Really Rocket Science

GPS shoes to be commercially available in the U.K and Ireland, enabling tracking of wandering Alzheimer’s patients who wear them.
[SatNews – 10/12/2012]

The Season of Bulgarian TV Shows II from Martin Simeonov on Vimeo.

Intelsat gets agreements with two Bulgarian media companies for transponder services to enable digital terrestrial television and distribution of HD programming.
[SatNews – 10/12/2012]

B612 Foundation Sentinel Special Review Team concludes that the Sentinel Mission implementation plans and mission design and will lead to successful Sentinel mission to find and track Near Earth Asteroids.
[Satellite Today – 10/12/2012]

SpaceX Dragon loses Orbcomm satellite on way to Space Station.
[NewScientist – 10/11/2012]

Astrium successfully completes ASTRA 2F testing in orbit and turns over control to SES.
[SatNews – 10/11/2012]

Boeing is selected by SES S.A. to build SES-9 Ku-band satellite for DTH to Asia and Indonesia.
[Space Daily – 10/11/2012]

Eutelsat chooses Thales Alenia Space to build the EUTELSAT 8 West B satellite for broadcast over the Middle East and North Africa.
[herald online – 10/11/2012]

Components for fourth, fifth, and sixth Soyuz launches from French Guiana have arrived at the Spaceport.
[SatNews – 10/11/2012]

Avanti’s $25 million operating loss sends shares down.
[Space News – 10/11/2012]

Russian Federation approves use of Iridium service throughout its territory.
[SatNews – 10/11/2012]

Marlink commits to completing a maritime VSAT installation within 24 hours.
[SatNews – 10/11/2012]

DigitalGlobe gets USGIF Industry Intelligence Award for its work with Satellite Sentinel Project, monitoring human rights violations in Sudan and South Sudan using satellite imagery.
[SatNews – 10/11/2012]

Air Force Space Command commander order Accident Investigation Board to investigate why a Delta IV RL-10B-2 upper stage engine did not perform as expected, even though the GPS IIF satellite was successfully deployed into orbit.
[SatNews – 10/11/2012]

Ariane 5 VA210 flight to orbit EUTELSAT 21B for Eutelsat and Star One C3 for Brazil in November; Soyuz Flight VS03 scheduled for launch October 12 with two European Space Agency GPS satellites.
[Space Ref – 10/10/2012]

Avanti announces that HYLAS 2 is now fully operational and providing coverage across Africa, Caucasia, and the Middle East.
[SatNews – 10/10/2012]

EADS and BAE Systems terminate merger discussions on heels of discussions with several governments about their issues with the merger.
[SatNews – 10/10/2012]

Australian company EM Solutions wins tender with Tokyo based Jepico Corporation to provide Ka-band Satellite on the Move (SOTM) platform to Japanese Government’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology.
[SatNews – 10/10/2012]

Azerbaijani Deputy Communications and IT Minister says first Azerbaijani telecommunications satellite Azerspace will be launched in January 2013.
[Trend – 10/09/2012]

ATK gets $50M NASA contract to complete engineering development and risk reduction tests as part of the Advanced Concept Booster Development for the Space Launch System.
[SatNews – 10/09/2012]

Beam Communications installs Inmarsat products IsatDock Pro at Russian Antarctic Polar Station.
[herald online – 10/09/2012]

GeoEye is connected to additional government networks through the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
[SatNews – 10/09/2012]

Hughes signs 10-year smart grid satellite connectivity deal with Emtele of Finland.
[Satellite Today – 10/09/2012]

Inmarsat signs long-term alliance with Cisco, enabling it to deliver advanced services over Inmarsat’s new high-throughput satellite broadband network, Global Xpress.
[Market Watch – 10/08/2012]

Indian Space Research Organization plans to launch 58 space missions, among them 33 satellites, by 2017.
[Satellite Today – 10/08/2012]

Inmarsat signs master distribution agreement with Honeywell for GX Aviation services, to bring the service to the business aviation market.
[SatNews – 10/08/2012]

Space Systems/Loral to build EchoStar 8 for Dish Network.
[Satellite Today – 10/08/2012]

