Archive for July, 2012

The Flags Are Still There

Tuesday, July 31st, 2012

Sorry, Euro-hipster communists: the moon landings weren’t faked by the U.S. government. The folks behind the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) recently released images showing the Apollo landings’ flags were still standing, except for Apollo 11. Buzz Aldrin said they knocked it down as they left the Moon’s surface.

From the LROC images it is now certain that the American flags are still standing and casting shadows at all of the sites, except Apollo 11. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin reported that the flag was blown over by the exhaust from the ascent engine during liftoff of Apollo 11, and it looks like he was correct! The most convincing way to see that the flags are still there, is to view a time series of LROC images taken at different times of day, and watch the shadow circle the flag (see movie below; the flag is just above the LM descent stage).

Some of the images from the Apollo landings are stunning — and for real!

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 07/27/2012

Monday, July 30th, 2012

Surrey Satellite Technology announces successful launch of exactView-1 satellite aboard Soyuz launcher.
[Directions Magazine – 07/27/2012]

Communications payload on MUOS satellite passes in orbit tests.
[Defense Systems – 07/26/2012]

China successfully launches Tianlian I-03 satellite, completing the country’s first data relay satellite network system.
[SatNews – 07/26/2012]

Dubai-based Sky-Stream selects two satellites operated by Eutelsat for capacity to support increasing demand from maritime and energy sectors.
[Market Watch – 07/26/2012]

SES signs long-term renewal with the U.K’s Channel 5 for one transponder.
[SatNews – 07/26/2012]

Norsat releases Satellite Locator application for iPhone on the App Store.
[Market Watch – 07/26/2012]

U.S. Export-Import Bank approves $1.2 billion to finance export of American-made telecommunications satellites to Mexico and Australia.
[Aerospace Manufacturing and Design – 07/25/2012]

TeleCommunication Systems gets $7.3 million funded U.S. Army order for SNAP deployable satellite systems equipment and support.
[Market Watch – 07/25/2012]

Intelsat announces partnership with Harris Caprock using Intelsat’s new Epic platform to service remote sites.
[IT Web – 07/25/2012]

MTN to deliver more than 2 gigabits per second to Caribbean cruise ship and yacht customers, using Intelsat EpicNG broadband connectivity.
[Market Watch – 07/25/2012]

GMV receives contract for MEASAT-3b communications satellite control center.
[Space Daily – 07/25/2012]

NASA’s Odyssey satellite orbit is successfully adjusted so it can provide prompt confirmation of Rover landing in August.
[SatNews – 07/25/2012]

Large inflatable heat shield for re-entry of vehicles into the atmosphere successfully survives hypersonic test by NASA.
[R&D Magazine – 07/24/2012]

Roscosmos launches group of five satellites aboard Soyuz-FG carrier rocket after regulatory delays.
[Satellite Today – 07/24/2012]

Globecomm announces receipt of $17 million contract from U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic for commercial-off-the-shelf satellite network and communications equipment and other services.
[EON – 07/24/2012]

Al Jazeera Networks (AJN) and Es’hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company, sign a Memorandum of Understanding to promote closer co-operation between the two companies in building out AJN network to reach rest of world.
[SatNews – 07/24/2012]

Frontier will be distribution partner for HughesNet Gen4 service, offered on the Echostar XVII satellite with faster broadband speeds.
[Telecompetitor – 07/24/2012]

NASA’s Landsat, the longest running earth-imaging satellite, turns 40.
[Nextgov – 07/23/2012]

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WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 07/20/2012

Friday, July 20th, 2012

Telespazio signs $200 Million deal with Italian Ministry of Defense as prime contractor to build high-resolution Earth observation military satellite system.
[Satellite Today – 07/20/2012]

Astrium wins contract to supply telecommunications products for NewSat’s Jabiru-1 satellite, to be built by Lockheed Martin.
[SatNews – 07/20/2012]

Avanti launches Pay-As-You-Go satellite broadband service across Europe, offering a high-speed Internet connection with no monthly subscription fees.
[Tech Week Europe – 07/20/2012]

