Really Rocket Science

SES confirms Padraig McCarthy as new CFO and announces full-year financial results, missing desired 2012 earnings due to three-week delay in launching SES-5 satellite. [Satellite Today – 02/22/2013]

Russia asks Germany for permission to buy two x-band reconnaissance satellites from Astrium for use by Russia’s military. [SpaceNews – 02/22/2013]

ViaSat mobile Ka-band satellite antenna gets FAA and International certification. [PR Newswire – 02/22/2013]

YAHSAT to fit state-of-the-art satellite communications systems to complete fleet of UAE Navy Baynunah-class corvettes. [Satellite Spotlight – 02/22/2013]

skyDSL signs five-year multiple spotbeam capacity contract on Eutelsat’s KA-SAT, to step up broadband deployment across Europe. [SatNews – 02/22/2013]

International Space Station hosts research on effects of microgravity on disease-causing organisms. [Space Daily – 02/22/2013]

Global VSAT Forum announces extensive series of scheduled, public Hands On Skills Test (HOST) sessions worldwide for the Spring of 2013. [SatNews – 02/22/2013]

NASA calls for proposals to develop miniaturized electrospray propulsion technologies that could revolutionize small satellite propulsion systems. [Satellite Evolution Group – 02/21/2013]

HispaSat’s Amazonas 3 begins in-orbit tests. [Satellite Today – 02/21/2013]

Telesat reports 2012 financial results, and notable achievements including refinancing of debt, bringing Nimiq 6 on line, and completion of construction of Anik G1 satellite. [SatNews – 02/21/2012]

After a year of significant investment, ViewSat plans to expand across global markets, including the middle East, Asia, Europe, and North America. [Satellite Today – 02/21/2013]

NSR to host free webinar “Where’s the demand in Military and Government SatCom” March 13 at 10:00 AM EDT. [SatNews – 02/21/2013]

ST Electronics announces commencement of design and development of the first made-in-Singapore commercial satellite. [Satellite Evolution Group – 02/21/2013]

NASA report attributes failure of Glory spacecraft to reach orbit in March, 2011, to failure of the Taurus launch vehicle’s fairing system to open fully, due to unknown factors. [SatNews – 02/21/2013]

EchoStar reports modest increase in subscribers to its Hughes U.S. satellite broadband service in 2012, but remains confident that EchoStar 17/Jupiter Ka-band high-throughput satellite is being well received by market. [SpaceNews – 02/21/2013]

CommunicAsia2013 Summit and BroadcastAsia 2013 back in a new format, participating in two-part visionary address on June 19, 2013. [Satellite Evolution Group – 02/21/2013]

Hispasat reports continued growth and profit increase in 2012. [SpaceNews – 02/21/2013]

Wireless Matrix extends satellite agreement with LightSquared. [Satellite Evolution Group – 02/21/2013]

Astrium crew communications survey reveals growing number of seafarers see on board Wi-Fi connectivity as essential. [SatNews – 02/21/2013]

Following the Russian meteor explosion last week, the international scientific community renews its call for U.S. military satellite data to be made available, since the satellites also detect incoming meteoroids. [Satellite Today – 02/20/2013]

Brazil hosts part of the Russian Glonass satellite navigation system. [Satellite Today – 02/20/2013]

Lockheed Martin completes successful demonstration of remote control of Squad Mission Support System vehicle via satellite. [Azorobotics – 02/20/2013]

India prepares Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C20) for February 25th launch of 7 satellites, including the Indo-French satellite SARAL which will study sea surface heights.. [SatNews – 02/20/2013]

Satellite TV widens market share gap with cable in Germany. [Satellite Today – 02/20/2013]

RV5MONDE Afrique joins AMOS-5 French-language broadcast bouquet. [Satellite Evolution Group – 02/20/2013]

Orbital Sciences executive expresses concern that tight budgets will limit U.S. government’s plan to move toward smaller satellites. [Satellite Today – 02/19/2013]

