Really Rocket Science

Sony negotiating with U.S. broadcasters to provide content for system to  stream directly to PlayStation consoles, BluRay video players, and  television sets, competing directly with cable and satellite TV providers.
[NZ Herald – 11/19/2011]

Global VSAT Forum’s “White Paper for National Regulators on Satellite  Services in the Ka band” is centerpiece of global campaign launched by  international satellite industry to assure continued unfettered access to Ka-band  spectrum.
[SatNews –  11/18/2011]

Eutelsat “categorically refutes” allegations that it is generating  interference to its own satellite to prevent reception in Iran of international  Farsi satellite channels.
[MENAFN – 11/18/2011]

Shenzhou 8 ends highly successful mission for China’s human spaceflight  program, returning to a landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous  Region Nov. 17.
[Space  Daily – 11/18/2011]

Thales Alenia and ISS Reshetnev sign agreement intended to lead to joint  venture to build communications satellites.
[Space News – 11/18/2011]

Panasonic Avionics signs billion-dollar in-flight deal with Etihad Airways to  provide in-flight entertainment systems and in-flight connectivity, including  broadband Internet, for Etihad’s entire long-haul fleet.
[Satellite Today – 11/18/2011]

U.S. government report reveals attacks by hackers on at least two occasions,  targeting command-and-control systems of U.S. Earth observation satellites;  China internally reveals it is developing capabilities to cripple an enemy  satellite network.
[DailyTech – 11/17/2011]

SES plans acquisitions in Eastern Europe and Asia, and will reduce number of  satellites over the U.S. to address a glut of capacity, moving to markets such  as Latin America and Asia.
[Business Week – 11/17/2011]

The fourth of six Wideband Global SATCOM satellites arrives at Kennedy Space  Center for January launch.
[Florida Today – 11/17/2011]

SpaceX Dragon Capsule is successfully mated to the trunk that will carry  unpressurized cargo to the International Space Station.
[SatNews –  11/17/2011]

Cubesates Yahtzee and Farkle, predominantly created by Utah State University  students, circumnavigate earth every 90 minutes – experiments under global  scrutiny.
[USU Statesman – 11/17/2011]

NASA’s new Mars rover, “Curiosity,” will be launched on November 25 from Cape  Canaveral on an Atlas V rocket.
[SatNews –  11/17/2011]

Harris Corporation delivers two unfurlable mesh reflectors to Lockheed Martin  Space Systems in Sunnyvale CA for DoD’s first Mobile User Objective System  satellite.
[Market Watch – 11/17/2011]

Harris gets 5-year contract to maintain ground system for Defense  Meteorological Satellites Program.
[SatNews –  11/17/2011]

MIL-SAT Communications selects Cobham’s Sea Tel 2.4m marine stabilized  antenna to fulfil recently-awarded U.S. Navy contract.
[Defence Professionals – 11/17/2011]

Orange Business Services is certified as Silver Partner in Inmarsat’s Connect  Accreditation Program.
[SatNews –  11/17/2011]

ITT Exelis and Chronos Technology team up to develop product offerings for  Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Interference, Detection, and  Mitigation (IDM) market.
[SatNews –  11/17/2011}

The two main providers of consumer satellite broadband in the U.S., Hughes  and ViaSat, both reported zero growth in subscribers in 3rd quarter 2011.
[Space News – 11/17/2011]

KVH TracVision M1, world’s smallest maritime satellite TV antenna, receives  NMEA Industry Award for best marine entertainment product for third consecutive  year.
[SatNews – 11/17/2011]

Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited responds to N8 billion fraud  allegation leveled by a group called Nigeria Unites Against Corruption  Initiative.
[All  Africa – 11/17/2011]

Orbital Sciences Corporation announces completion of in-orbit-testing of  Intelsat 18, and hand-over to customer, Intelsat S.A. for commercial service  initiation.
[SatNews –  11/16/2011]

ViaSat conducts demonstration for U.S. armed services, (during a rainstorm),  unveiling industry’s highest performance mobile broadband system using  ultra-small 12-inch Ka-band tracking antenna, achieving 4 MBPS forward and 6  MBPS return link bit rates, with simultaneous encrypted HD video backhaul, video  conferencing, IP phone communications, and http web browsing.
[SatNews –  11/16/2011]

Arianespace signs to launch a new DirecTV Latin America service-providing  satellite.
[Satellite Today – 11/16/2011]

U.S. Army uses SNAP satellite terminals in its most recent Network  Integration Evaluation, seeking to ensure that new technologies and network  improvements work hand-in-hand with presently fielded systems.
[Tech Zone –  11/16/2011]

China completes second successful docking of unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8  with prototyupe space lab Tiangong-1.
[SatNews –  11/16/2011]

European Union states protest removal from EUY Budget of next-generation  nuclear reactor and an Earth observation satellite considered vital for Europe.
[SatNews –  11/16/2011]

Satworx selected to provide satellite communications for renowned storm  chasing team TVN for daring missions requiring driving within 1,000 feet of a  tornado.
[Market Watch – 11/16/2011]

Global VSAT Forum works with Ethiopian government for easing of VSAT market  rules, permitting authorized companies to use VSAT services in support of  famine-relief efforts.
[SatNews –  11/15/2011]

