News
Télécommunications: le satellite Vinasat-1 occupé à 30%
Vinasat-1, le premier satellite de télécommunications du pays mis en service fin mai dernier, a été exploité à 30%, a annoncé la Compagnie de télécommunications internationales (VTI), son opératrice relevant du groupe des postes et télécommunications du Vietnam (VNPT).
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Russia prepares for launch of U.S. telecoms satellite
Russia has delivered a U.S. Telstar telecom satellite to the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan in preparation for a scheduled launch, Russia’s space agency Roscosmos said on Monday.
A Zenith-3SLB carrier rocket equipped with a DM-SLB booster with the Telstar 11N satellite on board is scheduled to lift off from Baikonur on February 26.
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Belarus Plans to Launch Satellite in Late 2009
Belarus plans to launch its satellite in 2009, the Council of Ministers’ presidium said at its meeting on Tuesday [23 September] that focused on the country’s space programme for 2008-12.
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Boeing to Launch 4th Earth-Observation Satellite for Italy
The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA), through its commercial launch business, has received a contract to launch the fourth satellite for the COSMO-SkyMed (Constellation of Small Satellites for Mediterranean basin Observation) program for Thales Alenia Space Italia, prime contractor of the Italian Space Agency.
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Satellite internet new accelerating solution
Lamit Company, an important satellite internet provider, launches a new solution for improving the satellite internet connections (terrestrial, wireless or bidirectional via satellite), the 2.5 STABLE version of Lamit 2Pro Advanced and Lamit 2Pro Mini Power servers. Despite the very small dimensions of the Mini Power server, it maintains all the features and characteristics of the Lamit 2Pro server’s Platform. The new generation of servers includes Wireless connectivity (N type, offering an extended coverage area and maximum transfer rates) providing easier users’ connection. The new servers’ version also offers new encryption facilities, a better control and professional management of the users’ LAN.
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Japan to launch multi-satellite mission
Japan got its first commercial order to launch a satellite on a homegrown rocket on Monday, a deal that Japanese officials hope will grow into a business that could support the country’s cash-strapped space program.
The agreement – which targets a liftoff date after April 2011 – comes less than two weeks before Japan plans to launch eight satellites into space to show that its H2A rocket can compete with rivals in Russia, the United States and Asia’s new space powerhouse, China.
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Coast Guard Launches Nationwide AIS Satellite
The U.S. Coast Guard announced the launch of an ORBCOMM concept demonstration satellite, equipped with Automatic Identification System (AIS) capability, from Kapustin Yar, Russia.
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Satellite launches boost African communications
African space science advanced this week with the launch of a new Nigerian satellite, and the announcement of South Africa’s plans to launch a second low-earth-orbiting satellite next month.
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Lamit Company – Broadband satellite internet news
Lamit Company, the satellite communication provider, has been elected to be awarded the “Golden Award for Quality and Business Prestige” at the end of March 2009, in Berlin, where the official representatives of this corporation will be present to receive the recognition of their outstanding contribution to the development of worldwide communication process and broadband satellite internet field.
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O3b Links With Google for Fast Satellite Internet Capacity
Satellite company O3b Networks has linked up with Google and other investors to bring cheaper, high-speed wireless Internet access to areas unlikely to see investments in fiber infrastructure.
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EchoStar Takes Stake in Gilat Satellite Internet Access
EchoStar Communications Corp. Monday invested $50 million in Gilat-To-Home Inc. to provide two-way satellite broadband Internet services.
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Hybrid Satellite Networks
Hybrid networks involving IP and satellite technologies are now becoming much more prevalent around the globe, as the advent of IP is allowing both networking technologies to complement each other more and more.
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Lunar satellite mission on track for 2014 launch
A United Kingdom-led mission to put a satellite in orbit around the moon, potentially enabling lunar colonists to use mobile phones to communicate with each other, has inched a step closer to blastoff.
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Mitsubishi Heavy wins satellite launch order from S. Korea
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. has received an order from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute for the launch of a South Korean multipurpose satellite aided by Japan’s domestically developed main rocket the H-2A, it said Monday.
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Malfunctioning Component Delays Satellite Launch
Air Force officials here are delaying the launch of Tactical Satellite-3 until repairs to a spacecraft avionics component, critical to the system’s operational capability, are complete.
Although scheduled to launch in late January, the program team is working with the manufacturer to resolve the problem.
