Really Rocket Science

Satellite TV Providers industry is in the midst of a revolution as HD TV vastly improved quality of shows and attracted subscribers, with annualized revenue growth in 5 years through 2012 expected to be 5.6%, to $41.4 billion.
[Times Union – 04/06/2012]

Ukrainian Zenit rocket for Sea Launch’s next commercial launch arrives at its California base for final assembly.
[Spaceflight Now – 04/06/2012]

John Malone’s Liberty Media Corp. seeks control of Sirius XM Radio Inc.’s satellite radio assets.
[Denver Business Journal – 04/06/2012]

Nigeria to launch pico satellite for scientific research.
[All Africa – 04/06/2012]

Group of many of world’s largest commercial satellite fleet operators writes Indian government protesting new tax that would slap 10% royalty fee on foreign satellite communications services and make the fee retroactive to cover the past 36 years.
[Space News – 04/05/2012]

NASA selects United Launch Services to launch the GOES-R and GOES-S spacecraft in October 2015 and February 2017.
[SatNews – 04/05/2012]

Falcone says bankruptcy is an option for LightSquared.
[Bloomberg – 04/05/2012]

Officials from Air Force, SES, Orbital Sciences, and SAIC to participate April 11 in moderated webcast panel discussion of the CHIRP hosted payload on the SES-2 satellite, and its challenges, lessons, and lingering questions.,
[SatNews – 04/05/2012]  [Webcast registration link]

Mexico’s largest commercial television broadcaster Grupo Televisa selects Gilat Satellite Networks’ Sky Edge II VSAT network for its private communication network across Mexico.
[SatNews – 04/05/2012]

Unnamed client servicing the African region on Spacecom’s Amos-5 signs multi-year extension after only two months of service.
[Satellite Today – 04/05/2012]

Harris receives $12.4 million in orders from a Latin American nation for integrated wireless digital voice and data network supporting critical communication coordination between federal officials and armed forces.
[SatNews – 04/05/2012]

Thales completes Tampa Microwave acquisition.
[Satellite Today – 04/05/2012]

Xplornet agrees with Shaw Communications to bundle WiMAX with Shaw’s pay-TV, and acquires YourLink spectrum.
[TeleGeography – 04/05/2012]

Statistics show that near-misses between International Space Station and space debris are on the rise.
[Spaceflight Now – 04/05/2012]

Recent string of deals in Asia underscores trend of “coopertition” in the satellite industry predicted by NSR.
{SatNews – 04/05/2012]

Recent survey by Utilities Telecom Council and iDirect show that satellite communications offer utilities a variety of options for managing their service area securely, cost-effectively, and reliably.
[Fierce Smart Grid – 04/05/2012]

Astrium contracts Indian Space Research Organization to launch Spot 6 satellite.
[Satellite Today – 04/04/2012]

KVH opens new facility next to its Middletown, R.I. headquarters with custom-made motion simulator and a clear view of critical satellites, to test its maritime satellite products.
[Mass High Tech – 04/04/2012]

Middle Eastern Internet service provider SkyGate signs 5-year deal with SES to distribute SES Broadband satellite service in the Middle East. [SatNews – 04/04/2012]

Aterne and STI Telecom successfully deliver and install HD-SAT turnkey satellite distribution platform for Brazilian broadcaster TV Record in Sao Paulo.
[Satellite Today – 04/04/2012]

Brazil will launch a satellite for military purposes.
[Two Circles – 04/04/2012]

BSkyB will launch 48 new channels for the London Olympics, 40 of them on SES’ ASTRA satellite network.
[SatNews – 04/04/2012]

LightSquared “renegotiating” contract for use of Inmarsat’s L-band spectrum as it works to cut costs in face of government opposition to its LTE network.
[Wireless Week – 04/04/2012]

“Space garbage hitting and disabling a military satellite may be seen as an attack, which could provoke retaliation with all of the ensuing consequences.”
{SatNews – 04/04/2012]

MicroThrust ionic motor to be employed on CleanSpace One, a satellite designed to clean up space debris, and OLFAR, a swarm of Dutch nanosatellites that will record weak RF signals on far side of Moon, a destination that will be reached with just drops of fuel.
[R&D Magazine – 04/03/2012]

Despite increasing requirements, Oil & Gas SATCOM market continues to be lucrative according to new NSR report.
[SatNews – 04/03/2012]

Spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office is launched on ULA Delta IV rocket from Vandenberg AFB.
[SatNews – 04/03/2012]

New “Maritime Telecom Solutions by Satellite” report from Euroconsult concludes that KVH is now the maritime VSAT market share leader with its mini-VSAT product.
[Market Watch – 04/03/2012]

Temasys Vidyo Cloud and Emerging Markets Communications HD Connect combine to offer low cost “pay as you go” enterprise satellite HD video service anywhere, anytime.
[chron – 04/03/2012]

Alaska Airlines will test satellite system in Seattle in June that could end circling above the airport, allowing planes to make direct gently sloping landing approaches and take off and land closer together.
[NY Times – 04/03/2012]

Global Telesat experiences significant increase in sales of mobile satellite solutions since launch of its e-commerce MSS website, www.gtc-usa.com.
[Market Watch – 04/03/2012]

DirecTV files FCC complaint against Tribune, accusing it of reneging on deal to keep its television stations on the satellite service.
[Kansas City Star – 04/03/2012]