New ESA project led by Irish industry puts satellite data to use for monitoring quality of coastal water.
[SatNews – 10/08/2012]

NASA plans space network upgrade for Goddard Space Flight Center to accommodate third generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellites, with launch of TDRS-K scheduled for December.
[Satellite Today – 10/08/2012]

NASA’s Terra satellite observes plume cause by eruption of Shiveluch volcano on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
[SatNews – 10/08/2012]

Two TV market studies show increasing IPTV effect on traditional video, giving satellite TV providers something to think about.
[Satellite Today – 10/08/2012]

NASA TDRS-K satellite under final system checks by Boeing in preparation for December launch.
[phys.org – 10/06/2012]

FCC lets access rules expire that required cable companies to sell local content like sports channels to satellite TV providers.
[Wall Street Journal – 10/05/2012]

Race for gigabit satellite throughput explored in WTA report, “Teleports in a Gigabit World.”
[World Teleport Site – October, 2012]

Satellite industry girds for another likely spectrum battle in 2015.
[Satellite Today – 10/01/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

NSR report projects strong long term growth in government and military demand for satellite services in spite of short term slump caused by troop withdrawals and budgetary challenges.
[SatNews – 09/28/2012]

Dish Network offers broadband Internet to underserved U.S. rural market.
[Chicago Tribune – 09/28/2012]

Indra closes with European Space Agency the definition of requirements for management system for Spanish satellite Ingenio.
[SatNews – 09/28/2012]

Beam Communicatons entire range of Inmarsat products approved for sale into Japanese market.
[SatNews – 09/28/2012]

Astrium Services is awarded ESCPC framework contract by the EDA for commercial satellite communications for European military needs.
[Defence Professionals – 09/28/2012]

Four instruments on the Metop-B weather satellite activated this week.
[SatNews – 09/28/2012]

Danish shipping company TORMN selects Inmarsat XpressLink to deliver next generation high-speed broadband to its entire bulk carrier and tanker fleets.
[SatNews – 09/28/2012]

Iridium Pilot terminals to be added to NSSLGlobal’s portfolio.
[SatNews – 09/28/2012]

Canadian pioneer in space technologies recalls NASA’s first reservations that Alouette satellite program was too ambitious.
[The Province – 09/28/2012]

Arianespace’s Ariane 5 mission with ASTRA 2F and GSAT-10 gets go ahead for September 28. [Space Ref – 09/27/2012]

GE Capital’s GE 23 satellite goes to Eutelsat.
[Digital Edge – 09/27/2012]

TCS, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin team to produce affordable satellite terminals for protected communications on the move and at the halt.
[Defence Professionals – 09/26/2012]

First ECME and live hybrid event in Dubai and Bahrain deemed huge success.
[AME info – 09/26/2012]

Satellite communications have crucial role in helping bridge digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa.
[African Business Review – 09/26/2012]

Astrium reveals first demo of robotics in space for maintenance and disposal of satellites.
[SatNews – 09/25/2012]

ORBCOMM’s first OG2 satellite to launch on October 7.
[4-traders – 09/25/2012]

Collaborative efforts of stakeholders in the satellite industry and Pacific militaries improve disaster preparedness in the Pacific with training program at Changi Naval Base.
[SatNews – 09/25/2012]

Spacenet to showcase “Pay-as-You-Use” emergency communications solutions at International Association of Chiefs of Police.
[Daily Finance – 09/25/2012]

Bentley Walker unveils new Freedomsat service to Iraq and Afghanistan, the fastest satellite broadband connection available in both countries to date.
[SatNews – 09/25/2012]

Cassidian and Astrium enhance regional Tatrapol networks, enabling interconnection of the networks over satellite.
[Defence Professionals – 09/25/2012]

Air Force Space Command to build Space Fence radar site on Kwajalein Island in 2017.
[SatNews – 09/25/2012]

ViaSat developing a vertically integrated communications play.
[Seeking Alpha – 09/25/2012]

Russia’s first satellite manufactured and operated by a private firm to be launched next year.
[SatNews – 09/25/2012]

Vizada to showcase latest innovations in maritime communications at National Marine Electronics Conference in Orlando, FL.
[SatNews – 09/25/2012]

