Really Rocket Science

Intelsat moves closer to an Initial Public Offering (IPO), asking U.S.  regulators to allow the company to transfer control of all its satellite  assets to new owners following the IPO.
[Space News – 12/09/2011]

Telecom’s final frontier – is the consumer changing the satellite industry or  is it changing us?
[The Deal Magazine – 12/09/2011]

Spacecom AMOS-5 satellite scheduled for launch Sunday, December 11.
[SatNews –  12/09/2011]

NewSat Limited signs with Arianespace for launch of Jabiru-1 in second half  of 2014.
[SatNews –  12/09/2011]

ITU and Government of Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg agree to cooperate on  strengthening emergency telecommunications and rapid response in event of  natural disasters.
[SatNews –  12/09/2011]

GlobeCast expands satellite capaciy over Russia and Commonwealth of  Independent States with new Ku-band platform on Yamal-201 satellite.
[SatNews –  12/09/2011]

Nokia Siemens Networks’ I-HSPA combined with Evolution satellite routers from  VT iDirect can deliver downlinks speeds of 10 Mbps per user from remote base  stations linked to core network by  satellite.
[SatNews – 12/09/2011]

Astrium is selected by European Space Agency as prime contractor for  Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite, a low-cost mission to monitor atmospheric  chemistry.
[SatNews –  12/09/2011]

Russian space agency Roscosmos expects to put two more of the 24 Glonass  navigation satellites already in orbit into operation by end of year.
[SatNews –  12/09/2011]

RapidEye signs contract with China’s Ministry of Land and Resources to cover  almost five million square kilometers of China over the next few months.
[SatNews –  12/09/2011]

United Launch Alliance, formed just five years ago with Atlas and Delta  launch teams, has built an impressive record with 56 successful launches.
[SatNews –  12/08/2011]

LightSquared says new test prove it has fixed the GPS interference problem  that has held up the deployment of its hybrid satellite-terrestrial LTE network.
[Wireless Week – 12/08/2011]

Verizon ends its wireless LTE partnership with DirecTV and will stop buildout  of FiOS television and Internet services, as it forges a cross-marketing  partnership with cable.
[Washington Post – 12/08/2011]

Thrane & Thrane is awarded contract by government organization China  Transport Telecommunications & Information Center to supply, install and test a  Radio Access Network system for BGAN Satellite Access Station outside Beijing.
[SatNews –  12/08/2011]

Thales signs agreement to acquire Tampa Microwave of Tampa, Florida.
[Washington Technology – 12/08/2011]

Track24 wins contract to supply Canadian government with short burst data  (SBD) services from Iridium Communications Inc.
[SatNews –  12/08/2011]

Ghana a leader in satellite communications in Western Africa, with STL  satellite hub supporting over 2000 VSAT sites nationwide employing Gilat’s  SkyEdge II system.
[Ghanian Chronicle 12/08/2011]

SatNews information for readers interested in the myriad environments of the  various and ever-expanding satellite broadcasting market segments.
[SatNews –  12/08/2011]

ViaSat’s high-capacity broadband Ka-band satellite expected to begins  commercial service before end of December.
[xconomy – 12/07/2011]

Eutelsat successfully refinances debt with C800 million Eurobond issue.
[Sacramento Bee – 12/07/2011]

China to help Turkmenistan launch first communications satellite.
[Bernama –  12/07/2011]

New “Proceedings of the IEEE” presents comprehensive 21st century review of  Aerospace Communications.
[Sacramento Bee – 12/07/2011]

Thales radio receives U.S. military certification for Ultra High Frequency  satellite communications Integrated Waveform.
[UPI – 12/07/2011]

Newtec gets extremely positive customer feedback from customer survey  indicating a continued positive evolution from “satisfied” to “extremely  satisfied”.
[Screen Africa – 12/07/2011]

Eutelsat includes VISLINK’s ADVENT Flydrive 120 antenna in its guide to  selection of most appropriate Eath station equipment to access Eutelsat  capacity.
[SatNews – 12/07/2011]

Thuraya IP now allows user to run a range of applications requiring a public  IP address on the terminal equipment attached to the IP device.
[SatNews –  12/07/2011]

Iridium GEOS emergency response service now available to Iridium Extreme  satellite phone customers.
[SatNews –  12/07/2011]

NSR research on Earth Observation maket confirms importance of government  funding for both the supply and the demand side of the business.
[SatNews  – 12/07/2011]

Hughes Network Systems gets task order from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s  Food Safety and Inspection Service to deliver managed broadband services to 300  office and inspection sites.
[SatNews –  12/07/2011]