RRsat signs contract with English Club TV Network Limited for distribution of its TV channel to Asia via the MEASAT satellite.
[SatNews – 07/20/2012]

SES to present newest developments in the satellite industry with series of seminars accompanying the International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam, Netherlands, September 7-11, 2012.
[SatNews – 07/20/2012]

SES announces that satellite has become the leading TV infrastructure in Europe, reaching approximately 84 million European households, and more than 1200 HD channels are available worldwide on the SES fleet of 50 satellites.
[SatNews – 07/19/2012]

United Launch Alliance completes crucial milestone in development and certification of the Atlas V launch vehicle for human spaceflight.
[SatNews – 07/19/2012]

ViaSat to provide UHF satellite network with new Integrated Waveform for more efficient use of satellite capacity  for the Commonwealth of Australia Department of Defence.
[Market Watch – 07/19/2012]

iStreamPlanet and Haivision announce availability of the Go-Live Package live streaming and cross platform video playback solution for the London Olympics, to deliver premium HD video experience over the Internet.
[SatNews – 07/19/2012]

ESA selects e-GEOS to process satellite data from the Matera Space Center and support the operational activites of the Sentinel system.
[Satellite Today – 07/19/2012]

Russia invites India to participate in development of Glonass satellite navigation system.
[Satellite Today – 07/19/2012]

DigitalGlobe satellite imagery reveals a Syrian neighorhood ablaze, caused by the civil war violence.
[SatNews -07/19/2012]

Honeybee Robotics delivers hinges for deploying solar arrays to the National Space Organization in Taiwan for the new FORMOSAT-5 imaging satellite.
[SatNews – 07/19/2012]

Russia’s projected manned spacecraft capable of flights to the moon will not fly until 2018 according to head of Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos.
[SatNews – 07/19/2012]

ATIS announces work effort to find technologies to provide backup to GPS for time and frequency transport and delivery for communications systems, needed because of susceptibility of GPS system to interference and jamming.
[SatNews – 07/19/2012]

Three-part NSR webinar to examine the value of each maritime target market, including its relative demand in terms of bandwidth and in-service units.
[SatNews – 07/19/2012]

Proposal for privatisation of AsiaSat fails in vote of independent shareholders and cannot be put into effect.
[SatNews – 07/18/2012]

Thuraya launches roaming service in USA in partnership with T-Mobile.
[SatNews – 07/18/2012]

U.S. Navy’s first next-generation narrowband tactical satellite communications system, MOUS, has completed on-orbit testing.
[UPI – 07/18/2012]

Launch of Russia’s “Nauka” multirole laboratory module for International Space Station set back from end of this year to end of next year due to technological and organizational problems at the Khrunichev Space Center.
[SatNews – 07/18/2012]

NASA to launch and deploy large inflatable heat shield aboard rocket travelling at hypersonic speeds to demonstrate lightweight yet strong inflatable structures for entry into atmospheres of Earth or other worlds.
[SatNews – 07/18/2012]

Intelsat announces Panasonic Avionics Corporation has contracted for as much as 1Gbps of capacity on the Intelsat EpicNG satellite platform to be used in delivery of aeronautical consumer broadband and live TV.
[SatNews – 07/18/2012]

Two satellite passengers, HYLAS 2 and Intelsat 20, for Arianespace’s next heavy-lift Ariane 5 mission scheduled for August 2nd, are undergoing final preparations at Spaceport in French Guiana.
[SatNews – 07/17/2012]

ISRO ready to ship GSAT-10 communication satellite to Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana in preparation for September launch.
[Satellite Today – 07/17/2012]

NASA selects SpaceX to launch the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Jason-3 spacecraft in December 2014 aboard a Falcon 9 v1.0 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
[SatNews – 07/17/2012]

Globalstar beginning to turn around after resolution of litigation over delayed satellite deliveries which caused  troubles meeting employee count required by agreement to relocate to Louisiana from California.
[WWLT V – 07/17/2012]