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GOCE Satellite Launch is Delayed Till 2009
The European Space Agency says the launch of its GOCE Earth Explorer satellite will not take place earlier than February due to a system failure.
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TerreStar Demonstrates First Satellite IMS VOIP Call in Comneon Test Lab — TerreStar Handset Performs Across Array of Network Infrastructures
Today, at the 2009 International CES, TerreStar Networks Inc. and Comneon, a leading supplier of protocol stack software for mobile communications, announced that the integrated satellite-terrestrial multi-mode handset designed by EB (Elektrobit Corporation) for TerreStar has successfully demonstrated VOIP connectivity using satellite simulation in a Comneon test lab.
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Orbital Selected by Intelsat to Design and Build New Dawn Commercial Communications Satellite
Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE:ORB), one of the world’s leading space technology companies, announced today that it has been selected to design, manufacture and test a new commercial communications spacecraft known as New Dawn. In late 2008, Orbital was authorized to proceed on the New Dawn program by Intelsat, Ltd. which formed a joint venture with Convergence Partners to own and operate the satellite.
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Boeing Awarded $234 Million to Complete Production of 6th Wideband Global SATCOM Satellite
The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) today announced that the U.S. Air Force has authorized the Commonwealth of Australia’s provision of US$234 million for Boeing to complete production of the sixth Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite.
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Three Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68 Rocket Engines Boost Classified Spy Satellite
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company, contributed to the nation’s security by boosting a classified spy satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Jan. 17.
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Satellite internet accelerated access for Africa and Middle East
New satellite internet access for Africa and Middle East is now available due to the new satellite capacities allocated by Lamit Company, to all kind of users along the entire continent.
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EADS Astrium acquires Surrey Satellite Technology Limited
EADS Astrium, Europe’s leading space company, has acquired Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), the innovative University of Surrey spin-out company which specialises in the design and manufacture of small satellites and subsystems. This acquisition follows the approval of the European Commission in December 2008 and was announced by EADS CEO Louis Gallois today at his January briefing for the media.
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ISRO to Launch Weather Satellite
To be jointly developed with the French Space Agency, ‘Mehga Tropiques’ would aid in the study of weather-related effects.
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Old Russian nuclear satellite spewed fragments in orbit
Russia’s military said Wednesday that an old Soviet-built nuclear-powered satellite has spewed fragments in orbit, but insisted they do not threaten the international space station or people on Earth.
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Hughes Develops Satellite-based Government Crisis Network
Hughes Network Systems has leveraged its SPACEWAY 3 satellite to launch a new Inter-Government Crisis Network (IGCN) service that enables government agencies to communicate securely and reliably in preparing for and responding to an emergency — when terrestrial networks are most vulnerable to failure.
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Satellites help locate water in Niger
Like most sub-Saharan African countries, Niger faces problems meeting its water needs. As part of ESA’s TIGER initiative, satellite data are being used to identify surface and underground water resources in the drought-prone country.
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Old Soviet Nuclear Satellite Spills Debris
One of the most long-lasting satellites that the Soviet Union placed into orbit some 21 years ago has now started acting up, spilling a trace of unidentified substances along its orbit, American observatories report. The January issue of the journal Orbital Debris Quarterly News details the nature of the spill, which was first observed in July 2008 by the US Space Surveillance Network. The nuclear core of the satellite has been inactive for more than two decades, so the Russian space agency Roscosmos says that the danger the spill poses is low.
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Hundreds of Cutting-Edge Satellite Technology Products and Services Unveiled at SATELLITE 2009 Conference and Exhibition
SATELLITE 2009 is the premier annual event showcasing the latest technologies and equipment for the satellite-enabled communications marketplace.
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DBS + VSAT Systems Gain HEMT From Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has developed a Ka-band plastic package, low noise, GaAs high electron mobility transistor (HEMT), the MGF4963BL, which is highly suitable for low noise amplifiers in 18-20GHz band direct broadcast satellite (DBS) reception systems and very small aperture terminal (VSAT) systems. Shipment will start on February 25, 2009.
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Thales to supply Satellite Communications System to the Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen class frigates
Thales has been awarded by the Norwegian Defence Procurement Division a contract to deliver a new satellite communications system for the five Norwegian Nansen class frigates.
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PCI Expands, Thanks to Their Own Unified Comm Solution + NewSat
PCI Expands, Thanks to Their Own Unified Comm Solution + NewSat Proactive Communications, Inc. (PCI) now has a three year, two million dollar deal with NewSat Limited (ASX:NWT) to expand satellite coverage across Southwest Asia.