Eutelsat’s KA-SAT satellite proves its efficiency for fast video file  delivery.
[Sacramento Bee – 12/06/2011]

Arianespace launch preparations underway for December 16th liftoff of  Pleiades 1 Earth observation satellite, Chile’s SSOT optical satellite for  civilian and defense Earth observation, and four French Elisa micro-satellite  demonstrators.
[SatNews –  12/06/2011]

MTN to provide Costa Cruises’ new flagship, Costa Fascinosa, with VSAT  services.
[Satellite Today – 12/06/2011]

Test results prompt new round in GPS, LightSquared fight.
[Nextgov – 12/06/2011]

Former Satellite Earth Station at Goonhilly, Cornwall gets UK government  funding for a “space science park,” while another company at Goonhilly, Avanti  Communications Group, gets funding to create “broadband satellite teleport.”
[UKPA – 12/06/2011]

Reorganized Satmex to launch new, fully funded Satmex 8 satellite service  operations beginning in third quarter 2012.
[Market Watch – 12/06/2011]

Thuraya enjoys main exhibitor status at Malaysian Defense show.
[SatNews –  12/06/2011]

DISA puts finishing touches on GSM, FCSA contracts to be awarded in first  quarter 2012.
[Defense Systems – 12/06/2011]

iGT, DISA, and U.S. Air Force demonstrate next-generation airborne  capabilities employing Ka-Band Advanced Multiband Communications Antenna System  for COTM users.
[Defence Professionals – 12/06/2011]

Inmarsat’s CTO to participate as panel speaker at Satellite Industry  Association sponsored DoD Commercial SATCOM User’s Workshop in Arlington, VA.
[Sacramento Bee – 12/06/2011]

Officials say troop drawdown in Iraq and Afghanistan is unlikely to put any  lasting downward pressure on demand for satellite bandwidth.
[Space News – 12/02/2011]

New satellite terminal training, fielding facility for U.S. Army to  consolidate production, training, and fielding of the advanced version of its  protected satellite terminal.
[Fort Gordon Signal – 12/02/2011]

NSR report assesses future global demand and supply for both commercial and  military satellites, fixed and mobile solutions, and narrowband to broadband  requirements for the period 2010-2020.
[NSR – December 2011]

 WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Rupert’s been humbled this past year, recently at home. The report, via London South East…

Australia’s government on Monday ruled out awarding a contract to broadcast local television into Asia to a consortium including Rupert Murdoch’s part-owned Sky News, deciding the service would stay with the state broadcaster.

After two cancelled bids and a police investigation into leaks, as well as political controversy swirling over the reach of News Corp media in Australia, the government said the A$223 million ($230 million) Australia Network tender would be abandoned and Australian Broadcasting Corp would keep it permanently.

‘The government believes it is unfortunate that this process did not reach a satisfactory solution, however, in light of the circumstances it is now in the national interest to make a clear decision about the future of the service,’ Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said in a statement.

The Australia Network is Australia’s equivalent of the UK’s BBC World Service and Germany’s Deutsche Welle.

The government had already ordered a police investigation into leaks behind news reports that an independent panel set up to decide the tender had unanimously backed Sky over the incumbent ABC after the government reopened the tender and imposed a new ‘national interest’ test.

Controversy over the process coincided with the phone-hacking scandal sweeping over the Australian-born Murdoch’s News Corp empire in Britain and a row with Australia’s Labor government over alleged political bias in reporting.

Conroy has been critical of News Corp’s Australian arm, News Ltd, accusing it of biased treatment targeting the government. News Ltd, which denied the allegations, controls 70 percent of Australia’s newspaper readership market.

After a meeting with senior Cabinet colleagues on Monday, Conroy said that the leaks had compromised the tender process and prevented a fair consideration of the bids. It was unclear if Sky News Australia would challenge the decision.

Sky News Australia is a 24-hour cable and satellite news channel, with Murdoch owning a third through his stake in BSkyB, along with Australia’s Seven West Media Ltd. and the private equity-owned Nine Entertainment Co. ($1 = 0.9745 Australian dollars).

The Australia Network can found on a number of satellites.