Azerbaijan’s first satellite, Azerspace/Africasat-1a, reaches final orbit and begins in-orbit testing. [Satellite Today – 02/19/2013]

Visiongain report estimates value of global military communications and COTS market at $17.46 billion in 2013. [Satellite Spotlight – 02/18/2013]

World Teleport Association rates Mexic0-based Elara Communicaciones as the second fastest growing teleport in 2012. [Satellite Today – 02/19/2013]

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Ya, the gorilla in the room is poor quality, according to SpaceFlightNow.com…

In a statement issued Feb. 6, Vitaly Lopota, general designer and president of RSC Energia, vowed investigators would find the cause of the Feb. 1 launch mishap and resume launching satellites.

“In conjunction with the participants of this program and various interested parties from the business community, we are in the process of creating a strategy that will ensure the long-term viability of the Sea Launch system as well as provide for evolutionary improvements to its performance,” Lopota said in a statement. “We remain confident that the Sea Launch program will continue to remain a key launch service provider to the world’s spacecraft operator community for years to come.”

The Feb. 1 failure marked the fourth problematic launch in 35 flights from Sea Launch’s ocean pad, and it was the first anomaly since the company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.

“I urge all current and potential customers of Sea Launch to be patient, recognizing the strategic importance of launch vehicle diversity to their own business,” Lopota said. “We can assure you that Sea Launch will continue to launch our customer’s spacecraft on schedule, reliably and with a high level of injection accuracy.”

The Russian and Ukrainian governments assumed control of the investigation into the Feb. 1 launch failure. Engineers are focusing their inquiry on the thrust vector control system of the Zenit rocket’s RD-171 first stage engine.

The thrust vector control system pivots the engine in flight, directing its thrust to help steer the rocket through the atmosphere on the proper trajectory.

The steering system failed soon after launch, causing the rocket to veer from its planned flight path.

The Zenit rocket’s flight computer detected the booster exceeded a programmed roll limit and initiated an engine shutdown sequence, which is designed to safely terminate the flight in the event of a problem.

The RD-171 engine, built in Russia by NPO Energomash, switched off about 20 seconds after liftoff, and the rocket crashed into the Pacific a few miles from the launch platform.

This animated set of three images depicts asteroid 2012 DA14 as it was seen on Feb. 14, 2013, at a distance of 465,000 miles (748,000 kilometers). The animation was created by astronomers at the Remanzacco Observatory in Italy using observations obtained remotely from the Faulkes Telescope South in Siding Springs, Australia.

The images were taken with Faulkes Telescope South in Siding Springs, Australia, operated by Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network by E.Gomez. The animation was made by Remanzacco Observatory, Italy.

The asteroid is the large bright spot moving near the middle of the field of view. The other dots are stars in the background. A line that appears in one of the frames comes from a satellite that passed through the field of view.

Image credit: LCOGT/E. Gomez/Faulkes South/Remanzacco Observatory

Nice pic, but not worthy of wall mounting. I like the video better…

Meteorite crash in Russia focuses news article on proposal by Deep Space Industries to establish several sentry lines encircling Earth with small spacecraft able to dart after intruders to get close-up photos and data. [SatNews – 02/15/2013]

Russia may suspend its lease of some facilities at the Baikonur space complex, allowing for joint operation of the space base by Russia and Kazakhstan. [R&D Magazine – 02/15/2013]

Gilat will provide satellite-base communications as the primary mode of connectivity for up to 30,000 ATM sites across India for Nelco and Bharti Airtel. [Satellite Spotlight – 02/15/2013]

NASA satellite image reveals evidence of the recent volcanic eruption on Indonesian island of Paluweh. [SatNews – 02/15/2013]

JPL research team finds way to control erosion of electric rocket engine walls by shaping engine’s magnetic field to shield the walls from ion bombardment. [Space Travel – 02/15/2013]

