Posts Tagged ‘satellite’

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 11/01/2013

Friday, November 1st, 2013

John Logan of EM Solutions, Brisbane, has entered The Australian Innovation Challenge with his mobile satellite terminal. – The Australian

Comms-on-the-move Ka-band mobile satellite terminal developed by EM Solutions of Australia, enabling high speed data transfer while driving in locations lacking other communications, finds emergency applications.
[The Australian – 11/02/2013]

FAA loosens rules for electronic devices during flights.
[USA Today – 11/01/2013]

Spacecom announces a manufacturer’s workaround for Amos 5 power-supply anomaly that should enable the satellite to operate for its full 15-year service life.
[Space News – 11/01/2013]

Delayed O3b satellites should be repaired and ready for launch in March 2014.
[Space News – 11/01/2013]

The number of commercial aircraft providing either Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity will reach 4,048 by the end of 2013, representing 21% of the global fleet, according the recent research published by IHS Inc.
[SatNews – 11/01/2013]

China’s homegrown Beidou Navigation Satellite System will be put into its first oversea operation in Thailand early next year.
[GPS Daily – 11/01/2013]\

GCI extends capacity agreements with Intelsat to support broadband services to Alaskan schools and medical clinics, as well as telemedicine applications for hospitals in underserved areas.
[SatNews – 11/01/2013]\

Analysts forecast the Global Fixed Satellite Service market to grow at a CAGR of 5.44 percent over the period 2013-2016.
[SBWire – 10/31/2013]

Latest Ericsson Mobility Report presents key statistics and future forecasts which should provide satellite technology, especially High Throughput Satellites (HTS) , with highly promising short term opportuniteis.
[NSR – 10/31/2013]

Telesat considers expansion after one of its new satellites helps increase revenues in third quarter.
[Ottowa Business Journal – 10/31/2013]

NASA will rely on hosted payload to continue some of the long-running Earth-system observations the agency took over from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in April.
[Space News – 10/31/2013]

Astrium enters into partnership agreement with IHS to deliver satellite imagery and services for intelligence analysis and reporting.
[Via Satellite – 10/31/2013]

MTN Communications experiences a surge in demand, claiming customers increased demand for additional bandwidth on its network by 61% since 2013.
[Via Satellite – 10/31/2013]

Astrium Services is expanding its global VSAT coverage following the signing of new separate Ku-band capacity agreements with SES and Eutelsat.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 10/31/2013]

UltiSat signs multi-year contract with Eutelsat for capacity on EUTELSAT 5 West A to provide C-band service to nongovernmental organizations (NGO) in Africa.
[The Wall Street Journal – 10/31/2013]

Ocean Dream – Via Satellite

Having recently signed a new deal with MTN Communications to enhance its onboard suite of connectivity options for passengers and crew, cruise ship operator Pullmantur executive explains the need for satellite.
[Via Satellite – 10/31/2013]

Signalhorn is selected for ht operation and management of a pan-African network for one of the world’s leading providers of offshore service vessels in the global energy industry.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 10/30/2013]

SimbaNET uses iDirect’s Evolution platform to advance Nigeria-based satellite network.
[Via Satellite – 10/31/2013]

Dreamchaser hoisted by helicopter – R&D Magazine

Sierra Nevada Corp.’s Dream Chaser space plane skids off runway in test flight landing as landing gear collapses.
[R&D Magazine – 10/30/2013]

Arianespace reschedules SES, Hispasat and ESA’s launch dates, with consent of its customers.
[Via Satellite – 10/30/2013]

Raytheon is awarded $11.9 million contract for sustainment services supporting the Military Satellite Communications System (MILSATCOM) Global Broadcast System (GBS). [Signal online – 10/30/20103]

High speed satellite broadband provider ViaSat defies the naysayers who have stigmatized satellite communications as impractical, flawed, and slow.
[Chicago Tribune – 10/30/2013]

