Really Rocket Science

Featured Article

Ariane 5 ECA launches Optus 10 and MEASAT-3b satellites from French Guiana.
[NASA Spaceflight – 09/11/2014]

Industry Reports

HTS revenues to overtake FSS I battleground applications, with GEO-HTS revenues to grow from $250 million in 2013 and exceed $3.5 billion by 2023,  per NSR report.
[Market Wired – 09/12/2014]

Military Market Research Reports provides market forecast and analysis for the global military communications market up to 2019.
[WhaTech – 09/09/2014]

Industry Groups, Trade Shows

Frost & Sullivan recognizes Advantech Wireless with 2014 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for New Product Innovation Leadership for new series of GaN-based SSPAs.
[PR Newswire – 09/12/2014]

Orbital Sciences CEO expresses disappointment in potential for hosted payload market during panel discussion at World Satellite Business Week in Paris.
[Via Satellite – 09/11/2014]

Euroconsult announces recipients of its 11^th Annual Awards for Excellence in Satellite Communications at World Satellite Business Week in Paris.
[SpaceRef – 09/10/2014]

CEOs from the “Big Four” FSS operators engaged in a lively debate about the future of the satellite industry at Euroconsult’s World Satellite Business Week.
[Via Satellite – 09/09/2014]

Launch Activity

Sky Perfect JSAT chooses SpaceX for JCSAT 16 launch.
[Via Satellite – 09/11/2014]

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off successfully from Cape Canaveral with AsiaSat 6/Thaicom 7 aboard.
[Via Satellite – 09/08/2014]

Arianespace selected to launch Al Yah 3 satellite in fourth quarter of 2016; Arianespace claims to now hold 60% of the commercial launch market.
[Forbes – 09/08/2014]

Satellite Construction

Orbital Sciences to build Al Yah 3 communications satellite for Yahsat.
[Space Ref – 09/10/2014]

Airbus Defence and Space will built EchoStar 105 with 24 C-band transponders known as SES 11 under agreement between SES and Echostar.
[Aerospace Manufacturing and Design – 09/10/2014]

Ball Aerospace selected by Laser Light Communications to be prime contractor for the first global, all-optical commercial satellite system.
[PR Newswire – 09/10/2014]

Boeing receives first order for 502 Phoenix small satellite from HySpecIQ of Washington, D.C.
[Space Ref – 09/10/2014]

Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) and Kypros Satellites (Kyprosat) have teamed up to provide a turnkey telecommunications SmallSat for Geostationary Earth Orbit.
[Via Satellite – 09/10/2014]

Space Syustems/Loral selected to provide a communications satellite for Bulgaria Sat.
[Balkans Business News – 09/09/2014]

Ghosts of satellite constellations from the past? Flurry of announcements and projects under the radar hitting fever pitch.
[NSR – 09/08/2014]

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation gets a new contract to deliver the Es’hail 2 communications satellite to operator Qatar Satellite Company (Es’hailSat) in Doha.
[SatNews – 09/08/2014]

Bulgaria’s first satellite to be built by Loral and launched by SpaceX, with financing by the Export-Import Bank.
[Spaceflight Now – 09/08/2014]

Satellite Operations

NIGCOMSAT leases out DTH platform to PPTV.
[Vanguard – 096/10/2014]

Satellite Technology

Lockheed Martin unveils reprogrammable A2100 satellite bus with dual launch capability.
[Via Satellite – 09/09/2014]

Ground Systems Technology

Kratos brings Big Data analysis to satellite operations for Es’hailSat to better manage service levels and optimize satellite operations.
[CNN Money – 09/11/2014]

Avanti demos Google Glassware satellite application that optimizes Ka-band field site installation process at IBC.
[Market Watch – 09/11/2014]

Cobham SATCOM launches latest innovation in EXPLORER satellite terminal range, with new, compact design and focus on wireless connectivity, at IBC 2014.
[SatNews – 09/11/2014]

MaxLinear to showcase 4K satellite Full-Spectrum Capture technology at IBC.
[TMCnet – 09/11/2014]

C-COM mobile antenna receives Eutelsat type approval for NewsSpotter newsgathering service.
[Market Wired – 09/11/2014]

Newtec first to deliver full DVB-S2X solution across entire product line, showcased at IBC.
[realwire – 09/10/2014]

C-COM is exhibiting its next generation Eutelsat approved antennas at IBC in Amsterdam.
[Market Wired – 09/09/2014]

Spacepath Communications, a new company behind family of high power outdoor amplifiers, debuts at IBC.
[SatNews – 09/09/2014]

Satellite earth station antenna options work to mitigate Ka-band losses due to weather effects.
[Satmagazine article]

Government, Military & Defense

TeleCommunication Systems awarded $13.7 million to supply managed satellite services to the U.S. Marine Corps.
[Market Watch – 09/11/2014]

Intelsat General extends contract with DRS Technologies to provide satellite capacity to forces in Afghanistan.
[Space Daily – 09/10/2014]

SES is awarded contract to provide satellite capacity to support the Army Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T).
[Business Wire – 09/09/2014]

ViaSat and Data Link Solutions win multimillion dollar military contracts.
[Via Satellite – 09/09/2014]

Regulatory

Export-Import bank’s approval of $4.8 billion in satellite deals since 2002 – almost all of that in the last three years – complicates its fight for survival.
[Reuters – 09/09/2014]

Aeronautical

ORBIT Communication Systems receives order to supply its comprehensive airborene satellite communications solution to a leading UAV manufacturer.
[SatNews – 09/11/2014]

Broadband

Timor Telecom goes live on O3b Network’s “Fiber in the Sky” satellite network.
[Via Satellite – 09/08/2014]

Maritime

SpeedCast selected by Jan De Nul Group for satellite communications for fleet of offshore & dredging vessels.
[Satellite Spotlight – 09/09/2014]

Video

CinecolorSat chooses satellite receiver equipment from International Datacasting to support expansion of their digital cinema distribution network across Latin America.
[PRWeb – 09/11/2014]

Eutelsat, in partnership with MStar Semiconductor, Aston and Quadrille Ingénierie, are working together to validate push Video-On-Demand (VOD) using the Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) 2.0 standard.
[Via Satellite – 09/09/2014]

IDC ‘s TITAN 3 high definition contribution encoder selected for deployment in Latin America by Grimsat.
[Market Watch – 09/08/2014]

Space

Strong solar flare headed toward Earth but scientists say its worst effects will likely bypass the planet when it arrives this weekend.
[Time Magazine – 09/11/2014]

Understanding how objects in space spin and where centers of mass are crucial to potential space missions to clean up space debris.
[R&D Magazine – 09/10/2014]

Legal

ViaSat settles claim against Loral Space & Communications.
[Bloomberg – 09/07/2014]

Capacity Agreements

Amos 6 to broadcast Ukraine’s 1+1 Media’s entire network.
[Via Satellite – 09/11/2014]

Services Contracts

Kacific  signs agreement with International Telecommunication Union for development of satellite communications capacity and emergency communications solutions for the Pacific region.
[Voxy – 09/08/2014]

Market Strategy & Revenues

Hispasat signs new international teleports and expends broadcasting services over its orbital position at 30 degrees west.
[Via Satellite – 09/11/2014]

Inmarsat signs Rockwell Collins as Value Added Reseller for Global Xpress.
[Via Satellite – 09/10/2014]

Senior executives from space programs across the world discuss ambitious satellite projects in key emerging markets during Euroconsult’s World Satellite Business Week in Paris.
[Via Satellite – 09/08/2014]

Russian DTH operators are unsure about the prospects of satellite broadband in Russian, and are unlikely to get involved in the market.
[Via Satellite – 09/08/2014]

NSSLGlobal announces merger with the ESL group of companies, a satellite solution provider and system integrator.
[Via Satellite – 09/08/2014]

The Human Aspect

Malaysian Defence Ministry dismisses as “absolute gossip” reports that Malaysian Navy was secretly deployed to location close to Langkawi Island to retrieve Flight 370 debris and bodies.
[International Business Times – 09/07/2014]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Technical Proposals	System Acceptance Testing
Link Analysis	System Quality Testing
Systems Engineering	Project Management
Systems Integration	Satellite Industry Research

360-895-0478   email:  [email protected]

Featured Article

U.S. Air Force selects SSL for hosted payload services.
[Via Satellite – 09/05/2014]

Industry Reports

Research and Markets announces addition of the “Analysis of the Global Satellite Transponder Market” to their offering, seeing continued solid adoption 2014 – 2020.
[TMCnet – 09/05/2014]