Latest satellite launched by China is 16th of the year, a record for  China, and is fifth BeiDou-2 inclined GSO satellite of the BeiDou-2 Compass  satellite navigation system.
[SatNews  – 12/02/2011]

Astrium’s Ariane 5 Midlife Evolution launcher project approved by European  Space Agency.
[Satellite Today – 12/02/2011]

Norway and Spain expected to order military communications satellite.
[Space News – 12/01/2011]

Solaris Mobile gains ITU backing.
[Satellite Today – 12/01/2011]

Eutelsat will be unifying the names of its satellites around the established  Eutelsat brand from 1 March 2012.
[Sacramento Bee – 12/01/2011]

TIPS/TAPS purchasing consortium selects Foundation Telecommunications Inc. to  provide broadband Internet and VoIP services to member educational entities and  government agencies.
[Market Watch – 12/01/2011]

ATK’s new STAR 48BV rocket motor with innovative vectorable nozzle  successfully inserts TacSat-4 into orbit.
[SatNews –  12/01/2011]

Telemar, in partnership with ORBIT and Milano Teleport, launch iCGlobal, to  deliver global C-band coverage  with compact all-weather OrBand maritime  VSAT system.
[Market Watch – 12/01/2011]

NASA’s successful test of solar sail on NanoSail-D satellite demonstrates  deorbit capability that could potentially be used to bring down de-commissioned  satellites.
[SatNews –  12/01/2011]

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting’s latest satellite, THOR 7, will provide  Norwegian Troll base at South Pole with increased satellite capacity.
[SatNews –  12/01/2011]

Briefcase-sized SATPAK cellular and satellite data relay system by 308  SYSTEMS solves blocked transmission problem during Arizona Vigilant Guard  exercise involving 250 government agencies and 8,000 participants.
[SatNews –  12/01/2011]

Canada’s Department of National Defence waits for Dec. 15 deadline for five  nations to join the U.S.-let Wideband Global Satcom military communications  system before commiting more than $450 million to the project.
[Space News – 11/30/2011]

MDA wins NASA contracts for International Space Station extension.
[Satellite Today – 11/30/2011]

Boeing gets contract extension from NASA for TDRS M, the sixth satellite in  TDRS line that it is building for NASA.
[Daily Breeze –  11/30/2011]

Nigeria hopes to domesticate Information and Communications Technology with  the launch of NigComSat-1R, creating huge job opportunities and improving health  and education in the country.
[Vanguard – 11/30/2011]

Astrium Services and Thales Alenia Space achieve Initial System Acceptance  milestone for first Yahsat site in Abu Dhabi, as well as TT&C facility in Al Ain  City.
[SatNews  – 11/30/2011]

Hermes Datacomms completes installation of multi-site 4 mbps C-band SkyWire  cloud for major oilfield services company in Libya.
[Satellite Today – 11/30/2011]

Gilat introduces very lightweight Ku-band broadband solution for airborne  applications.
[Market Watch – 11/30/2011]

Petaluma, CA firm X2nSat on growth track to provide Internet access in some  of North America’s most remote locations.
[Press Democrat – 11/30/2011]

Globalstar announces December 25 launch date for six new second-generation  satellites.
[Globe  Newswire – 11/29/2011]

Quick look at supply numbers seems to indicate that previously hot satellite  market in Sub-Saharan Africa may become oversupply fiasco for the FSS industry.
[NSR – 11/29/2011]

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions partners with AlienVault to enhance cyber  security and situational awareness in satellite communications.
[Market Watch – 11/29/2011]

Inmarsat GX partners with Gogo to bring Inmarsat’s Global Xpress satellite  service to the worldwide commercial airline market.
[Market Watch – 11/29/2011]

ORBIT Communication Systems to showcase Maritime VSAT Satellite  Communications systems product line at Marintec China 2011.
[benzinga – 11/29/2011]

Global Marine Networks launches RedPort satellite broadband network  management solution suite.
[SFGate – 11/29/2011]

Recent flight tests at Hanscom Air Force Base show that low-profile Advanced  Multi-band Communications Antenna installed on wide-body aircraft can  effectively support high-speed Ka-band and EHF communications.
[Air Force Materiel  Command – 11/29/2011]

Frost & Sullivan award honours Yahsat for exceptional penetration of Middle  East Defence market.
[Mil-Tech – 11/29/2011]

UltiSat is awarded GSA IT Schedule 70 contract, and inclusion on IT Schedule  70.
[Sat PR – 11/29/2011]

AsiaSat 7 is launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
[SatNews –  11/27/2011]

Chinese communications satellite successfully enters orbit, launched by  Russian rocket from Kazakhstan.
[Red Orbit – 11/27/2011]

Solar storms projected to increase through 2013.
[KOLD – 11/27/2011]

 WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

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

Our friends at KVH Industries have been on a tear in recent years. We last read about their TracVision M1 system being a critical component in a boat’s entertainment system. And in September, their MiniVSAT Broadband service went global, licensed to operate offshore and in-port in 125+ countries.

