2009]

World’s largest communications satellite, TerreStar-1, successfully launched from Kourou – to be used for mobile communications; Terrestar has roaming agreement with AT&T.
[San Francisco Chronicle – 07/01/2009]

Koreasat-2 satellite sale to be sold to Asia Broadcast Satellite by KT Corporation subject to U.S. governmental approval.
[SatNews – 07/01/2009]

BSkyB signs transponder deal with SES Astra for 24 transponders at 28.2 degrees east on a long-term basis.
[Satellite Today – 07/01/2009]

Inmarsat FleetBroadband 150 service, designed to handle IP data, goes live on Inmarsat-4 fleet; hardware providers need to increase working hours to keep up with equipment demands.
[BusinessWire – 07/01/2009]

Globecomm Systems promotes Keith Hall to President and Chief Operating Officer.
[newsday.com – 07/01/2009]

Sea Launch gets approval of bankruptcy judge to continue operations as it restructures under Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
[Satellite Today – 06/30/2009]

This 4th of July weekend, the International Space Station will appear as the brightest star at dawn and dusk to most of U.S. – see http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings for a schedule when it can be seen from your area.
[SatNews – 06/30/2009]

Vancouver, Canada based telecommunications Telus Corp. adds satellite television to its suite of services, contracting to sell Bell’s TV service in British Columbia and Alberta.
[Vancouver Sun – 06/30/09]

Worth of DigitalGlobe satellite imagery emphasized by contract signed with National Geospatial Intelligence Agency through March 31, 2010 for $12.5m per month.
[SatNews – 06/30/2009]

Wavestream receives orders in excess of $50m from General Dynamics for solid-state power amplifiers for U.S. Army satellite communications terminals.
[Fox Business – 06/30/2009]

Eutelsat Communications launches new service, FRANSAT, enabling satellite access from metropolitan France to all French free Digital Terrestrial Television channels.
[TMCnet – 06/30/2009]

Iridium to begin offering new satellite communications service in Japan for ships at 10-20% less than its previous service, 50 times faster at 128 kbps.
[TMCnet – 06/30/2009]

Historic Ulysses space mission to receive last command from earth and turn transmitter off on June 30, after 18.6 years in space.
[SatNews – 06/29/2009]

Orbital Sciences and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport break ground at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility for launch facilities for the Taurus II space launch vehicle.
[SatNews – 06/29/2009]

Thales Alenia wins Russia satellite contract worth about 250 million euros to supply communications satellites.
[Reuters – 06/29/1009]

First signal successfully received from GOES-O satellite, launched to complete coverage of Western Hemisphere.
[aero-news.net – 06/29/2009]

Iran jams foreign satellite news in attempt to isolate Iranian public.
[SatNews – 06/29/2009]

Pacific Teleports becomes Pactel international.
[SatNews – 06/29/2009]

SpaceX gets new round of financing from Steve Jurvetson and his DFJ partners.
[SatNews – 06/29/2009]

European Space Agency plans to build 35m antenna south of Malargue in Mendoza province, Argentina as part of the ESA Tracking network.
[SatNews – 06/29/2009]

SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES signs multi-year agreement to deliver Retro TV content on two transponders of AMC-3.
[SatNews – 06/29/2009]

Companies such as Iridium benefit as Maritime regulations like SOLAS and GMDSS are increasing demand for satellite-based solutions on all seas around the globe, but will satellite companies be able to support the increase from low data rate to high data rate?
[NSR Report – June 2009]

WBMSAT PS – Satellite Communications Consulting Services

 

Satellite Today report – broadband satellite services market is projected to exceed $6.4 billions by 2015.
[Satellite Today – 06/26/2009]

 

Romain Bausch outlines plans for SES in Asia, including development of the 108.2 degrees East orbital slot to meet the region’s growing demand for direct-to-home (DTH) services, cellular backhaul and corporate networking.
[Satellite Today – 06/26/2009]