New Markets and Markets report projects M2M satellite communications market to be worth $4.76 billion by 2019.
[TMCnet – 09/04/2014]

Keysight Technologies complementary webcast series keeps interested parties cognizant of satellite communications technologies and solutions.
[SatNews – 09/04/2014]

Euroconsult’s “Satellite Communications & Broadcasting Markets Survey.Forecasts to 2023,” reports 2013 FSS revenue growth of 2.2%, a significant slowdown, but sector is in investment phase and expected to rebound.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 09/04/2014]

Satellite Executive Briefing magazine, September issue, includes “The Changing Economics of Satellite Communications by Jan Grandrup-Vivanco, “Silicon Valley Investing in the Satellite Industry” by Elisabeth Tweedle, “Outsourcing Content Management” by Virgil Labrador, and “Disruption of the ‘GoodEnough’” by Lou Zacharilla.
[Satellite Markets & Research – September 2014]

MarketBrief report on Evolving VSAT Requirements examines changing VSAT network requirements in vertical markets such as Oil and Gas, Mining, Power Utilities, Government, and others.
[Satellite Markets & Research – September 2014]

Updated NSR study provides a comprehensive market analysis of the three major methods of UltraHD consumption via satellite — DTH, IPTV and Cable Distribution.
[NSR Reports – August 2014]

NSR’s Global Satellite Capacity Supply and Demand, 11th Edition (GSCSD11) is a comprehensive analysis of the commercial satellite capacity market.
[NSR Reports – July 2014]

Industry Groups, Trade Shows

SATCON 2014 to feature sessions led by technical experts and influential business leaders highlighting most recent developments in the satellite communications industry, November 12–13, 2014.
[SatNews – 09/05/2014]

Emerging Markets Communications to exhibit at SMM Hamburg Maritime Tradeshow in Germany September 9-12, 2014.
[Satellite Spotlight – 09/04/2014]

RRsat CEO to participate in Euroconsult panel on future of TV distribution.
[Market Wired – 09/04/2014]

EUsatcom puts new generation satellite broadcasting in the spotlight at IBC2014 with Conference on High-Thoughput Satellite Broadcasting and Innovation Awards show.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 09/03/2014]

Launch Activity

SpaceX launch of AsiaSat 6 moved to Sunday, September 7.
[Florida Today – 09/04/2014]

China uses single rocket to launch two satellites, to relay environmental information and experiment with multimedia satellite communication.
[The Telegraph – 09/04/2014]

Roscosmos announces return of Proton rocket, with launch scheduled for September 28, 2014 of payload known as “Ray.”
[Via Satellite – 09/04/2014]

NanoRacks studies an anomaly that occurred with its CubeSat deployers on the International Space Station, which have ceased to deploy CubeSats when commanded.
[Via Satellite – 09/04/2014]

Vladimir Putin pledges 50 billion rubles ($1.3 billion) to complete Vostochny Cosmodrome in anticipation of 2014 first flight.
[Space News – 09/03/2014]

Argentina’s space agency completes second experimental flight of the Tronador 2 launch vehicle, with VEX 1B rocket reaching 2,200 meter height.
[Via Satellite – 08/29/2014]

Satellite Construction

EchoStar and SES choose Airbus Defense and Space to build the EchoStar 105/SES 11 satellite, which will replace AMC15.
[edu Bourse – 09/04/2014]

GeoMetWatch is re-evaluating original plan to orbit six geo-hyperspectral sounders as hosted payloads.
[Via Satellite – 08/29/2014]

Satellite Operations

United Kingdom Space Agency commands the UKube-1 CubeSat to use alternate configuration of “FUNcube-2 transceiver” as the satellite’s temporary downlink.
[eHam.net – 09/04/2014]

New DigitalGlobe WorldView 3 satellite can see the forest fire through the smoke.
[Nextgov – 09/03/2014]

O3b declares constellation fully operational following completion of in-orbit testing of latest 4 satellites, bringing its current constellation to 8 with 4 more to be launched in early 2015.
[Via Satellite – 09/02/2014]

Satellite Technology

Though Boeing struck first, Airbus has lead in booking commercial all-electric satellite orders.
[Space News – 09/03/2014]

Kongsberg Norspace of Norway books first two orders, for SES-10 construction, for command receivers with flexibility allowing more leeway to control use of satellite broadcast frequencies.
[Space News – 09/03/2014

Ground Systems Technology

NovelSat announces new solution that will allow DTH TV providers to offer more channels using existing satellite bandwidth.
[Via Satellite – 09/05/2014]

AvL technologies antenna receives Eutelsat KA-SAT type approval.
[Via Satellite – 09/05/2014]

Wavestore and Datasat partnership ensures remote viewing of HD video via satellite for security applications.
[Source Security – 09/02/2014]

GRC SandFly Ka-band flyaway system endorsed for use on Avanti Communications fleet of Ka-band satellites.
[TMCnet – 09/01/2014]

Government, Military & Defense

DARPA issues RFI for robotic in-orbit satellite servicing, and seeks to learn the technical characteristics of commercial spacecraft buses that may integrate with DARPA’s robotic technology.
[Via Satellite – 09/04/2014]

U.S. Air Force plans to release formal solicitation in December for potential $1 billion contract to consolidate work on the service’s main satellite control network.
[Space News – 09/04/2014]

U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center MILSATCOM Program Office to seek enhanced ground based X-band anti-jam capability for WGS constellation.
[C4ISR & Networks – 09/03/2014]

U.S. Air Force tasks Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory to design and build a small pace surveillance satellite to monitor satellite traffic in geosynchronous orbit.
[Spaceflight Now – 09/03/2014]

Watts Constructors LLC of Honolulu, Hawaii is awarded $38.9 million contract to build a satellite earth station facility in San Miguel, California for the U.S. Army.
[AFCEA – 09/03/2014]

Kapooka Army Recruit Training Centre near Wagga, Australia to host satellite antennas to support new WGS satellite communications system.
[Daily Advertiser – 09/03/2014]

U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center awards $29 million contract modification and exercises extension option for LinQuest system engineering and integration support services.
Signal online – 09/03/2014]

Regulatory

Iridium application for provision of mobile satellite communications in Global Maritime Distress and Safety System reviewed and approved.
[4-traders – 09/01/2014]

Broadband

Globalstar releases the 9600, the world’s smallest satellite data hotspot, seamlessly pairing a satellite phone with a smart phone with an app.
[BlogZone – 09/04/2014]

iNet Communications selects Newtec to provide fastest ever satellite broadband service in Guyana.
[RealWire – 09/02/2014]

Maritime

MTN increases staff and office space to accommodate its expanding maritime business.
[Via Satellite – 09/03/2014]

Orange Business Services wins strategic satellite communications contract with BW Offshore.
[Market Watch – 09/02/2014]

Legal

SpaceX disputes Blue Origin over sea-landing rocket technology, arguing that technology called specialized should not be considered so.
[Via Satellite – 09/03/2014]

Capacity Agreements

iNet Communications, the licensed telecoms provider for Global Technology in Guyana, has entered an agreement with Eutelsat for its IP Easy satellite broadband service.
[Via Satellite – 09/02/2014]

Onlime expands capacity on AFRICASAT-1a.
[PR Newswire – 09/01/2014]

Market Strategy & Revenues

Airbus Defence and Space is expanding services in Australia and the Pacific region in partnership with SES, utilizing NSS-12..
[SatNews – 09/04/2014]

Global Eagle is looking heavily outside the U.S. at opportunities for new in-Flight Connectivity customers.
[Via Satellite – 09/04/2014]

Three Google employees with deep satellite communications expertise leave – Greg Wyler, formerly of O3b, Brian Holz, and David Bettinger – leaving questions about Google satellite project.
[Silicon Beat – 09/03/2014]

WorldVu, a satellite startup aiming to provide global Internet connectivity, continues to grow absent clear Google relationship.
[Space News – 09/03/2014]

C-COM announces partnership with leading European Satcom technology company Newtec, integrating iNetVu antenna technology with MDM300 IP modem series.
[Market Wired – 09/03/2014]

SES awards Commetric a multi-year contract to deliver media analysis and evaluation in local languages across multiple markets.
[SatNews – 09/03/2014]

Latin American satellite solutions provider Axesat is looking into cellular backhaul as its next major vertical.
[Via Satellite – 09/02/2014]

Erwin Kayser-Threde, located in Munich, Germany has merged with OHB System AG in Bremen, Germany.
[Via Satellite – 09/02/2014]

Panama is one of the first countries in Latin America where Inmarsat’s IsatHub connectivity service will be offered.
[Via Satellite – 09/02/2014]

Human Interest

French imaging satellites keep tabs on Ukraine crisis.
[Space News – 09/04/2014]

Skyvision donates satellite connectivity to support students of Ghana’s Crossover International Academy.
[SpyGhana – 09/03/2014]

Greg Wyler leaves Google and reportedly will work with SpaceX, though not as an employee.
[Silicon Republic – 09/03/2014]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Very worthwhile educational program that’s gaining momentum and, hopefully, real support via Indiegogo.