Today we read the National Marine Electronics Association has named the TracVision M1 “Best Marine Entertainment Product” for the 3rd year in a row.

KVH Industries, Inc., and its TracVision family of satellite TV products are the choice of the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) for the 14th consecutive year. The company’s TracVision M1, the world’s smallest maritime satellite TV antenna, was recently honored with its third consecutive “Industry Award” for best marine entertainment product — the product received this honor after its introduction in 2009 and again in 2010. Each year, NMEA members vote for their favorite products in a range of categories, and the product that receives the most votes in a given category is honored with that year’s Industry Award. These awards have become a trusted symbol of outstanding quality throughout the marine electronics industry.

Marine electronics technicians continue to bestow this honor on TracVision M1 both for its ease of installation and because it opened up a completely new market for maritime satellite TV.

“The TracVision M1 allows us to put live TV on boats for which it was previously out of the question financially, or on which larger domes would look ridiculous,” says Duncan Nevard of Intrepid Marine Electronics in Stamford, CT. “It weighs less than eight pounds, so we can literally replace someone’s little flying saucer over-the-air TV antenna — on the same bracket — with a first-class, in-motion satellite TV solution. That allows us to bring high-end marine electronics to a whole new group of boats.”

I agree: a shrimp-size satellite TV set-up for a couple “Grover Clevelands” ain’t bad. Look, you’re paying for the damn boat, so why not pay a little more for the good stuff.

Meanwhile, back in Middletown, Rhode Island, it’s all smiles at KVH.

Satellite signal blocked by your oppressive government? Get the app.

The camel load, via BBC News…

Rim Abdolah delivers her news bulletin with admirable gusto for a woman who knows hardly any of the target audience is watching.

The Lualua TV presenter has been with the station since its launch in July.

Aimed at people in Bahrain, it carries news and talk shows about the country.

But since its inception, it has only managed to reach to televisions in the Gulf kingdom for four hours – before the signal was blocked.

“As a broadcaster I’m very upset and frustrated because we try to work hard to put our work out to let everyone see it, especially in Bahrain,” Miss Abdolah says.

“But it’s very disappointing, no-one in Bahrain can see us.”

Reports from the satellite provider show the signal is being blocked from within Bahrain.

While not officially blaming the country’s government, station management say it is hard to see who else would intervene.

Miss Abdolah’s pink headscarf stands out brightly against the blue backdrop of the news studio.

And while it was intended to run the channel from Bahrain’s capital Manama, it failed to get a licence there.

So instead, it operates thousands of miles from the Gulf, in a two-storey industrial unit on a drab north London estate – with cables running through the front door to a satellite dish in the car park.

Bahrain protest The station was formed in the aftermath of pro-democracy protests in Bahrain

Several people were killed in clashes with security forces, while hundreds of people were detained including doctors, teachers and opposition leaders – many of whom allege they have been tortured and now face military trials.

Thousands of demonstrators had gathered for several days in the centre of Manama, inspired by the popular uprisings which toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.

They demanded a greater say in government and an end to what the majority Shias said was systematic discrimination against them in jobs and services.

Lualua TV is named after the roundabout where the protesters had gathered and its logo is an image of the structure that sat on that roundabout until it was destroyed after the protests.

Station manager Yasser Al-Sayegh says the station aims to promote peace in Bahrain and champion the causes of democracy and freedom of expression.

“We are genuinely independent, we class ourselves as independent but unfortunately the Bahrain government classes us as an opposition because we don’t show what state-owned TV shows,” he says.

“We listen to the Bahraini authorities and we listen to the opposition. We have direct contact with people on the ground in Bahrain, journalists, doctors – and we have talks shows where they can talk, and they don’t have that on Bahraini TV.”

Too bad there’s no app for rain fade.

Well, at least one of them.

Smokin Joe Frazier passed away. Why does it matter to rocket scientists? He was one of the two boxers who fought in the Thrilla in Manila on 30 September 1975 (1 October locally, for all you international dateliners). The other was Muhammad Ali and it was their third fight, carried via satellite for closed-circuit viewing in the U.S. and, most importantly, to cable systems experimenting with using C-band satellites for distributing video to their cable headends.

It worked. HBO went from tower-to-tower distribution to full national availability via satellite. In fact, it was their commitment to RCA Americom that incubated, nurtured and grew the domestic satellite system to be the best in the world.

Without the Thrilla in Manila, I doubt so many fine rocket scientists would be employed today. Although that’s changing, too.

Here’s a fitting video tribute to that boxing match…

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