Ball Aerospace & Technologies STPSat-3 spacecraft built for U.S. Air Force will host five payloads and a de-orbit module when in launches in 2013.
[SatNews – 07/17/2012]

TeleCommuication Systems receives $11.3 million in additional funding to support deployed communications systems for U.S. Marine Corps.
[Market Watch – 07/17/2012]

Gilat Satcopm establishes new Point of Presence facility in Sierra Leone.
[SatNews – 07/17/2012]

Satellite operators led by Eutelsat, Intelsat and SES, complete process of adapting earth station information tables to implement Carrier ID in time to guarantee quality of DVB satellite transmissions of the London Olympics.
[Sacramento Bee – 07/17/2012]

India’s Isro enhancing capacity in terms of rockets, satellites, and ground-based systems to meet growing demand for enhances services in communications, broadcasting, remote-sensing and navigation.
[First Post – 07/17/2012]

Launch of first Azerbaijani communication satellite is put off for January-February 2013.
[ABC.AZ – 07/17/2012]

NovelSat launches NS3000 modem that can achieve data rates of up to 716Mbps with bandwidth increases of between 20 and 50% over DVB-S2 alternatives.
[SatNews – 07/17/2012]

Barger Corporation announces purchase of one of largest and most expensive non-military communications satellites from the European Space Agency, at 19,000 lbs., of the Envisat class, and costing $2.1 billion.
[rushpr News – 07/16/2012]

Soyuz spacecraft launches from Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with NASA, Russian, and Japanese astronauts bound for International Space Station.
[SatNews – 07/16/2012]

ESA takes control of MSG-3 satellite following successful series of in-orbit tests.
[SatNews – 07/16/2012]

SES, Northrop Grumman, and NATO join forces for NATO’s Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance  system.
[SatNews – 07/16/2012]

European Broadcasting Union gives more than 70 EBU Members up to eight MPEG 4 decoders each to ensure flawless access to 12 HD multilateral signals for the London Olympic Games, saying goodbye to SD signals.
[SatNews – 07/16/2012]

Canadian Defence Department tests Astrium Services’ AirPatrol satellite communications system for coastal surveillance system.
[Ottawa Citizen – 07/16/2012]

NASA’s Launch Services Program selects United Launch Alliance’s Delta II launch vehicle for three future missions; Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, July 2013; Soil Moisture Active Passive, October 2014, and Joint Polar Satellite System-1, in 2016.
[SatNews – 07/16/2012]

Liberty’s Malone plans to spin off Sirius XM and DirecTV.
[Satellite Today – 07/16/2012]

July-August 2012 issue of Satellite Executive Briefing highlights spirited debate at GVF Conference on Broadband Maritime.
[Satellite Markets – July-August 2012]

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Higgs Boson, Maybe

Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

Excellent piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer on the Higgs boson discovery. Here’s the lead…

It took a very large village to find the Higgs boson — one with 10,000 scientists and engineers who came from 600 institutions in more than 100 countries. In the variety of languages one hears at the European Organization for Nuclear Research near Geneva, better known as CERN, it resembles the Olympic Village. But its common language is physics, not sports, and CERN differs from the other village in another important way: It aims to advance science through international cooperation; matters of national pride are left at the door.

Meanwhile, out at UC Berkley, it was standing room only in the Chan Shun Auditorium to hear physicists explain WTF all this excitement is about. Full video…

The Wikipedia entry says it best…

Proof of the Higgs field (by confirming its boson), and evidence of its properties, are seen as likely to greatly affect human understanding of the universe, validate the final unconfirmed part of the Standard Model as essentially correct, indicate which of several current particle physics theories are more likely correct, and open up “new” physics beyond current theories. On 4 July 2012, the CMS and the ATLAS experimental teams at the LHC independently announced that they each confirmed the formal discovery of a previously unknown boson of mass between 125–127 GeV/c2, whose behaviour so far was “consistent with” a Higgs boson, while adding a cautious note that further data and analysis were needed before positively identifying the new particle as being a Higgs boson of some type.