This Week’s Featured Article

Re-entry of Intelsat SA and Eutelsat Communications SA into Iran as allowed by U.S authorities poses risk to the companies’ reputations.
[Risk & Compliance Journal – 08/29/2014]

Industry Reports

Reportbuyer.com adds two new market research reports on the African broadband market; “Africa – Internet and Fixed Broadband Market,” and “Africa – Mobile Broadband Market.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 08/29/2014]

Global satellite broadband in public safety market set to grow at CAGR of 8.45% until 2018, per Telecommunications Market Research report.
[WhaTech – 08/27/2014]

Digital TV Research report predicts that one in five European TV homes will subscribe to online packages by 2020.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 08/27/2014]

NSR report projects slightly more than 40,000 in-service narrowband and broadband satellite units in the fishing market by 2023.
[SatNews – 08/26/2014]

New market research report on companiesandmarkets.com projects global fixed satellite service market to experience 5.4% CAGR growth from 2012 to 2016.
[LIVE-PR – 08/25/2014]

ABI Research report projects installed base of active wireless connected devices will exceed 16 billion in 2014 and 40.9 billion by the end of 2020.
[Microwave Journal – 08/20/2014]

Industry Groups, Trade Shows

The NAB and the SBE are getting together to conduct a satellite workshop Sept. 29–Oct. 2 at the NAB’s headquarters in Washington.
[Radio World – 08/27/2014]

Satellite Launches

SES promises Barizil that two orbital positions it won at auction in May will be filled with satellites within four and six years.
[Space News – 08/29/2014]

Russian newspaper reports the failure of the Galileo satellites to reach intended orbit likely caused by software errors in the Fregat-MT rocket’s upper stage.
[GPS Daily – 08/29/2014]

SpaceX delays launch of Asiasat 6 following explosion of test rocket, to investigate any possible commonalities.
[Space.com – 08/27/2014]

Launch date for the U.S. government’s CLIO satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, has been set for September 16, 2014.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 08/27/2014]

European commission summons ESA, Arianespace for explanation of Galileo launch failure.
[Space News – 08/26/2014]

SpaceX reusable Falcon 9 self-terminated during test mission.
[Via Satellite – 08/25/2014]

Galileo launch not so great after all – anomaly leaves uninsured satellites in flawed orbit.
[Via Satellite – 08/25/2014]

Satellite Operations

United Kingdom Space Agency’s first CubeSat mission, UKube1, is experiencing an anomaly with it primary communications link.
[Via Satellite – 08/26/2014]

ESA seeks to make best use of Galileo satellites, placed in wrong orbit by Soyuz.
[Via Satellite – 08/27/2014]

Satellite Construction

ISS-Reshetnev finishes construction of Yamal 401 satellite for Gazprom.
[Via Satellite – 08/28/2014]

Italy commits more funds to second-generation radar satellites.
[Space News – 08/28/2014]

Newsat gets conditional waiver to continue Jabiru-1 satellite construction, aver alleged breaches of financial facilities had halted funding of the project.
[itnews – 08/25/2014]

Satellite Technology

Airbus conducts winter test of unmanned aerial vehicle Zephyr 7 ‘Psuedo-Satellite’ using satellite communications for control for first time.
[Via Satellite – 08/29/2014]

Brazil plans liquid rocket test at Alcantara launch center.
[Via Satellite – 08/28/2014]

Space ‘tugboat’ answer for stranded satellites like Galileo?
[Wall Street Journal – 08/27/2014]

CPI Canada gets 3.3 million contract from Canadian Space Agency to develop Ka-band extended interaction klystron for SWOT satellite.
[Hispanic Business – 08/27/2014]

Singapore engineering team successfully pilots the world’s first ZigBee wireless sensor network for satellite communications.
[ECN Magazine – 08/26/2014]

Space News spotlights Busek Co. Inc., whose Hall effect thruster technology helped raise the orbit of the first AEHF military satellite after its liquid apogee engine failed.
[Space News – 08/25/2014]

Ground Systems Technology

Vislink’s new ultralight Ku-band flyaway antenna based on successful Mantis-LT used in military spec MSAT terminal to be unveiled at IBC.
[SatNews – 08/28/2014]

Iridium announces successful upgrade of its System Control Segment and completion of its Launch and Early Operations control center for Iridium NEXT.
[CNN Money – 08/27/2014]

ViaSat receives over 3000 orders for fixed site Machine to Machine (M2M) and airborned terminals for its upcoming L-band network.
[Via Satellite – 08/27/2014]

A quiet revolution is underway – carrier identification (CID) makes inroads in the satellite industry with goal of reducing and eliminating sources of interference.
[Via Satellite – 08/26/2014]

API Technologies introduces model LCFS-X configurable RF and microwave frequency synthesizers for SIGINT, EW, Satcom, and radar.
[Military Aero Space Electronics – 08/26/2014]

Government, Military & Defense

Russian Defense Ministry decides to stop using the Rokot light rocket carrier from 2016 because of reliance on foreign parts, switching to the Soyuz and Angara carriers.
[Space Mart – 08/29/2014]

Commerce Department inspector general blasts NOAA climate-satellite program and Raytheon contractor for ignoring thousands of major cyber vulnerabilities.
[Nextgov – 0/26/2014]

Government Regulation

U.S. grants Intelsat, Eutelsat new waivers for Iran channels.
[Voice of America – 08/28/2014]

Dish petitions FCC against proposed Comcast/Time Warner merger, calling it ‘eerily similar’ to Primestar, whose application for orbital slot was turned down.
[Via Satellite – 08/28/2014]

Qualcomm’s proposal to auction Ku-band spectrum for air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity for inflight Wi-Fi needs closer examination in light of Google WorldVu NGSO satellite network plans.
[Runway Girl Network – 08/27/2014]

Pan-Arab Space Agency: pipe dream or real possibility?
[Via Satellite – 08/26/2014]

Aeronautical

Gogo signs Aeromexico as its first 2Ku Inflight Connectivity (IFC) customer.
[Via Satellite – 08/26/2014]

Broadband

Bentley Walker is extending its coverage to Iraq using Newtec’s Ka-band VSAT broadband platform at Avanti’s new gateway in Cyprus.
[SatNews – 08/28/2014]

GlobaFone expands service offerings with rental program for Iridium GO! Personal Wi-Fi hotspot.
[PRWeb – 08/28/2014]

Earth Observation

DigitalGlobe unveils first WorldView 3 images.
[Via Satellite – 08272014]

Oil & Gas

KCA Deutag expands contract with Signalhorn for maintenance of its satellite and terrestrial network in Oman.
[Via Satellite – 08/28/2014]

Video

Ultra HD is coming to a screen near you – cinema uptake of 4K is proceeding rapidly, and satellite is playing its part.
[Via Satellite – 08/26/2014]

Fraunhofer researchers will be presenting latest hardware and software for high efficiency video encoding/decoding for 4K ultra HD at IBC.
[R&D Magazine – 08/25/2014]

Space

U.S. will extend its close debris-threat monitoring to two European polar-orbiting meteorological satellites.
[Space News – 08/29/2014]

Major cost and schedule review concludes that debut of NASA’s Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket may be delayed by nearly a year.
[Space News – 08/29/2014]

NASA approves extensions for seven missions that senior scientists vetted in the agency’s 2014 senior review of planetary missions.
[Space News – 08292014]

Lockheed Martin and Electro Optics Systems agree to build a space objet tracking facility in Western Australia using both lasers and optical systems.
[Via Satellite – 08/26/2014]

Services Contracts

O3b signs multi-year agreement with Our Telekom of the Solomon Islands, for Internet backhaul services.
[Via Satellite – 08/25/2014]

Market Strategy & Revenues

Inmarsat receives $9.1 million dues from LightSquared, but notes significant uncertainty of any further payments from bankrupt company.
[Reuters – 08/29/2014]