 

Dish and DirecTV could continue to offer out of market TV signals for 5 years under House-approved legislation – could prevent hundreds of thousands from losing the signals after the analog to digital transition.
[Los Angeles Times – 09/25/2009]

 

Boeing ships Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF satellite to Cape Canaveral to conduct a series of tests for the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation satellite navigation system.
[SatNews – 06/25/2009]

 

Space Innovation Growth Team initiative to shape space industry in the U.K. is launched at Inmarsat’s headquarters in London.
[SatNews – 06/25/2009]

 

General Dynamics provides communications link to NASA’s Lunar Orbiter, launched June 18.
[Trading Markets – 06/25/2009]

 

SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES signs 3-year capacity agreement with Korea Telecom for C-band capacity on NSS-703 and NSS-12 satellites.
[Satellite Today – 06/25/2009]

 

The U.S. Air Force announces entry of trial operations for the second Space Based Infrared System Highly Elliptical Orbit payload and associated ground system for use by the warfighter.
[SatNews – 06/25/2009]

 

Citrix Systems Inc. supplies General Dynamics WANScaler units to help optimize satellite bandwidth for the U.S. Army and its WIN-T (Warfighter Information Network-Tactical) initiative. 
[Military & Aerospace Electronics – 06/25/2009]

 

TacSat-3 exceeds expectations and continues to perform well a month after being launched.
[SatNews – 06/25/2009]

 

GIOVE-A, first test satellite for Europe’s Galileo navigation system, to remain in service for another year.
[SatNews – 06/25/2009]

 

TerreStar-1, to be largest civilian telecommunications satellite ever launched, is mated to Ariane 5 launcher for July 1 liftoff. 
[SatNews – 06/24/2009]

 

Sea Launch satellite launching company files for bankruptcy protection.
[Seattle Times – 06/24/2009]

 

SPOT Assist Roadside Provides Customers with Enhanced Satellite-based roadside Safety Services in the United States and Canada.
[GlobeNewswire – 06/24/2009]

 

Department of Homeland Security will cut access to spy-satellite data by U.S. police and law enforcement agencies.
[Washington Post – 06/24/2009]

 

Russian news agencies quote Russia’s space agency chief as saying Russia plans to launch satellites for Angola and South Africa. 
[SatNews – 06/24/2009]

 

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) produces stereo 3D movies of the Moon’s surface using images from the KAGUYA just prior to its controlled impact to the Moon on June 11, 2009 (JST) — the KAGUYA was launched by JAXA on September 14, 2007. 
[SatNews – 06/24/2009]

 

MEASAT-3a successfully launched by Land Launch Zenit-3 rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome.
[TMCnet – 06/23/2009]

 

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, successfully enters orbit around the moon after a four and a half day journey from the Earth.
[SatNews – 06/23/2009]

 

SIRIUS FM-5 launch on Proton Breeze M from Baikonur scheduled for June 29.
[SatNews – 06/23/2009]

 

C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. developes proprietary inclined orbit satellite tracking algorithm which will allow customers to extend inclined orbit use of satellites. 
[SatNews – 06/23/2009]

 

Spacenet signs multi-year agreement with SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES for capacity on AMC-4, AMC-5, and AMC-6 to serve emergency response networks in North America.
[TMCnet – 06/23/2009]

 

Northrop Grumman delivers first of two Space Tracking and Surveillance System demonstration satellites to Cape Canaveral for launch preparation.
[SatNews – 06/22/2009]

 

Communications and Power Industries Inc. receives approximately $1.7m contract from Globecomm Systems Inc. for X-band high power amplifiers for multinational defense organization satellite ground terminals.
[PRNewswire – 06/22/2009]

 

Papua New Guinea’s Telikom PNG selects Gilat’s SkyEdge and SkyEdge II platforms for broadband network covering hundreds of sites.
[Reuters – 06/22/2009]

 