DARPA’s Airborne Launch Assist Space Access program seeks to reduce cost,  time, and weather constraints of satellite launches, launching 100 pound  satellites for 1/3 the cost.
[SatNews –  11/15/2011]

Yahlive and telecom operator du sign agreement for du to establish uplink  services to Yahlive’s Y1A satellite.
[TradeArabia –  11/15/2011]

BGAN from Stratos provides satellite communications for balloon expedition  over Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/15/2011]

ORBIT to showcase OrBand, a revolutionary, compact maritime VSAT system, at  METS 2011.
[Market Watch – 11/15/2011]

DeLorme announces retail availability of inReach two-way satellite  communicator for affordable communications with emergency responders, family,  friends, or colleagues using Iridium.
[PR Newswire – 11/15/2011]

Pleasant Software smartphone app iFlares calculates when and where reflected  sunlight by polished antennas of Iridium satellites can be seen from any  location on Earth.
[prMac –  11/15/2011]

Satellite Phone Solutions launches new social media forum for mobile  satellite community.
[PR Web – 11/15/2011]

Global Industry Analysts report indicates increased demand for satellite  transponders.
[Satellite Spotlight – 11/14/2011]

Canada invests in U.S. Wideband Global satellite communications system.
[Nextgov  – 11/14/2011]

New Zealand may join U.S. global satellite network.
[The Press – 11/14/2011]

O3b raises $137 million for construction of four additional satellites to  boost capacity and redundancy over emerging markets.
[SatNews –  11/14/2011]

AsiaSat selects Space Systems/Loral to build AsiaSat 6 and AsiaSat 8.
[Space Mart – 11/14/2011]

XTAR LLC is awarded Future COMSATCOM Services Acquisition Schedule-70 Special  Identification Number for transponded services, making it easier for government  users to acquire X-band capacity from XTAR.
[SatNews –  11/14/2011]

Gilat signs collaboration agreements with Russian Rostelecom Group subsidiary  RTComm to provide network equipment and Ka-band end-user terminals for RTComm’s  future constellation of multi spot-beam satellites.
[Globes – 11/14/2011]

Hughes to showcase tactical satellite solutions at Global MilSatCom 2011.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/14/2011]

Satcom 1 promotes recently-launched individual satellite airtime billing  solution for charters, fractionals, airlines, and business jet operators.
[Arabian Aerospace – 11/13/2011]

Asianet Satellite Communications to switch off analogue cable TV service and  become India’s first multi-system operator to offer only digital cable.
[Indiantelevision – 11/12/2011]

Loral Space and Communications expects to spin off its Space Systems/Loral  satellite manufacturing division in early 2012, contingent upon equitable  treatment of largest shareholder.
[Space News – 11/11/2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

New report by Global Industry Analysts projects worldwide demand for C-  and Ku-band satellite transponders to reach 7,840 36-MHz transponder  equivalents by 2017.
[SFGate – 11/11/2011]

Speaking on final day of MILCOM 2011 conference, commander of Space and  Missile Systems Center speaks of a future where reduced budgets force changes  such as smaller military satellites with streamlined capabilities catch rides  into space with commercial satellites.
[AFCEA SIGNALSCAPE – 11/11/2011]

First two Galileo satellites launched October 21 enter system’s first  validation phase, where 2 more satellites will join them in 2012, a first step  toward eventual constellation of 30 satellites.
[flightglobal – 11/11/20121]

Israel’s Gilat Satellite, two years into strategic expansion beyond corporate  world into defense and homeland-security industries, also broadens thrust into  worldwide consumer markets.
[MarketWatch – 11/11/2011]

SkyVision launches new Ku-band VSAT services in Africa.
[Satellite Today – 11/11/2011]

Raytheon receives multiple production orders from U.S. Navy and International  Partners for next-generation Navy Multiband Terminal protected Advanced  Extremely High Frequency satellite communications terminals over past year.
[Market Watch – 11/11/2011]

Cobham to introduce it Sea Tel FX line of Inmarsat FleetBroadband products to  market inMarch 2012.
[Satellite Today – 11/11/2011]

AsiaSat signs with Space Systems/Loral for construction of AsiaSat 6 and  AsiaSat 8 communications satellites.
[Market Watch – 11/11/2011]

Space and Missile Systems Center commander says “tactical EHF” satellites or  hosted payloads may be considered to fill gap left by cancellation of the  Transformational-Satellite program.
[National Defense – 11/10/2011]

LIghtSquared presents company’s vision for coast-to-coast wireless network at  PNT Advisory Board meeting; Javad GNSS shows data proving that the company’s  high precision GPS receivers coupled with lower power and shifted frequency of  LightSquared transmissions have eliminated interference issue.
[SatNews –  11/10/2011]

3Di Technologies and ZipLink, working on USO satellite network for Morale,  Welfare and Recreation, jointly optimize VoIP calling services for U.S. troops.
[IP Telephony – 11/10/2011]

Globecomm provides technology that offers automatic roaming between  satellites for Global Seatrade heavy-lift fleet.
[SatNews –  11/10/2011]

Iridium fortunes a long way from the day of Motorola’s bankruptcy sale to  investor for $25 million, as it posts $11.7 million profit and projects  subscriber growth of 25% for new year.
[Tom’s Guide – 11/10/2011]