Delta-V, a new space industry accelerator, hopes to create a $1billion commercial space industry in Australia.
[Via Satellite – 08/27/2014]

Comtech Telecommunications Corp is exploring strategic alternative, including a possible merger or sale of the company.
[Reuters – 08/25/2014]

Lockheed Martin completes acquisition of Astrotech Space Operations.
[Via Satellite – 08/25/2014]

Dubai-based RSA Logistics appointed as local hub to distribute equipment required for consumers to connect to YahClick Satellite Broadband internet service.
[SIP Trunking Report – 08/25/2014]

History

Intelsat celebrates 50-year anniversary, and Via Satellite looks at some of the key moments in its history.
[Via Satellite – 08/26/2014]

1960’s comic strips made amazing and prophetic predictions about life in a world with satellites.
[paleofuture – 08/25/2014]

Human Interest

Mitsubishi Electric to donate 10 million yen to aid victims and support recovery efforts after destructive landslides in Hiroshima.
[TMCnet green – 08/29/2014]

C-COM antennas deployed in Japan landslide disaster.
[Market Wired – 08/26/2014]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

 

This Week’s Featured Article

Soyuz rocket successfully places two European Galileo positioning, navigation and timing satellites into medium earth orbit.
[Space News – 08/22/2014]

Industry Reports

Point Topic publishes 40 new country report on the state of fixed broadband.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 0/21/2014]

NSR on Avanti – is an “All-in” bet on HTS infrastructure a sustainable business model in the long term?
[NSR – 08/21/2014]

New report on companiesandmarkets.com, ‘Global Satellite Broadband Communications in Public Safety Market 2014-2018’ predicts growth of 8.5% CAGR.
[LIVE-PR – 08/20/2014]

Arab Advisors Group projects African cellular markets to add 81 million subscribers by 2018.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 08/20/2014]

NSR report ‘UltraHD via Satellite, 2^nd Edition’ predicts over 820 UltraHD via satellite channels worldwide by 2025.
[Yahoo Finance – 08/18/2014]

Industry Groups, Trade Shows

SET EXPO 2014 marks South American launch of Newtec next generation Dialog platform.
[realwire – 08/22/2014]

IBC 2014 Content Everywhere series of events will cover IP-connected devices and how they are altering the way we produce and consume media.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 08/21/2014]

Satellite Interference Reduction Group (IRG) to bring its final Carrier ID (CID) Tour to IBC, following the success of the previous events.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 08/21/2014]

Satellite Launch Business

Launch gap leads Sea Launch to cut staff and sideline vessels.
[Space News – 08/22/2014]

Should Orbital Sciences convert to solid fuel, it would have to overhaul Wallops Island launch pad.
[Space News – 08/22/2014]

U.S. Air Force solicits information on new rocket engine as possible replacement for Russian RD-180.
[Space News – 08/21/2014]

Aerojet Rocketdyne to 3-D print rocket engine parts under Air Force demo.
[Space News – 08/21/2014]

China launches Gaofen 2 earth observation satellite.
[Via Satellite – 08/20/2014]

Russian Astronaut throws earth observation nanosatellite into space for Peru.
[Nextgov – 08/18/2014]

Aerojet Rocketdyne completes final hot-fire test for LEONIDAS smallsat launcher engine.
[Via Satellite – 08/18/2014]

Satellite Operations

European Space Agency still has not determined cause of sudden power drop in May aboard one of four in-orbit Galileo satellites.
[Space News – 08/22/2014]

Satellite Construction

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announces completion of the Himawari-8 satellite, the next generation weather satellite for the Japan Meteorological Agency.
[SatNews – 08/21/2014]

Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology construction of United Arab Emirate’s first satellite manufacturing facility nears completion.
[Via Satellite – 08/20/2014]

Orbital Sciences wins contract from Avanti Communication Group to build the HYLAS 4 broadband communications satellite.
[TMC News – 08/16/2014]

Satellite Technology

Communications and Power Industries Canada gets contract to develop Ka-band extended interaction klystron for SWOT satellite.
[HispanicBusiness – 08/22/2014]

Northrop Grumman cryocooler on board NASA’s OCO-2 satellite becomes 17^th unit to operate in space without failure.
[Yahoo News – 08/20/2014]

Next generation MUOS satellite to be tested aboard Coast Guard Cutter Healy as part of Artic Shield 2014.
[Space Daily – 08/18/2014]

Aerojet Rocketdyne anticipates SmallSats to be the first users of the ‘green fuel’ hydrazine alternative AF-M315E.
[Via Satellite – 08/15/2014]

Ground Systems Technology

Finnish startup Kynel obtains funding for development of its cognitive radio system, which can analyze the local RF spectrum for the most optimal wireless channels available, including satellite, and re-configure accordingly.
[ArticStartup – 08/21/2014]

Cyber security expert tells NBC5 investigators he has found a way to hack into the satellite communications systems used in multiple industries.
[NBC Chicago – 08/21/2014]

Advantech Wireless to present details at IBC of its award winning ultralinear GaN based SSPAs offering the highest linear power available in the market.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 0/21/2014]

Briidge Technologies introduces VB273 intelligent L-band satellite switch that employs digital media monitoring systems.
[Via Satellite – 08/18/2014]

General Dynamics to build ground structures for Lockheed Martin for the Air Force’s Space Fence.
[Via Satellite – 08/15/2014]

Government, Military & Defense

NSA certifies Harris Corp’s manpack for top secret missions.
[Via Satellite – 08/21/2014]

U.S. Air Force partners with 3 Latin American countries on space component of  Panamax 2014 multinational exercise focused on defense of Panama Canal.
[Via Satellite – 08/20/2014]

As the U.S. operational footprint in Afghanistan diminishes, the Army’s portfolio of ground satellite terminals will continue to support operations for as long as the mission requires.
[ARMY – 08/19/2014]

State-of-the-art tactical communications network now used in Afghanistan automatically tracks and maintains connectivity while combat vehicles are on the move.
[Washington Post – 08/19/2014]

General Hyten takes helm at Air Force Space Command.
[Via Satellite – 08/18/2014]

U.S. Army Robotics Technology Consortium test joins unmanned ground Squad Mission Support System including satellite communications with unmanned K-MAX unmanned air vehicle.
[Defense Update – 08/18/2014]

Indian Prime Minister Modi visits Nepal and articulates vision for Indo-Nepal relationship and development of a SAARC satellite.
[The Space Review – 0/18/2014]

Government Regulation

SES Nabs rights for two Brazilian orbital slots.
[Via Satellite – 08/19/2014]

Satellite Industry Association deems Export-Import Bank ‘critical’ to U.S. Satellite Industry as Congress faces decision on the bank’s fate.
[Via Satellite – 08/185/2014]

FAA approves Avonica’s satLINK communications system.
[Avionics Today – 08/18/2014]

Aeronautical

Inmarsat in talks with airlines in Asia for tracking services.
[BusinessMirror – 08/22/2014]

Broadband

Exede to offer virtually unlimited Internet data usage plans in the Florida Panhandle.
[FFN – 08/21/2014]

Airbus Defence and Space introduces Expanded Terralink, based on the nexgen Newtec Dialog platform.
[SatNews – 08/20/14]

ViaSat Exede debuts first virtually unlimited satellite Internet service in Hawaii.
[Yahoo Finance – 08/20/2014]

ViaSat Exede debuts first virtually unlimited satellite Internet service in Alaska.
[Market Watch – 08/20/2014]

Russian Satellite Communications Company reports that the number of citizens using Ka-band satellite broadband has exceeded 5,000.
[Via Satellite – 08/19/2014]

Maritime

ITC Global wins three year contract to provide broadband to Harkland offshore support vessels.
[TMC News – 0/21/2014]

Mobile

Spartan Chassis connectivity solution integrates cellular and satellite communications with portability of today’s electronic devices.
[Firehouse – 08/22/2014]

Chinese Satellite TV Communications Group selects Octoshape, an industry leader in Over The Top (OTT) technologies, to power new high definition mobile video streaming service.
[Market Watch – 08/18/2014]

Space

Voyager map details Neptune’s strange moon Triton.
[Space Travel – 0/22/2014]

Canadian Space Agency devising action plan for taking over troubled government space projects.
[Space News – 08/21/2014]

Orbital completes second paid ISS mission for NASA and contemplates rocket upgrade for 3^rd cargo run.
[Space News – 08/19/2014]

