Posts Tagged ‘satnews’

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 01/27/2012

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

SES-4 launch delayed again “for technical reasons.”
[SAT PR – 01/27/2012]

Vessel carrying Atlas booster and Centaur upper stage for Air Force’s AEHF-2 mission contacts bridge over Tennessee River, causing part of the bridge to collapse – no damage to the rocket.
[SatNews – 01/27/2012]

Namibia’s national electricity utility slashes costs of dealing with temporary outages by using GSM and satellite communications to link remote recloses with its head office.
[IT Web – 01/27/2012]

Harris CapRock gets 3 year contract from Siem Offshore to deliver turnkey VSAT communications to five of its supply vessels located offshore in Brazil.
[Scandinavian Oil & Gas Magazine – 01/27/2012]

SkyCasters partners with Ka You Communications on turnkey satellite communications solution called IPReady for EAS CAP (Emergency Alert System/Common Alerting Protocol) compliance.
[SatNews – 01/27/2012]

AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems and ViaSat sign strategic agreement to develop capabilities for beyond-line-of-sight satellite communications in new AAI unmanned aircraft systems aircraft.
[Azo Robotics – 01/27/2012]

SkyBitz expands footprint with new Iridium-based global solution.
[SAT PR – 01/27/2012]

SBCA accepting grant requests from members and consumer satellite industry professionals until February 1, with grants to be awarded to deserving non-profits or individuals involved in worthy community efforts.
[SatNews – 01/27/2012]

South African communications regulator refuses permission for satellite television network TopTV to broadcast sexually explicit channels.
[Reuters – 01/27/2012]

2012 World Radiocommunications Conference to review and modify global spectrum regulations to ensure the resource is “used effectively to benefit all players.”
[TV Technology – 01/27/2012]

Russian Soyuz-U is launched toward International Space Station carrying the Progress M-14M cargo spacecraft.
[SatNews – 01/26/2012]

Trichet joins board of EADS amid shakeup, with Enders slated to become new CEO.
[Reuters – 01/26/2012]

Delta Airlines announce exclusive marketing agreement with OnAsset Intelligence, enabling Delta Cargo customers to view GPS location information on deltacargo.com.
[SatNews – 01/26/2012]

Space Systems/Loral selected to provide high power communications satellite.
[Space Ref – 01/26/2012]

Sea Launch manifest for 2012 includes Intelsat 19 in the spring and Intelsat 21 in the fall.
[Spaceflight Now – 01/25/2012]

Russia’s Chibis (Peewit) microsatellite, which studies gamma-radiation generated by lightning in the atmosphere, is placed into orbit from the International Space Station.
[SatNews – 01/25/2012]

Space storm predicted by NOAA hits satellites, airlines, but most communication systems not affected.
[Computer World – 01/25/2012]

AMOS 5 begins commercial operation.
[SAT PR – 01/25/2012]

Frontline, leading international seaborne oil transporter, commits to Inmarsat XpressLink for more than 100 vessels.
[Market Watch – 01/25/2012]

U.S. Electrodynamics expands on-net coverage with Zayo ethernet services.
[Market Watch – 01/25/2012]

All Cirrus Aircraft can now be equipped with Perspective Global Connect, integrating worldwide weather, satellite phone, and text messaging features.
[Market Watch – 01/25/2012]

Technion of Israel is developing 3 tiny, unique satellites which could be used for locating missing persons and people in distress.
[The Jerusalem Post – 01/24/2012]

Calian Technologies signs two new contracts for satellite ground systems with combined value of $7.6 million, including installation of Inmarsat BGAN RF ground system in China for Thrane & Thrane.
[Market Watch – 01/24/2012]

LightSquared fights results of USAF interference testing, even as it faces accusations of bribery.
[Daily Tech – 01/24/2012]

Novelsat’s 3G-Sat modulation solution NS3(TM) is first to make satellite data broadcasting possible at fibre level costs, successfully demonstrated in tests by SES and Satellite Mediaport Services.
[Market Watch – 01/24/2012]

Military satellite communications market expected to be worth $9 billion by 2018. [Zawya – 01/23/2012]

Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, accuses backers of LightSquared’s proposed LTE network of trying to pressure him into giving up investigation.
[NextGov – 01/23/2012]

China aims to launch 21 rockets and 30 satellites as part of its 2012 space program.
[Satellite Today – 01/23/2012]

NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a watch for the strongest solar radiation storm since 2005.
[R&D Magazine – 01/23/2012]

International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran urges World Radiocommunication Conference in Geneva to take decisive steps to end Iranian government’s illegal jamming of satellite signals.
[International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran – 01/22/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 01/13/2012

Friday, January 13th, 2012

Ericsson appointed to install end-to-end systems integration and deployment of mobile and satellite communications throughout shipping company Maersk’s vessel fleet.
[Engineering News – 01/13/2012]

China’s Ziyuan III satellite sends back first set of hi-res visual data.
[CRI English – 01/12/2012]

Russian Mars probe falling to Earth this weekend reinforces perception that the sky is falling, as portrayed in an IMAX movie that debuts this weekend as well.
[msnbc – 01/12/2011]

FCC reviewing decades-old TV rules preventing cable and satellite companies from airing NFL games and other sporting events that are blacked out on local broadcast TV.
[USA Today – 01/12/2012]

Iridium and KVH team to provide first seamless global broadband maritime satellite communications service.
[Sat PR News – 01/12/2012]

Lockheed Martin Space Systems gets $283.5 million contact to begin building third and fourth satellites for next generation of the Global Positioning System.
[Philadelphia Business Journal – 01/12/2012]

British satellite manufacturer Surrey Satellite Technology celebrates sixth year of operation of GIOVE-A satellite, initiating Europe’s ambitious satellite navigation program, though the satellite only had design life of 27 months.
[SatNews – 01/12/2012]

Sea Tel, GVF, and SatProf collaborate to provide online training with interactive 3D models in a program to ensure high-quality marine VSAT terminal deployments.
[SatNews – 01/12/2012]

LightSquared seeks probe of federal official involved in deciding whether the company can deploy its hybrid satellite-LTE network, saying he simultaneously serves on the board of a GPS company opposing the network.
[PC World – 01/12/2012]

Comtech receives $1 million order for SATCOM equipment to support mobile backhaul for a Latin American mobile operator.
[Market Watch – 01/12/2012]

United Launch Services gets $1.516 billion contract to support launch of nine government satellites.
[SatNews – 01/12/2012]