Al Jazeera Balkans chooses Eutelsat’s W3C satellite to broadcast new network  across Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Kosovo, and  Montenegro.
[Market Watch – 11/10/2011]

Glitches including blaknk television screens, dead radio air, and  inexplicable broadcasts mar first nationwide test of Emergency Alert System for  cable, satellite, and broadcast service providers November 9, but not  unexpected.
[GSN Magazine – 11/10/2011]

Stratos Global announces that StratosTrax tracking portal with fully  integrated GPS and geofencing capabilities supporting web-based location,  identification, and tracking, is now commercially available.
[Satellite Spotlight – 11/10/2011]

Russian scientists struggle to recover Mars moon probe stranded in Earth  orbit by failure of interplanetary engines to fire, possibly due to failure of  orientation system.
[R&D Magazine – 11/09/2011]

Pentagon wrestling with how to develop satellite communications it needs  cheaper and faster as budgets tighten and current solicitations take too long.
[Federal News  Radio – 11/09/2011]

Eutelsat’s W3C satellite enters full commercial service.
[Market Watch – 11/09/2011]

TeleCommunication Systems announces partnership with Hughes Network to  incorporate the Hughes HX VSAT system in its TCS HX Enabled Secure Satellite  Network.
[Satellite Spotlight – 11/09/2011]

ITC Global completes successful acquisition of Broadpoint’s satellite  division.
[Market Watch – 11/09/2011]

C-COM Satellite Systems recently received $2 million worth of new orders for  its iNetVue mobile antenna products from Russia, Europe, and the Middle East.
[SatNews –  11/09/2011]

International Launch Services and Eutelsat announce contract for launch of  W3D satellite in 2013.
[Market Watch – 11/09/2011]

Chinese Mars orbiter Yinghuo-1 successfully launched by Russian Zenit-2SB  rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, while Russian Mars probe launched early
Wednesday failed to reach intended orbit.
[SatNews –  11/08/2011]

For first time in history of Arianespace, operating teams are deployed on  Ariane, Soyuz, and Vega launch pads for three launch preparation campaigns  involving 18 payloads.
[SatNews –  11/08/2011]

Intelsat’s growing customer base in Africa will see incremental capacity  added by three additional Intelsat satellites to be launched in 2012 to serve  the region.
[Business Wire – 11/08/2011]

Hughes Network Systems receives government contract to provide airborne  satellite communications.
[UPI – 11/08/2011]

Space and Missile Systems Center announces publication of guide to allow  commercial launch providers to compete for future launch service opportunities.
[SatNews –  11/08/2011]

Jupiter satellite, under construction by Space Systems/Loral in Silicon  Valley, will join 66 other SS/L-built communications satellites in orbit when  launched; SS/L recently experiencing strong demand for satellite construction  due to high demand for bandwidth.
[Mercury News – 11/08/2011]

GE Intelligent Platforms and Juniper Networks announce collaboration to  develop family of rugged, highly secure routing and network security appliances  designed for military/aerospace deployment in harsh environments where security  of data is paramount.
[SatNews –  11/08/2011]

Gilat-owned Wavestream introduces AeroStream family of airborne-qualified,  solid-state transceivers for integration into military and commercial airborne  and unmanned satellite communication systems.
[SatNews –  11/08/2011]

Globecomm introduces Tempo enterprise media appliance to stream live and  on-demand content over Corporate WAN, Internet, Satellite, or any hybrid  delivery combination, to desktops, mobile devices, and televisions.
[Business Wire – 11/08/2011]

Comtech Mobile Datacom Corporation receives additional funding of $11.7  million and $0.5 million to support Army’s Blue Force Tracking Program and  Movement Tracking System Program.
[Market Watch – 11/08/2011]

NSR’s Global Assessment of Satellite Supply & Demand, 8th Edition study,  indicates that satellite operators continue to buck global economic malaise.
[SatNews –  11/07/2011]

ViaSat plans to offer 12 MBPS download speeds with monthly cap on total date  downloaded for Internet service on its ViaSat-1 satellite, with service to begin  in next six weeks or so.
[Sign On San Diego – 11/07/2011]

With its AMOS line of satellite to be rounded out by AMOS-4 in 2013, and it’s  “Atlantic Bridge” coverage between U.S. East Coast and Europe or the Middle  East, Spacecom seeks to challenge other global satellite operators.
[TMCnet – 11/07/2011]

Pakistan’s first communications satellite, launched in August by China, has  reached intended orbit and all subsystems are functioning well.
[IBN Live – 11/07/2011]

NASA’s Deep Space Network antenna in Goldstone, California captures radar  images of Asteroid 2005 YU55 passing close to earth.
[SatNews –  11/07/2011]

Brazilian aircraft builder and National Telecom consider satellite joint  venture.
[Satellite Today – 11/07/2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Recently launched Eutelsat satellites Atlantic Bird 7 and W3C will  provide capacity to support growth in fast developing markets.
[Broadband TV News – 11/04/2011]

Astrium selected by DIRECTV to design and manufacture high power DIRECTV 15, with 30 Ku-, 24 Ka-, and 18 Reverse-band transponders.
[4-traders -11/04/2011]

Launch of NigComSat-1R on December 19 in China may be jeopardised unless  Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited comes up with N1.8 billion by November  5.
[This Day Live – 11/04/2011]