Eutelsat demonstrates its Ka-band satellite broadband solutions in the Macedonian city of Ohrid to regional meeting of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development.
[Biz Journals – 04/02/2012]

Astrium completes in-orbit delivery of SSOT satellite system to the Chilean Air Force.
[Satellite Today – 04/02/2012]

Comtech is awarded undefinitized $80.7 million contract to support Blue Force Tracking Program.
[Market Watch – 04/02/2012]

Orbital Sciences celebrates 30th anniversary and 1,007 rockets and space systems, including 810 launch vehicles, target and sounding rockets, satellites, and other space systems.
[Reuters – 04/02/2012]

Astrium is awarded two contracts from the Russian Satellite Communications Company for the delivery of two telecommunication satellites, Express AM4R and Express AM7.
[SatNews – 04/02/2012]

Bangladesh to launch first satellite by 2015.
[Rapid TV News – 04/01/2012]

Chinese Long March 3B rockets lifts French-built communications payload into orbit for broadcast of television signals, Internet access, and network data solutions across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East for Hong Kong-based satellite operator. [Spaceflight Now – 03/31/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Intelsat 22, successfully launched on a Russian Proton rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 24, carries hosted payloads that will serve Australian and U.S. Forces in the Mideast.
[Space.com – 03/30/2012]

Telesat closes $2.5 billion debt refinancing agreement.
[Satellite Today – 03/30/2012]

LightSquared makes FCC filing claiming that a proposed ruling by the FCC staff that would effectively revoke LightSquared’s license to operate its network is entirely unsupported by the law, science, and FCC policy and precedent.
[VirtualPressOffice – 03/30/2012]

NASA starts new phase in effort to modernize the terrestrial segment of a decades-old space communications network.
[Information Week – 03/30/2012]

Russia selects Astrium to build two communications satellites, Express AM4R, and Express AM7.
[Space Daily – 03/30/2012]

Government of Bangladesh awards three-year, $10 million contract to U.S. consultancy Space Partnership International of Bethesda, MD, to manage its acquisition of a telecom satellite.
[Space News – 03/30/2012]

Russia launches missile detection satellite from Kazakhstan steppe on the last flight of a version of the Proton rocket that is to be retired after 45 years of service.
[Space Flight Now – 03/30/2012]

Defense Department has long-standing problem synchronizing development of terminals and ground control stations to satellite launch dates, resulting in satellites that are operating under capacity.
[National Defense Magazine – 03/30/2012]

Nigerian purchase Earth imagery resources from British observation satellites after finding images from its own recently launched satellite were irrelevant.
[Satellite Today – 03/29/2012]

KVH opens new mobile satellite antenna testing facility employing one-of-a-kind motion simulator and rigorous testing procedures.
[Market Watch – 03/29/2012]

Panasonic will ramp up satellite network coverage for its broadband connectivity service, striking new agreements with Intelsat and Australian Satellite Communications for additional capacity.
[Electronics Weekly Magazine – 03/29/2012]

Industry panel member advocates “Telehouse” in Africa to interconnect all cable and satellite operators so intra-Africa traffic can be switched and peered within the African continent, as part of a solution to barriers to cross-border communications between land-locked countries in Africa.
[SatNews – 03/29/2012]

Russia begins testing the use of nuclear fuel in space rocket boosters.
{SatNews – 03/29/2012]

International Space Station crew takes shelter in escape pods in case debris from satellite collision three years ago, detected as approaching by radar, should impact the Space Station.
[Strategy Page – 03/29/2012]

Increasing bandwidth requirements of Oil & Gas satcom market, coupled with increasing requirements of emerging Oil & Gas markets, keep the market lucrative.
[Market Watch – 03/29/2012]

Zeonbud of the Ukraine will launch its national DVB-T2 broadcast network using Harris Corporation’s Selenio media convergence platform.
[SatNews – 03/29/2012]

SpaceX announces the formation of a team of outside experts to help it create the world’s safest human spaceflight system.
[SatNews – 03/29/2012]

Telecoms Sans Frontieres provides Sat Phone connections and logistical support to facilitate repatriation of wounded Syrian civilians and supply of medicines to Syria’s besieged towns.
[SatNews – 03/28/2012]

Russian spacecraft controllers intentionally plunge Express-AM4 communications satellite that failed to reach orbit into the ocean, prompting a company interested in salvaging the satellite to call it “needless destruction.”
[MSNBC – 03/28/2012]

Orbital Sciences congratulates NASA on successful launch of five sounding rockets in less than seven minutes for the Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment.
[SatNews – 03/28/2012]

TeleComnmunication Systems to host SwiftLink User Forum April 10-12 in Tampa, FL, bringing together thought leaders to share knowledge and best practices related to highly secure managed satellite and deployable communication initiatives.
[Market Watch – 03/28/2012]

Thai Airways will implement WiFi on their Airbus fleet.
[SatNews – 03/28/2012]

Thrane & Thrane’s AVIATOR 200 SwiftBroadband solution receives Supplemental Type Certificate for installation with in-flight Wi-Fi aboard Pilatus PC-12/45, PC-12/47, and PC-12/47E aircraft.
[SatNews – 03/28/2012]

Researchers create pictures showing how solar storms compress the Earth’s magnetic field; findings could help improve communications satellite design.
[CNET – 03/28/2012]

With Hughes Europe expanding availability of satellite broadband solutions through network of service provider partnerships, Hanover-based ABmann Technology GmbH takes advantage of this tailored approach.
[Channel EMEA – 03/28/2012]