Comtech Telecommunications Corp is awarded $1.4 million for communications jamming high-power amplifier systems.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/30/2013]

Dish and Southwest start in-flight iPad lending program for on-demand entertainment on Wi-Fi enabled Southwest flights..
[Via Satellite – 10/30/2013]

Maxwell Technology, in partnership with Cable Wise, expands satellite internet to Northern KwaZulu-Natal.
[Human IPO – 10/30/2013]

Global Maritime VSAT market expected to grow at CAGR of 7.71 percent between 2012 and 2016 according to new Research and Markets report.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/29/2013]

Data product differentiation beginning to become important again in the Earth Observation market.
[NSR – 10/29/2013]

Eutelsat and Es’hailSat announce that their jointly owned EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1 satellite launched August 29, went into commercial service October 29.
[The Wall Street Journal – 10/29/2013]

Astrium to build new satellite for DIRECTV.
[Space Daily – 10/29/2013]

Space training in China – asiaone

Hundreds of space professionals from developing economies receive space training in China, including Pakistan, Nigeria, and Bolivia.
[Asia One – 10/29/2013]

Artist’s rendering of the Ball Smallsat – Via Satellite

Ball Aerospace & Technologies’ Green Propellant Infusion Mission is selected to test advance form of thermal insulation that could become standard on future satellites and cryogenic subsystems.
[Via Satellite – 10/29/2013]

Artist’s rendering of the LADEE – R&D Magazine

NASA’s Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration makes history, successfully transmitting data from lunar orbit to Earth at a rate of 622 Mbps.
[R&D Magazine – 10/28/2013]

ESA approves sale of Artemis telecom satellite to Avanti.
[Spaceflight Now – 10/28/2013]

Measat CEO says company is open to partnerships.
[Via Satellite – 10/28/2013]

ILS Proton successfully launches the Sirius FM 6 satellite.
[Via Satellite – 10/28/2013]

Gogo signs deal with Japan Airlines to deliver in-flight connectivity.
[Via Satellite – 10/28/2013]

Oil and Gas companies – will High Throughput Satellites change the equation?
[Via Satellite Webinar November 14, 2013]

 WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services


WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 11/09/2012

Saturday, November 10th, 2012

In spite of Hurricane Sandy, CCW + SATCON NY show will go on at the Javits Convention Center in New York City November 14 – 15.
[SatNews – 11/09/2012]

Ariane Flight VA210 delayed 24 hours due to high winds aloft.
[Arianespace – 11/09/2012]

Newly release Euroconsult report anticipates that 1,075 satellites will be built for launch worldwide over next 10 years.
[SatNews – 11/09/2012]

Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen says Dish and DirecTV “have to consider” combining under pressure of stagnating growth.
[Bloomberg – 11/09/2012]

U.K. Chancellor announces additional £60 million investment in European Space Agency over next five years.
[4-traders – 11/09/2012]

Northrop Grumman is working with U.S. Air Force to develop more affordable military satellite communications.
[UPI – 11/09/2012]

Boeing unit in Colorado Springs gets $49.4 million defense contract for software engineering and other services for a military communications satellite.
[Seattle PI – 11/09/2012]

Sixth 2012 Ariane 5 launch imminent – to loft EUTELSAT 21B and Star One C3 satellites.
[Broadband TV News – 11/09/2012]

South Africa-based Blue Sky Satellite Communications planning launch of pre-paid satellite internet services across Africa in January 2013.
[Mining Weekly – 11/09/2012]

Obama administration imposes sanctions on Iranian officials accused of blocking internet access, mobile phone lines, and satellite signals.
[Bloomberg – 11/08/2012]

SSPI Celebration of Future Leaders and a Navy Seal to be highlights of annual Gala dinner in Manhattan.
[SatNews – 11/08/2012]

Naval Air Warfare Center to procure up to 80 Ku band Satcom On The Move terminals and 80 Ka-band conversion kits.
[FedBizOpps – 11/08/2012]

Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center awarded as many as 17 contracts worth up to $84.3 million to help it explore concepts for a future generation of protected military satellite communications architecture.
[Defense Systems – 11/08/2012]

NASA to placed pollution-monitoring sensor on a commercial communications satellite for launch in 2017.
[SpaceFlight Now – 11/08/2012]

Hills Holdings of Australian wins a multi-million dollar four-year contract to provide the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s satellite network in 51 countries.
[Manufacturer’s Monthly – 11/08/2012]

NewCom International partners with U.S. Agency for International Development to bring Internet to schools in violence-prone regions of Columbia.
[PRWeb – 11/08/2012]

Assured access to cyberspace and space a priority for Obama’s defense strategy.
[NextGov – 11/07/2012]

DirecTV considers potential acquisition of Vivendi’s Brazilian telecom unit, GVT.
[Satellite Today – 11/07/2012]

Visiongain analysts report $755.8 million value for maritime satellite market in 2012, with potential growing during the next decade.
[Satellite Today – 11/07/2012]

NASA details robust approach to dealing with deluge of counterfeit parts.
[SatNews – 11/06/2012]

NASA explores options for larger payload fairings to increase cargo carrying capacity of its Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket now in development.
[SatNews – 11/06/2012]

New Russian satellite will relay International Space Station communications; U.S. upgrade to ISS systems adds SMS and email “Spot the Station” service.
[E&T Magazine – 11/06/2012]

O3b and Harris CapRock plan strategic marketing alliance to provide ultra high-speed, low latency exploration and production communication capabilities for Oil and Gas market.
[SatNews – 11/06/2012]

KVH is presenting three-part free webinar series, “SATCOM 101″ to help explain the sometimes confusing world of maritime satellite communications beginning November 13, followed by webinars in December and January.
[SatNews – 11/06/2012]

TCS one of 20 awardees on $10 billion Global Tactical Advanced Communications Systems and Services contract for DoD agencies.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/05/2012]

First Azerbaijani satellite to be launched in February 2013.
[Trend – 11/05/2012]

Inmarsat sees growing demand for data services at sea.
[Tech Hub – 11/05/2012]

KVH opens office in Japan as customer base in the region expands.
[NASDAQ – 11/05/2012]

Gilat Satcom launches new VSAT service to provide Southeast Africa with high-bandwidth Internet connectivity.
[Satellite Today – 11/05/2012]

Russian satellite helps Iran bypass sanctions.
[Jewish Press – 11/03/2012]

Proton launch puts two Russian satellites into orbit.
[Spaceflight Now – 11/03/2012]

Loral Space closes sale of Space Systems/Loral to MacDonald, Dettwiler.
[NASDAQ – 11/03/2012]

Hurricane forecasting could be severely degraded under Obama administration’s plan for sharing spectrum.
[NextGov – 11/02/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services


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]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 11/18/2011

Friday, November 18th, 2011

Sony negotiating with U.S. broadcasters to provide content for system to  stream directly to PlayStation consoles, BluRay video players, and  television sets, competing directly with cable and satellite TV providers.
[NZ Herald – 11/19/2011]

Global VSAT Forum’s “White Paper for National Regulators on Satellite  Services in the Ka band” is centerpiece of global campaign launched by  international satellite industry to assure continued unfettered access to Ka-band  spectrum.
[SatNews –  11/18/2011]

Eutelsat “categorically refutes” allegations that it is generating  interference to its own satellite to prevent reception in Iran of international  Farsi satellite channels.
[MENAFN – 11/18/2011]

Shenzhou 8 ends highly successful mission for China’s human spaceflight  program, returning to a landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous  Region Nov. 17.
[Space  Daily – 11/18/2011]

Thales Alenia and ISS Reshetnev sign agreement intended to lead to joint  venture to build communications satellites.
[Space News – 11/18/2011]