Diversity and routing, inherent in the Hughes Spaceway satellite, allow the satellite to act more like a mesh network than the traditional satellite, representing a possible “game changer” for communications.
[Emergency Management – 01/12/2012]

Director of Florida’s Cape Canaveral rocket range cites busy 2012 launch schedule as proof there is life after NASA’s shuttle program.
[Florida Today – 01/11/2012]

Eritrea accuses Ethiopia of blocking satellite transmissions.
[Bloomberg – 01/11/2012]

RRsat offering capacity at attractive prices on HOTBIRD satellite video neighborhood, which hosts 13 premium platforms, over 600 pay-TFV channels, 500 fee-to-air channels, and over 100 HDTV channels.
[SatNews – 01/11/2012]

Blue Sky Network announces that the Caribbean’s newest low fare airline, REDjet, will use its satellite tracking, fleet management, and automated flight following solutions hardware.
[SatNews – 01/12/2012]

Russia space chief says some of nation’s satellites may have been sabotaged by foreign forces.
{Washington Post – 01/10/2012]

ORBCOMM launches VesselSat2 satellite. [MENA FN – 01/10/2012]

Fourth WGS satellite set to launch January 19 from Cape Canaveral.
[Sat PR News – 01/10/2012]

Frequency Electronics announces follow-on contracts to provide timing and microwave frequency sources for the next two WGS satellites.
[Market Watch – 01/10/2012]

ViaSat offering 12 Mbps/ 3 Mbps residential home broadband service it calls Exede, using its new ViaSat 1 satellite.
[theverge – 01/10/2012]

Belgium Satellite Services and Intersat partner to expand operations and service delivery in the Middle East and African markets.
[Business Wire – 01/10/2012]

AsiaSat leases AsiaSat 5 C-band capacity to India’s Raj Television.
[Satellite Today – 01/10/2012]

DirecTV to offer ‘boxless’ content to Samsung smart TVs, with no external set-top box required.
[Home Media Magazine – 01/10/2012]

LightSquared owner meets with FCC staffers in appeal for approval of commercial service over the company’s network.
[Nextgov – 01/10/2012]

New National Space Academy is launched, supported by Inmarsat, to create network of outstanding teachers and space scientists to support space science.
[SatNews – 01/09/2012]\

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft to be first commercial American space transport vehicle to use solar arrays for powering sensors, heating and cooling systems, and communications with Space Station and SpaceX’s Mission Control Center.
[SatNews – 01/09/2012]

Vietnam to launch its second satellite, Vinasat-2, in April.
[SatNews – 01/09/2012]

Chinese ambassador announces that China will launch Bolivia’s first telecommunications satellite, Tupac Katari, in December 2013.
[Satellite Today – 01/09/2012]

Hughes IP BGAN M2M 9502 terminal requires less than 1W of power when idle, enabling satellite M2M communications for those off the grid and in other vulnerable locations.
[SatNews – 01/09/2012]

Dish to bet big on whole-home DVR with three tuners, one set to record up to 8 days of Prime-time programs from 4 major networks, and capability to connect to up to 4 TVs in the house.
[gigaom.com – 01/09/2012]

 WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services
WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 01/06/2012

Friday, January 6th, 2012

United Cargo begins accepting OnAsset SENTRY 400 FlightSafe asset tracking device for transport on its entire mainline jet fleet of more than 700 aircraft.
[SatNews – 01/06/2012]

France 24 selects Arqiva for five-year News Channel distribution deal.
[Satellite Today – 01/06/2012]

Remarkable rescue of U.S. military satellite – the Advanced Extremely High Frequency 1 satellite is successfully undergoing in orbit testing after 14 months and nearly 500 maneuvers boosted it into orbit after the Liquid Apogee Engine failure in August 2010.
[Space – 01/05/2012]

China sees its ambitious space program, with 5-year plan including moon landing, and a satellite observation and global positioning system rivaling that of the United States, as means to increase its role as a world power.
[AFP – 01/05/2012]

Nigeria sees Sat Comm as the way to go for broadband connectivity, coupling satellite capacity with new generation mobile technology for last-mile connectivity, and leveraging the recently launched NigComSat-1R technology.
[The Nation – 01/05/2012]

Arianespace preparing for busiest year of flight activity ever in 2012, benefitting from availability of three launch vehicles – Ariane 5, Soyuz, and Vega – side by side in French Guiana.
[SatNews – 01/05/2012]

ViaSat enters into new five-year deal with National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative that will bring 12 Mbps next-generation satellite broadband service (Viasat 1) to market within weeks.
[Sacramento Bee – 01/05/2012]

Hughes to launch fourth-generation Internet service in mid-2012.
[Satellite Today – 01/05/2012]

Dish Network to launch broadband satellite service and multiroom DVR in 2012.
[Multichannel News – 01/05/2012]

Comtech Telecommunications gets $1.1 million SATCOM equipment order from European integrator for ground equipment to upgrade European Ministry of Defense satellite earth stations.
[Market Watch – 01/05/2012]

Department of Defense wants to create new satellite and robotic system to repurpose and reuse retired satellites sitting in geostationary orbit over the earth. [Information Week – 01/04/2012]

Industry team led by Intelsat General conducts successful tests verifying interoperability of hosted UHF payload on Intelsat 22 (to be launched in a few months) with legacy UHF radios.
[SatNews – 01/04/2012]

Just as crippled Russian satellite, Phobos-Grunt, threatens to fall from the sky, a new film “Space Junk 3D” will open in IMAX and other giant screen theaters, exploring the exponentially expanding ring of manmade debris that threatens orbits around the earth.
[Sacramento Bee – 01/04/2012]

ITT Exelis gets $121 million contract to support Army wideband satellite communications centers.
[UPI – 01/04/2012]

GeoEye works with Russian partner, ScanEx Research and Development Center, to provide millions of square kilometers of high-resolution satellite imagery to the Russian Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre, and Cartography.
[SatNews – 01/04/2012]

Hackers plan a satellite network to keep Internet going in case of disaster that affects its availability.
[Information Week – 01/04/2012]

DeLorne’s inReach is personal communication device offering consumer-affordable two-way satellite communication, message delivery confirmation, remote tracking, and SOS emergency capability anywhere in the world.
[Sacramento Bee – 01/04/2012]