Yes, it’s something to get excited about, but cool your electrons as we await confirmation.

SkyCube & Kickstarter

Tuesday, July 17th, 2012

This Kickstarter project has a ways to go, so give up a few bills for the guy…

Here’s how it all started…

It’s scheduled to go up via SpaceX Falcon 9 in 2013.

Cranking It Up With NbTiN

Monday, July 16th, 2012

So the next big thing in amplifiers probably won’t find their way into the trunk of your tuned Plymouth, but they may be able to help scientists — serious scientists — develop new quantum computers.

Byeong Ho Eom, Peter K. Day, Henry G. LeDuc & Jonas Zmuidzinas at CalTech have developed a parametric amplifier that will allow measurements heretofore unattainable. That awesome.

Here’s the abstract:

An ideal amplifier has very low noise, operates over a broad frequency range, and has large dynamic range. Unfortunately, it is difficult to obtain all of these characteristics simultaneously. For example, modern transistor amplifiers offer multi-octave bandwidths and excellent dynamic range, but their noise remains far above the limit set by the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics. Parametric amplifiers can reach the quantum-mechanical limit, but generally are narrow band and have very limited dynamic range. Here we describe a parametric amplifier that overcomes these limitations through the use of a travelling-wave geometry and the nonlinear kinetic inductance of a superconducting transmission line. We measure gain extending over 2 GHz on either side of an 11.56 GHz pump tone and place an upper limit on the added noise of 3.4 photons at 9.4 GHz. The dynamic range is very large, and the concept can be applied from gigahertz frequencies to ~ 1 THz.

Some they can now use this instrument to find signals between the radio and infrared spectra, and then there’s so much more. I especially like this part of the press release:

Because the instrument is so sensitive and introduces minimal noise, it can also be used to explore the quantum world. For example, Keith Schwab, a professor of applied physics at Caltech, is planning to use the amplifier to measure the behavior of tiny mechanical devices that operate at the boundary between classical physics and the strange world of quantum mechanics. The amplifier could also be used in the development quantum computers—which are still beyond our technological reach but should be able to solve some of science’s hardest problems much more quickly than any regular computer.

In advanced science, there’s always something to look forward to!

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 07/13/2012

Friday, July 13th, 2012

U.K Space Agency launches ‘Civil Space Strategy,’ setting out direction for the U.K. space sector over the next four years. [SatNews – 07/13/2012]

Euroconsult announces findings of its most recent study of fixed satellite services in the 5th edition of its ‘Company Profiles, Analysis of FSS Operators.’
SatNews – 07/13/2012]

50th anniversary of satellite Telstar is celebrated.
[CNN – 07/13/2012]

L-3 Communications will provide U.S. Special Operations Command very small aperture terminal satellite systems.
[Avionics Intelligence – 07/13/2012]

NATO steps up purchase of commercial Ka- and Ku-band satellite capacity under two separate agreements with Avanti Communications of London and SES of Luxembourg.
[Space News – 07/13/2012]

EADS Corporate Technical Office and Russian researcher collaborate on evaluation of new, innovative and efficient propulsion technology for development of new Continuous Detonation Wave Engines for future applications.
[SatNews – 07/12/2012]

SpaceX Dragon crewed version design review is completed.
[SatNews – 07/12/2012]

ARINC and Lemko demonstrate seamless 4G LTE transmission via satellite connection.
[Market Watch – 07/12/2012]

ESA wants to team with industrial partner to launch third data-relay satellite in geostationary orbit over Asia and Americas.
[Space News – 07/12/2012]

ViaSat wins AU$280m contract from NBN to provide ground equipment for NBN’s satellite service to be launched in 2015.
[ZDNet – 07/12/2012]

SES announces that SAT-IP converter by Inverto Digital Labs of Luxembourg that converts satellite-delivered programs into Internet Protocol in the consumer’s home has been tested and certified.
SatNews – 07/12/2012]