Panasonic Avionics signs billion-dollar in-flight deal with Etihad Airways to  provide in-flight entertainment systems and in-flight connectivity, including  broadband Internet, for Etihad’s entire long-haul fleet.
[Satellite Today – 11/18/2011]

U.S. government report reveals attacks by hackers on at least two occasions,  targeting command-and-control systems of U.S. Earth observation satellites;  China internally reveals it is developing capabilities to cripple an enemy  satellite network.
[DailyTech – 11/17/2011]

SES plans acquisitions in Eastern Europe and Asia, and will reduce number of  satellites over the U.S. to address a glut of capacity, moving to markets such  as Latin America and Asia.
[Business Week – 11/17/2011]

The fourth of six Wideband Global SATCOM satellites arrives at Kennedy Space  Center for January launch.
[Florida Today – 11/17/2011]

SpaceX Dragon Capsule is successfully mated to the trunk that will carry  unpressurized cargo to the International Space Station.
[SatNews –  11/17/2011]

Cubesates Yahtzee and Farkle, predominantly created by Utah State University  students, circumnavigate earth every 90 minutes – experiments under global  scrutiny.
[USU Statesman – 11/17/2011]

NASA’s new Mars rover, “Curiosity,” will be launched on November 25 from Cape  Canaveral on an Atlas V rocket.
[SatNews –  11/17/2011]

Harris Corporation delivers two unfurlable mesh reflectors to Lockheed Martin  Space Systems in Sunnyvale CA for DoD’s first Mobile User Objective System  satellite.
[Market Watch – 11/17/2011]

Harris gets 5-year contract to maintain ground system for Defense  Meteorological Satellites Program.
[SatNews –  11/17/2011]

MIL-SAT Communications selects Cobham’s Sea Tel 2.4m marine stabilized  antenna to fulfil recently-awarded U.S. Navy contract.
[Defence Professionals – 11/17/2011]

Orange Business Services is certified as Silver Partner in Inmarsat’s Connect  Accreditation Program.
[SatNews –  11/17/2011]

ITT Exelis and Chronos Technology team up to develop product offerings for  Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Interference, Detection, and  Mitigation (IDM) market.
[SatNews –  11/17/2011}

The two main providers of consumer satellite broadband in the U.S., Hughes  and ViaSat, both reported zero growth in subscribers in 3rd quarter 2011.
[Space News – 11/17/2011]

KVH TracVision M1, world’s smallest maritime satellite TV antenna, receives  NMEA Industry Award for best marine entertainment product for third consecutive  year.
[SatNews – 11/17/2011]

Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited responds to N8 billion fraud  allegation leveled by a group called Nigeria Unites Against Corruption  Initiative.
[All  Africa – 11/17/2011]

Orbital Sciences Corporation announces completion of in-orbit-testing of  Intelsat 18, and hand-over to customer, Intelsat S.A. for commercial service  initiation.
[SatNews –  11/16/2011]

ViaSat conducts demonstration for U.S. armed services, (during a rainstorm),  unveiling industry’s highest performance mobile broadband system using  ultra-small 12-inch Ka-band tracking antenna, achieving 4 MBPS forward and 6  MBPS return link bit rates, with simultaneous encrypted HD video backhaul, video  conferencing, IP phone communications, and http web browsing.
[SatNews –  11/16/2011]

Arianespace signs to launch a new DirecTV Latin America service-providing  satellite.
[Satellite Today – 11/16/2011]

U.S. Army uses SNAP satellite terminals in its most recent Network  Integration Evaluation, seeking to ensure that new technologies and network  improvements work hand-in-hand with presently fielded systems.
[Tech Zone –  11/16/2011]

China completes second successful docking of unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8  with prototyupe space lab Tiangong-1.
[SatNews –  11/16/2011]

European Union states protest removal from EUY Budget of next-generation  nuclear reactor and an Earth observation satellite considered vital for Europe.
[SatNews –  11/16/2011]