Legal

Law firm Dentons starts space business practice.
[LawFuel – 08/18/2014]

Capacity Agreements

ITC Global signs two-year capacity agreement with Optus.
[Via Satellite – 08/18/2014]

SES signs multi-year agreement for two transponders to provide 80 Free-to-Air (FTA) channels to the West African Economic and Monetary Union.
[Via Satellite – 08/18/2014]

Market Strategy & Revenues

AsiaSat 1^st half 2014 revenues down 10%.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 08/21/2014]

XTAR evaluating options for new capacity in Asia Pacific.
[Via Satellite – 08/20/2014]

ST Electronics opens new state-of-the-art satellite systems centre in Singapore.
[HispanicBusiness – 08/20/2014]

Hispasat pivots to Latin America as new top market.
[Via Satellite – 08/19/2014]

Lockheed completes acquisition of software, communications and ground systems company Zeta Associates, dedicated to national security missions.
[Via Satellite – 08/19/2014]

Inmarsat opens office in Beijing.
[China Tech News – 08/18/2014]

Global Invacom sees 26.3% revenue growth in first half of 2014.
[MIS ASIA – 08/18/2014]

Satcom Direct breaks ground on new ‘Campus of Excellence’ in Satellite Beach, Florida.
[benzinga – 08/18/2014]

History

Intelsat celebrates 50 years of providing critical communications to the world.
[Satellite Spotlight – 08/20/2014]

New museum in London dedicated to information and technology in the UK, focused on six networks that changed the world including satellite communications.
[artnet news – 08/18/2014]

Human Interest

Globecomm Europe and Event-IP Global Communications partner to deliver state-of-the-art communications services for international outdoor events.
[StreetInsider – 08/21/2014]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Industry Reports

New TDG report finds 4K TV forecast overly optimistic, predicting that it will be a niche market for at least another five years, finally seeing widespread viewing in 2019 and growing quickly beyond.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 08/14/2014]

New Euroconsult report finds modest revenue growth for commercial FSS operators in 2013.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 08/13/2014]

High Throughput Satellites definitely have a role to play in consumer broadband, enterprise applications, and mobility – but will they face a zero-sum game in the energy market?
[Northern Sky Research – 08/13/2014]

New UK Satellite Telecommunications activities Market report finds rising demand for mobile internet access is encouraging expansion, with 5-year compound growth through 2014 of 5.8%, to £1.7 billion.
[Live-PR – 08/12/2014]

Industry Groups, Trade Shows

Leading industry experts to meet at MilSatCom Latin America in Rio de Janeiro August 27, 28.
[Brazil Business – 08/14/2014]

The Satellite Interference Reduction Group (IRG) has announced that its next workshop will be hosted by Inmarsat at its London Headquarters from 21st – 22nd October.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 08/13/2014]

Satellite Launches

First operational Galileo GPS satellites integrated for Soyuz launch.
[GPS Daily – 08/15/2014]

Return of Optus 10 to French Guiana sets stage for Sept launch of Optus 10 and co-passenger MEASAT-3b.
[Space Travel – 08/15/2014]

ULA Atlas V successully launches DigitalGlobe WorldView-3 satellite out of Vandenberg AFB.
[NASA Spaceflight – 08/13/2014]

Satellite Construction

Orbital selected by Avanti Communications to build HYLAS 4 High-Throughput commercial Satellite.
[TMCnet – 08/14/2014]

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory awards contact to Northrop Grumman for Scalable Space Inertial Reference Unit for NASA’s Solar Probe Plus satellite.
[Via Satellite – 08/14/2014]

Satellite Technology

RapidEye PCM combines BlackBridge’s RapidEye satellite imagery with MDA’s PCM technology to accelerate the comparison of images from different times and identifying lasting changes.
[Via Satellite – 08/14/2014]

NASA is exploring a wide range of propulsion technologies to enable cubesats to maneuver.
[Space News – 08/11/2014]

Ground Systems Technology

MaxLinear’s new low-cost USB tuner-demodulator brings digital broadcast high-definition TV to consumers throughout Latin America.
[Satellite Spotlight – 08/14/2014]

Luso Microwave announces a new family of modular C–band to KA-band antennas in a range of reflector sizes from 1.2m to 4.2m.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 08/12/2014]

NovelSat conducts successful trial of its “free bandwidth” product, NovelSat Freeband, at the Redo Novo Tempo de Comunicação broadcast center in Brazil.
[Via Satellite – 08/12/2014]

Government, Military & Defense

Russia is considering creating a new satellite system for transmitting secret military communications as it continues to beef up its defense capacities in a bid to re-emerge as a global military power.
[The Moscow Times – 08/14/2014]

Next generation satellite communications system to see testing aboard Coast Guard Cutter Healy during Arctic Shield 2014.
[dvids – 08/14/2014]

SSL and NanoRacks partnership for Hosted Payloads Solutions program one of most unique approaches to Air Force’s recently announced IDIQ contract.
[Via Satellite – 08/14/2014]

Newly confirmed U.S. Space Command Chief makes forceful case for adopting a new space architecture.
[Space News – 08/13/2014]

Schriever Air Force Base 3 SOPS bids farewell to oldest DSCS satellite, shutting down the final components on July 30.
[Air Force Space Command – 08/13/2014]

General Dynamics successfully demonstrates the promise of the MUOS satellite communications system using PRC-155 Manpack radios in Phoenix, Arizona and Taunton, Massachussets.
[MarineLink – 08/13/2014]

Kratos Defense & Security gets $$38.7 million SPAWARS contract to provide satellite communications, radio frequency and navigation systems support services.
[Yahoo Finance – 08/12/2014]

DoD signs situational awareness agreement with Space Data Association.
[Via Satellite – 08/12/2014]

Airbus Defense and Space awarded contract to provide services related to hosting U.S.A.F. communications systems onboard commercially operated satellites.
[Satellite Spotlight – 08/11/2014]

Government Regulation

Inmarsat gets approval to sell IsatPhones in Colombia.
[Via Satellite – 08/13/2014]

Cobham’s AVIATOR 200 SwiftBroadband solution has received Administración Nacional de Avianción Civil (ANAC) Brazil Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval for installation by King Air operators.
[Satnews – 08/12/2014]

Aeronautical

Inmarsat announces first successful installation and ongoing trials of its ACARS1-capable SwiftBroadband Safety equipment on an Airbus A319.
[HispanicBusiness – 08/15/2014]

Consumer Broadband

ViaSat Inc. to offer Exede(R) high-speed satellite internet plans that provide households in select locations across the country with virtually unlimited broadband data usage.
[The Wall Street Journal – 08/12/2014]

Maritime

Royal Caribbean cruise ships Allure of Seas and Quantum of the Seas to get high-speed Internet powered by O3b Networks.
[Sun Sentinel – 08/13/2014]

Oil & Gas

RigNet upgrades VSAT bandwidth of global offshore drilling customer in the Barents Sea to 8 Mbps.
[Via Satellite – 08/14/2014]

Space

Astronauts aboard ISS release Cygnus supply ship, now full of trash for disposal, after month-long space station visit.
[R&D Magazine – 08/15/2014]

XCOR Lynx spacecraft full scale model “Space Corvette” lands at Monterey Jet Center.
[Space Travel – 08/15/2014]

Purdue Univ. student team designs, builds and tests critical part of new rocket engine as part of a NASA project to develop spacecraft technologies needed for cosmic venues.
[R&D Magazine – 08/13/2014]

NASA’s OCO-2 satellite reaches operational orbit.
[Space News – 08/13/2014]

Legal

Loral wins reversal of $283 million damages award – new trial on damages set for November – ViaSat seeks court order barring further patent infringement.
[Via Satellite – 08/11/2014]

Capacity Agreements

Kacific signs multimillion-dollar agreement with Solomon Telekom Company for broadband services on the upcoming HTS Kacific 1.
[Via Satellite – 08/13/2014]

Azercosmos signs first TV channel, Afghan Paiwestoon Media Communication’s free-to-air Batur TV, for Azerspace 1 satellite.
[Via Satellite – 08/11/2014]

Services Contracts

Optus will provide ITC Global with expanded satellite capacity, equipment hosting, up-linking and downloading services via its major satellite facility in Perth, Australia.
[SatNews 08/15/2014]

Air Astana has selected SITA to assure its general and operational communications needs, including communications with partners and advanced datalinks for air traffic control.
[The Astana Times – 08/15/2014]

GenCom, the communications arm of Genco Energy Services (GES) signed an additional contract with SCS Networks to use iDirect technology for a private satellite network.
[Via Satellite – 08/12/2014]