Telesat mounts PR offensive in Nunavut to prove relevance of satellite communications in spite of the company’s battered reputation.
[Succeed – 09/24/2012]

U.S. Weather satellite used for East coast hurricanes is busted.
[SatNews – 09/24/2012]

SpaceXs Grasshopper vertical takeoff and landing test vehicle takes first test flight hop.
[SatNews – 09/24/2012]

Lockheed Martin reaches major software design milestone in development of “switchboard in the sky” for Iridium NEXT constellation.
[Sacramento Bee – 09/24/2012]

MDA-Loral satellite deal clears U.S. national security hurdle.
[Reuters – 09/21/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Government of Luxembourg asks ITU to deny license for Avanti’s Hylas 2 satellite.
 [Space News – 09/07/2012]

Curiosity’s tire tracks, made during 112 meters of travel in one month, visible in images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
[R&D Magazine – 09/07/2012]

AMOS-4 satellite set for Q2 2013 launch; GlobeCast will use AMOS-5 satellite for complimentary satellite services in Africa for Palaympic Games broadcasts.
[SatNews – 09/07/2012]

SES and Red Bee Media unveil remote recording service for satellite reception devices.
[SatNews – 09/07/2012]

Echostar showcasing comprehensive range of connected device solutions at IBC.
[SatNews – 09/07/2012]

Entropic Communications deploys Set Top Box system-on-a-chip and demodulator technology in three EchoStar models.
[SatNews – 09/07/2012]

Iranian government locates satellite operator willing to lease or sell an in-orbit telecommunications satellite, providing the country a placeholder for it’s expiring orbital slot assignment.
[Space News – 09/06/2012]

Astrium ready to launch European polar orbiting weather satellite Metop-B.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

35 year old Voyager 1 soon to be first man-made object to leave the solar system.
[NextGov – 09/06/2012]

Intelsat S.A. announces that Astrium Services Business Communications has expanded its capacity on Intelsat’s Ku-band mobility infrastructure.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

Gilat Satellite Networks gets initial order for several thousand SkyEdge II-c Aries self-install customer premise equipment kits from one of Europe’s largest satellite broadband ISP’s in support of SES Broadband Services Ka-band consumer service rollout.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

SES Broadband Ka-band consumer service to launch in November 2012.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

Singapore Airlines launching In-Flight Connectivity as part of $50 million program to bring Internet and mobile data services to customers, even at 35,000 feet.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

ND SatCom wins broadcast uplink technology deal in Germany.
[Satellite Today – 09/06/2012]

IsoTropic Networks upgrades global satellite network to iDirect Evolution platform with iDX 3.1 software to reduce operating costs and grow the business.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

New Lasso satellite interface allows easy and affordable access to Globalstar satellite network for remote M2M monitoring applications.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

Selex Elsag selects Teledyne Paradise Datacom high power X-band PowerMAX SSPAs to expand NATO ground satellite communications systems in Belgium and Italy, and provide upgrades in Greece and Turkey.
[SatNews – 09/06/2012]

Eutelsat promotes readiness of satellites for ultra HD, triple-play, digital cinema, new-generation newsgathering, and more, at IBC 2012.
[EE Times – 09/05/2012]

KVH TracPhone V11 C/Ku-band terminal adds global C-band coverage to mini-VSAT Broadband network, receiving  full FCC approval, including first-time approval for C-band on vessels under 300 gross tons.
[SatNews – 09/05/2012]

On Call Communications and Gray Television Group collaborate on combination of mobile satellite systems and 3G video encoders to create news gathering package for twenty Gray-owned news channels.
[Herald online – 09/05/2012]

Indonesia’s space agency to launch its two micro satellites LAPAN A-2 and LAPAN ORARI via India’s PSLV rocket later this month.
[SatNews – 09/04/2012]

First Intelsat EpicNG satellite, Intelsat 29e, will be Boeing 702MP.
[Herald online – 09/04/2012]

Russian President Vladimir Putin dismisses general director of Khrunichev Space Center, Vladimir Nesterov.
[SatNews – 09/04/2012]

United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan hold satellite frequency coordination meeting.
[AME – 09/04/2012]