Federal court rules Dish Network DVR technology violates TiVo patent; TiVo plans to use the ruling to attract millions of new subscribers.
[Bloomberg – 06/22/2009]

 

DirecTV, growing to 18 million subscribers, approaches Comcast in size of subscriber base.
[Philadelphia Inquirer – 06/21/2001]

 

NSR Report – How Much HTS Capacity is Enough? – satellite industry has been putting real money behind satellite broadband with high capacity satellites – Eutelsat, Viasat, Hughes – will subscriber base justify the capacity?
[NSR Report – June 2009]

 

WBMSAT PS – Satellite Communications Consulting Service

 

 

Space Systems/Loral awarded Intelsat contract for Intelsat-19 and Intelsat-20, to be among the most powerful FSS satellites ever built.
[SatNews – 06/18/2009]

 

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite probes paired together atop Atlas V rocket; successfully launched Thursday, June 18.
[SatNews – 06/18/2009]

 

SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES completes multi-year agreement with Teleport Access Services to provide three transponders on NSS-11 to distribute at many as 50 Chinese television channels to cable households in Taiwan.
[SatNews – 06/18/2009]

 

Satellite-based upgrade of air-traffic management under development by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for four years is to ascertain aircraft positions more accurately and provide severe weather information to cockpits.
[Bloomberg – 06/18/2009]

 

Thuraya appoints Teknikkom Electronic as National Service Provider in Malaysia.
[SatNews – 06/18/2009]

 

Boeing transfers control of the second Wideband Global Satcom satellite to the Air Force.
[Defense Systems – 06/18/2009]

 

MTN, a SeaMobile company, and ERZIA, announce project to build teleport in Santander, North Spain to provide services in X-, C-, and Ku-bands.
[SatNews – 06/18/2009]

 

Spacecom announces that National Geographic will launch its newest channel, National Geographic Wild, in Romania over the AMOS-3 satellite.
[SatNews – 06/18/2009]

 

Thales Alenia Space and HISPASAT sign contract with Thales Alenia Space Espana for development and supply of REDSAT advanced communication payload for AG1, a GEO mission.
[SatNews – 06/18/2009]

 

Iridium and Cambridge Consultants win 2009 GTB Innovation Award for excellence in Wireless Network Infrastructure Innovation.
[SatNews – 06/18/2009]

 

Fulcrum Maritime Systems offers Long-Range Identification and Tracking services using Iridium satellite network.
[SatNews – 06/18/2009]

 

European Space Agency signs agreement with Thales Alenia Space to develop atmospheric reentry demonstrator Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle.
[SatNews – 06/18/2009]

 

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to use Israeli technology to link various components of the satellite and pass data between them.
[Jerusalem Post – 06/17/2009]

 

NASA postpones launch of STS-127 due to Hydrogen leak; next available date for launch is July 11.
[SatNews – 06/17/2009]

 

Arianespace  selected by ST-2 Satellite Ventures of Singapore to launch new telecommunications satellite ST-2, and by Asia Broadcast Satellite to launch ABS-2.
[SatNews – 08/17/2009]

 

Inmarsat launches BGAN X-Stream service in Asia-Pacific region.
[Satellite Today – 06/17/2009]

 

Open Range selects Israeli WiMax equipment supplier Alvarion as it builds out WiMax delivery to remote areas using Globalstar’s hybrid satellite broadband network .
[Telephony online – 06/17/2009]

 

G6 provides continental United States wide voice and data satellite communications to Global Medic medical companies for all U.S. military services except Coast Guard.
[DVIDS – 06/17/2009]

 

NAB asks Congress to preserve localism in satellite rewrite, to ensure advertisers continue to be able to target certain audiences.
[SmartBrief – 06/17/2009]

 

Digital Britain report outlines plans for UK’s digital transition, with three-year National Plan to improve Digital Participation, promising universal Access to broadband services by 2012.
[Department for Culture, Media, and Sport – 06/16/25009]

 