Society of Exploration Geophysicists article describes how two energy companies used satellite imagery to locate and attempt to unravel mystery surrounding British Royal Air Force fighter plane crash in Egyptian Desert in World War II. [SatNews – 02/15/2013]

NASA shows that Orion spacecraft can safely land even if one of its three parachutes fails to deploy. [Space Travel – 02/15/2013]

Possible changes incorporated in latest Chinese launch vehicle, Shenzhou 10, remain veiled. [Space Daily – 02/15/2013]

Beam Communications enters into agreement with Beijing Marine Communications and Navigation Company for $1 million worth of Beam Inmarsat satellite terminals. [SatNews – 02/15/2013]

As the Sequestration concept gains momentum as a U.S. government satellite acquisition approach, the GAO urges action on the weather satellite gap, adding it to the so-called high-risk list. [Federal Times – 02/14/2013]

France selects Astrium to build the country’s first digital, military ultra-fast broadband satellite network. [UPI – 02/14/2013]

Astrium will contribute to development and demonstration of service to measure citywide emissions of greenhouse gases in Paris. [Satellite Today – 02/14/2013]

Spanish researchers claim to have developed new system capable of increasing conventional GPS devices’ accuracy by as much as 90%. [Satellite Today – 02/14/2013]

Fujitsu Frontech North America will showcase at Video Service Forum’s Los Angeles conference a new firmware release for its video encoders/decoders that dramatically improves end-to-end latency while delivering exceptional video quality at reduced bit rates. [SatNews – 02/14/2013]

COM DEV equipment is utilized aboard NASA’s recently launched TDRS-K satellite. [Broadcaster Magazine – 02/14/2013]

Hughes will demonstrate high-speed wireless 4G/LTE capabilities over satellite at California’s Naval Postgraduate School’s Joint Interagency Field Exploration event. [Satellite Today – 02/14/2013]

Spacenet gets 5-year base contract from one of world’s leading delivery services companies to upgrade and provide network connectivity to more than 5,700 locations. [Satellite Evolution Group – 02/14/2013]

PolarSat gets multi-phase order from GECI for equipment supply and technical services for a VSATPuls3 satellite communications network to upgrade air traffic control communications network within Mozambique. [Satellite Evolution Group – 02/14/2013]

MTN expands its MTN Worldwide TV service to include three new live channels, as well as programming in French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. [Satellite Evolution Group – 02/14/2013]

Hughes M2M satellite terminal integrates 9502 modem with compact antenna to create single-piece, integrated, rugged terminal to withstand the most extreme weather conditions, providing IP connectivity over BGAN network. [SatNews – 02/14/2013]

South Korea moves to accelerate development of longer-range ballistic missiles in response to third nuclear test by North Korea. [Space Daily – 02/13/2013]

Boeing signs contract with U.S. Air Force worth more than $50 million for completion and deployment of the 12 GPS satellites it is building for the government. [Satellite Today – 02/13/2013]

ITT Excelis sensor to be used on U.S. Air Force weather satellites under new contract will provide the Air Force and war fighter with better weather information, especially regarding clouds. [SatNews – 02/13/2013]

Norsat introduces GLOBETrekker 2.0 upgraded fly-away satellite terminal. [Stockhouse – 02/13/2013]

Polish satellite TV operators Cyfra+ plan to introduce new satellite platform to include Internet service and compete with Cyfrowy Polsat, which offers LTE Internet service at 150 Mbps. [Satellite Today – 02/13/2013]

Study using data from NASA satellites finds that parts of Middle East region lost 117 million acre feet of freshwater reserves over past 7 years. [SatNews – 02/13/2013]

Near-Earth asteroid not expected to pose any threat to orbiting satellites. [Satellite Today – 02/13/2013]

Hughes to demonstrate how “store of the future” will be driven by its high-powered networks and managed services solutions at EuroCIS 2013. [Yahoo Finance – 02/13/2013]