Joint space agency for Africa considered at meeting in Sudan of continent’s communications and IT ministers.
[phys.org – 09/04/2012]

Squire Tech Solutions serves hundreds of satellite Mobile Responder units in post hurricane response to Mississippi-, Louisiana-, and Arkansas-based teams.
[Azosensors.com – 09/04/2012]

MTN’s yacht customers can now view HD content, with MTN’s VSAT connections using Jetstream HD streaming content solution.
[SatNews – 09/04/2012]

Hungarian company Magyar Telekom signs long-term AMOS capacity lease.
[Satellite Today – 09/04/2012]

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. gets $1.2 million order from defense contractor for solid-state high-power amplifiers for use in transportable satellite communications systems by U.S. military.
[Herald online – 09/04/2012]

inthinc selects ORBCOMM for global M2M communications service.
[4-traders – 09/04/2012]

DARPA program to harvest and reuse satellite components involves high school students.
[Occupational Health & Safety – 09/03/2012]

Thales Alenia Space Espana to present Paper “Security in IP Satellite Networks:  .  .  .” at Sixth International Conference of Advanced Multimedia Satellite and Signal Processing for Space Communications.
[Defence Professionals – 09/03/2012]

HTS Paradigm Shift – Industry views of High Throughput Satellites change dramatically over past five years.
[NSR – 08/28/2012]

NSR 3rd edition, SCADA/M2M Via Satellite report available in October.
[NSR – October 2012]

NSR 5th Edition, Global Direct-to-Home Markets report available in September.
[NSR – September 2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

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]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

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]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

MEASAT takes Intelsat to court over alleged breach of contract in respect to the Land Launch and Program Management Services for the MEASAT 1R satellite.
[SatNews – 05/14/2012]

Arianespace to launch Vietnam’s second satellite along with Sky Perfect’s JSAT-13 on May 16.
[Satellite Today – 05/14/2012]

SES announces that its German HD+ platform reached more than 2.6 million households at the end of first quarter 2012.
[SatNews – 05/12/2012]

ViviSat, backed by ATK and U.S. Space, shows new video explaining how its Mission Extension Vehicle can extend the life of retiring geosynchronous communications satellites.
[SatNews – 05/12/2012]

ATK has developed Liberty into complete commercial crew transportation system, including spacecraft, abort system, launch vehicle, and ground and mission operations, designed to meet NASA’s human-rating requirements.
[SatNews – 05/12/2012]

While negotiating with Boeing to convert its current contract for new advance satellite terminals from cost plus to fixed price, the Air Force opens up the bidding to other companies.
[Chicago Tribune – 05/11/2012]

Dish launches DVR feature allowing customers to completely avoid commercials, threatening billions of dollars in broadcast-television advertising.
[Wall Street Journal – 05/11/2012]

Eutelsat cuts forecast for full-year revenue, and its stock falls the most since it began trading in Paris in December 2005.
[Bloomberg – 05/11/2012]

Vietnam says it will send its second satellite into orbit on May 16.
[People Daily – 05/11/2012]

Nigeria says it will deploy satellites to trace movement of suspected terrorists and their locations in the country.
[Daily Trust – 05/11/2012]

Iridium unveils worlld’s smallest commercial two-way satellite data transceiver.
[Sat PR News – 05/11/2012]

L-3 to lay off 34 workers in Mason, Ohio, a plant that makes infrared sensors and systems and satellite electronics.
[Dayton Business Journal – 05/11/2012]

MDA may lay off 150 additional employees if Radarsat Constellation Mission doesn’t continue.
[Vancouver Sun – 05/11/2012]

China launches Remote-Sensing Satellite Number 14.
[SatNews – 05/10/2012]

SpaceX and Bigelow Aerospace agree to jointly market rides on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft to Bigelow habitats orbiting Earth.
[SatNews – 05/10/2012]

Globecomm Systems gets contract value upgrade and 12 month extension to existing five year contract to provide complete facility and geographic diversity for voice and data restoration services to Agility Recovery Solutions.
[SatNews – 05/10/2012]

Comtech receives $1.5 million order for Ka-band high-power amplifiers serving the emerging High Throughput Satellite communications market.
[Market Watch – 05/10/2012]