Arab Spring has another consequence, as satellite jamming becomes serious enough to threaten the satellite operators’ business, typifying an increasing problem in the Middle East and North Africa.
[ars technica – 03/28/2012]

Communications via the ESA’s Artemis communications satellite helps ensure safe arrival of Europe’s Automated Transfer Vehicle at the International Space Station with vital supplies.
[SatNews – 03/27/2012]

Next-generation DOD space systems alone will not satisfy projected bandwidth needs – commercial satcom remains vital to military.
[Defense Systems – 03/27/2012]

SES and satellite continue growth path in Europe, with satellite becoming the leading TV infrastructure, and ASTRA serving 142 million TV homes.
[Web Wire – 03/27/2012]

Africell brings Thuraya satellite services to Sierra Leone.
[Awareness Times – 03/27/2012]

Taiwan’s Department of Industrial Technology kicks off “2012 Prototyping Topic of Galileo Pro” competition, focusing on development of satellite & vehicle-carried IT and Communications.
[Market Watch – 03/26/2012]

United Launch Alliance to launch classified satellite from Vandenberg AFB for NRO.
[Satellite Today – 03/26/2012]

International Security Expert argues that U.S. pursuit of a unilateral space policy instead of internationally co-operating is dangerous, and that there is a need for international rules.
[Huffington Post – 03/26/2012]

SES enters collaborative agreement with Samsung to make available TV-free satellite television sets in the sub-Saharan Africa region.
[Satellite Today – 03/26/2012]

Avanti Communications signs with Onyx Group Limited to provide Business Internet Continuity services within the U.K from its HYLAS 1 satellite.
[SatNews – 03/26/2012]

Skyband of Saudi Arabia expands with Hughes HX broadband satellite technology.
[Market Watch – 03/26/2012]

iDirect Government Technologies introduces airborne Evolution rack-mount router.
[Market Watch – 03/26/2012]

U.S. Navy’s recently launched MUOS satellite successfully reaches its orbital position. [Spaceflight Now – 03/26/2012]

Obama warns North Korea on its planned satellite launch.
[Sydney Morning Herald – 03/25/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Replacement for solar storm early-warning satellite which is on its last legs is at least two years away.
[Discovery – 03/09/2012]

ILS announces new contract for ILS Proton launch of the MEXSAT-1 satellite.
[Market Watch – 03/09/2012]

Iridium Core 9523, smallest voice and data transceiver ever, reduces size and cost of building devices around Iridium’s global satellite communications system.
[Marine Link – 03/09/2012]

Thales Alenia Space receives order from German company OHB System to supply eight electronic modules for the last eight satellites in the Galileo constellation.
[SatNews – 03/09/2012]

NewSat enters agreement with AP Kypros Satellite Limited for an additional orbital slot and expanded frequencies in existing slots.
[SatNews – 03/09/2012]

Satellite phones installed by provider Aciv8me in remote islands of the Wellesley Island Group off Australia under Australian government’s Indigenous Communication Program offer free communications – lives are expected to be saved in the future.
[Market Watch – 03/09/2012]

Leading Mexican operator and integrator of satellite networks RED52 launches new services powered by UHP technology from Romantis Group, to provide advanced data and multimedia services to thousands of remote terminals across Mexico and Latin America.
[SatNews – 03/09/2012]

NSR free webinar March 28 to offer industry’s first in-depth discussion on key financial metrics within the FSS sector.
[SatNews – 03/09/2012]

Euroconsult report forecasts that number of satellite communications terminals in the global maritime market will likely double over the next decade.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

Boeing to showcase 50 years of innovation in satellite design and manufacturing at Satellite 2012.
[SatNews – 03/09/2012]

During Newtec test on Intelsat 72 MHz Ku-band transponder using Wideband, Clean Channel Technology, Equalink, and Newtec’s 2nd generation Bandwidth Canceller, a staggering 372 Mbps of throughput was reached.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

Prototype of new radar system developed by Lockheed Martin is now tracking orbiting space objects, bringing the U.S. Air Force’s Space Fence program closer to revolutionizing our nation’s space situational awareness.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

Newtec successfully tests new high speed Ka-band technology for SES Broadband, featuring download speeds above 10Mbps, which is to enable SES to rollout SES Broadband Ka-band services later this year.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

Spacecom announces that its AMOS-3 satellite at 4 degrees West now has “one-hop” Ku-band capacity to served needs between the U.S. East Coast and the Middle East.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

Glowlink releases new Model 1020 with 200 MHz instantaneous bandwidth spectrum monitoring while offering the same range performance as other products, increasing monitoring speed of satellite spectrum by as much as 15X.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

NASA monitoring solar flares; massive eruption on the sun may impact GPS and satellite communications.
[CBS local – Baltimore – 03/08/2012]

Winegard to show new airline checkable 1.2m auto-acquire flyaway antennas weighing less than 88 lbs. each at Satellite 2012.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

One Horizon Group signs agreement with IEC Telecom Group to provide IP-optimization solution to IEC Telecom Group and subsidiaries in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore,, and Congo, increasing satellite bandwidth efficiencies.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

Maritime satellite communications market exceeds 5.5% in terminal growth, $1.4 billion in revenues.
[Sat PR News – 03/08/2012]

Comtech Xicom debuts new high efficiency, 750 Watt peak power, Ku-band traveling wave tube amplifier (TWTA).
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