Russian satellite Phobos-Grunt, which was stranded in Earth orbit on the way to Mars, is expected to fall back to Earth next week.
[SatNews – 01/03/2012]

Inmarsat reorganizes to focus on core markets.
[gCaptain – 01/03/2012]

Comtech Telecommunications gets $16.6 million of orders to support U.S> Army’s movement tracking system and Blue-Force Tracking-1 programs.
[Market Watch – 01/03/2012]

LightSquared gets additional 30 days from Sprint to get FCC clearance to operate its network.
[Wall Street Journal – 01/03/2012]

Globalstar Europe Satellite Services signs distribution agreement with TS2 Satellite Technologies, who will act as National Distributor for mobile satellite voice and duplex data products to defense, government, and private sectors in Poland.
[Sacramento Bee – 01/03/2012]

Gilat wins $16 million extension to contract with Colombia to provide rural communications satellite services.
[Globes – 01/03/2012]

Inmarsat in talks with Bharat Sanchar Nigam of India to form partnership to provide satellite broadband services in remote areas of India, and to the Indian Defence forces.
[The Hindo Business Line – 01/02/2012]

ATCi is selected by U.S. Defense Department to supply Ka-band networks designed for high throughput Ka-band satellite communication systems worldwide.
[SatNews – 01/02/2012]

YahLive signs partnership agreement with Etisalat to collaborate on satellite broadcasting services, allowing UAE based companies to broadcast in HD format for the first time.
[SatNews – 01/02/2012]

Orbcomm to purchase subsidiary of PAR Technology in order to expand its share of the market for tracking clients’ assets and cargo.
[northjersey.com – 01/01/2012]

Over The Top (OTT) (Video over the Internet) services are coming to DTH markets around the world – Super Bowl to be available in near HD in 2012 – will 2012 be the year of convergence?
[NSR Report – January 2012]

 WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

 

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 12/23/2011

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Russian space industry suffers another black eye as Meridian communications satellite fell to the ground soon after it was launched, although earlier Soyuz launch with three astronauts for the International Space Station was successful.
[Daily Mail – 12/23/2011]

USAF hosted payload on SES satellite, Commercially Hosted Infrared Payload (CHIRP), completes initial on orbit tests and begins demonstration period.
[Space Daily – 12/23/2011]

SES partners with Rustyice of the UK for distribution of SES’ satellite-based broadband service ASTRA2Connect throughout the UK.
[Space Daily – 12/23/2011]

China successfully launches Ziyuan I-02C remote sensing satellite.
[SatNews – 12/22/2011]

Globecomm Systems gets $3.1 million add-on to $32 million contract to provide state of the art satellite communication system for a Multinational organization.
[SatNews – 12/22/2011]

Arianespace readies the first Ariane 5 for launch in 2012 to receive the Automated Transfer Vehicle cargo resupply vessel as its payload.
[Satellite-Evolution – 12/22/2011]

GlobeCast signs deal with Fashion One TV to bring its TV channel to millions of new homes across sub-Sharan Africa via capacity on Astra 4A satellite.
[SatNews – 12/22/2011]

U.S. Air Force orders eighth Wideband Global SATCOM program communications satellite from Boeing.
[Spaceflight Now – 12/21/2011]

Launch of the SES-4 satellite, to be the largest in the SES fleet, is scheduled for December 27 aboard a Proton M/Breeze M launch vehicle from Baikonur.
[SatNews – 12/21/2011]

TCS agrees to second extension to its U.S. Army World-Wide Satellite Systems Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract, now to run through July 27, 2013.
[Market Watch – 12/21/2011]

Astrium to acquire 66.78 percent of Space Engineering.
[SatNews – 12/21/2011]

Intelsat General describes how they helped the Navy manage the coordination and control of its vast Commercial Broadband Satellite Program network.
[SatNews – 12/21/2011]

Astrium purchases Norwegian satellite communications company Vizada for $876 million.
[UPI – 12/21/2011]

LightSquared seeks to turn the tables on GPS device makers by filing petition with FCC seeking “declaratory ruling” confirming its right to use its licensed spectrum, claiming device makers purposefully designed equipment to look into LightSquared’s spectrum.
[Financial Times Technology – 12/21/2011]

Senator Grassley of Iowa holds up two nominees for FCC board on concerns of constituent Deere & Co. that LightSquared’s planned network may impact GPS network used by farmers – example of political mess LightSquared has landed in.
[Forbes – 12/21/2011]

China is prepared to launch 5 satellites for foreign customers next year.
[China Daily – 12/21/2011]

Gateway Communications is selected by Kawuleza of South Africa as partner to provide high speed bandwidth by satellite to major South African cities.
[Tech Zone – 12/21/2011]

Colombia contracts Gilat VSAT to connect more than 1,600 schools.
[Satellite Today – 12/21/2011]

China launches NigComSat-1R, replacement for satellite that failed in 2008, for Nigeria.
[AFP – 12/20/2011]

Arianespace Soyuz successfully orbits the Pleiades 1A, SSOT, and four ELISA satellites from European spaceport in French Guiana.
[Satellite Today – 12/20/2011]

Dish Network in center of wireless universe as AT&T walks away from acquisition of T-Mobile, a deal opposed by Justice Department.
[Wall Street Journal – 12/20/2011]

SES announces that the speed of its satellite-based broadband service ASTRA2Connect is now available with download speed up to 10 Mbps.
[SatNews – 12/20/2011]

Comtech announces $4.1 million contract for SATCOM equipment to support mobile backhaul.
[Market Watch – 12/20/2011]

Globecomm Systems receives contract extension from NATO CIS valued at $8.8 million to extend communication services and onsite support for its GPS-based Force Tracking System.
[SatNews – 12/20/2011]

Raytheon’s Navy Multiband Terminal successfully tests with on-orbit AEHF satellite.
[Sacramento Bee – 12/20/2011]

Glowlink gets major competitive contract from US Air Force for satellite carrier monitoring and interference geolocation capabilities.
[SatNews – 12/20/2011]

Russia and India announce intent to cooperate on satellite navigation services.
[Satellite Today – 12/19/2011]

U.S. Navy’s first MUOS satellite is undergoing post-shipment testing at Cape Canaveral in preparation for February launch following delivery by Lockheed Martin.
[UPI – 12/19/2011]

Next cluster of six second-generation Globalstar satellites ready for launch next week from Baikonur.
[SatNews – 12/19/2011]