Deep Space Industries to use cubesats to investigate nature of near-Earth asteroids with goal of eventually mining the asteroids to create propellant to extend the working life of communications satellites among other applications. [SatNews – 02/13/2013]

Landsat satellite successfully launched from Vandenberg AFB. [Satellite Today – 02/12/2013]

NASA demonstrates robotic fluid transfer in space during Robotic Refueling Mission aboard the International Space Station. [SatNews – 02/12/2013]

The 1800th flight of a Soyuz launch vehicle successfully placed Progress cargo spacecraft on target orbit for another mission to the International Space Station. [Satellite Evolution Group – 02/12/2013]

Comtech Xicom gets $.4 million order for traveling wave tube amplifiers from U.S. government agency for military communications. [Satellite Spotlight – 02/12/2013]

SES and Viking Satcom partner for development and deployment of commercial satellite antenna systems to enable expansion of SES’s center arc cable neighborhood. [Satellite Today – 02/12/2013]

Newtec signs Basic Ordering Agreement with the NATO Communications and Information Agency. [Satellite Spotlight – 02/12/2013]

MDA signs contract with OGSystems to develop prototype surveillance solutions for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that will utilize a quickly deployable mobile satellite terminal to receive and process imagery from multiple commercial satellites. [Satellite Today – 02/12/2013]

Kratos gets multi-million SES contract for interference monitoring and geolocation system enhancements. [Equities.com – 02/11/2013]

Harris CapRock and AIS Engineering team to provide end-to-end satellite, teleport and terrestrial services to U.S. intelligence customer. [Orlando Business Journal – 02/12/2013]

Astrium Services signs multi-year renewal agreement for C-band capacity to serve maritime customers in the Mediterranean, Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. [Satellite Spotlight – 02/11/2013]

Hosted U.S.A.F. infrared surveillance payload on commercial satellite will be discussed with industry. [Military Aerospace – 02/10/2013]

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What is that? HFS!! It’s a meteorite!! A 10-ton rock falling from the sky at 20 km/second — that’s 745 miles per hour! Injured 500 people, too.

The Russian Academy of Sciences is referring to it as the “Chelyabinsk Fireball,” weighing 10 tons and with a velocity of up to 20 meters per second.

Сегодня утром в районе города Челябинска было зарегистрировано падение космического тела, вызвавшее яркую световую вспышку и сильную ударную волну.

Сообщается о выбитых стеклах в домах. По нашим оценкам размер тела составлял несколько метров, масса порядка десяти тонн, энергия несколько килотонн. Тело вошло в атмосферу со скоростью 15-20 км/с, разрушилось на высотах 30-50 км, движение фрагментов с большой скоростью вызвало мощное свечение и сильную ударную волну. Основная часть вещества падающего тела испарилась (сгорела), оставшиеся куски затормозились и могли выпасть на землю в виде метеоритов. Обычно суммарная масса найденных метеоритов составляет не больше 1-5% от начальной массы. Основная энергия выделилась на высотах 5-15 км. Тела такого размера падают довольно часто, несколько раз в год, однако обычно сгорают на больших высотах (порядка 30-50 км). Рассматриваемое тело, по-видимому, было очень прочным, возможно железным. Последний раз похожее явление на территории России наблюдалось в 2002 году (Витимский болид). Более точные оценки можно дать после получения всей имеющейся информации.

Wow. Massive. From the AP…

A meteor that scientists estimate weighed 10 tons streaked at supersonic speed over Russia’s Ural Mountains on Friday, setting off blasts that injured some 500 people and frightened countless more.
The Russian Academy of Sciences said in a statement that the meteor over the Chelyabinsk region entered the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of at least 33,000 mph and shattered about 18-32 miles above ground.
The fall caused explosions that broke glass over a wide area. The Emergency Ministry says more than 500 people sought treatment after the blasts and that 34 of them were hospitalized.