ViviSat, the only U.S.-based provider of in-orbit servicing, to show satellite companies at Satellite 2012 that it is ready to build its mission extension vehicles.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

Isle of Man reported to be fifth nation most likely to return to the moon; bustling space and satellite industry on the island hosts four of the world’s top 10 satellite companies.
[SatNews – 03/07/2012]

France decides against privatizing military satellite communications system.
[Space News – 03/07/2012]

LinkScape and KNS partnership Maritime Ku-band and C-band solutions feature antennas from 60cm to 320cm, fully integrated antenna/modem technology, a single 1 unit below-deck unit, and fastest internet on the market.
[SatNews – 03/07/2012]

Thuraya launches latest generation of dual-mode satellite and GSM phone “XT-DUAL.”
[Market Watch – 03/07/2012]

NASA and government of Bermuda sign agreement to establish temporary mobile tracking station on Cooper’s Island to support launches from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
[SatNews – 03/07/2012]

DARPA’s InSPIRE program is sponsoring Zero Robotics Autonomous Space Capture Challenge, seeking to develop computer algorithms that allow satellite to capture space object that is tumbling and spinning.
[SatNews – 03/07/2012]

Hughes Network Systems makes available Hugh High QoS Service baed on the advanced HX platform to Virtual Network Operators, allopwing them to offer high-bandwidth Internet and private network access to customers without a high upfront investment.
[SatNews – 03/07/2012]

NASA’s twin GRAIL satellites begin mission of mapping moon’s gravitational field.
[SatNews – 03/07/2012]

Avanti Communications Group signs contract with CommCarrier Satellite Services of Kenya for satellite bandwidth over East Africa on the HYLAS 2 satellite for five years.
[4-traders – 03/06/2012]

New Zealand marine electronics specialist Electronic Navigation and SatComms Australia enter joint venture to provide new satellite options for New Zealand mariners.
[Fish News EU – 03/06/2012]

LightSquared announces extension of emulation on its SkyTerra-1 satellite network for existing customers.
[Market Watch – 03/06/2012]

Dish stock moves up sharply as investors bet Charlie Ergen’s stated plan to build a wireless-internet network from the ground up with spectrum he has acquired is a bluff, and he will end up selling the spectrum.
[Bloomberg – 03/07/2012]

Boeing teams up with telecommunications company Artel to sell satellite bandwidth to U.S. government agencies.
[Press-Telegram – 03/06/2012]

V.Ships, World’s largest independent ship manager serving fleet of over 1,000 vessels, selects KVH mini-VSAT Broadband as its preferred satellite communications service.
[Market Watch – 03/05/2012]

Iran aims to place satellites in geostationary orbits.
[ABNA – 03/05/2012]

FCC denial of Dish Networks’ request for a needed waiver for its new wireless network, opting instead to take public comments before making a rule change later this year, sets back Dish’s network plans.
[Wall Street Journal – 03/02/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

UK Scientists to help satellites dodge sun storms, by giving enough advance warning to allow operators to move, reconfigure, or shut down satellites in harm’s way.
[Reuters – 03/02/2012]

Military strives to increase bandwidth and link satellite and terminal design while turning to commercial suppliers for hosted payloads, as bandwidth demand is not reduced by two wars winding down.
[Defense Systems – 03/02/2012]

The launch of the first Mobile User Objective System satellite in February signals a new era of comms-on-the-move in the Defense Department.
[Defense Systems – 03/02/2012]

Pasta-shaped radio waves beamed across Venice, demonstrating an apparent solution to radio congestion using the twisted radio waves to transmit separate channels on each, at the same frequency.
[R&D Magazine – 03/02/2012]

Loral Space and Communications suspends preparations to spin off the company’s satellite manufacturing division to focus on strategic transaction with unnamed buyer or group of buyers.
[Space News – 03/02/2012]

Syria blocks Red Cross from Homs neighborhood, cutting off communications and jamming satellite signals as it is accused of overrunning district, performing execution style killings and a scorched-earth campaign.
[The Republic – 03/02/2011]

DigitalGlobe’s images of Baba Amr district of Homs, Syria show damage caused by recent fighting between the Syrian army and rebels.
[SatNews – 03/01/2012]

Avanti Communications chief executive says the launch of a third broadband satellite, HYLAS 3, will give the company the ability to “cherry-pick” customers in Africa.
[4-traders – 03/01/2012]

SES drops ASTRA name, renaming ASTRA Broadband Services as SES Broadband Services, and ASTRA2Connect as SES Broadband.
[SatNews – 03/01/2012]

Lockheed Martin announces success of in-orbit testing of the first Advance Extremely High Frequency satellite.
[UPI – 03/01/2012]

Datum Systems as new multi-function data interface for PSM-500 series modems that supports optional Advanced Ethernet IP or Dual G.703 interface.
[SatNews – 03/01/2012]

International Datacasting is awarded new contract to provide the Canadian Forces Radio and Television broadcast services for up to an additional five years. [SatNews – 03/01/2012]

Al Jazeera platform of 10 channels uses new footprint of Eutelsat’s EUTELSAT 7 West A to reach viewers from Morocco to Nigeria.
[Sacramento Bee – 03/01/2012]

Telemar to launch SeaMore, a new, joint full-service communications solution with Vizada for the maritime community.
[SatNews – 03/01/2012]

European Union’s TV information services move to the EUTELSAT 9A satellite.
[Sacramento Bee – 03/01/2012]