NASA announces the retirement of the TDRS-4 communications satellite.
[redOrbit – 05/09/2012]

ESA declares Envisat environmental satellite, which stopped communicating in April, lost. [Spaceflight Now – 05/09/2011]

Netherlands Defence organisation a step closer to satellite communications independence following May 5 launch of communications satellite from Cape Canaveral.
[Defence Professionals – 05/09/2012]

Eutelsat closes distribution deal with RG Networks, making KA-SAT satellite broadband available across Hungary.
[Sacramento Bee – 05/09/2012]

Astrium gets contract to provide airborne SATCOM systems to Star Satellite Communications Company, a subsidiary of Yahsat.
[SatNews – 05/09/2012]

Norsat revenues up 21% for strong 2012 first quarter.
[Market Watch – 05/09/2012]

Telstra orders $5 million in docking stations and Iridium handsets from Beam Communications of Australia.
[Market Watch – 05/09/2012]

Comtech gets $2.5 million contract from Latin American operator for satellite earth station equipment for the company’s network expansion.
[Market Watch – 05/09/2011]

Scientists offer calculation to correct temperature data taken from NOAA-9 in the 1980′s, bringing it in line with other satellite earth temperature data and models that simulate global warming.
[R&D Magazine – 05/08/2012]

Field testing of Army’s mobile WIN-T C-2 satellite network finally under way in New Mexico after a year’s worth of delays.
[Defense News – 05/08/2012]

Intelsat reports first quarter net loss of $24.4 million, and confirms plans for four satellite launches in second and third quarters of 2012.
[Market Watch – 05/08/2012]

Satcom Direct becomes reseller for TriaGnoSys satellite communications systems.
[Seattle PI – 05/08/2012]

SkyWave Mobile Communicatioins introduces IDP-780 series of terminals with dual mode satellite-cellular capability.
[Market Watch – 05/08/2012]

Dish Network reports several technical glitches on its satellites during the first quarter, including solar array anomalies.
[Fierce Cable – 05/07/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Russian power engineering manufacturer Energomash begins development of new rocket engine to run on novel mixture of acetylene and ammonia and could reduce cost of rocket launches and need for hydrogen
[SatNews – 05/07/2012]

Craftwork launches off-the-shelf software solutions enabling device makers to rapidly develop and launch new SAT>IP devices.
[SatNews – 05/07/2012]

U.S.A.F. launches second AEHF satellite from Cape Canaveral.
[Defence Professionals – 05/06/2012]

DISA says new strategy to build cohesive global network by 2020 could be used to acquire teleport receiving stations and satellite antennas outside the GSA vehicle for acquiring satellite bandwidth.
[NextGov – 05/04/2012]

Inmarsat shareholder protest over executive chairman pay.
[telecompaper – 05/04/2012]

NSR webinar Wednesday May 30, 2012 will offer in=depth discussion of emerging market for Hosted Payloads across all market segments and all regions.
[SatNews – 05/04/2012]

Vizada and Vizada Elite Partner SRH Marine Electronics sign 24 month agreement with Danaos Shipping Co. to equip its fleet of vessels with full broadband communications system using Inmarsat FleetBroadband terminals.
[SatNews – 05/04/2012]

Thrane board accepts sweetened Cobham offer.
[Nicosia Business Review – 05/03/2012]

North Korea’s jamming of GPS signals has serious affects on U.S. Army’s Rifleman Radio.
[NextGov – 05/03/2012]

VT iDirect and Informa Telecoms & Media release survey and white paper demonstrating market value and potential of satellite backhaul when used in conjunction with small cells.
[SatNews – 05/03/2012]

ESA announces its next large science mission will be an explorer (JUICE) that will be sent to explore Jupiter’s icy moons.
[SatNews = 05/03/2012]

South Korean flights affected by GPS jamming signals coming from communist North Korea.
[ABC News – 05/02/2012]

Goddard Space Flight team works on Fast Plasma Instrument that will collect full sky map of data at 30 times per second for the NASA fleet of four identical spacecraft, the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, to launch in 2014.
[R&D Magazine – 05/01/2012]