Eutelsat welcomes Digital Britain report, stating that the Universal Service Commitment to deliver 2Mbps broadband service to all U.K. residents by 2021 can be delivered today using existing satellite technology.
[SatNews – 06/16/2009]

 

Hughes Network Systems plans launch of next-generation 100 Gbps throughput Ka band satellite using IPoS standard in 2012 to expand broadband network service across North America.
[Market Watch – 06/16/2009]

 

DARPA awards contract for phase 2 of Fast Access Spacecraft Testbed satellite power generation and propulsion program to Boeing.
[Satellite Today – 06/16/2009]

 

Research report on China’s VSAT market states that China’s VSAT market achieved stable development in 2008, with satellite companies facing new opportunities and obtaining rapid growth.
[BusinessWire – 06/16/2009]

 

Satellite operators pledge not to exploit analog loophole to import distant network affiliate signals into local markets.
[Broadcasting & Cable – 06/16/2009]

 

NAB looks at satellite  companies’ proposal to share costs of getting local-into-local into all 212 markets.
[Broadcasting & Cable – 06/16/2009]

 

Expand Networks WAN optimization technology selected by IPSTAR to enhance its satellite based managed service offering.
[Market Watch – 06/16/2009]

 

Avanti plans large Ka band satellites to fill broadband gaps in the UK at speeds up to 2 Mbps on the Hylas satellite and the capability of greater speeds on the follow-on Hercules satellites.
[BBC News – 06/15/2009]

 

Gilat announces new multi-star VSAT networking solution, NetEdge.
[Globe Newswire – 06/15/2009]

 

Number of free-to-air satellite TV channels in the Middle East grows 30% in 18 months.
[Satelllite Today – 06/15/2009]

 

Eurovision incorporates new Ku-band capacity on Eutelsat W2A into global network, and C-band capacity for Africa coverage.
[PR Newswire – 06/15/2009]

 

$257 billion spent on space last year, with two-thirds coming from the private sector.
[ieee spectrum – June 2009]

 

Planetary geologists speculate that the moon’s polar craters may hold billions of tons of hydrogen, fueling the concept of mining the moon.
[ieee spectrum – June 2009]

 

WBMSAT PS – Satellite Communications Consulting Services 

Air France crash may put pressure on airlines to improve satellite surveillance systems to allow air traffic controllers to track a plane’s progress across open ocean.
[Associated Press – 06/05/2009]

General Dynamics wins $119m modification to existing U.S. Army contract, to provide additional terminals, trucks, and other parts for Warfighter Information Network-Tactical program.
[Charlotte Business Journal – 06/05/2009]

Iridium wins $22m contract to provide Navy with communications services and develop new tactical communications system for the Marines.
[Washington Business Journal – 06/05/2009]

Blue Sky Network and Iridium Satellite announce they will supply the Open Passage expedition with voice communications and GPS mapping during upcoming four month Arctic Journey.
[SatNews – 06/05/2009]

KVH assumes operational responsibility for the mini-VSAT Broadband service supporting North American and the Caribbean regions, previously managed under revenue sharing agreement with SES AMERICOM.
[PR Newswire – 06/04/2009]

Orange and France Televisions will offer the French Open men’s final live and in 3D on cinema screens in France and Spain, delivered by satellite by Globecast.
[SatNews – 06/04/2009]

Launch preparations in Kourou for SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES’ NSS-9 satellite to be featured on National Geographic’s World’s Toughest Fixes program.
[SatNews – 06/04/2009]

DirectTV CEO Chase Carey quits to return to News Corporation.
[TCMnet – 06/04/2009]

SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES announces three-year agreement with BT in Latin America for nearly three full transponders on NSS-10 to support extension of BT’s IP network deep into remotest regions of Brazil.
[SatNews – 06/04/2009]

Mars Orbiter communications resumed in safe mode after unexpected re-boot Wednesday evening, June 3.
[SatNews – 06/04/2009]