Canada’s MDA awaits decision on contract bid to U.S. DARPA before deciding whether to shelve its work on a space vehicle to service satellites and perform other chores in orbit.
[Space News – 03/01/2012]

Hughes Network Systems completes installation of its latest technology, HN NOCXT, for Pagaso Banda Ancha at its new teleport in Toluca, Mexico.
[SatNews – 03/01/2012]

BepiColombo, an ESA mission to the planet Mercury in collaboration with the Japanese space agency is now planned for launch in August 2015.
[SatNews – 03/01/2012]

YAHSAT launches new VSAT service on opening day of CABSAT show.
[Khaleej Times – 02/29/2012]

Laptop stolen a year ago from NASA contained formulas used to control the International Space Station.
[Nextgov – 02/29/2012]

LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja resigns after failing to get government clearance for the company’s planned LTE network; Philip Falcone takes seat on the board.
[Wireless Week – 02/28/2012]

New research program at Rensselaer Polytechnic seeks to define next generation of low-orbit satellites that are cheaper to launch, longer lived, more maneuverable, and easier to hide; research could also define means to guide dead satellites and debris to Earth.
[R&D Magazine – 02/28/2012]

Raytheon’s U.S. Air Force satellite terminal system achieves two critical milestones and is its first Advanced Extremely High Frequency terminal for the Air Force to enter production.
[Space Daily – 02/28/2012]

SES announces that Saudi-based communications service provider ICCES will use Ku capacity on SES-4 to help customers extend their VSAT-delivered services across Saudi Arabia, North Africa, Libya, Tunisia, and other key countries.
[SatNews – 02/28/2012]

C-COM completes successful testing of Ka-band mobile antenna with Avanti Communications.
[Market Watch – 02/28/2012]

SES signs new long-term multiple transponder contract with GlobeCast.
[SatNews – 02/28/2012]

Comtech EF Data partners with O3b as provider of modems, advanced VSAT solutions, and RF products.
[SatNews – 02/28/2012]

U.S. Air Force undersecretary unveils familiar military space budget strategy.
[Satellite Today – 02/27/2012]

Second Ariane 5 launch in 2012, scheduled for May to orbit Japan’s JCSAT-13 and Vietnam’s VINASAT-2, completes its initial assembly at spaceport in French Guiana. [SatNews – 02/27/2012]

Comtech Telecommunications Corp receives $2.0 million order to support global maritime fleet upgrade.
[Market Watch – 02/27/2012]

Etisalat signs with Intelsat for multi-year capacity on Intelsat 22, scheduled to launch in late March 2012.
[SatNews – 02/27/2012]

SeaSpace becomes first commercial company to provide an NPP solution to customers, as it releases its first NPP image to be broadcast over California since Direct Broadcast was turned on earlier that day by NASA.
[SatNews- 02/27/2012]

Boeing Defence Australia pursues renewal of operations contract at Pine Gap satellite intelligence facility near Alice Springs that it lost to Raytheon in 2005 after holding the contract for 30 years.
[SatNews – 02/27/2012]

ITU considers application of Azerbaijan for new orbital position.
[TMCnet – 02/26/2012]

World’s satellite sector, in unprecedented show of unity, presents letter signed by close to 100 satellite companies to chairman of UNIDROIT conference expressing opposition to Draft Space Assets Protocol, that threatens the stability of satellite financing.
[SatNews – 02/24/2012]

Director of Defense Intelligence Agency reveals that Beijing is developing missiles, electronic jammers, and lasers for use against satellites, under guise of supposedly non-military space program.
[SatNews – 02/24/2012]

ESA signs $1.8 billion deal with Thales Alenia for six next generation weather satellites, after acrimonious debate over decision not to award to Astrium of Germany.
[Space News – 02/24/2012]

MEASAT has a partnership agreement with Belgium Satellite Services for satellite capacity on the soon-to-be launched AFRICASAT-1a for coverage in the Middle East, Africa, and Southern Europe.
[SatNews – 02/24/2012]

Satellite bandwidth demand keeps soaring despite budget cuts.
[Defense Systems – 02/24/2012]

United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, with 200th Centaur, successfully launches Mobile User Objective System-1 satellite.
[Market Watch – 02/24/2012]

News that the son of Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has taken the helm of APT Satellite Holdings sends shares of the Hong Kong-traded stock up nearly 50%.
[Deal Journal – Wall Street Journal – 02/24/2012]

Long March 3C launches fifth Compass-G satellite into orbit.
[NASA Spaceflight – 02/24/2012]

U.S.A.F. and Lockheed Martin deliver the second Advanced Extremely High Frequency Flight communication satellite to Cape Canaveral.
[SatNews – 02/24/2012]

Intelsat gets subcontract to provide satellite connectivity for Iraqi Ministry of Defense network of 150 remote VSAT terminals.
[Ottawa Citizen – 02/24/2012]

SES announces that Brazil’s Rede Novo Tempo de Comunicacao has renewed and expanded a long-term capacity agreement for the distribution of its video and radio channels throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, and Western Europe.
[SatNews – 02/24/2012]

South African satellite systems company SunSpace says its Sumbandila satellite has paved way for South African satellite to be built over which the South African National Defence Force could have total control.
[Engineering News – 02/24/2012]

Motorvision, Europe’s leading automotive-themed content provider, selects Asia Broadcast Satellite to distribute is content across the Asian continent.
[SatNews – 02/24/2012]