United Continental selects Panasonic Avionics to provide Wi-Fi connectivity  on more than 300 United Airlines and Continental Airlines mainline aircraft  beginning in 2012.
[Market Watch – 11/04/2011]

New House of Representatives legislation to reform U.S. satellite export  controls, removing satellites and related components from U.S. Munitions List,  gets strong endorsement from Satellite Industry Association.
[Satellite Today – 11/03/2011]

Chinese spacecraft successfully dock in orbit, moving China closer to manning  its own space station in about a decade.
[R&D Magazine – 11/03/2011]

ViaSat-1 reaches destined orbit following successful completion of all  maneuvers, to begin in-orbit testing.
SatNews –  11/03/2011]

Inmarsat subsidiaries Stratos Government Services and Segovia are awarded  Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract by DITCO for U.S. Navy Military  Sealift Command’s Next Generation Wideband commercial satellite communications  infrastructure and service.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/03/2011]

SES fleet extension program through 2014 to increase global capacity by 23%  over year-end 2010, with 85% of capacity dedicated to highly dynamic emerging  markets including Asia, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa; SES-7 and SES-8  represent $400 million program for South Asia and Asia-Pacific region.
[SatNews –  11/03/2011]

Spacecom satellite AMOS-5, to be launched December 11, is transported to  Baikonur Spaceport.
[SatNews – 11/03/2011]

Next Soyuz launch from Kourou, set for mid-December, to carry six satellites,  including Astrium Pleiades1 Very High Resolution Earth observation satellite,  Chilean satellite SSOT, and the four satellites of the Elisa constellation.
[SatNews –  11/03/2011]

GMV is awarded Euro 3 million contract to provide control center of new  Spanish satellite Paz, due for launch at end of next year.
[SatNews –  11/03/2011]

JITC certification of Thales Joint Tactical Radio System Enhance Multiband  Inter/Intra Team Radio allows users access to ultra high frequency SATCOM IW on  their fielded radios via software upgrade.
[SatNews –  11/03/2011]

Thuraya and Al Aan TV provide media feeds for starving Somalia.
[SatNews –  11/03/2011]

International Conference on Student Small Satellites CSSS2012 will bring  together young engineers and scientists in telecommunications, electronic  devices and systems for small satellites around the world.
[SatNews –  11/03/2011]

Congressional Budget Office urges U.S. Department of Defense to abandon  current GPS network upgrade plan and focus on upgrading GPS receivers; endorses  Iridium’s satellite constellation as potential alternative.
[Satellite Today – 11/02/2011]

Small Business Committee Republicans ask FCC to withhold LightSquared  approval.
[Nextgov – 10/31/2011]

Cobham announces two six-year contracts for ground antennas worth up to  $72.7M with U.S. Navy and Thales, following acquisition of antenna manufacturer  Trivec-Avant.
[Space News – 11/03/2011]

Though Inmarsat’s overall business has been flat, the company will have  record-breaking year in revenue and profit on cash coming in from LightSquared.
[Space News – 11/03/2011]

Federal government will conduct first nationwide test of Emergency Alert  System Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 1 P.M., interrupting television, radio, cable, and  satellite shows for up to 3 1/2 minutes.
[The Advertiser – 11/03/2011]

NSR report expects satellite capacity leasing revenues will reach US$17.2  billion by 2020, up from US$10 billion in 2010, as satellite operators continue  to buck global economic malaise.
[Market Watch – 11/02/2011]

China may be tinkering with U.S. satellites, and experts say other countries  are likely doing the same – some say that technological Cold War is well  underway.
[Discovery News – 11/01/2011]

Satellite communications evolved from use of C-band to use of Ku-band to  address demand for more bandwidth – Ka-band high throughput satellites are the  next step in the evolution, promising a revolution in satellite services.
[Voice &  Data – 11/01/2011]

Canadian satellite hardware and services provider MDA reports core business  doing well, but puts innovative satellite-servicing project on hold while  waiting for U.S. government contract.
[Space News – 11/01/2011]

Fleet Management Solutions is selected by U.S. Justice Department Federal  Bureau of Prisons to equip fleet vehicles and mobile assets with Fleet Director  Global Iridium-base asset tracking system.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/01/2011]

Boeing to manufacture and test its Crew Space Transportation spacecraft at  Kennedy Space Center’s Orbiter Processing Facility-3, as NASA and Space Florida  partner for exclusive use of the facility, with Space Florida leasing it to  Boeing.
[SatNews – 11/01/2011]

China plans to launch 20 carrier rockets with 25 satellites into space by end  of the year.
[SatNews –  10/31/2011]

Space X’s and Tesla’s Elon Musk recognized as Innovator of the Year in  Technology by Wall Street Journal Magazine.
[SatNews –  10/31/2011]

Arianespace signs for launch of Optus 10 in 2013.
[SatNews –  10/31/2011]

Intelsat signs capacity agreements with Turner Broadcasting for Latin  American coverage.
[Satellite Today – 10/31/2011]

United Arab Emirates re-opens negotiations with France regarding acquisition  of military surveillance satellite to monitor Iranian activity.
[SatNews –  10/31/2011]

MBC group picks Eutelsat’s Atlantic Bird 7 to support HDTV roll-out across  Middle East and North Africa.
[Market Watch – 10/31/2011]