“There was panic. People had no idea what was happening. Everyone was going around to people’s houses to check if they were OK,” said Sergey Hametov, a resident of Chelyabinsk, about 930 miles east of Moscow, the biggest city in the affected region.

“We saw a big burst of light then went outside to see what it was and we heard a really loud thundering sound,” he told The Associated Press by telephone.
Another Chelyabinsk resident, Valya Kazakov, said some elderly women in his neighborhood started crying out that the world was ending.
Some fragments fell in a reservoir outside the town of Cherbakul, the regional governor’s office said, according to the ITAR-Tass news agency. It was not immediately clear if any people were struck by fragments.

The agency also cited military spokesman Yarslavl Roshupkin as saying that a six-meter-wide (20-foot-wide) crater was found in the same area which could be the result of fragments striking the ground.

Meteors typically cause sizeable sonic booms when they enter the atmosphere because they are traveling much faster than the speed of sound. Injuries on the scale reported Friday, however, are extraordinarily rare.
Interior Ministry spokesman Vadim Kolesnikov said that about 600 square meters (6000 square feet) of a roof at a zinc factory had collapsed. There was no immediate clarification of whether the collapse was caused by meteorites or by a shock wave from one of the explosions.

Reports conflicted on what exactly happened in the clear skies. A spokeswoman for the Emergency Ministry, Irina Rossius, told The Associated Press that there was a meteor shower, but another ministry spokeswoman, Elena Smirnikh, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying it was a single meteor.

Amateur video broadcast on Russian television showed an object speeding across the sky about 9:20 a.m. local time (0320 GMT), leaving a thick white contrail and an intense flash.

Donald Yeomans, manager of U.S. Near Earth Object Program in California, said he thought the event was probably “an exploding fireball event.”

Arianespace successfully orbits Amazonas-3 and Azerspace/Africasat-1a satellites. [Space Travel – 02/08/2013]

Video released showing entire process of South Korean rocket successfully entering orbit and releasing satellite. [Mail Online – 02/08/2013]

Gilat enters into joint venture with regional African Internet Service Provider Microlink to enhance affordable high-speed fiber and satellite connectivity services throughout Zambia. [Satellite Today – 02/07/2013]

Arabsat acquires majority stake in Hellas-Sat in Euro 208 million deal with Hellenic Telecommunication Organization. [Satellite Evolution Group – 02/807/2013]

XTAR to expand international reach into Africa and Asia. [Satellite Today – 02/07/2013]

Astrium Services signs multi-year renewal agreement with Intelsat for C-band capacity to be used in the Mediterranean, Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. [Satellite Evolution Group – 02/07/2013]

NASA and ATK complete second in series of development tests for NASA’s Space Launch System booster program at Utah test facility. [Space Travel – 02/07/2013]

The Satellite Design Lab at the University of Texas wins first place in the national University Nanosatellite Program competition. [Satellite Today – 02/07/2013]

Joint UK mission between University of Surrey’s Surrey Space Centre and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited ready to send world’s first smartphone satellite into orbit. [Satellite Evolution Group – 02/07/2013]

China begins project to modernize its agricultural system utilizing satellite technology. [Satellite Today – 02/07/2013]

Arianespace and its Russian Starsem affiliate successfully launch six new satellites for Globastar from Baikonur. [Satellite Today – 02/06/2013]

SES’ German HD+ platform exceeds one million paying households. [SatNews – 02/06/2013]

Liberty Global becomes one of world’s largest broadband communications companies, and moves to a new home in the United Kingdom, following its acquisition of Virgin Media. [Satellite Today – 02/06/2013]

NSR reports the latest market shift for Satellite Broadband is toward Russia. [SatNews – 02/06/2013]

TSF team sets up humanitarian calling operations and Internet via satellite for local populations in Timbuktu. [SatNews – 02/06/2013]