Fourth WGS satellite moves closer to launch as it is encapsulated in teh Delta IV Launch vehicle payload fairing.
[Space Ref – 12/19/2011]

Comtech Xicom Technology receives orders totaling $3.2 million for Ka-band high-power amplifiers for commercial satellite DTH services and emerging high throughput satellite market.
[Market Watch – 12/19/2011]

Plans underway for ESA’s Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle to be launched on Europe’s new Vega rocket in 2014.
[SatNews – 12/19/2011]

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 12/16/2011

Friday, December 16th, 2011

SpaceX Dragon to attempt first commercial cargo run to the International  Space Station on February 7.
[Satellite Today – 12/16/2011]

NSR report – military satellite revenues will double for cost-conscious  providers.
[Satellite Today – 12/16/2011]

NovelSat, developers of 3G-Sat modulation technology, announce new satellite  data rate world record of 357Mbps on 72 MHz transponder.
[SatNews –  12/16/2011]

Artel contracts Cable & Wireless to connect 30 satellite earth stations  around the globe with MPLS data network.
[Satellite Today – 12/16/2011]

Indian Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology states  that foreign tourists are illegally using satellite phones and could pose a  national security threat.
[Press Information  Bureau, Government of India – 12/16/2011]

Second Soyuz mission is scheduled to launch from French Guyana the morning of  December 175h, carrying the French Earth observation satellite Pleiades-1, four  French ELISA micro-satellites, and Chile’s SSOT Earth Observation Platform..
[SatNews –  12/15/2011]

Replacement for NIGCOMSAT 1, deorbited in 2008, NIGCOMSAT 1R is scheduled to  be launched from China on December 19.
[Daily Times – 12/15/2011]

New generation of weather and environmental satellites, GOES-15, officially  becomes operational as GOES-West as of December 13.
[SatNews –  12/15/2011]

Lockheed Martin delivers U.S. Navy’s first Mobile User Objective System  satellite to Cape Canaveral for scheduled February 16th launch.
[Market Watch – 12/15/2011]

National Space Society hails announcement of Stratolaunch Systems, a Paul  Allen Project to reduce cost of space travel, carrying launch rockets to high  altitude aboard largest aircraft ever built, with six 747 engines.
[SatNews –  12/15/2011]

AsiaSat and THAICOM announce signing of cooperative agreement to provide  satellite services from orbital location of 120 degrees East.
[SatNews –  12/15/2011]

U.S. Air Force’s first Advanced Extremely High Frequency military  communications satellite is successfully progressing through initial on-orbit  tests.
[SatNews  – 12/15/2011]

Republic of Estonia signs accession agreement to become full Member State of  EUMETSAT by 2012.
[SatNews –  12/15/2011]

FCC passes rules requiring broadcast, satellite, and cable companies to quiet  down loud ads.
[Washington Post – 12/15/2011]

Physicists in Low Temperature Laboratory of Aalto University show how a  nanomechanical oscillator can be used for detection and amplification of feeble  radio waves or microwaves with almost no noise.
[R&D Magazine – 12/15/2011]

NXP Semiconductors announce SiGe:C Low Noise Amplifiers that improve  linearity, noise figure, and reception of GPS signals, delivering 10 dB  improvement under -40 to -20 dBm jamming conditions.
[SatNews –  12/15/2011]

Government committee says that LightSquared’s network affects a “majority” of  general-purpose GPS receivers and technology used to land planes.
[Wireless Week – 12/15/2011]

PacStar is awarded $12.2 million contract by U.S. Dept. of Defense to deliver  tactical communications solution to U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
[Market Watch – 12/15/2011]

Satellite industry warns governments of the world of their concerns over  proposed piece of international legislation called the Unidroit Space Assets  Protocol which risks complicating and damaging what is currently in place.
[SatNews –  12/14/2011]

Enhanced compression technology and digitization is improving the efficiency  of satellite transponders – by 2017 global demand for C- and Ku-band  transponders is forecast to total 7,840.36 MHz TPEs (transponder equivalents)..
[Official Wire – 12/14/2011]

Avanti Communications shares are lifted by satellite bandwidth contract win  from Bentley Walker for U.S. $1.1 million.
[Proactive Investors – 12/14/2011]

European Space Agency updates application for iPhone and iPad, allowing users  to see ESA’s latest satellite imagery from Envisat in near-real time.
[SatNews –  12/14/2011]

Gilat is selected by JSC NC Kazsatnet’ of Kazakhstan for high speed data  connectivity among over 200 VSATS in multi-star topology with NetEdge Gateway  solution.
[Market Watch – 12/14/2011]

Arianespace signs contract with MEASAT for launch of MEASAT-3b in 2013.
[SatNews –  12/14/2011]

SES announces four global sales regions with dedicated management to  consolidate positions in the Americas and Europe, and further focus on emerging  and growth markets.
[SatNews –  12/14/2011]

XTAR joins Operation First Response to support wounded U.S. soldiers.
[Satellite Today – 12/14/2011]

Globecomm Systems gets 1-year $6 million service contract from U.S.  Government agency to provide IT support services relating to Internet  connectivity via its teleport.
[SatNews –  12/14/2011]

CalAmp begins volume shipments of new product designed to facilitate whole  home networking and communications of set top boxes to its Direct Broadcast  Satellite (DBS) customer.
[Market Watch – 12/14/2011]

Astrium imagery from two TerrSAR-X StripMap acquisitions show large crack in  Pine Island glacier in Antartica; ice shelf ready to break off is larger than  New York City.
[SatNews –  12/14/2011]

Dish Network indicates desire to form strategic partnership with T-Mobile USA  if AT&T’s bid for acquisition of T-Mobile fails.
[Telegeography – 12/14/2011]

Arianespace signs for launch of two satellites in the European Union’s  Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 families on the first launch of Europe’s new light  launcher Vega from French Guiana in 2014-2016.
[SatNews –  12/14/2011]

O3b exercises additional launch option on Arianespace contract.
[Satellite Today – 12/13/2011]

Since SPOT Satellite Messenger products were introduced in 2007 over 1,500  emergency rescues have been initiated worldwide.
[Market Watch – 12/14/2011]

Amos 5 communications satellite launched for Israel’s Spacecom.
[Globes – 12/13/2011]

NewSat signs $67 million contract for Jabiru satellite capacity.
[ARN – 12/13/2011]

Emergency satellite communications platform developed by government of  Luxembourg to be available to international humanitarian community as of 1  January, 2012.
[IEWY  –  12/13/2011]