Operator Market Strategy & Revenues

ViaSat asks investors to focus on revenue and gross profit, and not raw subscriber numbers.
[Space News – 08/13/2014]

Globalstar hopes half of its subscriber base will be made of non-North American customers by 2017.
[Via Sateilite – 08/12/2014]

TCS selected to join O3b’s exclusive partner program.
[PCB007 – 08/11/2014]

History

On this day in history – August 12, 1960 – NASA’s 1st successful communications satellite, Echo 1A, is launched from Cape Canaveral.
[EDN – 08/12/2014]

Human Interest

Inmarsat-supported aid agency Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) has been required to leave an Iraqi camp as civil war develops.
[Via Satellite – 08/12/2014]

European DTH market may be poised for a significant shakeup in the coming months, following a proposed merger between three of the continent’s largest DTH platforms.
[NSR – 08/08/2014]

There is a mismatch between what entrepreneurs building large cubesat constellations want to buy and what traditional suppliers are offering.
[Space News – Space News – 08/08/2014]

A group including Google is to offer live streaming of data from satellite missions beginning with the Aug. 10 lunar flyby of NASA’s 36-year-old International Sun-Earth Explorer (ISEE)-3) through a new website called SpacecraftForAll.com.
[Space News – 08/08/2014]

SingTel Satellite joins forces with three of the world’s main maritime charities to help seafarers use onboard technology to keep in touch with loved ones at home.
[Satellite Spotlight – 08/08/2014]

Orbcomm expects revenue boost now that SpaceX has patched the firm’s “hole in the sky.”
[Space News – 08/08/2014]

Dismissed SpaceX employees sue over lack of warning.
[Space News – 08/08/2014]

MSTelcom extends agreement with Intelsat to expand satellite broadband services in Angola.
[TMCnet – 08/08/2014]

Avanti and iSAT sign multi-year contract to extend East Africa satellite broadband coverage.
[4-traders – 08/08/2014]

Afghan TV channel to be broadcast via Azerspace-1 satellite. [News.Az – 08/08/2014]

GVF launches online training courses to prepare students to complete the EUI Basic Technical Operator certification exam.
[SatNews – 08/08/2014]

Walton Enterprises expands de-ice systems manufacturing capacity through move to new facilities in San Bernardino, California.
[SatNews – 08/08/2014]

July 2014 marked end of period of no orders for full electric propulsion satellites since the March 2012 deal between Boeing, SpaceX, ABS and Satmex – SES, Eutelsat, and Aniara announced orders.
[NSR – 08/07/2014]

IBISWorld Satellite & Earth Communication Systems Services Procurement Category market research report updated; expects decline in prices in three years to 2014.
[PRWeb – 08/07/2014]

U.S. looks to Japan space program to close Pacific communications gap.
[Space Daily – 08/07/2014]

Well-known hacker to demonstrate ability to hack satellite communications equipment that ground troops use to co-ordinate movements and airlines use for navigation..
[News.com – 08/07/2014]

A new attitude system developed by the Air Force and a small business offers improved maneuverability capabilities for small space research satellites.
[SatNews – 08/07/2014]

UAE sets its sights on space by announcing a mission to Mars.
[Khaleej Times – 08/07/2014]

CASBAA is hopeful that India is closer to enacting long-awaited reforms to its satellite policies under the leadership of new Indian Prime Minister.
[Via Satellite – 08/07/2014]

COM DEV gets Authorizaton and Proceed contract for C- and Ku-band multiplexers and coaxial and waveguide switches for a customer’s high throughput satellite.
[Via Satellite – 08/07/2014]

Inmarsat establishes office in Beijing, China.
[CRIENGLISH.com – 08/07/2014]

Though departing subscribers have undercut subscriber additions, EchoStar still enjoys satellite broadband revenue gains.
[Space News – 08/07/2014]

Norsat secures $1.7 million order from Datacom for X-band marine VSAT terminals for a military project in Asia.
[The Wall Street Journal]

Small satellite startup launch company Firefly Space Systems recruits General Astronautics to join its strategic team.
[Via Satellite – 08/07/2014]

Universal Space Network moderated a meeting of 20 CubeSat industry leaders in an effort to develop a standardized communications package.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 08/07/2014]

Fourth MUOS communication satellite clears launch-simulation test.
[Space Daily – 08/06/2014]

C-COM iNetVu antenna systems deployed to assist with communications during recent earthquake in China.
[Market Wired – 08/06/2014]

ILS forming review board in September to determine whether Proton should be cleared to return to commercial flight this fall.
[Space News – 08/06/2014]

Notwithstanding sanctions, ULA is standing by for RD-180 deliveries through 2017.
[Space News – 08/06/2014]

Europe’s comet-hunting Rosetta probe reaches “scientific Disneyland” after 10 years of cruising through space on trajectory to bring it to the comet.
[Space News – 08/06/2014]

Charter Communications will broadcast the SEC Network after ESPN reached an agreement with the satellite company.
[Sports Illustrated – 08/06/2014]

Nearly a quarter of RigNet’s revenue for the second quarter of the fiscal year came from the $25 million acquisition of Inmarsat’s enterprise energy business unit.
[Via Satellite – 08/06/2014]

Generation Orbit Launch Service successfully completed captive-carry test flight for its air-launch SmallSat vehicle.
[Via Satellite – 08/06/2014]

D’Amico launches shipboard communications app, toctoc, that acts as hub to synchronise and connect to smartphone contacts and across range of social media channels.
[Digital Ship – 08/06/2014]

PAR Technology Corporation subsidiary Rome Research Corporation gets contract potentially worth $23.5 million to continue support to operate and maintain NAVSATCOMMFAC Northwest.
[The Wall Street Journal – 08/06/2014]

Orange Niger taps Intelsat for cellular backhaul services.
[Via Satellite – 08/06/2014]

SpaceX Falcon 9 launches AsiaSat 8 communications satellite.
[CBS News – 08/05/2014]

SpaceX to build world’s first commercial site for orbital rocket launches in the southernmost tip of Texas.
[R&D Magazine – 08/05/2014]

SSL to build Intelsat 36 satellite.
[Via SAtellite – 08/05/2014]

Google closes Skybox Imaging purchase.
[Via Satellite – 08/05/2014]

ORBIT Communication Systems announces that it has received a $2.5 million order to provide satellite communication systems to one of the world’s principal navies.
[SatNews – 08/05/2014]

SkyVision wins VSAT deal with Bank of Africa Burkina Faso.
[Via Satellite – 08/05/2014]

Steadily increasing capacity, reduced costs, modular functionality and higher data transfer rates now mean satellite communications can exceed even the most stringent requirements for public safety communications, all delivered through a more robust network than 4G LTE.
[Government Video – 08/05/2014]

Frontline Communications partners with TVU Networks to introduce new cellular/microwave/satellite IP vehicle solution.
[CNN Money – 08/05/2014]

United Launch Alliance carries the Air Force’s seventh Global Positioning System (GPS 2F-7) satellite to space.
[Via Satellite – 08/04/2014]

Iridium has delivered the first satellite engineering model for the upcoming Iridium NEXT constellation.
[SatNews – 08/04/2014]

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. CEO feels that applying Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) consumer technology to satellite will continue to revolutionize satellite design over the next decade.
[Via Satellite – 08/04/2014]

Booz Allen Hamilton Engineering Services will introduce to the public safety community its new next-generation broadband deployable communications system.
[MarketWatch – 08/04/2014]

NSR Report provides comprehensive market analysis of the three major methods of UltraHD consumption via satellite – DTH, IPTV, and Cable distribution.
[NSR Report – August 2014]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Technical Proposals	System Acceptance Testing
Link Analysis	System Quality Testing
Systems Engineering	Project Management
Systems Integration	Satellite Industry Research

360-895-0478   email:  [email protected]

DigitalGlobe revenue up despite steep drop in Russian business.
[Space News – 08/01/2014]

DigitalGlobe announces plans to accelerate the launch of WorldView-4 to mid-2016 to meet demand from its Direct Access and other commercial customers.
[SatNews – 08/01/2014]

MEASAT Satellite Systems gets an agreement with Pilipinas Global Network Limited for capacity on MEASAT-3 to distribute Aksyon TV International and Kapatid TV5 to over 120 countries.
[SatNews – 08/01/2014]

Euroconsult report projects that on average 115 satellites will be launched per year over the next decade, generating U.S. $248 billion in revenue.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 07/31/2014]