NGA selects Harhttp://www.reallyrocketscience.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=2125&action=editris to participate in mentor-protégé program with Spatial Data  Integratoins, designated as women- and minority-owned small business in  geospatial industry.
[SatNews –  10/31/2011]

Soyuz-U rocket with Progress M-13M cargo spacecraft successfully launches  from Baikonur with supplies for International Space Station.
[SatNEws –  10/30/2011]

Satellites built by Utah State University students successfully launched  aboard rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
[HJ News – 10/29/2011]

Turkmenistan to launch satellite to escape Russian dependency.
[Euraisanet – 10/29/2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications systems consulting services

Making what could be its final flight, Delta II rocket deploys new  weather and environmental research satellite for NASA and NOAA.
[NASA Space Flight – 10/28/2011]

China will launch Long March-2F/H rocket early next month, carrying unmanned  spacecraft Shenzhou-8 which will conduct the country’s first space docking with  Tiiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace-1, a space lab module.
[Space Daily – 10/28/2011]

Secure World Foundation to discuss evolution in China’s role in space, as the  country has developed and deployed space-based intelligence, surveillance, and  reconnaissance capabilities to support military and national security and  enhance their regional power.
[SatNews –  10/28/2011]

Miami-based NewCom International donates year’s worth of Internet  connectivity to aid Germany-based NGO Welthungerhlife’s humanitarian work in  Liberian refugee camps.
[PR Web –  10/28/2011]

Coalition to Save Our GPS challenges LightSquared’s forecasts that FCC will  be able to resolve controversy over company’s planned LTE network, using  conference call to slam LightSquared’s business plan and technical claims.
[PC World – 10/28/2011]

Mitec Telecom employees plan to buy all its VSAT satellite communications  division.
[Montreal Gazette – 10/28/2011]

Marine Data Solutions of Cape Town begins implementing Automatic  Identification System coastal network at lighthouses along South African coast.
[SatNews –  10/28/2011]

LightSquared enters into collaborative partnership with antenna solutions  provider PCTEL to develop technology to resolve concerns regarding interference  with GPS.
[PR Newswire – 10/27/2011]

Astrium hands over Arabsat-5C to ARABSAT after successful completion of  in-orbit testing.
[SatNews –  10/27/2011]

Suspected Chinese hackers interfered with Landsat-7 and Terra AM-1 satellites  in 2007 and 2008 according to Bloomberg Businessweek story citing upcoming  congressional commission report.
[Computer World – 10/27/2011]

Arianespace’s full launcher family in place as flight-ready versions of  Ariane 5, Soyuz, and Vega are together at the Spaceport for the first time.
[SatNews –  10/27/2011]

TV and radio stations, and satellite, cable, and wireline video systems  required to participate in first national test of Emergency Alert System  Wednesday, November 9.
[Examiner – 10/27/2011]

TeleCommunications Systems’ Commercial Mobile Alert System receives FEMA  certification as emergency alert system for delivery to mobile phones.
[SatNews –  10/27/2011]

Canadian government plans to invest as much as $477M in U.S.-led Wideband  Global Satellite system.
Vancouver Sun – 10/27/2011]

Newtec hosted free webinars December 14 and 15 to explore expected growth in  government demand for satellite bandwidth for data, video, and voice  communication.
[SatNews –  10/27/2011]

RRsat launches second DVB-S2 platform on MEASAT-3a.
[PR Newswire – 10/27/2011]

Vizada and Mexican service provider MultiSAT deliver satcom services and  solutions for Mexican mining industry.
[Marketwatch – 10/27/2011]

Astrium Services launches portal to provide satellite imagery of forests in  Congo Basin to organizations working to conserve the regions forests.
[Satellite  Evolution – 10/27/2011]

Fourteen months after launch, the Air Force’s first Advance Extremely High  Frequency military communications satellite is finally on station following  arduous maneuvers precipitated by premature engine shutdown.
[Florida Today – 10/26/2011]

After disappointing results in marketing to U.S. Government’s National  GeoSpatial Intelligence Agency, EADS Astrium shifts attention to Asia where  demand for EO satellites and imagery is growing across the board.
[NSR Report – 10/26/2011]

Intelsat partners with du of United Arab Emirates to jointly offer MCPC  television program distribution solutions on Intelsat 10.
[Market Watch – 10/26/2011]

DigitalGlobe and NTT GEOSPACE launch new online geospatial intelligence  service powered by DigitalGlobe featuring on-demand access to imagery of  Japanese landmass.
[SatNews –  10/26/2011]

Iridium announces complete suite of AxcessPoint products and services that  allow laptop connected to Iridium phone to become wireless hotspot connecting  smart phones, laptops and other devices to the Internet over the Iridium  network.
[TMCnet – 10/26/2011]

Stratos Government Services is awarded five-year Indefinite Delivery  Indefinite Quantity contract by United States Coast Guard to provide large  cutter connectivity.
[SatNews –  10/26/2011]

Spirent positioning & navigation test solution now supports China’s  Compass/Beidou-2 satellite navigation system.
[Market Watch – 10/26/2011]

SES Astra 1N enters commercial service over Europe.
[Satellite Today – 10/25/2011]

United Arab Emirates reopens negotiations with France for a military  surveillance satellite.
[UPI – 10/25/2011]