Death of American journalist Marie Colvin in Syria raises concern about the safety of using satellite phones in areas of conflict.
[Radio Free Europe – 02/24/2012]

GE Satcom is rebranded Signalhorn following its recent acquisition.
[SatNews – 02/24/2012]

C-Com and iSat partner on X-band enhancements for iNetVu terminal.
[Satellite Today – 02/24/2012]

Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen says Dish Network needs to package mobile wireless services with its video offering to remain competitive, explaining rationale for investing $4 billion in wireless spectrum since 2008.
[Wall Street Journal – 02/24/2012]

Army leaders outline plans to upgrade tactical communications network, pushing satellite communications down to the company level.
[www.army.mil – 02/23/2012]

U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin team deliver second Advanced Extremely High Frequency Flight communication satellite to Cape Canaveral.
[SatNews – 02/23/2012]

Google asks FCC to approve satellite antenna farm that would sit next to its existing data center in Council Bluffs, IA.
[DesMoines Register – 02/23/2012]

Etilisat to quit Indian telecoms market on heels of recent Indian Supreme Court decision cancelling 122 mobile licenses.
[The Vision Research – 02/23/2012]

Entry of Eutelsat’s new ATLANTIC BIRD 7 satellite into MidEast market spurs growth of digital and HDTV channels across Middle East and North Africa.
[Sacramento Bee – 02/22/2012]

Comtech Telecommunications Corp is awarded $1.0 million contract for medium-power Tri-band amplifiers for a vehicle-mounted tactical satellite communications system.
[Market Watch – 02/22/2012]

As LightSquared’s troubles continue, layoffs begin.
[Wireless Week – 02/22/2012]

Scandinavian satellite company Viasat Broadcasting extends its live broadcasting rights to the National Football League in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland until the end of the 2017 NFL season.
[Satellite Today – 02/22/2012]

LightSquared withholds $56.3 million payment to Inmarsat.
[Bloomberg Business Week – 02/21/2012]

Loral selects FMV for Thor 7 software contract.
[Satellite Today – 02/21/2012]

Gilat selected by JSC NURSAT to deploy broadband satellite communications solution in Kazakhstan.
[Market Watch – 02/21/2012]

Newtec enters agreement with InSat to supply and install Sat3Play hub and terminal technology and deliver next generation Ka-ban d communications over Afghanistan.
[Satellite Today – 02/21/2012]

Boston City Council may pass resolution requiring satellite companies to install dishes in locations that don’t affect aesthetics of a neighborhood.
[The Boston Channel – 02/21/2012]

Y1B satellite launch delayed till April.
[Khaleej Times – 02/20/2012]

Scientists seek “celestrial broom” to clean up space mess jeopardizing low earth orbit satellites.
[New York Times – 02/18/2012]

Moscow blames radiation damage to an SRAM chip aboard the Phobos-Grunt probe for its failure, but skepticism meets the official conclusion.
[IEEE Spectrum – 02/16/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Falcone’s telecom troubles mount, as the Harbinger Fund investments in LightSquared jeopardize investors’ value and a group of investors sues in federal court.
[Wall Street Journal – 02/18/2012]

Latest Pentagon spending plans scale back push to use commercial satellites to supplement the military’s communication and space efforts.
[Wall Street Journal – 02/17/2012]

Second attempt to launch Atlas V rocket with first MUOS satellite is scrubbed due to weather conditions.
[Central Florida News – 02/17/2012]

U.S. bankruptcy court approves TerreStar reorganization plan; Dish Network prepared to close previously approved acquisitions of TerreStar and DBSD upon FCC approval of license transfers.
[Satellite Today – 02/17/2012]

Eutelsat and ViaSat receive Industry Innovators Awards from the Society of Satellite Professionals International for development and launch of their High Throughput broadband Satellites, KA-SAT and ViaSat-1.
[Sacramento Bee – 02/17/2012]

General Dynamics demonstrates first MUOS satellite-based communications on JTRS HMS Radio.
[Market Watch – 02/17/2012]

NSR free webinar coming February 22 – Military budget cuts and troop drawdowns: What’s the impact on commercial satcoms?
[NSR – 02/17/2012]

NASA selects 33 small “cubesat” satellites to fly as auxiliary payloads aboard rockets.
[SatNews – 02/17/2012]

Global Satellite USA launches Iridium Pilot, Iridium’s second-generation maritime broadband platform.
[SatNews 02/17/2012]

Satlink expands the reach of God’s Leaning Channel into Asia on the ABS1 satellite at 75 degrees East.
[SatNews – 02/17/2012]

United States, in review of future satellite needs, examines opportunities to increase international collaboration and orders from commercial providers, U.S. Air Force official says.
[Fox Business – 02/16/2012]

SES-4 successfully performs post-launch maneuvers.
[Market Watch – 02/16/2012]

Media Networks Latin American signs long-term capacity deal with SES fior multiple transponders on AMC-4 to launch new DTH wholesale pay TV service.
[SatNews – 02/16/2012]

LightSquared may be looking to Department of Defense to save its LTE network; FCC still believes satellite spectrum can be used for wireless buildout but will tread more carefully next time.
[Washington Post – 02/16/2012]

Avanti partner STM buys Ka band capacity on HYLAS 1 to enable launch of Enterprise services in Spain.
[Proactive Investors – 02/15/2012]

Comtech EF Data wins Industry Innovators Award from Society of Satellite Professionals International for MetaCarrier technology that adds carrier ID information to a reference carrier using spread spectrum technology.
[Market Watch – 02/15/2012]