Congressional study states the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office is buying intelligence satellites faster than necessary and calls for a slowdown.
[Space News – 07/31/2014]

NEC Corporation and the Mexican Space Agency have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of advanced satellites.
[PCB Design – 07/31/2014]

Eutelsat orders all-electric satellite, EUTELSAT 172B, from Airbus Defence and Space; pledges to investors that it will limit capital spending.
[Space News – 07/31/2014]

MDA satellite exports feel the effect of Canada’s tough stance on Russia.
[Space News – 07/31/2014]

Spaceflight Inc. to build 12 ground stations for new division, Spaceflight Inc., to provide satellite communications through a global network.
[Via Satellite – 07/31/2014]

NASA budgets around $130 million for seven-instrument science payload for the Mars 2020 rover.
[Space News – 07/31/2014]

Geolink Satellite Services to deploy iDirect’s X7 remotes to improve speed and performance for customers in the oil and gas, mining and maritime industries.
[Market Watch – 07/31/2014]

Eutelsat sees most important growth engine as broadcast, with potential for steady growth for many years to come, especially in the emerging markets.
[Bloomberg Businessweek – 07/31/2014]

SES has moved the operations for 23 satellites — roughly half the company’s fleet — to a new Satellite Operations Center (SOC) in Princeton, N.J.
[Via Satellite – 07/31/2014]

Airbus Group and Safran have selected a chief executive officer and outlined the board of directors for their new 50-50 joint European launch venture.
[Via Satellite – 07/31/2014]

DirecTV beats earnings estimates on demand for World Cup.
[Bloomberg – 07/31/2014]

SSTL subsidiary Surrey Satellite Technology US announced it is pursuing a second Orbital Test Bed (OTB) mission for 2016.
[Via Satellite – 07/31/2014]

New report by Media Partners Asia predicts that DTH numbers in Asia will reach 110 million by 2018, up from 56.3 million in 2013.
[Via Satellite – 07/30/2014]

SSL delivers AsiaSat 6 to Cape Canaveral launch base where it is to be launched next month by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
[Digital Journal – 07/30/2014]

China certifies Iridium satellite communications systems for installation on 737-700 and -800 aircraft.
[MRO Network – 07/30/20104]

Spaceflight announces Spaceflight Networks to address need for cost-effective small-satellite data communications.
[Digital Journal – 07/30/2014]

Lockheed Martin has awarded a contract to General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems to provide network communication systems for two more GPS III satellites.
[airforce-technology.com – 07/30/2014]

Iridium NEXT leverages Radisys’ T-series platform for its next generation ground station infrastructure.
[The Wall Street Journal – 07/30/2014]

MultiChoice Africa purchases entire 15 Ku-band payload on Eutelsat’s upcoming satellite EUTELSAT 36C.
[Via Satellite – 07/30/2014]

Orbcomm purchases GES site in Brazil; service provider partner Mahd Telecom gets regulatory approval to provide Orbcomm services in Oman.
[Via Satellite – 07/30/2014]

Satellite Information Services selects Level 3 Video Cloud to help improve quality of online streamed and broadcast content.
[Market Watch – 07/30/2014]

Planet Labs contracts with Telecommunications Systems to build global satellite-tracking network.
[Via Satellite – 07/30/2014]

Delta 4 launches space surveillance satellites for the U.S. Air Force.
[Space News – 07/29/2014]

Thales UK planning to take lead role in creation of a new “mini” geostationary satellite bus.
[Via Satellite – 07/29/2014]

SASL selected for study on accommodating a NASA instrument to monitor air pollutants over North America on a commercial satellite. [Satellite Evolution Group – 07/29/2014]

Rocket Lab announces Electron carbon-composite dedicated small satellite launch vehicle; first 30 launches have been booked.
[Via Satellite – 07/29/2014]

Boeing, in a first-of-its-kind arrangement for the company, is working with ViaSat to provide an integrated satellite service to a U.S. Government customer.
[PCB Design – 07/29/2014]

GSA approves SES Government Solutions to sell O3b service to U.S. government.
[Via Satellite – 07/29/2014]

SSTL marks completion of TechDemoSat-1 LEOP phase with a “selfie.”
[Space Daily – 07/29/2014]

NBN Co appoints IPSTAR as wholesaler for Australian Internet service .
[Satellite Evolution Group – 07/29/2014]

Lockheed Martin approves DeLorme’s inReach satellite communicator for use in the company’s Adverse Condition Alerting Service and Surveillance-Enhanced Search and Rescue.
[Via Satellite – 07/29/2014]

NOAA satellite data stolen from contractor’s PC in 2013 but incident could not be investigated since employee would not turn over PC.
[Nextgov – 07/28/2014]

Chief scientist for orbital debris with NASA’s orbital debris program office says cooperation between the U.S. and Russia is essential to reign in proliferation of space debris.
[Via Satellite – 07/28/2014]

Intelsat General and 13 other U.S. space companies will have an opportunity to bid on task orders designed to streamline the process of getting government capabilities into orbit (hosted payloads).
[Wall Street Journal – 07/28/2014]

The Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) launches “How Satellites Make a Better World” infosite to catalogue enormous contributions of satellite technology to the world.
[SatNews – 07/28/2014]

55th Strategic Communications Squadron receive DISA top award in recognition of excellence.
[SatNews – 07/28/2014]

Iridium announces broad availability of the world’s first truly global mobile satellite hotspot, Iridium GO!.
[Market Watch – 07/28/2014]

Xplornet plans “unprecedented” expansion of high-speed Internet to all of rural Canada.
[The Globe and Mail – 07/28/2014]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Free NSR webinar July 30 – Energy Markets via Satellite: Is There a Market Beyond Deep Water?
[NSR – July 30]

The United States claims China conducted a “non-destructive” test of an anti-satellite missile July 23 and called for China to end the development of such capabilities.
[Space News – 07/28/2014]

Bandwidth demand for maritime markets to exceed 160 satellite transponders by 2023.
[NSR – 07/28/2014]

Communication with Russian satellite Photon-M restored.
[Science Recorder 07/26/2014]

Ariane 5 gets ready for launch of heaviest-ever payload as is rolls out the rocket for the July 29 liftoff of the final ATV mission.
[SatNews – 07/28/2014]

If NASA sends a nuclear-powered probe to Jupiter’s moon Europa, it would launch no sooner than 2024, and effectively rule out other nuclear missions to the outer solar system before then.
[Space News – 07/28/2014]

Eutelsat America Corp has been awarded a contract by the US Air Force to support the deployment of future US Government payloads (hosted payloads) on its satellites.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 07/28/2014]

MTN continues to lead the cruise market.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 07/28/2014]

Viasat acquires Gray Labs and gets  its high-rate modem product line and custom spacecraft technologies for Earth observation.
[SatNews – 07/28/2014]

Avanti and Yahsat reportedly first to order satellites from Orbital Sciences based on the new GeoStar-3 higher-power satellite frame.
[Space News – 07/25/2014]

SES ordered its first high-throughput satellite because it was unable to provide optimal service to certain government and mobility customers with a conventional wide-beam satellite.
[Space News – 07/25/2014]

U.S. Department of Defense wants to reprogram money this year to boost the number of competitively awarded contracts under its primary satellite launching program.
[Space News – 07/25/2014]

NASA crew of WB-57  caught sight of the SpaceX Falcon 9 as it ascended, and of the first stage as it plummeted toward the ocean, but was unable to get a good shot of the descending stage’s first engine burn.
[Space News – 07/25/2014]

Rockwell Collins sells its military ground-based satellite communications business.
[Market Watch – 07/25/2014]

In preparation for Iridium NEXT, the company has issued more than 30 RFPs to build new broadband subscriber products.
[Via Satellite – 07/25/2014]

Thales Alenia Space claims it holds a profit advantage over rival Airbus. Defence and Space.
[Space News – 07/25/2014]

API Technologies wins million dollar order for manufacture of commercial satellite communication systems.
[Market Watch – 07/25/2014]

SpaceX scores partial victory in bid to get slice of government contracting, as a federal judge agrees to review a multi-bi8llion-dollar contract awarded to ULA without competition.
[Nextgov – 07/25/2014]

Japanese airline Skymark Airlines is providing In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) free of charge to fliers via Panasonic Avionics’s eXConnect global connectivity service.
[Via Satellite – 07/25/2014]

RSCC, in partnership with OOO Isatel, put satellite-supported broadband equipment on board the Russian research/survey vessel Akademik Tryoshnikov for Artic mission.
[SatNews – 07/25/2014]