Satworx selected to provide satellite communications for renowned storm  chasing team TVN for daring missions requiring driving within 1,000 feet of a  tornado.
[Market Watch – 11/16/2011]

Global VSAT Forum works with Ethiopian government for easing of VSAT market  rules, permitting authorized companies to use VSAT services in support of  famine-relief efforts.
[SatNews –  11/15/2011]

DARPA’s Airborne Launch Assist Space Access program seeks to reduce cost,  time, and weather constraints of satellite launches, launching 100 pound  satellites for 1/3 the cost.
[SatNews –  11/15/2011]

Yahlive and telecom operator du sign agreement for du to establish uplink  services to Yahlive’s Y1A satellite.
[TradeArabia –  11/15/2011]

BGAN from Stratos provides satellite communications for balloon expedition  over Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/15/2011]

ORBIT to showcase OrBand, a revolutionary, compact maritime VSAT system, at  METS 2011.
[Market Watch – 11/15/2011]

DeLorme announces retail availability of inReach two-way satellite  communicator for affordable communications with emergency responders, family,  friends, or colleagues using Iridium.
[PR Newswire – 11/15/2011]

Pleasant Software smartphone app iFlares calculates when and where reflected  sunlight by polished antennas of Iridium satellites can be seen from any  location on Earth.
[prMac –  11/15/2011]

Satellite Phone Solutions launches new social media forum for mobile  satellite community.
[PR Web – 11/15/2011]

Global Industry Analysts report indicates increased demand for satellite  transponders.
[Satellite Spotlight – 11/14/2011]

Canada invests in U.S. Wideband Global satellite communications system.
[Nextgov  – 11/14/2011]

New Zealand may join U.S. global satellite network.
[The Press – 11/14/2011]

O3b raises $137 million for construction of four additional satellites to  boost capacity and redundancy over emerging markets.
[SatNews –  11/14/2011]

AsiaSat selects Space Systems/Loral to build AsiaSat 6 and AsiaSat 8.
[Space Mart – 11/14/2011]

XTAR LLC is awarded Future COMSATCOM Services Acquisition Schedule-70 Special  Identification Number for transponded services, making it easier for government  users to acquire X-band capacity from XTAR.
[SatNews –  11/14/2011]

Gilat signs collaboration agreements with Russian Rostelecom Group subsidiary  RTComm to provide network equipment and Ka-band end-user terminals for RTComm’s  future constellation of multi spot-beam satellites.
[Globes – 11/14/2011]

Hughes to showcase tactical satellite solutions at Global MilSatCom 2011.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/14/2011]

Satcom 1 promotes recently-launched individual satellite airtime billing  solution for charters, fractionals, airlines, and business jet operators.
[Arabian Aerospace – 11/13/2011]

Asianet Satellite Communications to switch off analogue cable TV service and  become India’s first multi-system operator to offer only digital cable.
[Indiantelevision – 11/12/2011]

Loral Space and Communications expects to spin off its Space Systems/Loral  satellite manufacturing division in early 2012, contingent upon equitable  treatment of largest shareholder.
[Space News – 11/11/2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services


Africa’s Digital Future: DTH Satellite

Friday, June 10th, 2011


Nice pitch from SES Astra’s Christoph Limmer in Balancing Act on the digital transition in Africa. Timed to coincide with a recent deal in Kenya, and the SatCom Africa 2011 show in J-burg, the points made are typical and correct, including…

According to Christoph Limmer, requests for information on satellite TV are flooding in. “Quite often we get asked if satellite can really reach more homes than other infrastructures like cable or terrestrial. The answer simply, is yes. Unlike DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) or cable which are ground based infrastructures and normally roll-out in certain areas only; satellite has no limitations in achieving 100% population reach.” Digging cable is costly and time consuming and rolling out DTT network infrastructure is facing similar challenges.

However, one must first assume there is electrical power availability and somebody to pay for the service. Advertiser-supported content needs an audience that’s able to pay for their products/services. What I think needs to happen is the satellite operators take the hit and get the service going and wait for the market to catch up.