Orbit Communication Systems gets contract from Scientific Research Institute of the Precision Instruments, a Roscosmos member, to supply several Earth Observation systems for tracking of LEO satellites.
[Globe Newswire – 04/30/2012]

Hoping to prevent bankruptcy, LightSquared’s lenders ask Philip Falcone to step down from LightSquared board seat he took just two months ago.
[Wireless Week – 04/30/2012]

U.S.A.F. begins negotiations with Lockheed Martin in effort to acquire two AEHF satellites below the $3.1 billion limit set by Congress in 2012 Defense Authorization Act.
[Air Force Times – 04/28/2012]

U.K to build $400 million Solar Orbiter which will come closer to sun than any previous satellite, inside Mercury’s orbit, to study solar winds.
[Vancouver Sun – 04/28/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

SES, with leading industry partners, introduces SAT-IP, an IP-based satellite reception technology that converts satellite TV signals to IP for distribution throughout user’s homes for display on any IP-enabled device.
[Market Watch – 04/27/2012]

Telesat profit drops by 14% due to reduced prices charge a DTH customer on one of its satellites.
[Winnipeg Free Press – 04/27/2012]

Astrium activates full in-orbit operations on the first two Galileo In-Orbit Validation satellites launched in October 2011.
[Satellite Today – 04/27/2012]

Russian Proton rocket successfully launches Yahsat 1B Ka-band civil/military communications satellite into geostationary transfer orbit.
[Space.com – 04/26/2012]

Indian rocket successfully launches microwave Radar Imaging Satellite (Risat-1) from spaceport in Andhra Pradesh, joining a select group of nations having this technology.
[NY Daily News – 04/26/2012]

UK industry to build Solar Orbiter satellite.
[BBC News – 04/26/2012]

CASBAA members rally to resist India’s proposed retroactive satellite tax laws. [SatNews – 04/26/2012]

U.S.A.F. terminates Defense Weather Satellite System contractual activities with Northrop Grumman in accordance with 2012 National Defense Authorization Act and FY12 Consolidated Appropriations Act.
[SatNews – 04/26/2012]

Space-based technology that serves GPS-equipped motorists will undergo major test of ability to rapidly pinpoint the location and magnitude of strong earthquakes across the western United States.
[SatNews – 04/26/2012]

Research firm Media Partners Asia expects DTH growth to explode in Asia, growing exponentially from 11% market share today to about 30% in the next decade.
[Satellite Today – 04/26/2012]

GMV is awarded a contract with THAICOM Plc to provide satellite control center for Thaicom 6 satellite.
[Space Ref – 04/26/2012]

NASA seeks proposals to develop solar array systems to enable space electric propulsion systems of the future.
[SolarNovus – 04/26/2012]

SpaceX COTS 2 mission set for May 7th, when the comp-any’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle will propel the Dragon toward the International Space Station.
[SatNews – 04/25/2012]

ViaSat is selected to enable Ka-band broadband satellite services for kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
[Market Watch – 04/25/2012]

SES adds two new local German channels on ASTRA.
[Market Watch – 04/25/2012]

Canadian Department of National Defence General wants satellite coverage over far north to aid communications in Canadian Arctic.
[The Globe and Mail – 04/25/2012]

Astrium Services and Spanish government satellite service operator Hisdesat sign agreement to establish constellation approach for radar satellites TerraSAR-X and PAZ for additional flexibility.
[SatNews – 04/24/2012]

Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association announces that WorkMark has joined the association as Industry Partner Member; they will work together to expand certification and qualifications needed in the consumer satellite industry.
[SatNews – 04/24/2012]

Boatracs and KVH announce strategic partnership to provide end-to-end global broadband solution to maritime market.
[chron – 04/24/2012]

EUMETSAT opens high-tech facility in Germany.
[Satellite Today – 04/24/2012]

New $1 billion + anti-jam communications satellite to provide the president and military leaders a secure and survivable communications link in wartime is mounted atop its Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral.
[Spaceflight Now – 04/23/2012]