Surrey Satellite Technology US has decided on five payloads to carry on the company’s Orbital Test Bed (OTB) mission in 2016
[Via Satellite – 07/25/2014]

SATMODO provides satellite phones for BAJA RALLY.
[Off-Road.com – 07/25/2014]

Intelsat completes move from Washington DC’s Van Ness neighborhood to Tysons.
[Tech Bisnow – 07/25/2014]

Hughes, Thales showcase rapidly deployable LTE network using 700 MHz public safety spectrum & satellite.
[PCC Mobile Broadband – 07/25/2014]

The launch of three U.S. Air Force space surveillance satellites July 24 was postponed for the second time in as many days, this time because of weather conditions.
[Space News – 07/24/2014]

Russian Communications and Mass Media Minister wants Russia to produce all of its communications satellites on home soil as sanctions threaten availability of high-tech components.
[The Moscow Times – 07/24/2014]

NASA puts out a call for a commercially owned and operated satellite network on Mars.
[Reuters – 07/24/2014]

NOAA has awarded a license to Tempus Global Data for a hyperspectral imaging and sounding system constellation.
[Via Satellite – 07/24/2014]

Space Systems/Loral (SSL is one of the companies selected by NASA to study system concepts and key technologies for NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 07/24/2014]

China Eastern Airlines offers broadband connected flights over China using China Telecom Satellite aeronautical service and Panasonic Avionics Corporation’s eXConnect system.
[Market Watch – 07/24/2014]

Retiring Senator Jay Rockefeller hopes to lay groundwork for congressional action that would allow online video services to offer even more programming options than cable and satellite companies could.
[National Journal – 07/23/2014]

Budget cuts and newly developing threats to operations in space demand change in calculus on resiliency of the Defense space program.
[U.S. Department of Defense – 07/23/2014]

SES launches first free-to-air digital TV platform in West Africa.
[ScreenAfrica – 07/23/2014]

Ultra-HD TVs make gains but still lack market penetration according to IHS.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 07/23/2014]

Web-connected cabins offer investment opportunities as the market for inflight internet is set to grow to $2.1 billion by 2023 according to Euroconsult report.
[Reuters – 07/22/2014]

Honeywell’s latest passenger survey on In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) shows just how much the mindset toward flying connected has changed.
[Via Satellite – 07/22/2014]

Purdue University students to test green rocket propellant they developed, partnering with Aerojet Rocketdyne to demonstrate the fuel can replace hydrazine.
[R&D Magazine – 07/22/2014]

UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) has announced a ground-breaking strategic partnership with the private sector to deliver e-learning programs in Kenya to thousands of marginalized girls.
[SatNews – 07/22/2014]

Despite oversupply in a few regions and bands due to accelerated satellite construction, NSR projects the market will grow by 76 percent, from about $11.8 Billion currently to $21.1 Billion by 2023.
[SatNews – 07/21/2014]

Arianespace wins launch contract for Sentinel 1B satellite.
[Via Satellite – 07/21/2014]

O3b begins service with full initial constellation.
[Via Satellite – 07/21/2014]

China and Brazil agree to continue the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite program with an additional satellite, CBERS 4A.
[Via Satellite – 07/21/2014]

Department of Defense awards satcom support contracts for SSC Pacific. [SatNews – 07/21/2014]

DARPA awards SSL contract for flight hardware capable of taking a variety of small missions to space aboard the company’s GEO satellite platform.
[Via Satellite – 07/22/2014]

The fifth of six instruments to be carried by the GOES-R next generation weather satellites, the magnetometer, is now ready for integration.
[Nextgov – 07/21/2014]

Liquid Telecom steps up resources leased from Eutelsat to meet increasing demand for IP connectivity from broad portfolio of clients including national parks and mining and exploration.
[SatNews – 07/21/2014]

Airbus Defense and Space expands strategic agreement with Inmarsat on Global Xpress high-speed broadband to resell to U.S. government market.
[Space Daily – 07/21/2014]

AltegroSky Group’s acquisition of CJSC’s “Moskovsky Teleport” allow entry into new market segments of satellite communications.
[SatNews – 07/21/2014]

Inmarsat keen on offering India high-tech services of monitoring climate, power grids, and water levels in reservoirs in real-time without human intervention.
[Zee News – 07/20/2014]

NSR report, “Global Satellite Capacity Supply and Demand, 11th Edition” now available.
[NSR – July 2014]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Satellite companies on the Future Space 2014 event panel “Return of Wicked Cool Space Technology,” discussed advanced satellite manufacturing and launch systems.
[Via Satellite – 07/18/2014]

Futron announces the release of the 2014 Space Competitiveness Index.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 07/18/2014]

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), prime contractor for Orbcomm’s OG2 satellites, has established communication with the first six spacecraft launched July 14, 2014.
[Via Satellite 07/18/2014]

Senate spending bill directs U.S. Air Force to develop alternative GPS payload.
[Space News – 07/18/2014]

Short-term demand for 4K/Ultra-HD televisions hindered by lack of consumer awareness and sensitivity to the cost of the advanced sets.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 07/18/2014]

UAE reveals plans for unmanned mission to Mars by 2021.
[Reuters – 07/16/2014]

Two space satellites for India will be manufactured in Russia.
[ITAR TASS – 07/16/2014]

Liquid Telecom extends Eutelsat contract to 2019.
[Via Satellite – 07/18/2014]

SES selects Airbus to build new hybrid high throughput communications satellite SES 12 to increase capacity available in the Asia Pacific region.
[Via Satellite – 07/17/2014]

DoD official says a replacement for the RD-180 Russian rocket used for satellite launches could take 8 years and cost $2 billion.
[Via Satellite – 07/17/2014]

Russia installs Glonass satellite station in Brazil.
[Via Satellite – 07/17/2014]

Airbus Defence and Space and Inmarsat expand Global Xpress partnership.
[Via Satelli9te – 07/17/2014]

Virgin Galactic sets sights on 2016 for LauncherOne.
[Via Satellite – 07/16/20147]

– SatNews file image

Dauria Aerospace tapped by India-based satcom provider Aniara to design and build two new generation, small, Ku-band geostationary satellites.
[SatNews – 07/16/2014]

Hughes Network Systems hiring more engineers to expand satellite services.
[Gazette.Net – 07/16/2014]

MCS TV and Newslux choose Eutelsat to drive TV channel expansion in Southeast Asia.
Market Watch – 07/16/2014]

United Arab Emirates announces it will create a space agency with the aim of sending the first Arab unmanned probe to Mars by 2021.
[Middle East Online – 07/16/2014]

SpaceX has completed the long-awaited launch of Orbcomm’s first batch of second-generation satellites.
[Via Satellite – 07/15/2014]

Northrop Grumman breaks ground at site for its new government-focused satellite facility, the Maryland Space Assembly and Test building.
[Via Satellite – 07/15/2014]

Korean manufacturer KNS announces the launch of its C-Band 2.2m satellite antenna in two variations.
[The Digital Ship – 07/15/2014]

Milpeak announces the expansion of its satellite communication rental services to cover the needs of the mining and exploration industry.
[Digital Journal – 07/15/2014]

Arabsat signs lifetime use agreement with Asia Broadcast Satellite for a multi-Ku-band payload on ABS3A to be launched later this year or early next year.
[Via Satellite – 07/15/2014]

North American M2M satellite communications market projected to be worth $1.43 billion by 2019 in new report by MicroMarket Monitor.
[Digital Journal – 07/14/2014]

Loral is in the final chapter of its corporate life and is in the process of selling its last significant asset, Telesat.
[Seeking Alpha 07/14/2014]

Orbital Sciences launches Cygnus to ISS with 28 CubeSats for Planet Labs.
[Via Satellite – 07/14/2014]

SpaceX confirms the Air Force has certified the Falcon 9 rocket as meeting the three-launch prerequisite for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program.
[Via Satellite – 07/14/2014]

Raytheon prepares to deliver on the FAB-T contract shortly after winning the U.S. Air Force competition for the family of Beyond Line of Sight Terminals.
[Via Satellite – 07/14/2014]

EBU uses NovelSat’s modulators to broadcast three World Cup matches in Ultra-HD, including the final game between Germany and Argentina.
[Via Satellite – 07/14/2014]

Satcom Direct expands Savannah, GA, office to provide additional classrooms for training airline employees on aircraft cabin satellite communications.
[Via Satellite – 07/14/2014]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services