UK regulator Ofcom writes to International Telecommunications Union asking it  to rescind the satellite spectrum granted to ICO Satellite after its failure for  32 months to establish viable business using the spectrum.
[The Register –  10/25/2011]

U.S. space entrepreneur warns that China could own the moon by 2026.
[SatNews –  10/25/2011]

UltiSat Europe gets sole-source contract from Danish National Procurement  agency allowing Danish federal and local government agencies to buy satellite  services more easily.
[Market Watch – 10/25/2011]

NSSLGlobal opens up new spot beam for maritime use in southeast Asia on SES’  NSS6 satellite.
[SatNews –  10/25/2011]

Spacenet selected to provide upgraded network performance capabilities at  Cumberland Farms’ 600-plus convenience and gasoline retail stores in 11 states.
[TMCnet – 10/25/2011]

Hughes Network Systems provisions GTECH Columbia with advance HN satellite  networking solution, connecting more than 1,100 lottery sites in Colombia.
[SatNews –  10/25/2011]

ARINC successfully launches GLOBALink/Iridium Data Link communications  service for Asiana Airlines of South Korea.
[SatNews –  10/25/2011]

U.S. Strategic Command commander Gen. Kehler warns satellite industry service  providers that rising amount of data collected by U.S. satellites is starting to  exceed Pentagon’s ability to process it.
[Satellite Today –  10/24/2011]

EUTELSAT announces full entry into commercial service of its high capacity  ATLANTIC BIRD 7 satellite, with enhance footprint providing coverage in North  Africa and Gulf states.
[SatNews –  10/24/2011]

AsiaSat 7, built for AsiaSat by Space Systems/Loral, arrives at Baikonur  Space Center.
[SatNews –  10/24/2011]

Polar satellite project under consideration by Canadian government might be  required to fix inability of F-35 Joint Strike fighter plane to communicate in  Canadian North.
[CTV News – 10/24/2011]

Harris receives $20M in orders to provide manpack radios to U.S. Army and  Marine Corps that include ability to upgrade to Mobile User Objective Systems  satellite communications.
[Market Watch – 10/24/2011]

Globecomm Systems sees growth in satellite communications in the areas of  Media, Wireless, Government, Enterprise, and Maritime, with increasing trend  toward use of multiple devices.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/24/2011]

Recently published standard ETSI TC SES specification TS 102 856 Parts 1 and  2 describes how to support transport of Multi-Protocol Label Switching data and  signalling flows over a Broadband Satellite Multimedia network.
[SatNews –  10/24/2011]

European Space Agency’s Galileo constellation will use Passive Hydrogen Maser  atomic clock stable to 1 second every 3 million years, developed by SELEX  Galileo, an Finmeccanica company.
[SatNews –  10/24/2011]

German satellite ROSAT re-entered atmosphere over Bay of Bengal.
[Space Daily – 10/23/2011]

Since Craig Cooning took over Boeing’s struggling space and intelligence  systems in 2008 it has doubled its backlog from five years ago.
[LA Times – 10/23/2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications systems consulting services

Satellite Broadband on Airplanes: A New Era Set To Begin (Part Two).
[A Satellite Today Webinar October 25, 2011]

Arieanespace detects ground-based Soyuz fuel leak; postpones Galileo Launch.
[Satellite Today – 10/21/2011]

DARPA seeks innovators for its satellite servicing technology programs, with  goal of cooperatively harvesting and re-using valuable components from  nonworking retired satellites in geosynchronous orbits.
[SatNews –  10/21/2011]

SES will invest $4.1B in Latin America and Asia expansion efforts.
[Satellite Today – 10/21/2011]

China expects to launch its first Mars probe between November 8th and  November 20th, following a two-year delay.
[SatNews –  10/21/2011]

Boeing delivers 50,000th Combat Survivor Evader Locater combat search and  rescue communications system to U.S. joint services.
[SatNews –  10/21/2011]

Democratic Voice of Burma web site says Burmese government is preparing to  allow licenses for satellite television receivers again following a six-year  ban.
[Advanced Television – 10/21/2011]

TSF (Telecoms Sans Frontieres) faces conflict and insecurity and can only be  on site in daytime as it works to establish communications for humanitarian  organizations in Sirte Libya, Gaddafi’s home town and where he was killed.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

ViaSat-1, touted as DSL competitor, is in orbit following International  Launch Services Proton rocket launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
[Space News  – 10/20/2011]

Space Systems/Loral announces that ViaSat-1 is performing post-launch  maneuvers according to plan.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

Telesat, owner of nine Canadian beams on ViaSat-1, is delighted with the  successful launch of the satellite; has 15-year agreement with Xplornet  Communications for use of the capacity.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

ViaSat-1, launched Wednesday afternoon aboard Proton rocket in Kazakhstan,  will allow Xplornet of Canada to provide broadband service to 1.5 million North  American customers, and download speeds up to 25 Mbps.
[CBC News – 10/20/2011]

NASA pushes back NPOESS weather satellite launch by one day to October 28.
[Satellite Today – 10/20/2011]

Russia’s space program – presently the only way that the United States can  access the International Space Station, also seeks to match or even surpass the  United States in overall space capabilities.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

Hermes Datacomms announces that offshore and onshore VSAT services are back  in full operation in Libya.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