Reason satellites could not help find lost Air France plane – on board GPS systems are primarily used for crew navigation and do not constantly enable tracking by a ground crew.
[CNN – 06/03/2009]

Satellite TV channel based in Egypt to promote moderate Islam and challenge extremist ideas when it launches in August.
[SatNews – 06/03/2009]

Ariane 5 integration of TerreStar-1 payload ready to proceed in preparation for launch of world’s largest commercial telecommunications satellite.
[SatNews – 06/03/2009]

Dish Network ordered to pay TiVo $103m by U.S. District Court Judge David Folsom of the Eastern District of Texas for contempt of 2004 patent infringement judgement by using software workaround which allegedly still infringed on TiVo patent.
[CED Magazine – 06/03/2009]
Dish Network wins temporary stay of contempt order in a federal appeals court in Washington.
[Business Journal- Denver – 06/03/2009]

NASA completes review of Endeavour’s readiness for June 13 launch for STS-127 mission to the International Space Station.
[SatNews – 06/03/2009]

Newtec ships 50,000th Sat3Play terminal for low cost, easy-to-install high-speed satellite internet access for consumers and small businesses in Europe.
[SatNews – 06/03/2009]

Iridium subscribers up 31.2%, total revenue up 2.0%, net income down 41.9% primarily on Iridium NEXT costs.
[PR Newswire – 06/02/2009]

SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES announces 3-year agreement with Telefonica del Peru for nearly a full transponder on NSS-10 to deliver corporate voice and data solutions as well as broadband and mobile phone services to remote areas of Peru.
[SatNews – 06/02/2009]

MEASAT 3a returns to Baikonur in preparation for late June launch aboard a Land Launch rocket, following six-month process to repair damage caused by a crane at the launch site.
[SatNews – 06/02/2009]

SkyVision and Eutelsat sign multi-year agreement for capacity on newly-launched W2A satellite.
[PR Newswire – 06/02/2009]

KVH signs multi-year agreement with SKY Perfect JSAT to lease satellite capacity on JCSAT-1B and the new Intelsat-15 satellites as it continues to move toward offering global coverage for its mini-VSAT broadband service.
[SatNews – 06/02/2009]

VoCeM, world’s most efficient satellite communications compression software for VOIP or GSM, is launched by satellite communications company TriaGnoSys – it allows Inmarsat or Ku-band payload usage to be increased by factor between 5 and 10.
[SatNews – 06/02/2009]

DirecTV signs two-year extension on contract with Convergys to provide customer-service support for DirecTV customers.
[Broadcast Newsroom – 06/02/2009]

Lockheed Martin wins $1.5 billion contract to build the third Space Based Infrared systems Geosynchronous Earth Orbit satellite.
[Satellite Today – 06/02/2009]

Globecomm Systems acquires Telaurus Communications, provider of maritime communications, for $6.5m.
[newsday – 06/01/2009]

Stratos Global Corporation announces its selection by MISC Berhad to provide crew communications to its entire fleet of more than 100 vessels.
[PR Newswire 06/01/2009]

SpaceX and Astronautic Technology of Malaysia announce new launch window of July 13 – July 14 for Falcon 1 Flight 5, carrying the RazakSAT satellite to orbit.
[SatNews – 06/01/2009]

SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES wins multi-year distribution agreement form In Demand for delivery of NBA League Pass and Major League Soccer’s Direct Kick programming packages.
[Satellite Today – 06/01/2009]

Do we need to go to the moon to get to Mars? It might be argued that money spent on a return to the moon might be better spent on a Mars mission.
[IEEE Spectrum – June 2009]

Former astronaut Franklin R. Chang Diaz is working on a rocket engine which in its most ambitious form would be nuclear, and capable of taking people to Mars.
[IEEE Spectrum – June 2009]

Some believe China, which conducted its first three-person space mission last September, could be the first to reach Mars, if it accelerates its rate of progress.
[IEEE Spectrum – June 2009]