DigitalGlobe completes series of upgrades to ground systems, more closely aligning its security capabilities with those used by the U.S. government.
[SatNews – 07/12/2012]

PortVision’s desktop Automatic Identification System vessel-tracking service available in mobile platform optimized for smartphones including BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android devices.
[SatNews – 07/12/2012]

Chinese sailor will attempt to set new record circumnavigating the globe single-handed, making use of satellite communications provided by Inmarsat.
[SatNews – 07/12/2012]

Jordanian biker completes another leg of 60,000 kilometer “goodwill Journey” on his motorbike, raising funds for Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund Pediatric Cancer Center, relying on communications equipment by Thuraya.
[SatNews – 07/12/2012]

Virgin Galactic announces a commercial launch service for small satellites with an air-launched rocket named LauncherOne; four companies have placed deposits as future customers.
[Spaceflight Now – 07/11/2012]

Surrey Satellite Technology signs with OHB for construction of second batch of eight Full Operational Capability Satellites for ESA GALILEO constellation.
[SatNews – 07/11/2012]

Telecommunication Industry Association and Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions announce gathering of top ICT industry groups to launch major global organization focused on advancement and standardization of machine-to-machine (M2M) communications.
[SatNews – 07/11/2012]

Inmarsat to deploy SwiftBroadband service as satellite backbone for in-flight Internet services on two airlines in Asia Pacific region.
[Sattellite Today – 07/11/2012]

TSF communications equipment provided to NGO teams in Sahel region essential for communications of vital food data on situation of people affected by drought.
[SatNews – 07/11/2012]

Raytheon existing AEHF terminals already meet 80% of requirements for FAB-T alternate terminal program, for which it submitted a proposal in June.
[Market Watch – 07/11/2012]

ViaSat antennas and modems selected by Selex for NATO communications.
[Market Watch – 07/11/2012]

Arabsat announces that Dubai Media will launch six free Sport Channels on Arabsat satellite to broadcast games and activities of Olympic Games in London, live.
[SatNews – 07/11/2012]

SES-5 telecommunications satellite equipped with European government navigation terminal as piggyback payload is launched by ILS aboard a Proton rocket from Russia.
[msnbc – 07/10/2012]

Eutelsat and Ariancespace sign launch contract for Eutelsat’s 28th satellite launch.
[Sacramento Bee – 07/10/2012]

MDA signs contract to provide Ka-band communications payload for HYLAS 3 satellite.
[Sacramento Bee – 07/10/2012]

Harris CapRock and Astrium Services sign multi-year multi-channel agreement to offer end-to-end UHF Tactical Satellite solutions to international and U.S. government users.
[SatNews – 07/10/2012]

European Communication Services partners with OH TV to offer joint broadcast and IPTV service to African broadcast market and various regions around the world.
[Satellite Today – 07/10/2012]

Spacecom selection of Israel Aerospace Industries to produce Amos 6 communications satellite saves Israel’s domestic satellite industry.
[Jerusalem Post – 07/09/2012]

NIGCOMSAT invests in iDirect Universal Satellite hub to aid deployment of Evolution-based service to capture growing broadband market in Nigeria.
[Business Day – 07/09/2012]

Russian designers and engineers in the closed Siberian city Zheleznogorsk are creating some of the world’s most advanced satellite systems.
[Telegraph- 07/09/2012]

Russian space agency to create communications satellite for Armenia. [NEWS.am – 07/09/2012]

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WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits for 07/06/2012

Monday, July 9th, 2012

New date of July 10 set for launch of SES-5 from Baikonur by International Launch Services.
[SatNews – 06/08/2012]

In orbit testing of Yahsat Y1B successfully concluded, and hand-off to Yahsat in readiness for commercial operations takes place.
[SatNews – 07/08/2012]

Surrey Satellite Technology announces planned launch of exactView-1, the highest detection performance Automatic Identification System satellite ever built, on July 22nd by Soyuz launch vehicle from Baikonur.
[SatNews – 07/08/2012]