The developing world needs our help. Get on with it!

Yo?! Yah!

Friday, April 29th, 2011

Can you imagine what the satellite owners were going through when this launch was aborted on the pad?!? Watch…

24 hours later, no problem. Phew…

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 04/15/2011

Friday, April 15th, 2011

Global satellite machine-to-Machine (M2M) service revenues to reach $1.7B by 2017 according to new Gobal Industry Analysts report.
[San Francisco Chronicle – 04/15/2011]

U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency wants to lease a single commercial satellite for 15 years for $440M, meeting 78% of U.S. Central Command’s requirements in Afghanistan and Iraq while dramatically cutting costs.
[Next Gov – 04/15/2011]


Cheetah “Morale Satellite” system provides free phone calls home and fast Internet connectivity for soldiers in Afghanistan.
[DIVIDS – 04/15/2011]

Comtech receives $1.2M satellite ground station equipment order from a large integrator for a military requirement in a Latin American country.
[Your Industry News – 04/15/2011]

Senators Pat Roberts (R-Kan) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb) in an open letter ask fellow senators to call on FCC to stop LightSquared from deploying its nationwide LTE network until it proves service does not interfere with GPS services.
[Fierce Wireless – 04/15/2011]

Space Data Association announces full operational capability of its Space Data Center, established by commercial satellite operators to improve the safety and efficiency of space operations.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]


United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carries National Reconnaissance Office’s L-34 secret satellite payload aloft from Vandenberg.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

Arianespace to launch ASTRA 2E satellite for SES ASTRA in 2013.
[Brahmand – 04/14/2011]

New way to cool military satellite payloads to be tested by Northrop Grumman Corporation with an experiment on the International Space Station.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

Newtec extends invitation to all to join their 2011 Business Seminar “How to Keep Satellite Services Profitable” in Miami May 11 and 12, with first day capped by leisurely cruise and dinner.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

ITT successfully concludes Critical Design Review for imaging payload for the Worldview-3 Earth observation satellite being built for DigitalGlobe.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

Iridium excecutive states that the biggest opportunity ever for placing hosted payloads aboard telecommunications satellite system (the 66-satellite next generation Iridium system) may be lost because of slow-moving government bureaucracies.
[Space News – 04/14/2011]

Gilat’s SkyEdge II Broadband Satellite Network selected by Telecom Namibia to provide hundreds of locations throughout Namibia with VOIP and Internet services.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

New satellite to be launched from Kodiak Alaska, TACSAT-4, will carry UHF payload in highly elliptical orbit that will allow soldiers to communicate from deep canyons rather than out in the open, saving lives, though only available 6-7 hours a day.
[National Defense – 04/14/2011]

Advantech Wireless signs contract with Hoje Telecom of Brazil to provide VSAT upgrade hub, RF equipment, and more than 1,000 remote terminals.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

Globalstar Europe Satellite Services, in conjunction with Globalstar Avrasya of Turkey, provisioned to cover all of European sub-continent as well as northern Africa, Middle East, and most of Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic ocean maritime region.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]


U.S. Air Force awards Integral Systems $6.99M contract for Rapid Attack Identification, Detection, and Reporting System to provide near real-time detection, characterization, geolocation, and electromagnetic Interference reporting for critical satellite communication systems.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

Dynetics and Pratt & Whitney join Rocket City Space Pioneers team competing for Google $30M Lunar X Prize to be awarded to first team to build and launch to the moon a privately funded spacecraft capable of completing a series of exploration and transmission tasks.
[SatNews – 04/14/2011]

MDA signs contract worth more than $40M to provide technology support for satellite communications and information service for a confidential customer.
[Windsor Star – 04/14/2011]

92,708 total registered attendees for 2011 NAB show in Las Vegas, with 25,691 international attendees and 1,314 news media, beating 2010 final attendance of 88,044.
[SatNews – 04/13/2011]