Elon Musk, who started Tesla Motors and PayPal, and most recently Space Exploration Technologies Corp., discusses the costs and risks of space exploration and getting to Mars.
[IEEE Spectrum – June 2009]

WBMSAT PS – Satellite Communications Consulting Services

Sirius FM-5 satellite arrives at Baikonur Cosmodrome on May 26th for testing and integration in preparation for 5th Proton launch of 2009.
[Satnews – 05/29/2009]

Avanti Communications Group selected as member of North Sea Freight and Intelligent Transport Solutions consortium to deploy satellite communications services for safety and security for shipping in North Sea region.
[Satnews – 05/29/2009]

Harris wins $736m 10 year contract to provide satellite ground segment for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s geostationary operational environmental satellite.
[Orlando Business Journal – 05/28/2009]

SES Astra joint venture with Abu Dhabi’s Yahsat, Yahlive, to launch first satellite and offer DTH satellite television in fourth quarter 2009.
[Reuters – 05/28/2009]

Starling Advanced Communications to introduce StarRail, a broadband solution for trains including an aerodynamically designed satellite antenna, at a trade show next month.
[TMCnet – 05/28/2009]

Thaicom subsidiary IPStar partners with Comtech EF Data to provide integrated satellite backhaul solutions for mobile and WiMax networks.
[Satellite Today – 05/28/2009]

Manned Lunar landing considered by Chinese scientists, in 2025-2030 time frame.
[Satnews – 05/28/2009]

MEASAT signs an agreement to provide MBNS of ASTRO ALL ASIA NETWORKS with 6 Ku-band transponders on MEASAT 3 for 15 years.
[Satnews – 05/28/2009]

Microsoft and BskyB to announce partnership to integrate functionality of XBox 360 gaming system and BskyB’s satellite TV service.
[Satellite Today – 05/28/2009]

Spacenet and Orbital Enterprises deploy the Connexstar satellite communications services to support enterprise networks for Star Race Cars.
[Satellite Today – 05/28/2009]

RapidEye reports it has collected more than 69 million square kilometers of at least 80% cloud-free images during its first 100 days.
[Satellite Today – 05/28/2009]

Uganda becomes first country in Comesa regional bloc of Africa to launch a satellite communications system, to promote trade and commerce at reduced costs.
[Daily Monitor – 05/27/2009]

SkyTerra excercises option to move SkyTerra 2 satellite launch from Sea Launch to ILS, to be launched in late 2010.
[Satellite Today – 05/27/2009]

ESA’s gravity mission GOCE proves that the sophisticated electric propulsion system is able to keep the satellite completely free of drag as it moves through the outer reaches of Earth’s atmosphere.
[Satnews – 05/27/2009]

Soyuz TMA-15 launched from Baikonur May 27 with more visitors for the International Space Station.
[Satnews – 05/27/2009]

SES Astra signs agreement with Eurosat and the Country Land and Business Association to extend the reach of its Astra2Connect service in the U.K.
[Satellite Today – 05/27/209]

Japanese company NTT Electronics selects Newtec to be its DVB-S2 partner for development of its new integrated receiver decoder, the HVD6100.
[Satellite Today – 05/27/2009]

Canby Telcom of Oregon will switch from SES Americom’s IP-Prime to Echostar
Satellite Services for HD IPTV.
[CED Magazine – 05/27/2009]

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. subsidiary Mabuhay Satellite Corp. withdraws its offer to buy $27.5m worth of ProtoStar preferred shares.
[Satellite Today – 05/27/2009]

European Space Agency awards Avanti €250k grant to design super-fast satellite broadband system called Hercules, to deliver between 2Mb and 50Mb broadband access to 2.5 million UK rural households currently without broadband.
[Tech Watch – 05/26/2009]

1,000 airplanes flying U.S. domestic routes expected to have Wi-Fi service by the
end of 2009; the airlines may move toward providing in-flight entertainment over the
Wi-Fi links.
[New York Times – 05/26/2009]