DARPA project advocates replacing conventional spacecraft with free-floating orbit clusters that interact wirelessly, promoting easy re-configuration for changing military needs.
[Nextgov – 04/23/2012]

iDirect’s iDX software earns 2011 Satellite Spotlight Product of the Year award for bringing TDMA and SCPC together on a single platform for the first time ever.
[Market Watch – 04/23/2012]

U.S. military may spend $1 billion during next decade to piggyback its communications equipment onto commercial satellites.
[Washington Post – 04/22/2012]

Medical Robotics Experts Help Advance NASA’s Satellite Surgery Project.
[Tech Briefs – 04/01/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

NASA awards $3 million contract to Space System/Loral to begin process of hosting a space laser communications relay demonstration terminal payload aboard a commercial satellite.
[SatNews – 04/20/2012]

ISRO plans to launch its biggest spacecraft ever, the 5,000-kg GSAT-11, by 2014.
[The Hindu Businessline – 04/20/2012]

New nanosat designed by European Satellite Agency promises new opportunities to test ground-breaking satellite software on an actual mission in space.
[Product Design & Development – 04/20/2012]

Upon receipt of an overdue payment of $56.25 million from LightSquared, Inmarsat agrees to suspend further payments until 2014, giving LightSquared some breathing room.
[Reuters – 04/20/2012]

Next-generation DVB-S2 satellite service offered out of Perth, Australia by SpeedCast in partnership with SatComms Australia, finds its first major customer in Saxon Energy Services.
[SatNews – 04/20/2012]

SES-4, launched on February 15th, the 50th and largest satellite in the fleet, is now fully operational and ready for service at orbital location of 338 degrees East.
[SatNews – 04/19/2012]

Second Advanced Extremely High Frequency communication satellite ready for launch May 3, poised to give war fighters a 10 fold increase in capacity after years of delay in the program and a glitch that almost scuttled the first AEHF satellite.
[National Defense Magazine – 04/19/2012]

Europe’s latest second-generation meteorological spacecraft, MSG-3, arrives in French Guiana to be readied for June 19 dual-payload launch on Ariane 5.
[SatNews – 04/19/2012]

The second satellite of the United Arab Emirates’ space communications program, Y1B, is ready to be launched on a Proton launcher from Baikonur in Kazakhstan on April 23.
[Defense Professionals – 04/19/2012]
Satellite Today Webcast April 23

Space Systems/Loral completes construction of Intelsat 19 ahead of schedule, and the satellite is now at the Sea Launch home port in Long Beach.
[Market Watch – 04/19/2012]

Asia Broadcast Satellite seeks $215 million loan from Export-Import Bank of the U.S. for construction of new satellites.
[Bloomberg – 04/19/2012]

Honeywell agrees to work with satellite communications company Inmarsat on providing in-flight internet connection for airline passengers.
[CBS News – 04/19/2012]

SES and Encompass Media sign capacity deal making NASA TV channels available to satellite TV providers and cable outlets throughout the U.S.
[SatNews – 04/19/2012]

Report from U.S. State and Defense Departments states that China is stealing U.S. military and civilian space technology in effort to disrupt U.S. access to intelligence, navigation and communication satellites.
[Business Week – 04/18/2012]

U.S. Defense and State Departments jointly recommend that Congress ease export controls on satellites that have become less militarily sensitive to allow American companies to better compete in the world market.
[NextGov – 04/18/2012]

FCC sets deadlines for comments on plan for flexible use of 2 GHz satellite band, moving closer to proposal that could allow Dish to launch its LTE network.
[Wireless Week – 04/18/2012]

Telesat’s Nimiq 6 satellite, built by Space Systems/Loral, arrives at Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan, where it will be launched on a Proton Breeze M vehicle.
[Market Watch – 04/18/2012]

Australia’s NBN process of moving ahead with satellite construction and launch plans ahead of actual approval of the satellite slots meets with ITU requirements since the application for the slots is underway.
[PC Advisor – 04/18/2012]

Communications on four Eutelsat satellites will be used to cover the French Presidential elections.
[Market Watch – 04/18/2012]

Raytheon successfully downloads and delivers Defense Weather Satellite data via Antarctica with 50% reduction in latency.
[Market Watch – 04/18/2012]