EUMETSAT’s Metop-A achieves 15 years of service, providing weather and  climate monitoring for Europe.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

Euroconsult consulting firm says governments will continue to drive Earth  observation industry over the coming decade through new satellites and growing  demand for data.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

KVH opens Asia-Pacific headquarters featuring state-of-the-art demo and  training lab to serve partners and customers.
[MarketWatch – 10/20/2011]

German scientific satellite Rosat may fall to earth this weekend.
[Washington Post – 10/20/2011]

Selex Elsag of Italy to upgrade NATO’s satellite communication systems and  associated infrastructure.
[UPI – 10/20/2011]

Indian media criticizes government for constant delays in the Indian military  satellite program.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

NSD reaches 20 million homes (100 million viewers) for its Indian pay-TV  service.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

Bently Walker selected by Wayuyu Taya Foundation to provide satellite  Internet to Los Lechosos school in remote area of Venezuela.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

Government and Defence markets prepare for significant growth in satellite  data rates, according to leading international satellite market research and  consulting firm NSR.
[SAT PR – 10/19/2011]

Newtec expects significant growth based on the NSR report on Government and  Defence markets, posturing its FlexACM as a solution for maximizing bandwidth  efficiencies.
[SatNews –  10/19/2011]

SkyBlue receives third extension to its Iridium frequency bandwidth approval  for aviation satellite communications in China.
[Satellite Today – 10/19/2011]

Caribbean’s newest low fare airline REDjet chooses Blue Sky Network for new  tracking and communication systems.
[MarketWatch – 10/19/2011]

Farm groups anxious for resolution of issue of interference by proposed  LightSquared wireless network with GPS.
[AgAlert – 10/19/2011]

European Space Agency picks Thales Alenia Space to lead nine-month study on  satellite communications for unmanned aerial systems.
[UPI – 10/18/2011]

Globe Wireless is granted Blanket Wireless Radio Station License by Japanese  Ministry of Information and Communications, allowing it to offer Inmarsat  FleetBroadband mobile satellite services in Japan and on Japanese registered  vessels.
[Marine Link – 10/18/2011]

Sir Richard Branson, children Sam and Holly, and troupe of dancer/acrobats,  scale down, dancing, on walls of new Virgin Galactic Spaceport in New Mexico  during dedication.
[SatNews – 10/18/2011]

NASA books flight on Virgin Galactic, with options for two more, to allow  engineers, technologists, and scientific researchers to conduct experiments in  suborbital space.
[SatNews –  10/17/2011]

Newtec gives support for standardization and adoption of industry-wide  counter-measures to combat interference, with the DVB accepted work topic  Carrier ID as a first step.
[SatNews –  10/17/2011]

NASA and Japan release the most complete digital topographic map of Earth  produced to date.
[SatNews –  101/17/2011]

Small satellites from less-than-500-kilograms to less than 100 grams prompt  big ideas for next 25 years.
[Space.com – 10/17/2011]

Astrium accepts financial backing from European Space Agency to build new  high-speed data relay service for Europe while simultaneously creating a market  for it.
[Aviation Week – 10/17/2011]

Harris Corporation receives $51.5M delivery order for advanced satellite  terminals under U.S. Army’s Modernization of Enterprise Terminals program.
[Business Wire – 10/17/2011]

ViaSat wins U.S. DoD study contract to assess bandwidth cost reduction  methods for commercial communication satellite systems.
[Market Watch – 10/17/2011]

Locus Traxx to use GSM service from Vodafone, and ORBCOMM’s satellite  network, to support dual-mode SmartTraxx shipment monitoring, reporting, and  alerts solution.
[TMCnet – 10/17/2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications systems consulting services

Defense Information Systems Agency proposes completely new approach to commercial satcom buying practices by creating Assured SATCOM Services in Single Theater program.
[Defense Systems – 10/14/2011]

From Skyterra to present day LightSquared – tiny satellite company takes gutsy risks in ambitious plan for nationwide wholesale satellite/terrestrial LTE network, finds itself embroiled in political partisan and lobbying battle.
[National Journal – 10/14/2011]

KORE makes available their KORE Global Connect M2M network delivering cellular and satellite services complemented by Iridium satellite services, enabling ubiquitous global coverage.
[SatNews – 10/14/2011]

Viasat airborne satellite communications systems exceed 500,000 operational flight hours; over 200 satcom equipped government aircraft transmitting ISR and C2 in theater.
[MarketWatch – 10/14/2011]

October 20 launch of Europe’s first Galileo navigation satellites will also mark the first Russian Soyuz rocket launch from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
[SatNews – 10/13/2011]

Charlie Ergen moving to fashion Dish Network into media empire based on delivery of video and data, leveraging acquired assets such as Hughes Communications and Blockbuster, and targeted online TV service Hulu.
[Business Week – 10/13/2011]

Eutelsat Board of Directors proposes Jean-Martin Folz as Board member; if elected he will be appointed by the Board as Chairman of Eutelsat, to succeed Giuliano Berretta.
[SatNews – 10/13/2010]

Orbcomm successfully launches VesselSat1, an Automatic Identification Service (AIS) enabled satellite built by OHB affiliate LuxSpace Sarl, onboard Indian Space Research Organization rocket.
[Satellite Today – 10/13/2011]