ViaSat receives certification from National Security Agency for ruggedized AN?PSC-14(C) Broadband Global Area Network integrated manpack terminal.
[Satnews – 05/26/2009]

Thailand’s Information and Communications Technology Ministry discusses with National Telecommunications Commission the possible liberalization of Thailand’s satellite market, given the approaching end of life for Thaicom 1 and 2 satellites.
[Bangkok Post – 05/26/2009]

Russia makes plans to detach and fly away its parts of the International Space Station when the time comes to de-orbit the rest of the ISS, likely around 2020.
[Satnews – 05/26/2009]

Shelby County Tennessee enhances interoperable contingency communications for emergency operations, deploying SkyTerra push-to-talk satellite services.
[BusinessWire – 05/26/2009]

Builder of Russia’s Soyuz rockets finishes the first rockets due to be launched from South America pad in cooperation with the European Space Agency.
[Satnews – 05/26/2009]

Earth Space Agency launches a neutral space marketplace to assist civilian space companies to trade parts, services, and patents required for building space ships, satellites, and space probes.
[Satnews – 05/26/2009]

California residents file class action lawsuit against Hughesnet, alleging the company advertised connectivity speeds between 1 and 3 Mbps, while delivering much slower speeds.
[Satellite Today – 05/26/2009]

South Africa’s SumbandilaSat to be launched as secondary payload on Russian Soyuz in August, because primary payload Russian Meteor M weather satellite will not be ready until then.
[Satnews – 05/25/2009]

Arianespace launches Russian governmental satellite on Soyuz rocket.
[Satellite Today – 05/25/2009]

WBMSAT PS – Satellite Communications Consulting Services

Orbit Technology Group announces order worth more than $4m from the French Navy for Ku-band and C-band marine satellite communication systems.
[SatNews – 05/22/2009]

Comtech EF Data introduces point-to-multipoint modem, CDM-740, for satellite IP delivery using integrated DVB-S/S2 receiver and turbo product-coding SCPC modulator.
[Satellite Today – 05/22/2009]

Air Force rebuts General Accounting Office report critical of its management of the GPS program, saying it has plenty of ways to keep up the navigation system.
[Wireless Week – 05/22/2009]

NASA’s return to the moon to get support from two satellites, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, to be launched together June 17 by an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral.
[SatNews – 05/21/2009]

Boeing files accusations against NASA of ‘inexplicably" altering evaluation process between the company and its competitor Lockheed Martin in the battle for a $1.1 billion contract for up to four GOES-R weather satellites.
[Satellite Today – 05/21/2009]

Swedish Space  receives all necessary approvals from U.S. government for acquisition of U.S.-based Universal Space Network, a leader in satellite telemetry, tracking, and control services.
[SatNews – 05/21/2009]

Seven astronauts expected to return to Earth Friday May 22 after successful 11-day mission to upgrade Hubble telescope.
[SatNews – 05/21/2009]
Hubble considered better than new after the mission; never to be seen by humans again – a robotic spacecraft is to steer it back towards the atmosphere and a "watery grave" after 2020.
[SatNews – 05/19/2009]

Iridium launches third annual "test your satellite phone" week, encouraging emergency workers and first responders to ensure their satellite phone works, to be prepared in case of a disaster.
[PR Newswire – 05/21/2009]

Congressional investigators conclude that poor planning and unproven technologies on key Pentagon space programs led to cost overruns, delays, and possible gaps in military satellite programs.
[AP hosted by Google – 05/21/2009]

RRsat expands access of its content management and global distribution services to Africa via Telstar 11N.
[PR Newswire – 05/21/2009]

Finally – NASA’s PharmaSat nanosatellite and the Air Force Research Laboratory’s TacSat-3 satellite successfully launched from Wallops Island.
[SatNews – 05/20/2009]