Avanti announces that HYLAS 2, with almost 3 times the bandwidth capacity of HYLAS 1, will launch August 2, 2012.
[SatNews – 07/08/2012]

Kratos subsidiary Integral Systems Europe Limited is selected by MEASAT to deliver RF system for MEASAT’s Cyberjaya Teleport and Broadcast Centre near Kuala Lumpur.
[SatNews – 07/08/2012]

NASA’s solar satellite monitors strongest solar flare yet of the current season, which will miss the Earth.
[SatNews – 07/08/2012]

KVH Industries’ TracPhone V7 and mini-VSAT products to be provided by partner SKY Perfect JSAT under OceanBB brand name to Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen Kaisha line and installed on its container ships.
[SatNews – 07/08/2012]

EchoStar XVII and Meteosat MSG3 satellites launched together aboard Ariane 5 rocket July 5 are in good shape.
[Spaceflight Now – 07/08/2012]

EchoStar XVII 4G Ka-band satellite, designed by Space Systems/Loral to provide more than 100 Gigabits per second of capacity to HughesNet customers and compete with Viasat 1, is successfully launched from French Guiana along with MSG-3 satellite.
[Multichannel News – 07/06/2012]

Canadian rural broadband provider Xplornet hopes to reach 2 million customers using its purchase of 100% of Canadian capacity of EchoStar XVII, a 4G high capacity broadband satellite launched July 5.
[Total Telecom – 07/06/2012]

NASA satellites track derecho, a powerful summertime storm, that moved from Illinois to the Mid-Atlantic states on June 29, expanding and bringing destruction with it.
[R&D Magazine – 07/06/2012]

Israel’s Spacecom Satellite Communications plans to replace Amos-2 commercial communications satellite with 5-ton Amos-6, to be built by Israel Aerospace Industries.
[UPI – 07/06/2012]

“Telstar 50th Anniversary” symposium to be presented at Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum July 12 in cooperation with the Embassy of France.
[Space Daily – 07/06/2012]

Boeing awarded $111 million to upgrade two U.S. Air Force communications satellites, installing upgraded digital channelizers aboard the eighth and ninth Wideband Global Satcom satellites to boost their capacity.
[Space News – 07/06/2012]

Lockheed Martin-built VINASAT-2 begins service for Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group.
[Market Watch – 07/05/2012]

Eutelsat sets new benchmark for satellite broadband, launching service with higher user speeds, increased volume allowance, equipment rental programme and new entry level package on KA-SAT.
[Sacramento Bee – 07/05/2012]

Beam Communications of Australia receives initial order for $170K from a China based satellite communications company for a major trial of Inmarsat Oceana terminals on Chinese fishing vessels.
[Market Watch – 07/05/2012]

New report from Pike Research forecasts revenue from satellite services and equipment for smart grid applications will reach $368 million by 2020.
[Smart Meters – 07/05/2012]

Mistsubishi Electric Corporation reimburses 26 million yen to national treasury of Japan in relation to overcharged expenses on research and development of polarization division multiplexing technology for satellite communications.
[Business Wire – 07/04/2012]

TeleCommunication Systems ranks 96th on Washington Technology’s top 100 government contractors list. [Market Watch – 07/03/2012]

Japan’s Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry to introduce a system for transmitting data from 15 wave gauges equipped with GPS off Japan’s shores to ground stations via satellite to help monitor for tsunamis.
[Oceanspa@ce – 07/04/2012]

Ball Aerospace to build privately funded asteroid-tracking satellite.
[Satellite Today – 07/02/2012]

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WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 06/29/2012

Sunday, July 1st, 2012

United Launch Alliance Delta IV lifts off carrying National Reconnaissance Office payload.
[SatNews – 06/29/2012]

ATI Systems develops web based version of its MassAlert software that can control system components with a cloud based application accessible through a web browser using satellite communications.
[Virtual Strategy – 06/29/2012]

Hughes Network Systems successfully demo’s wireless 4G/Long Term Evolution (LTE) transmissions over satellite backhaul at download speeds of more than 10 Mbps and upload speeds of 786 Kbps.
[SatNews – 06/29/2012]