OnAir WiFi internet connectivity launched across the Emirates A380 fleet.
[SatNews –  12/13/2011]

Opinion – Why is FCC stonewalling Senator Grassley on LightSquared? –  (Grassley put holds on two Barack Obama nominees to FCC).
[Hot Air – 12/13/2011]

LightSquared ‘Outraged’ over Report Leak; Primary Backer Harbinger Faces SEC  Scrutiny.
[Wireless Week – 12/12/2011]

ViaSat subsidiary WildBlue begins offering 5 megabit-per-second satellite  broadband service in Colorado, using recently launched ViaSat-1 satellite.
[Denver Post –  12/12/2011]

Japan launches H-2A rocket carrying a radar satellite.
[SatNews –  12/12/2011]

TCS introduces portfolio of managed mobile communications services called  TotalCom for government agencies and businesses.
[Computer World – 12/12/2011]

Russian data relay satellite and Spacecom’s Amos 5 share a ride into space.
[Spaceflight Now –  12/11/2011]

Echo II:  When satellites were young and shiny (photo).
[CNET – 12/10/2011]

NATO facing fast-approaching deadline for replacing satellite communications  capacity to avoid “satcom blackouts.”
[Space News – 12/09/2011]

“Doing more without more” – Space Command looks to fill communication gaps as  budgets tighten yet requirements for secure communications continue to grow.
[National Defense Magazine – January 2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services


WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 11/25/2011

Friday, November 25th, 2011

Northrop Grumman testbed creates significant efficiencies for Air Force’s  Defense Weather Satellite System program.
[Terra Daily – 11/24/2011]

ViaSat UK launches range of high-capacity satellite-based products  designed for use by the UK military and government.
[Tech World – 11/24/2011]

Raytheon tests its Army Secure Mobile Anti-Jam Reliable Tactile Terminal  with the on-orbit Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite, becoming  first company to test the satellite.
[emoney daily – 11/24/2011]

Taiwan wins European Satellite Navigation Competition for creative  Geo-coupon App based on Global Navigation Satellite System.
[Market Watch – 11/23/2011]

KVH honored with two awards for the small size, fast data rates, and  affordable service of the 14.5″ TracPhone V3 maritime terminal  operating on its global miniVSAT system.
[Market Watch –  11/23/2011]

ViaSat UK expands beyond traditional secure storage device market,  offering satellite broadband for businesses and government departments.
[V3.co.uk – 11/23/2011]

Globalstar contracts Thales Alenia Space to develop software patch to be sent  to Globalstar satellites to overcome momentum-wheel failures that have taken one  satellite out of service and threaten others.
[Space News – 11/23/2011]

Iridium offers iOS app AxcessPoint Mail & Web App to bring satellite  connectivity to iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
[Slash Gear – 11/23/2011]

Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited plans launch of replacement  satellite NigComSat-1R on December 19.
[all Africa –  11/23/2011]

ULA successfully completes second milestone toward certification of Atlas V  launch vehicle for human spaceflight.
[SatNews –  11/22/2011]

Gilat is selected by leading Latin American operator for delivery of full  scale SkyEdge II network for national post office program.
[SatNews –  11/22/2011]

SatCom Global announces point of presence in Sydney, Australia allowing its  customers to terminate Inmarsat BGAN and FleetBroadband IP traffic locally,  reducing latency and cost.
[SatNews –  11/22/2011]

Four-year partnership with ESA allows Air France passengers to see satellite  photos of landscape below the aircraft.
[SatNews –  11/22/2011]

Due to popular demand, Pactel International to continue the just concluded  2011 series of satellite communication seminars in 2012.
[SatNews –  11/22/2011]

BGP of China names Marlink as supplier of high quality and high capacity VSAT  satellite communications for its fleet of advanced seismic vessels.
[SatNews –  11/22/2011]

U.S. Committee report on China urges satellite preparation for potential  cyber attack from China and prepare for situations where U.S. space satellites  are partially or completely destroyed.
[Satellite Today – 11/22/2011]

U.S. satellite hacking case a mystery; satellite services firm running ground  station says there’s no evidence of any attack against its systems; commander of  U.S. military space operations says insufficient evidence makes it impossible to  confidently attribute blame over possible attempts to take over satellites.
[The  Register – 11/21/2011]

China places two more satellites into orbit, Chuangxin 1-03 and Shiyan  Satellite 4, via Long March 2D carrier rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch  Center.
[SatNews – 11/21/2011]

SES-4 satellite, built by Spaced Systems/Loral for SES, arrives at Baikonur  launch base – will be 50th and largest satellite in global SES fleet.
[Business Wire – 11/21/2011]

AsiaSat7 satellite set for launch on November 27th.
[Media Mughals – 11/21/2011]

Head of Iranian Space Agency states that it is ready to set up national  satellite launch base in the country’s southeastern region.
[SatNews –  11/21/2011]

Thales Alenia to build Turkmenistan’s first satellite to be launched in 2014  into orbital slot controlled by government of Monaco.
[Space News – 11/21/2011]

U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in appeal challenging use of GPS data in  conviction of drug dealer.
[SatNews –  11/21/2011]

Decision by Canadian Conservative government to spend nearly half a billion  dollars on construction of U.S. military satellite sparks concerns about secrecy  surrounding project and who will ultimately control information it transmits.
[Montreal Gazette – 11/21/2011]

All systems go for NASA’s third generation upgrade (TDRS-K) of the  orbiting TDRS satellite network communications network.
[PHYSORG –  11/21/2011]

U.S. Geological Survey has stopped acquiring images from 27-year-old Landsat  5 (designed to last three years) due to rapidly degrading electronic component.
[Satnews –  11/21/2011]

Harris Corporation completes preliminary design review for synthetic aperture  radar payload on modular space vehicle.
[Market Watch – 11/21/2011]

U.S.A.F. Los Angeles AFB gets upgrade addressing telemetry, tracking, and  control for all Air Force communication satellite constellations.
[SatNews –  11/21/2011]

Avanti Communications welcomes two new service provider customers – Antech  S.p.A in Italy, and BriteYellow Ltd in the U.K., while NASSAT of Spain extends  commitment to Avanti.
[SatNews –  11/21/2011]

 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


WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 10/28/2011

Friday, October 28th, 2011

Making what could be its final flight, Delta II rocket deploys new  weather and environmental research satellite for NASA and NOAA.
[NASA Space Flight – 10/28/2011]