GVF certified satellite products to be highlighted at CabSat. [Satellite Evolution Group – 02/06/2013]

Clyde Space announces that first satellite designed and built in Scotland will be launched aboard a Russian rocket from Baikonur next June. [Satellite Today – 02/06/2013]

Boeing files lawsuit for more than $355 million against former Sea Launch partners. [Satellite Today – 02/06/2013]

NASA’s first of three next-generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellites, TDRS-K, is launched from Cape Canaveral. [Satellite Spotlight – 02/05/2013]

President Ahmadinejad wants to be first Iranian astronaut. [Reuters – 02/05/2013]

Gilat is selected by ALEF Soluciones Integrales of Mexico to deploy over 7,000 SkyEdge VSATs in support of the Mexican government’s new “SCT 10K” service. [Globe Newswire – 02/05/20

China is expected to be the global investment leader for the energy and utility sectors as well as emerging verticals and mining in the SCADA/M2M market. [NSR – 02/05/2013]

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Millions of trucks on the road — and thousands are long-haul truckers. When they pull over to sleep, they run their engines all night. Burning a gallon of diesel per hour adds up, good buddy.

Why are rocket scientists like me thinking about idling rigs at truck stops? I read about IdleAir adding free satellite TV to their service in Fleet Owner. Hmm. They provide TSE (truck stop electrification) services. So what is that?

When a trucker parks overnight, they will need a power source to keep their air conditioning, heat, refrigerator, television, radio etc. going. If truck stop electrification is not available, idling is the only means to provide this source of power, assuming the truck is not equipped with an auxiliary power unit. Truck stop electrification allows a trucker to “plug-in” to power their on and off-board electrical needs. There are two types of truck stop electrification, single-system and dual-system. Single-system provides power to on-board devices and requires a hose that connects to the truck. Dual-system can power off-board devices and requires the truck to have an adapter to plug into a 120 volt outlet.

The pricing is about half of what diesel costs and keeping emissions from dissipating in our breathing air is a plus.

Hey, this is good stuff. The U.S. DoE agrees. There’s competition, too, from CabAire and Shorepower.

I would think these types of businesses are in a good position to provide electric-car charging stations.

They love this on the west coast…

Who remembers this video?

Intelsat 27 plunges into Pacific as Zenit-3SL Sea Launch rocket fails 50 seconds after launch, possibly veering off course due to heavy waves. [Space Travel – 02/01/2013]

DigitalGlobe enters GeoEye into United Arab Emirates competition by proposing to sell the nearly completed GeoEye-2 satellite to the UAE. [Space News – 02/01/2013]

Space programs face cuts in 2014-2020 European Union budget. [Space News – 02/01/2013]

NASA successfully launches a Terrier-Improved Orion suborbital rocket from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. [Space Travel – 02/01/2013]

Iran’s claims to have launched a Pioneer Explorer Satellite with a monkey aboard, and to have safely recovered the monkey, called into question as photos appear to show two different monkeys. [Space News – 02/01/2013]

Inmarsat, with partners AnsuR Technologies and SingTel, showcase portfolio of voice and data solutions at Asia Pacific  Aid and International Development Forum in Thailand. [SatNews – 02/01/2013]

Yahsat partners with turIT Uganda to begin operating its Yahclick satellite broadband service in Uganda. [Satellite Today – 01/31/2013]

Eutelsat announces it will deliver the fastest satellite-based consumer broadband speeds in the United Kingdom with a new range of Tooway packages with unlimited data download usage day and night, at competitive prices. [Satellite Today – 01/31/2013]

PolarSat receives multiple orders from General Administration of Civil Aviation of China for equipment supply and technical services for additional VSATPlus II satellite communications equipment. [SatNews – 01/31/2013]

NASA program will use spare parts from a retired wind-measurement satellite to build a new hosted observatory that will be launched to the International Space Station in 2014. [Space News – 01/30/2013]