NASA’s largest ever parachute, 2,000 pounds and 150 feet in diameter, will allow recovery of the first stage rocket motor of the Ares 1, of the Constellation Program.
[R&D Magazine – 05/20/2009]

Inmarsat selects Arianspace to launch new Alphasat-1-XL satellite using new European platform, Alphabus, and weighing more than six tons, in 2012.
[SatNews – 05/20/2009]

ISS Reshetnev wins contract to build Russian Express satellites.
[Satellite Today – 05/20/2009]

DirectTV continues to top customer satisfaction poll among cable and satellite TV operators, as Comcast has greatest improvement, Cox improves, and Dish Network falls.
[AP hosted by Google – 05/20/2009]

Gateway Communications, the leading provider of African telecommunications services, announces AfricaConnect for South African retail community, following successful implementation in banking, mining, logisitcs, and other sectors.
[TMC news – 05/20/2009]

Eutelsat W2A satellite C and Ku-band go live, transferring service from W1 satellite and immediately initiating service for newly won contracts.
[PR Newswire – 05/19/2009]

Russian Proton-M rocket launches U.S. company ProtoStar’s ProtoStar-2 telecommunications satellite.
[mosnews.com – 05/19/2009]

TerreStar and Space Systems Loral announce arrival of TerreStar-1 in Kourou, French Guiana, teeing up for June 24 launch on Ariane 5.
[Wireless Week – 05/19/2009]

ICO Global Communications files legal challenges against European Commision over exclusive licenses inssued to Inmarsat and Solaris Mobile for S-band MSS services in Europe.
[Satellite Today – 05/18/2009]

Avail Media and TVN merge, with investment from the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative, offering a possible answer to the absence of IP Prime, which SES Americom has announced it is closing down.
[Fierce IPTV – 05/18/2009]

Airlines race to install Wi-Fi – but how do you squeeze yourself and your laptop into a comfortable work position?
[The New York Times – 05/18/2009]

ATSB re-schedules launch of its remote sensing satellite, RazakSat, for mid-July.
[Satellite Today – 05/18/2009]

Congressmen introduce bill to name "incitive" satelllite broadcasters who broadcast "incitive stations" as terrorists
[Satellite Today – 05/18/2009]

Brazil and the U.S. working to arrest people in Brazil illegally using U.S. Navy FLTSATCOM communications satellites for communications throughout Brazil.
[strategypage.com – 05/17/2009]

NSR report – using stimulus funds to level the playing field, not tilt it – while less than 1% of stimulus package is directed towards broadband initiatives, much attention has been garnered, and present thinking seems to follow a competitive approach that would favor a single technology winner, which would be counterproductive.
[NSR Broadband Satellite Services report – May 2009]

WBMSAT PS – Satellite Communications Consulting Services

Friday I was more than a bit surprised to see a headline splashed all over the satellite industry online trade journals.  Ed Horowitz had resigned as President and CEO of SES Americom.   This announcement seemed a bit close to home for me since I recently left SES Americom myself after a 36 year stint. 

Ed always had a bright hello for me when we crossed paths, which was fairly frequent even though my office was across  the country from the Princeton NJ headquarters of SES Americom, in the Seattle Washington area.  You will correctly  deduce that I did quite a bit of traveling.

Ed was pointed in sharing his admiration of the longevity I had accumulated at SES during one of our early meetings,  when he had occasion to be present when my boss was presenting me my 35 year award.  Recently Ed was kind enough to add a recommendation to my LinkedIn profile.  So, it is not surprising that because I still feel a certain closeness to the  company I worked for so long, I now feel a little emptiness for the company when seeing Ed leave.  I will join a group of many who wish the very best to Ed in his new endeavors, and hope that we will have every reason to stay in touch.

It is almost a kind of culmination for me to the upheavals we have been witnessing in the industry over the past few years, with all the mergers, acquisitions, and high level management changes.  Yet there are certain to be more of these changes ahead.