China will launch Long March-2F/H rocket early next month, carrying unmanned  spacecraft Shenzhou-8 which will conduct the country’s first space docking with  Tiiangong-1, or Heavenly Palace-1, a space lab module.
[Space Daily – 10/28/2011]

Secure World Foundation to discuss evolution in China’s role in space, as the  country has developed and deployed space-based intelligence, surveillance, and  reconnaissance capabilities to support military and national security and  enhance their regional power.
[SatNews –  10/28/2011]

Miami-based NewCom International donates year’s worth of Internet  connectivity to aid Germany-based NGO Welthungerhlife’s humanitarian work in  Liberian refugee camps.
[PR Web –  10/28/2011]

Coalition to Save Our GPS challenges LightSquared’s forecasts that FCC will  be able to resolve controversy over company’s planned LTE network, using  conference call to slam LightSquared’s business plan and technical claims.
[PC World – 10/28/2011]

Mitec Telecom employees plan to buy all its VSAT satellite communications  division.
[Montreal Gazette – 10/28/2011]

Marine Data Solutions of Cape Town begins implementing Automatic  Identification System coastal network at lighthouses along South African coast.
[SatNews –  10/28/2011]

LightSquared enters into collaborative partnership with antenna solutions  provider PCTEL to develop technology to resolve concerns regarding interference  with GPS.
[PR Newswire – 10/27/2011]

Astrium hands over Arabsat-5C to ARABSAT after successful completion of  in-orbit testing.
[SatNews –  10/27/2011]

Suspected Chinese hackers interfered with Landsat-7 and Terra AM-1 satellites  in 2007 and 2008 according to Bloomberg Businessweek story citing upcoming  congressional commission report.
[Computer World – 10/27/2011]

Arianespace’s full launcher family in place as flight-ready versions of  Ariane 5, Soyuz, and Vega are together at the Spaceport for the first time.
[SatNews –  10/27/2011]

TV and radio stations, and satellite, cable, and wireline video systems  required to participate in first national test of Emergency Alert System  Wednesday, November 9.
[Examiner – 10/27/2011]

TeleCommunications Systems’ Commercial Mobile Alert System receives FEMA  certification as emergency alert system for delivery to mobile phones.
[SatNews –  10/27/2011]

Canadian government plans to invest as much as $477M in U.S.-led Wideband  Global Satellite system.
Vancouver Sun – 10/27/2011]

Newtec hosted free webinars December 14 and 15 to explore expected growth in  government demand for satellite bandwidth for data, video, and voice  communication.
[SatNews –  10/27/2011]

RRsat launches second DVB-S2 platform on MEASAT-3a.
[PR Newswire – 10/27/2011]

Vizada and Mexican service provider MultiSAT deliver satcom services and  solutions for Mexican mining industry.
[Marketwatch – 10/27/2011]

Astrium Services launches portal to provide satellite imagery of forests in  Congo Basin to organizations working to conserve the regions forests.
[Satellite  Evolution – 10/27/2011]

Fourteen months after launch, the Air Force’s first Advance Extremely High  Frequency military communications satellite is finally on station following  arduous maneuvers precipitated by premature engine shutdown.
[Florida Today – 10/26/2011]

After disappointing results in marketing to U.S. Government’s National  GeoSpatial Intelligence Agency, EADS Astrium shifts attention to Asia where  demand for EO satellites and imagery is growing across the board.
[NSR Report – 10/26/2011]

Intelsat partners with du of United Arab Emirates to jointly offer MCPC  television program distribution solutions on Intelsat 10.
[Market Watch – 10/26/2011]

DigitalGlobe and NTT GEOSPACE launch new online geospatial intelligence  service powered by DigitalGlobe featuring on-demand access to imagery of  Japanese landmass.
[SatNews –  10/26/2011]

Iridium announces complete suite of AxcessPoint products and services that  allow laptop connected to Iridium phone to become wireless hotspot connecting  smart phones, laptops and other devices to the Internet over the Iridium  network.
[TMCnet – 10/26/2011]

Stratos Government Services is awarded five-year Indefinite Delivery  Indefinite Quantity contract by United States Coast Guard to provide large  cutter connectivity.
[SatNews –  10/26/2011]

Spirent positioning & navigation test solution now supports China’s  Compass/Beidou-2 satellite navigation system.
[Market Watch – 10/26/2011]

SES Astra 1N enters commercial service over Europe.
[Satellite Today – 10/25/2011]

United Arab Emirates reopens negotiations with France for a military  surveillance satellite.
[UPI – 10/25/2011]

UK regulator Ofcom writes to International Telecommunications Union asking it  to rescind the satellite spectrum granted to ICO Satellite after its failure for  32 months to establish viable business using the spectrum.
[The Register –  10/25/2011]

U.S. space entrepreneur warns that China could own the moon by 2026.
[SatNews –  10/25/2011]

UltiSat Europe gets sole-source contract from Danish National Procurement  agency allowing Danish federal and local government agencies to buy satellite  services more easily.
[Market Watch – 10/25/2011]

NSSLGlobal opens up new spot beam for maritime use in southeast Asia on SES’  NSS6 satellite.
[SatNews –  10/25/2011]

Spacenet selected to provide upgraded network performance capabilities at  Cumberland Farms’ 600-plus convenience and gasoline retail stores in 11 states.
[TMCnet – 10/25/2011]

Hughes Network Systems provisions GTECH Columbia with advance HN satellite  networking solution, connecting more than 1,100 lottery sites in Colombia.
[SatNews –  10/25/2011]

ARINC successfully launches GLOBALink/Iridium Data Link communications  service for Asiana Airlines of South Korea.
[SatNews –  10/25/2011]

U.S. Strategic Command commander Gen. Kehler warns satellite industry service  providers that rising amount of data collected by U.S. satellites is starting to  exceed Pentagon’s ability to process it.
[Satellite Today –  10/24/2011]

EUTELSAT announces full entry into commercial service of its high capacity  ATLANTIC BIRD 7 satellite, with enhance footprint providing coverage in North  Africa and Gulf states.
[SatNews –  10/24/2011]

AsiaSat 7, built for AsiaSat by Space Systems/Loral, arrives at Baikonur  Space Center.
[SatNews –  10/24/2011]

Polar satellite project under consideration by Canadian government might be  required to fix inability of F-35 Joint Strike fighter plane to communicate in  Canadian North.
[CTV News – 10/24/2011]