South Korea successfully launches its first satellite, an Earth observation satellite launched aboard the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1). [Satellite Today – 01/30/2013]

Globalstar confirms February 5 launch for its fourth launch of six second generation satellites. [Satellite Evolution Group – 01/30/2013]

European Space Agency selects Astrium to develop the Ariane 5 ME and Ariane 6 launchers. [Satellite Today – 01/30/2013]

Inmarsat introduces Remote Terminal Manager, which provides management and control over unmanned M2M terminals in the field. [Satellite Today – 01/30/2013]

New NASA TDRS-K satellite is first of three to launch between now and 2014 to upgrade the TDRS satellite network for tracking spacecraft and satellites orbiting Earth. [Space.com – 01/29/2013]

Boeing completes software qualification and systems integration tests on U.S. Air Force Family of Advanced Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminal (FAB-T) program which will provide protected wideband satellite communications for command and control of U.S. nuclear forces. [Satellite Spotlight – 01/29/2013]

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch Israel’s Amos 6 communications satellite in 205. [Spaceflight Now – 01/29/2013]

Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems Interoperability Working Group meets in France, welcoming for the first time Russian and Indian representatives. [Satellite Today – 01/29/2013]

Global military satellite market is dominated by Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin. [Companies and Markets – 01/29/2013]

Hughes satellite broadband internet and voice supports Habitat for Humanity in Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts. [msn MONEY – 01/29/2013]

Swedish based satellite broadband supplier Ancylus enters strategic partnership with Net1 to offer Scandinavian and Nordic maritime market a cost effective Hybrid broadband solution. [WBMSAT – 01/29/2013]

Skywave’s IsatData Pro satellite network and ILS Technology’s deviceWISE M2M platform are teamed to enable Oil & Gas, Utilities, and Industrial Automation industries to implement SCADA applications in less time at lower cost. [Satellite Spotlight – 01/29/2013]

Gilat announces its subsidiary Wavestream has exclusive contract to provide Ka-band tranceivers to Honeywell to provide in-flight connectivity to Inmarsat Global Xpress network. [MarketWatch – 01/29/2013]

Singapore’s MediaCorp selects Pay-OTT platform provider Tvinci to power its new cross device service, Toggle, available as a subscription or pay per view service offering both linear and video on-demand. [Satellite Today – 01/29/2013]

NATO’s protected satellite communications capability to be upgraded by Thales to enhance performance and reduce operational costs. [UPI – 01/28/2013]

Effects of Worst Satellite Breakups in History Still Felt Today. [Space.com – 01/28/2013]

ViaSat signs contracts that increase Ku-band satellite capacity of Global Mobility Satellite Network by more than 60 percent. [4-traders – 01/28/2013]

Hughes is contracted by government of Punjab to provide India’s largest ever satellite-based education network, for over 2900 schools. [msn MONEY – 01/28/2013]

Japan plans to offer 4K satellite video broadcasts starting in July 2014; also, NHK expects to bring 8K on line by 2016 (8K is understood to be at the limit of what the human eye can process). [Satellite Today – 01/28/2013]

Belarusbank to service Chinese loan for Belarusian satellite communication project. [Belarusian Telegraph Agency – 01/28/2013]

Rusat, a Russian satellite service provider for enterprise, ISPs, and government agencies, launches new satellite broadband service using Newtec’s latest VSAT hub and end-user terminal technology. [Satellite Today – 01/28/2013]

Japan successfully launches two intelligence satellites, amid concerns over North Korean plans for additional long-range rocket tests and nuclear tests. [Satellite Today – 01/27/2013]

Satellites reveal North Korean nuclear test preparations. [Nextgov – 01/25/2013]

NSR free webinar March 13 to discuss government and military satcom demand. [NSR – March 13 Webinar]

NSR report, Energy Markets Via Satellite, 3rd Edition, coming in March. [NSR – Energy Markets Report]

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