Two companies working on “remote robot gas stations” that could extend life of aging satellites running out of fuel.
[Space.com – 10/13/2011]

KVH bundles TracPhone V3 hardware with 1 GB data plan in special 3-year mini-VSAT broadband package in bundle promotion.
[MarketWatch – 10/13/2011]

Emerging Markets Communications announces first HD on demand pay as you go satellite videoconferencing service available for deployment to Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia (soon to include China and Central and South America).
[AMEinfo – 10/13/2011]

ORBCOMM and Locas Traxx to enable shipment tracking and monitoring solution.
[MarketWatch – 10/13/2011]

Connectify announces strategic partnership to offer Iridium AxcessPoint Connect to the mobile communications market.
[MarketWatch – 10/13/2011]

Home2US renews long-term capacity agreement on SES-1 and adds six new television networks and five new radio channels from Greece and Cyprus to its DTH lineup.
[MarketWatch – 10/13/2011]

French Navy patroller Cormoran to use Vizada’s satellite broadband connection and airtime for everything from surveillance to crew welfare.
[SatNews – 10/13/2011]

Netherlands plans to join the Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) program to increase its satellite communications capacity.
[Aviation Week – 10/12/2011]

Indian Space Research Organization uses strategic delay to avoid possible encounter with space debris; accomplishes successful launch of four satellites, including Indo-French Megha-Tropiques.
[SatNews – 10/12/2011]

Lockheed Martin successfully completes end-to-end system test of first MUOS satellite, whose payload will provide immediate 16-fold increase over legacy UHF satellite communications in number and capacity of satellite links.
[PR Newswire – 10/12/2011]

Fort McMurray, Alberta to become major gateway for satellite broadband in Canada, as Xplornet Communications announces completion of 4G satellite ground station.
[Canada Newswire – 10/12/2011]

General Dynamics SATCOM technologies chooses Wavestream’s 16 Ka-band amplifier for their Model 20 Satcom-on-the-Move terminal.
[SatNews – 10/12/2011]

Eutelsat announces successful launch of W3C satellite by a Longh March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, Eutelsat’s 2nd launch in 2 weeks.
[TMCnet – 10/11/2011]

United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket placed atop its Cape Canaveral pad for the next Delta 4 launch which will carry the 4th WGS satellite aloft in January 2012.
[Spaceflight Now – 10/11/2011]

Canadian Telesat satellite outage blamed on software error.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/11/2011]

Sofradir wins key contract to supply technology to new European Union Earth observation satellites.
[Satellite Today – 10/11/2011]

Spacenet Mexico launches digital cinema distribution network powered by iDirect’s Evolution platform.
[PR Newswire – 10/11/2011]

NASA releases interactive educational video game called NetworKing that allows players to “build” complex communications systems and gives an insider’s perspective into how astronauts, mission controllers, and scientists communicate during space missions.
[MarketWatch – 10/11/2011]

RRSAT offers customers 26% data rate increase using NovelSat3G-Sat modulation technology.
[The Street – 10/11/2011]

Expand Networks to demonstrate innovative satellite network optimization techniques that dramatically increase bandwidth efficiency at SATCON NY,
[SatNews – 10/11/2011]

Globecomm to discuss “File-based Distribution Over Satellite” at SATCON NY.
[Business Wire – 10/11/2011]

Satcom Direct includes Aircare Access(R) assistance 24/7 tele-medical support in suite of business aviation services.
[San Francisco Chronicle – 10/11/2011]

European Commission adopts decision meant to allow it to “adopt appropriate enforcement measures” in use of 2 GHz MSS spectrum as deadlines for 2 operators to deploy services there expired in May.
[EUROPOLITICS – 10/10/2011]

Hughes Europe will provide satellite communications support to the Istanbul Seismic Risk Mitigation and Emergency Preparedness project in Turkey.
[Satellite Today – 10/10/2011]

Satcom Direct launches Satcom Integration, offering consulting services, products, custom integration, and software applications.
[Digital Journal – 10/10/2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications systems consulting services

Good show, I say!

Today’s Daily Mail (U.K.) writes of Damian Peach, Astronomer Photographer of the Year (2010)…

From detailed solar flares to an amazing image of Jupiter and two of its moons, this tour of our solar system has been captured by an amateur British astronomer in his back garden.

Damian Peach, an electronic engineer from Selsey, West Sussex, has spent the last ten years documenting the changing face of our solar system.

Spending a relatively modest £10,000 on a high-speed telescope and electrical equipment, Mr Peach’s crystal clear images are good enough to rival those of Nasa and the European Southern Observatory in Chile.

So much so that in 2010, he became the only Briton to win the prestigious Astronomy Photographer Of The Year Award for his composite photograph of Jupiter’s moons, Ganymede and Io, orbiting the stormy surface of the gas giant.

Mr Peach said: ‘It’s just fantastic that it’s possible to do something like this from your own back garden.

‘This has been made possible by recent leaps in technology. These days surprisingly good results are possible with small telescopes and low cost webcams.

‘The results possible for home astronomers now were not achievable until the 1990s by even the largest telescopes on Earth.

‘The resolution possible with large amateur telescopes could now be considered of a professional quality in what the images reveal on the planets.’

Great job, mate!

You can skip this step and go directly to the million-dollar images the space agencies put out, and get a monster-size print for a few bucks.

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

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

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