Hughes announces the addition of Ka-band mobile satellite equipment and other communications products to its GSA schedule 70 contract.
[Market Watch – 04/18/2012]

RRSAT and THAICOM extend contract for global distribution of Vietnam Television.
[Market Watch – 04/18/2012]

Unfurlable mesh antenna reflectors aboard DoD’s recently launched MUOS satellite are successfully tested in space.
[Market Watch – 04/17/2012]

University of Navarre’s doctorate thesis describes satellite antenna array designed as a cone such that “radiation is uniformly incident on all parts of the Earth, thus avoiding some zones receiving more energy than others”.
[Basque Research – 04/17/2012]

ITT Exelis, Britain’s BAE Systems and L-3 Communications Holdings have created a joint venture to bid for a huge contract to manage and maintain the U.S. Air Force’s satellite launch and test ranges.
[Reuters – 04/17/2012]

Kratos Integral Systems International selected by Boeing to provide turnkey ground segment solution to support entire constellation of Boeing 702 and Orbital STAR2 satellites for MEXSAT.
[Market Watch – 04/17/2012]

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions subsidiary RT Logic releases CyberC4(TM), a family of cyber security products designed specifically for the satellite industry.
[Market Watch – 04/17/2012]

Military takes control of fourth WGS satellite following completion of on-orbit tests by Boeing.
[UPI – 04/16/2012]

European Space Agency struggles to restore contact with its massive 10 year old satellite Envisat, after it lost touch with Earth.
[Space – 04/16/2012]

Intelsat and PCCW Global of Hong Kong agree to interconnect their MPLS networks to expand the IntelsatONE terrestrial network.
[Market Watch – 04/16/2012]

Undisputed evidence showing ICO waived its claim for breach of a satellite contract by Boeing leads to three-judge appellate court’s reversal of a 2008 jury award to ICO against Boeing for over $600 million.
[Gulf News – 04/15/2012]

Sailors who have grown up used to instant access to friends and family by broadband and the Internet are finding themselves and their families stressed out when they go to sea and have these lines of communications restricted or severed.
[Navy Times – 04/15/2012]

Some scientists believe that a solar storm on April 5, 2010, observed by NASA satellites TWINS and IBIX, was responsible for the loss of control of Galaxy 15, which drifted out of control for almost a year before operators regained control and returned it to its assigned orbit.
[NASA – article]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Companies such as Hughes and Spacenet probably don’t have to worry about, as their future in transaction processing with VSAT technology isn’t going away. It may not be growing much, but the business is there.

Until an alternative process for secure transactions comes around. Well, here comes Verizon Private IP Wireless LTE.

A report in Computerworld puts it into the proper perspective for the satcom set:

With the new service, customers with LTE smartphones and tablets and LTE modems for their laptops can access the nearest cell tower and will then be routed to an enterprise gateway in one of many Verizon switching centers, Konings said. Data routed to and through the enterprise gateway is encoded, but not encrypted, and kept totally separate from the public Internet. Encryption of the data can be added, if desired.

At a Verizon switching center, the data then also joins Verizon’s global MPLS network, Konings said.

Verizon demonstrated ATM cash machines that are connected to its LTE network at CES in January, but the company didn’t describe its Private IP connection, which can be used to keep transactions secure and will allow a bank to move an ATM more easily to a new location.

LTE speeds, generally described by Verizon as 10 times faster than EV-DO, will also be useful for quickly activating remote digital signs and can even be used for transmitting video wirelessly, he said.

A news report with video can be transmitted over the Private IP LTE network instead of a more expensive satellite connection, he said. Also, wireless over LTE could be used as a backup network or for routing data to storage.

“With faster speeds, companies can provide many more apps [wirelessly] than before,” he said. Verizon describes its LTE speeds for consumers as averaging 10 Mbps on downlinks, with up to 2 Mbps on uplinks.

In addition to wireless data costs, the only cost to a business for Private IP over LTE is a $500 one-time charge to create a mobile private network, which can serve up to 1,000 sites, Konings said.

SNG? 1,000 data site? That’s satcom territory! This will be interesting to watch — especially when you add the satellite bandwidth used for video contribution feeds. Big business (read: satellite operators) ought to take notice.