Harris receives $20M in orders to provide manpack radios to U.S. Army and  Marine Corps that include ability to upgrade to Mobile User Objective Systems  satellite communications.
[Market Watch – 10/24/2011]

Globecomm Systems sees growth in satellite communications in the areas of  Media, Wireless, Government, Enterprise, and Maritime, with increasing trend  toward use of multiple devices.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/24/2011]

Recently published standard ETSI TC SES specification TS 102 856 Parts 1 and  2 describes how to support transport of Multi-Protocol Label Switching data and  signalling flows over a Broadband Satellite Multimedia network.
[SatNews –  10/24/2011]

European Space Agency’s Galileo constellation will use Passive Hydrogen Maser  atomic clock stable to 1 second every 3 million years, developed by SELEX  Galileo, an Finmeccanica company.
[SatNews –  10/24/2011]

German satellite ROSAT re-entered atmosphere over Bay of Bengal.
[Space Daily – 10/23/2011]

Since Craig Cooning took over Boeing’s struggling space and intelligence  systems in 2008 it has doubled its backlog from five years ago.
[LA Times – 10/23/2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications systems consulting services


WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 10/21/2011

Friday, October 21st, 2011

Satellite Broadband on Airplanes: A New Era Set To Begin (Part Two).
[A Satellite Today Webinar October 25, 2011]

Arieanespace detects ground-based Soyuz fuel leak; postpones Galileo Launch.
[Satellite Today – 10/21/2011]

DARPA seeks innovators for its satellite servicing technology programs, with  goal of cooperatively harvesting and re-using valuable components from  nonworking retired satellites in geosynchronous orbits.
[SatNews –  10/21/2011]

SES will invest $4.1B in Latin America and Asia expansion efforts.
[Satellite Today – 10/21/2011]

China expects to launch its first Mars probe between November 8th and  November 20th, following a two-year delay.
[SatNews –  10/21/2011]

Boeing delivers 50,000th Combat Survivor Evader Locater combat search and  rescue communications system to U.S. joint services.
[SatNews –  10/21/2011]

Democratic Voice of Burma web site says Burmese government is preparing to  allow licenses for satellite television receivers again following a six-year  ban.
[Advanced Television – 10/21/2011]

TSF (Telecoms Sans Frontieres) faces conflict and insecurity and can only be  on site in daytime as it works to establish communications for humanitarian  organizations in Sirte Libya, Gaddafi’s home town and where he was killed.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

ViaSat-1, touted as DSL competitor, is in orbit following International  Launch Services Proton rocket launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
[Space News  – 10/20/2011]

Space Systems/Loral announces that ViaSat-1 is performing post-launch  maneuvers according to plan.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

Telesat, owner of nine Canadian beams on ViaSat-1, is delighted with the  successful launch of the satellite; has 15-year agreement with Xplornet  Communications for use of the capacity.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

ViaSat-1, launched Wednesday afternoon aboard Proton rocket in Kazakhstan,  will allow Xplornet of Canada to provide broadband service to 1.5 million North  American customers, and download speeds up to 25 Mbps.
[CBC News – 10/20/2011]

NASA pushes back NPOESS weather satellite launch by one day to October 28.
[Satellite Today – 10/20/2011]

Russia’s space program – presently the only way that the United States can  access the International Space Station, also seeks to match or even surpass the  United States in overall space capabilities.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

Hermes Datacomms announces that offshore and onshore VSAT services are back  in full operation in Libya.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

EUMETSAT’s Metop-A achieves 15 years of service, providing weather and  climate monitoring for Europe.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

Euroconsult consulting firm says governments will continue to drive Earth  observation industry over the coming decade through new satellites and growing  demand for data.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

KVH opens Asia-Pacific headquarters featuring state-of-the-art demo and  training lab to serve partners and customers.
[MarketWatch – 10/20/2011]

German scientific satellite Rosat may fall to earth this weekend.
[Washington Post – 10/20/2011]

Selex Elsag of Italy to upgrade NATO’s satellite communication systems and  associated infrastructure.
[UPI – 10/20/2011]

Indian media criticizes government for constant delays in the Indian military  satellite program.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

NSD reaches 20 million homes (100 million viewers) for its Indian pay-TV  service.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

Bently Walker selected by Wayuyu Taya Foundation to provide satellite  Internet to Los Lechosos school in remote area of Venezuela.
[SatNews –  10/20/2011]

Government and Defence markets prepare for significant growth in satellite  data rates, according to leading international satellite market research and  consulting firm NSR.
[SAT PR – 10/19/2011]

Newtec expects significant growth based on the NSR report on Government and  Defence markets, posturing its FlexACM as a solution for maximizing bandwidth  efficiencies.
[SatNews –  10/19/2011]

SkyBlue receives third extension to its Iridium frequency bandwidth approval  for aviation satellite communications in China.
[Satellite Today – 10/19/2011]

Caribbean’s newest low fare airline REDjet chooses Blue Sky Network for new  tracking and communication systems.
[MarketWatch – 10/19/2011]

Farm groups anxious for resolution of issue of interference by proposed  LightSquared wireless network with GPS.
[AgAlert – 10/19/2011]

European Space Agency picks Thales Alenia Space to lead nine-month study on  satellite communications for unmanned aerial systems.
[UPI – 10/18/2011]

Globe Wireless is granted Blanket Wireless Radio Station License by Japanese  Ministry of Information and Communications, allowing it to offer Inmarsat  FleetBroadband mobile satellite services in Japan and on Japanese registered  vessels.
[Marine Link – 10/18/2011]

Sir Richard Branson, children Sam and Holly, and troupe of dancer/acrobats,  scale down, dancing, on walls of new Virgin Galactic Spaceport in New Mexico  during dedication.
[SatNews – 10/18/2011]

NASA books flight on Virgin Galactic, with options for two more, to allow  engineers, technologists, and scientific researchers to conduct experiments in  suborbital space.
[SatNews –  10/17/2011]

Newtec gives support for standardization and adoption of industry-wide  counter-measures to combat interference, with the DVB accepted work topic  Carrier ID as a first step.
[SatNews –  10/17/2011]

NASA and Japan release the most complete digital topographic map of Earth  produced to date.
[SatNews –  101/17/2011]

Small satellites from less-than-500-kilograms to less than 100 grams prompt  big ideas for next 25 years.
[Space.com – 10/17/2011]