Officials eye changes to GPS receivers, but move comes too late for LightSquared.
[Nextgov – 02/15/2012]

NSR reports that FCC statement all but negates years of work from both the FCC and the mobile satellite industry.
[SatNews – 02/15/2012]

Swiss to build clean-up satellites to attack the space junk issue.
[R&D Magazine – 02/15/2012]

ORBIT Communication Systems and Milano Teleport receive orders for complete C-band VSAT solution for supertankers of one of worlds leading shipping companies based in Greece.
[SatNews – 02/15/2012]

Newly announced Intellian t80W maritime satellite TV antenna system uses WorldView LNB that automatically switches polarization and frequency according to satellite tracking onto, and satellite control system intelligence and dual antenna system that allows seamless reception of TV programs on a global basis.
[SatNews – 02/15/2012]

Harris CapRock Communications signs contract to provide telecommunications systems and infrastructure for Chevron’s Big Foot platform project in the Gulf of Mexico.
[SatNews – 02/15/2012]

IO Sat one of first customers providing services on Spacecom’s AMOS-5 satellite.
[SatNews – 02/15/2012]

NASA budget request includes funding for again launching astronauts, further exploration into space, and continuing research, providing jobs and technology that will boost the economy.
[SatNews – 02/13/2012]

Google applies for FCC licenses for “antenna farm” in Kansas that hint at possible super head-end for capturing satellite television signals for over-fiber distribution.
[Kansas City Star – 02/14/2012]

FCC bars use of satellite spectrum terrestrially for broadband networks, sending LightSquared back to Square One.
[New York Times – 02/14/2012]

Gilat develops customized solution for O3b Networks’ satellite network.
[Globes – 02/14/2012]

Xplornet Communications’ 4G broadband satellite service on ViaSat-1 goes live over Canada.
[Digital Journal – 02/14/2012]

Global Telesat Corp. launches E-Commerce mobile satellite solutions portal on worldwide web.
[Market Watch – 02/14/2012]

ORBIT awarded services contract from U.S. Air Force to install service communication management systems on KC-135 Stratotankers.
[Market Watch – 02/14/2012]

UtiliSat to offer end-to-end managed network services to U.S. government agencies under new GSA custom SATCOM solutions small business contract.
[Market Watch – 02/14/2012]

FAB Express Trucking selects VeriWise(TM) satellite tracking systems to manage dry van fleet.
[Market Watch – 02/14/2012]

Obama budget targets LightSquared.
[Nextgov – 02/13/2011]

YAHSAT begins transmission of High TV 3D.
[Satellite Today – 02/13/2012]

ViaSat phases out WildBlue brand for new Exede service on ViaSat 1.
[Satellite Today – 02/13/2012]

Spectacular view from International Space Station includes lights of hundreds of cities plus massive Aurora Borealis on the horizon.
[SatNews – 02/13/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Australia’s National Broadband Network Company orders two expensive broadband satellites from Space Systems/Loral; some politicians attack as not needed and too expensive.
[Delimiter – 02/11/2012]

Satellite Internet company Skycasters launches a 1.8m Satellite Internet trailer said to be “fast, tough, and smart.”
[Market Watch – 02/09/2012]

Remember the old days? Jamesburg Earth Station in California is for sale – again – after millionaire’s plan to turn it into an Internet business proved not feasible and he instead turned it into a home.
[NPR – 02/11/2012]

U.S. threatens action against Thales Alenia Space, suspecting that it illegally used U.S. know-how or parts in spacecraft launched by Chinese rockets.
[Baltimore Sun – 02/10/2012]

NASA seeks proposals for flight demonstrations of small satellite technologies with goal of increasing technical capabilities of these spacecraft.
[SpaceRef – 02/10/2012]

First MUOS satellite set to launch February 16, but waveform for manpack systems that would allow warfighters Coms On The Move like cell phone capabilities still not ready.
[Space News – 02/10/2012]

Raytheon is tripling the satellite capacity for all AN/ARC-231 airborne radio terminals at no cost to the end user.
[SatNews – 02/10/2012]

U.S. officials consider developing standards for GPS spectrum to allow companies developing broadband networks to use mobile satellite frequencies without interfering with GPS devices.
[Space News – 02/10/2012]

Twitter announces partnership with Iridium and Thuraya that will allow emergency tweets, or tweets from people who have no other broadband access, “available to every person on the planet.”
[vatornews – 02/10/2012]

AsiaSat 6 and AsiaSat 8 scheduled to be launched in 2014 by SpaceX.
[The Register – 02/09/2012]

Russians may spend 346.5 billion rubles (almost US$12 billion) on its Glonass navigation satellite system between 2012 and 2020.
[SatNews – 02/09/2012]

GE-Satcom, also known as Satlynx, is acquired by Trustcomm International.
[SatNews – 02/09/2012]

DVB is investigating expansion of current DVB-S2 standard for satellite contribution and high speed links as Newtec launches Clean Channel Technology(TM) and calls for the DVB expansion.
[MENAFM – 02/09/2012]

Iridium launches second-generation maritime broadband platform, Iridium Pilot(TM), offering fully global maritime broadband with data rates up to 134 kbps.
[Market Watch – 02/09/2012]

ILS sets new launch date of February 15 for SES-4.
[Satellite Today – 02/08/2012]

Researchers in Germany claim to have broken voice encryption of satellite phones on the Thuraya network, exposing dangers and insufficiencies of current encryption algorithms.
[Network World – 02/08/2012]