German aerospace contractor approved for taking lead role in designing European data relay satellite to promptly relay images of Earth from orbiting spacecraft back to ground stations.
[Spaceflight Now – 04/13/2011]


Top Azerbaijani official says country will launch communications satellite in 2012.
[RFE/RL – 04/13/2012]

Russia plans to test a next-generation spacecraft, build a new cosmodrome and even consider a manned mission to Mars after 2035.
[R&D Magazine – 04/13/2011]

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology announces launch of eighth satellite of the Beidou-2 global navigation system aboard a Long March 3A rocket on April 10, 2011.
[Examiner – 04/13/2011]

RRSAT grows global broadcast network to over 590 channels featuring SD, HD, and 3D formats and increased number of playout centers in Israel and U.S.
[PR Newswire – 04/13/2011]

Arqiva will launch dedicated DVB-S2 MPEG-4 shared platform at Los Angeles teleport, affording broadcasters and mobile providers access to 100% of U.S. cable headends via SES WORLD SKIES’ AMC-10 satellite.
[TMCnet – 04/13/2011]

Raytheon leads team bidding on U.S. Air Force Launch and Test Range System (LTRS) Integrated Support Contract (LISC).
[Defense – Aerospace – 04/13/2011]

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approves merger of XM Canada and Sirius Canada.
[Satellite Today – 04/13/2011]

Intelsat’s New Dawn African satellite rescheduled for April 22 launch.
[Engineering News – 04/12/2011]

SES ASTRA Platform Services opens new playout centre near Munich, significantly expanding capabilities to provide broadcasters and production houses around the world with state-of-the-art playout and platform services.
[SatNews – 04/12/2011]

Harris to deliver shipboard satellite communications terminals to Canadian Navy.
[Satellite Spotlight – 04/12/2011]

SES WORLD SKIES announces AMC-3 C-band capacity deal with Weigel Broadcasting to deliver new digital ME TV channel to broadcast stations and viewers across U.S.
[Business Wire – 04/12/2011]

GMPCS unveils IsatTruck vehicular satellite phone package.
[PR Web – 04/12/2011]

TeleCommunications Systems selected as participant in FCSA contract allowing government agencies to procure services from commercial satellite services providers.
[Market Wire – 04/12/2011]

NSR press release – Revenues for Broadband Satellite Satellite Services to Exceed S$9 Billion by 2020.
[NSR – 04/12/2011]

GlobeCast selects Eurobird 9A to launch HD distribution platform.
[Indian Television – 04/12/2011]

Level 3 buys Global Crossing in effort to create a networking giant.
[Business Insider – 04/11/2011]

Maiden voyage of Ocean Star Pacific, first ship of the first national cruise line based in Mexico, to offer MTM satellite communications VSAT, crew calling, and Internet services.
[PR Newswire – 04/11/2011]

Qatar plans early 2013 launch of its high-powered communications satellite Es’Hail, being built under joint investment with Eutelsat.
[Gulf Times – 04/11/2011]

TerreStar GENUS satellite-enabled cellular smartphone provides expanded voice and data roaming coverage for mobile users.
[SatNews – 04/10/2011]

Iran’s claims about satellite service raise difficult question for ITU – “Can regulators refuse to accept word of sovereign nation about its own assets even if they are convinced it is lying?”
[Spacenews – 04/08/2011]

NSR Report “Broadband Satellite Markets” – VSAT networking and broadband access continue gains; a turning point for IP trunking.
[NSR – May 2011]

NSR Report “Global Satellite Manufacturing and Launch Markets” – 109 payloads were carried by 74 launch missions worldwide over the past 12 months, down from 2009 by 6.5%.
[NSR – May 2011]

Raytheon seeks new applications for System designed to communicate with deeply submerged swiftly moving submarines using satellites and underwater communications systems tied to buoys, since Navy has yet to come to decision on deployment.
[National Defense Magazine – May 2011]

NSR upcoming – HTS and KA-SAT: “Changing the European Telecom Landscape” – An Interview with Eutelsat.
[gotomeeting – May 24, 2011]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services

Angry Satellites

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

Who would dare compete for the attention of hip techies with SXSW in Austin? Quite a few, actually, and none of them are hip.