Astrium accepts financial backing from European Space Agency to build new  high-speed data relay service for Europe while simultaneously creating a market  for it.
[Aviation Week – 10/17/2011]

Harris Corporation receives $51.5M delivery order for advanced satellite  terminals under U.S. Army’s Modernization of Enterprise Terminals program.
[Business Wire – 10/17/2011]

ViaSat wins U.S. DoD study contract to assess bandwidth cost reduction  methods for commercial communication satellite systems.
[Market Watch – 10/17/2011]

Locus Traxx to use GSM service from Vodafone, and ORBCOMM’s satellite  network, to support dual-mode SmartTraxx shipment monitoring, reporting, and  alerts solution.
[TMCnet – 10/17/2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications systems consulting services

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 10/14/2011

Friday, October 14th, 2011

Defense Information Systems Agency proposes completely new approach to commercial satcom buying practices by creating Assured SATCOM Services in Single Theater program.
[Defense Systems – 10/14/2011]

From Skyterra to present day LightSquared – tiny satellite company takes gutsy risks in ambitious plan for nationwide wholesale satellite/terrestrial LTE network, finds itself embroiled in political partisan and lobbying battle.
[National Journal – 10/14/2011]

KORE makes available their KORE Global Connect M2M network delivering cellular and satellite services complemented by Iridium satellite services, enabling ubiquitous global coverage.
[SatNews – 10/14/2011]

Viasat airborne satellite communications systems exceed 500,000 operational flight hours; over 200 satcom equipped government aircraft transmitting ISR and C2 in theater.
[MarketWatch – 10/14/2011]

October 20 launch of Europe’s first Galileo navigation satellites will also mark the first Russian Soyuz rocket launch from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
[SatNews – 10/13/2011]

Charlie Ergen moving to fashion Dish Network into media empire based on delivery of video and data, leveraging acquired assets such as Hughes Communications and Blockbuster, and targeted online TV service Hulu.
[Business Week – 10/13/2011]


Eutelsat Board of Directors proposes Jean-Martin Folz as Board member; if elected he will be appointed by the Board as Chairman of Eutelsat, to succeed Giuliano Berretta.
[SatNews – 10/13/2010]

Orbcomm successfully launches VesselSat1, an Automatic Identification Service (AIS) enabled satellite built by OHB affiliate LuxSpace Sarl, onboard Indian Space Research Organization rocket.
[Satellite Today – 10/13/2011]

Two companies working on “remote robot gas stations” that could extend life of aging satellites running out of fuel.
[Space.com – 10/13/2011]

KVH bundles TracPhone V3 hardware with 1 GB data plan in special 3-year mini-VSAT broadband package in bundle promotion.
[MarketWatch – 10/13/2011]

Emerging Markets Communications announces first HD on demand pay as you go satellite videoconferencing service available for deployment to Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia (soon to include China and Central and South America).
[AMEinfo – 10/13/2011]

ORBCOMM and Locas Traxx to enable shipment tracking and monitoring solution.
[MarketWatch – 10/13/2011]

Connectify announces strategic partnership to offer Iridium AxcessPoint Connect to the mobile communications market.
[MarketWatch – 10/13/2011]

Home2US renews long-term capacity agreement on SES-1 and adds six new television networks and five new radio channels from Greece and Cyprus to its DTH lineup.
[MarketWatch – 10/13/2011]


French Navy patroller Cormoran to use Vizada’s satellite broadband connection and airtime for everything from surveillance to crew welfare.
[SatNews – 10/13/2011]

Netherlands plans to join the Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) program to increase its satellite communications capacity.
[Aviation Week – 10/12/2011]

Indian Space Research Organization uses strategic delay to avoid possible encounter with space debris; accomplishes successful launch of four satellites, including Indo-French Megha-Tropiques.
[SatNews – 10/12/2011]

Lockheed Martin successfully completes end-to-end system test of first MUOS satellite, whose payload will provide immediate 16-fold increase over legacy UHF satellite communications in number and capacity of satellite links.
[PR Newswire – 10/12/2011]


Fort McMurray, Alberta to become major gateway for satellite broadband in Canada, as Xplornet Communications announces completion of 4G satellite ground station.
[Canada Newswire – 10/12/2011]

General Dynamics SATCOM technologies chooses Wavestream’s 16 Ka-band amplifier for their Model 20 Satcom-on-the-Move terminal.
[SatNews – 10/12/2011]


Eutelsat announces successful launch of W3C satellite by a Longh March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, Eutelsat’s 2nd launch in 2 weeks.
[TMCnet – 10/11/2011]

United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket placed atop its Cape Canaveral pad for the next Delta 4 launch which will carry the 4th WGS satellite aloft in January 2012.
[Spaceflight Now – 10/11/2011]

Canadian Telesat satellite outage blamed on software error.
[Satellite Spotlight – 10/11/2011]

Sofradir wins key contract to supply technology to new European Union Earth observation satellites.
[Satellite Today – 10/11/2011]

Spacenet Mexico launches digital cinema distribution network powered by iDirect’s Evolution platform.
[PR Newswire – 10/11/2011]

NASA releases interactive educational video game called NetworKing that allows players to “build” complex communications systems and gives an insider’s perspective into how astronauts, mission controllers, and scientists communicate during space missions.
[MarketWatch – 10/11/2011]

RRSAT offers customers 26% data rate increase using NovelSat3G-Sat modulation technology.
[The Street – 10/11/2011]

Expand Networks to demonstrate innovative satellite network optimization techniques that dramatically increase bandwidth efficiency at SATCON NY,
[SatNews – 10/11/2011]

Globecomm to discuss “File-based Distribution Over Satellite” at SATCON NY.
[Business Wire – 10/11/2011]

Satcom Direct includes Aircare Access(R) assistance 24/7 tele-medical support in suite of business aviation services.
[San Francisco Chronicle – 10/11/2011]

European Commission adopts decision meant to allow it to “adopt appropriate enforcement measures” in use of 2 GHz MSS spectrum as deadlines for 2 operators to deploy services there expired in May.
[EUROPOLITICS – 10/10/2011]


Hughes Europe will provide satellite communications support to the Istanbul Seismic Risk Mitigation and Emergency Preparedness project in Turkey.
[Satellite Today – 10/10/2011]

Satcom Direct launches Satcom Integration, offering consulting services, products, custom integration, and software applications.
[Digital Journal – 10/10/2011]

WBMSAT satellite communications systems consulting services