Reconn, an 8 lb. SATCOM tool introduced by the Harris Corp. and Coolfire Solutions, connects a smartphone to system hardware including a spectrum analyzer, power meter, LNB tester, and multi-meter, and will help users set up, activate, monitor, and troubleshoot satellite systems.
[UPI – 02/08/2012]

Satellite industry set for 10-year growth spurt.
[Communications Technology – 02/07/2012]

Avanti raises funds to build third broadband satellite, HYLAS 3.
[Broadband Choice – 02/07/2012]

ViaSat files lawsuit against Space Systems/Loral, alleging that SS/L used ViaSat technologies in other customers’ satellites.
[SatNews – 02/07/2012]

NASA says Russian space launch glitches no worry – Soyuz is still the most reliable launcher in the world.
[R&D Magazine – 02/07/2012]

Canada approves DISH Network’s request to transfer Canadian spectrum licenses held by TerreStar to DISH.
[SatNews – 02/07/2012]

Marlink upgrades maritime VSAT service with iDirect Evolution technology.
[Market Watch – 02/06/2012]

Global Industry Analysts releases report calling for satellites related products and services to reach J.S. $219.6 billion by 2015.
[San Francisco Chronicle – 02/03/2012]

Iran launches its third satellite.
[TG Daily – 02/03/2012]

NewSat signs a 15-year $US180 million contract with MEASAT to supply capacity on its Jabiru-1 satellite; is close to funding new satellites.
[Sydney Morning Herald – 02/03/2012]

Vislink to launch its new Advent Mantis “MSAT” Man Portable Data Terminal, a highly portable tri-band satellite antenna system specifically designed for rapid deployment in hostile environments, at CABSAT 2012.
[SatNews – 02/03/2012]

NASA is seeking proposals for flight demonstrations of small satellite technologies with the goal of increasing the technical capabilities and range of uses for this emerging category of spacecraft.
[Sacramento Bee – 02/02/2012]

SpaceX successfully test fires SuperDraco rocket engine – these engines “will power a revolutionary launch escape system that will make Dragon the safest spacecraft in history and enable it to land propulsively on Earth or another planet with pinpoint accuracy.”
[SatNews – 02/02/2012]

Telesat proposes $40 million investment in Artic Infrastructure to expand broadband services in the North.
[Broadcaster Magazine – 02/02/2012]

XTAR joins as new member of the Satellite Industry Association.
[Space Ref – 02/02/2012]

The European Commission issues contract worth some 255m euros (£210m; $330m) to a German-UK consortium to provide eight more spacecraft for its Galileo satellite-navigation network.
[BBC – 02/02/2012]

Viasat collaborated with Radisys to develop an entirely new ATCA-based Satellite Modem Termination System to support communications with ViaSat 1 and keep up with advancements in satellite technology.
[Market Watch – 02/02/2012]

SES and French Internet provider France-Telecom-Orange announce expansion of SES’ ASTRA2Connect with higher speeds of up to 10 Mbps.
[SatNews – 02/02/2012]

Inmarsat selects Metaswitch to expand and enrich FleetBroadband maritime communications service, allowing simultaneous calls.
[SatNews – 02/02/2012]

Mercury Computer Systems to deliver integrated ATCA(R)-based signal processing subsystem to support next generation mobile satellite system.
[Market Watch – 02/02/2012]

UniTek awarded contract by ViaSat to support the rollout of ViaSat’s Exede satellite broadband service.
[Market Watch – 02/02/2012]

European Commission selects OHB AG of Germany over Astrium to build eight more Galileo positioning, navigation, and timing satellites.
[Space News – 02/01/2012]

Eutelsat’s Tooway(TM) satellite service set to boost broadband in France for SFR affiliate, NomoTech.
[Market Watch – 02/01/2012]

KVH announces major upgrade to its mini-VSAT maritime broadband network, overlaying global C-band satellite coverage atop its Ku-band footprint for first of its kind dual-band maritime satellite network covering 95% of the earth’s surface.
[Market Watch – 02/01/2012]

SatLink launches platforms on Amos 5 Pan-African C-band, and Sub-Saharan Ku-band.
[Broadband TV News – 02/01/2012]

Blue Sky Network selected as Premium Portal Provider for iridium Extreme(TM) satellite phone.
[Market Watch – 02/01/2012]

Satworx teams up with Yukon Quest to provide the 1,000 mile Alaskan dog race event with a communication solution.
[Market Watch – 02/01/2012]

Globalstar customer experience improved mobile voice and data performance as recently launched second-generation satellites come on line.
[Market Watch – 02/01/2012]

Roscosmos identifies cause of the crash of Russian “Meridian” satellite in December as failure of one of the rocket engines.
[CRI English – 03/31/2012]

SES is relocating SES-3 from its location over North America to provide coverage of the Middle East and South Asia regions.
[Business Wire – 01/31/2012]

According to ambitious Turkish government road map for the country’s multiple satellite programs through 2020, a total of 17 Turkish satellites will come into orbit from 2012 to 2020.
[SatNews – 01/30/2012]

Eutelsat’s satellites break the barrier of 4,000 TV channels.
[Market Watch – 01/30/20012]

FCC opens up LightSquared’s embattled wireless plans for public comment.
WireLess Industry News – 01/30/2012

LightSquared asks FCC to exempt GPS receivers from protection.
[NextGov – 01/30/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services