There’s the Indiana Flower & Patio Show and the NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education annual conference in Philadelphia. There’s also the PITTCON Conference & Expo (laboratory science),  International Summit & Exhibition on Health Facility Planning, Design & Construction and one in Seattle: the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.  Wait, there’s one more: Satellite 2011.

That’s right: satcom has yet to come across as being “hip.” OK, so investors may want to stick with traditional, risk-minimizing returns from the major player. That good for now. What about the future? Who will be making the decisions whether to use satellite technology in the future?

Ed Horowitz was alluding to the coming change in the marketplace in his pre-conference luncheon speech yesterday…

There is an impending conflict between media distributors and media providers. New media is growing faster than traditional media. It is about carrying your content around with you. New media consumers want to do more than just consume available information. They want to create it. Five out of the 10 fastest growing websites have user-generated content. Very soon, 50 percent of the workforce will be Generation X and Generation Y. 2011 marks a new rubicon for our business. Traditional media connections are changing. The new model is an open model with a direct connection between the consumer and media.

The concept of prime time is gone. Prime time is all the time. You have Google, Apple, Netflix, etc. TVs are becoming Web browsers. The revolution is global. The convergence of the TV and the PC is happening. Lastly, this generation that has grown up with this empowerment. If you don’t serve them what they want, you die (AOL and MySpace). Satellite must be ready to serve customers on the move. It has to be at the network’s core. This will require the industry to team up with new players.

TV Everywhere. Who’s on it? TimeWarner’s CNN, according to a piece by Staci Kramer in paidContent.org

The launches are still months away but CNN Digital has a pair of announcements from SXSW tonight that mark significant advancements for the network’s online and mobile video offerings. In early summer, CNN plans to flip the switch on its version of Time (NYSE: TWX) Warner’s CEO Jeff Bewkes’ TV Everywhere, making it possible for subscribers of Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) Xfinity, Dish, Cox and Verizon FiOS to watch CNN live across platforms and devices. Other Turner Broadcasting networks, including TNT and TBS are likely to offer authenticated live streaming of linear channels at the same time.

CNN also will launch a new video player taking full advantage of the native HD being used for nearly all its footage now, the first major update for CNN’s online video experience in three years. KC Estenson, SVP and GM of CNN.com, showed me the new player on multiple bank of screens during a practice session before I left Austin; the quality of the video being streamed over WiFi in 19:9 format to the large screen array doing double duty as a computer monitor was stunning. Equally important, the player is designed to work across platforms, including Google (NSDQ: GOOG) TV. Eventually Estenson, who calls the new player a “quantum leap,”  expects it be to be available through any internet-connected TV.

In addition to various technical improvements, the player features a playlist that moves with the user from device to device. Start watching on a computer, switch to an iPhone or iPad, pick it up later on a connected TV and the player will know where the user left off and what is in the queue. One hitch: at launch, it will only work with internet access. Eventually, CNN hopes to make offline viewing possible. Estenson is striving for the quality of Vimeo, the serendipity of YouTube, the experience of Hulu and the portability of Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX).

Meanwhile, back at satcom ranch, the most exciting news is SES signing with SpaceX for a Falcon-9 launch. That’s a good one, compared to other news surrounding Satellite 2011.

The SPPI Gala is going hip? Yeah, no more black-tie attire.  Let me make a bold prediction: nobody will dress like the partygoers at the Angry Birds event at SXSW…

How about on-site promotion? Have you ever seen anything resembling this at the satellite show? A Nokia N8 promotion in Austin. Why? Because they’re competing for relevancy and satcom should do likewise.