MDA is selected to provide communications payload for Israeli AMOS 6 satellite to be launched in 2014.
[Military Aerospace – 06/28/2012]

GeoEye receives $111 million cost-share payment from National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency after successfully passing major milestone in development of GeoEye-2 satellite.
[SatNews – 06/28/2012]

Europe’s MSG-3 meteorological satellite now installed on Ariane 5 launcher in French Guiana, with EchoStar XVII to be mounted next, for scheduled July 5 launch. [SatNews – 06/28/2012]

Orbital Sciences successfully completes negotiations with NASA to included its Antares launch vehicle in the NASA Launch Services-II program.
[SatNews – 06/28/2012]

Reportlinker.com announces new report, “Satellite Communications for Smart Grid Applications.”
[Energy Digital – 06/28/2012]

Eutelsat’s Skylogic affiliate signs Serbia Broadband to distribute the Tooway satellite broadband service in six Balkan countries.
[SatNews – 06/28/2012]

Comtech receives $1.3 million modem and frequency converter contract to support network expansion in Asia.
[Market Watch – 06/28/2012]

U.S. Forest Service purchases 6,000 SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger devices for the purpose of employee safety in remote sites.
[SatNews – 06/28/2012]

DeLorme offers inReach satellite communicator for smartphones, allowing text messages to be sent by satellite when out of cell phone range.
[boston.com – 06/28/2012]

Boeing agrees to pay ICO Global Communications $10 million and waive appellate legal costs, to avert protracted battle to win review of ongoing case by California Supreme Court.
[SatNews – 06/28/2012]

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) acquires Space Systems Loral for $875 million.
[Canada.com – 06/27/2012]

Final weld completed by NASA team on first space-bound Orion capsule, to be shipped to Kennedy Space Center for final assembly and checkout operations.
[SatNews – 06/27/2012]

Hughes SPACEWAY Crypto Kernel receives Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 Security Level 1 validation from the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST).
[SatNews – 06/27/2012]

Data from new generation of instruments aboard Suomi NPP satellite are being used in NOAA’s global numerical weather forecast system only seven months after launch, a record.
[SatNews – 06/27/2012]

Inmarsat wins Safety at Sea magazine’s Systems Award for its Inmarsat Voice Distress service on commercial and leisure vessels.
[SatNews – 06/27/2012]

Pratt and Whitney successfully completes series of tests on thruster designed for Boeing’s Commercial Space Transportation spacecraft, designate CST-100.
[SatNews – 06/27/2012]

Forecast International projects that commercial communications satellite market will be worth $52.7 billion from 2012 – 2021.
[Market Watch – 06/26/2012]

Solar array on Intelsat 19 deploys and satellite is successfully transferred to geostationary orbit.
[Market Watch – 06/26/2012]

President Obama signs waiver allowing EX/IM bank to move forward with financing for Vietnam communications satellite to be build by Lockheed Martin.
[Market Watch – 06/26/2012]

Commercial communications satellites built by Lockheed Martin surpass 1,000 cumulative years in orbit.
[Market Watch – 06/26/2012]

U.S. Chamber of Commerce asks FCC to expedite release of rules allowing more flexible use of satellite spectrum.
[Multichannel – 06/26/2012]

Russian Satellite Communications Company expands agreement with Earthly Orbit to include capacity on prospective Express-AM8 satellite.
[SatNews – 06/25/2012]

Seven Pacific nations partner in Pacific ComNet satellite program to reduce dependence on Internet and IDD calls currently provided by other nations.
[People Daily – 06/25/2012]

HISPASAT signs Orbital Sciences to build two new satellites, Amazonas 4A and Amazonas 4B.
[SatNews – 06/25/2012]

Avanti to launch Africa-dedicated satellite.
[Aerospace & Defence – 06/25/2012]

Spacecom Satellite Communications to contract with Israel Aerospace Industries to build and buy Amos 6 satellite.
[Globes – 06/24/2012]

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