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PLDT prepares to launch direct home satellite TV service Companies
The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) Group has nearly completed the preparations for the forthcoming launch of its direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television service, an official said on Monday. This, after the project was initially scheduled to be offered in the fourth quarter of last year.
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ACTi’s Warrior SatMonitoring System Deployed In Indian Area
Antenna Technology Communications Inc. (ATCi) has deployed its Warrior Satellite Monitoring and Surveillance System in the the Indian region.
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Hiltron Communications will be exhibiting on Stand Z-27 at CABSAT 2009 in Dubai, between March 3 and 5.
Based near Stuttgart, Hiltron offers complete satellite-uplink systems and equipment for a wide range of broadcast and telecommunications applications.
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New Astra 1M Satellite Ready For Operation
SES Astra reports that its new Astra 1M satellite has been successfully deployed at its final orbital position at 19.2 degrees East and is ready for commercial operations.
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Orbital Reveals New Lithium-Ion Battery to be Used for Future Launches
Orbital Sciences Corp. is using lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries from Saft as a power source for air-launched space launch vehicles, the company announced Jan. 20.
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Intelsat Announces Proposed Offering of Senior Notes
Intelsat, Ltd., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, today announced that its subsidiary, Intelsat Subsidiary Holding Company, Ltd. (“Intelsat Sub Holdco”), intends to offer senior notes (the “notes”), the net proceeds of which will be used to fund Intelsat Sub Holdco’s cash tender offer with respect to Intelsat, Ltd.’s outstanding 7.625% Senior Notes due 2012 and 6.50% Senior Notes due 2013.
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Intelsat Announces Global Maritime Service Distribution Partner for Asia-Pacific
Intelsat, Ltd., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, announced today that it selected KT Corporation, the leading communications service provider for Korea and the Asia-Pacific region, to be a distribution partner for Intelsat’s Network Broadband Global Maritime service.
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Elektrobit Satellite PDA – Windows Mobile 6.1 and Other Goodies
Elektrobit, a Finland-based company, announced the future release of their first PDA, under the name of “EB Satellite/Terrestrial Reference PDA Phone”. Despite this not quite attractive name, the future device will apparently bring together both good looks and advanced functionality and it won’t even cost too much.
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Discovery ready to roll toward VAB
The first of six planned space shuttle missions in 2009 kicks off in earnest this week with Discovery’s placement on a launch platform.
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Malfunctioning Component Delays Satellite Launch
Air Force officials here are delaying the launch of Tactical Satellite-3 until repairs to a spacecraft avionics component, critical to the system’s operational capability, are complete.
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New satellite to monitor global warming
Japan’s space agency will launch a satellite next Wednesday that will monitor greenhouse gases and assist in the fight against climate change.
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Single rocket to carry 6 ‘private’ satellites
OSAKA–An H-2A rocket carrying six small satellites developed by universities and private-sector companies will be launched Wednesday from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. This will be the largest number of “private” satellites to be carried by a Japanese rocket.
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Yamal-201 Now Beams Turkmen Music For Appreciation
The 24-hour TV channel, Turkmen ovazy (Turkmen melodies), has initiated broadcasting their programming via the Yamal-201 satellite, operated by Russian company Gazprom Space Systems.
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Intelsat’s New Distribution Partner Beaming
Intelsat, Ltd has selected KT Corporation to be a distribution partner for the Company’s Network Broadband Global Maritime service.
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Sea Launch Selected to Launch Intelsat 17
Sea Launch will launch the Intelsat 17 communications satellite in late 2010, as the first of five missions on the Sea Launch system in a previously announced multiple launch services contract with Intelsat, Ltd., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services.
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Flight Following Crucial For STAT MedEvac — Obtains SkyTrac Systems
SkyTrac Systems has been selected by STAT MedEvac to provide flight following and satellite communication (SATCOM) services.
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Strategic SATCOM + Broadcast Partnership ‘Tween Euroconsult NA + Irwin
Euroconsult North America, subsidiary of Euroconsult, a leading international consulting and analyst firm specialized in the satellite sector, and Irwin Communications, a consulting and market research firm specialized in satellite communications, have announced a strategic partnership to provide consulting services to leading American and Canadian companies and government agencies in the satellite communications (SATCOM) and broadcast markets.
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SatIPTV Gains New Skies For Content Delivery
SES NEW SKIES will host IPTV Americas on its NSS-806 satellite. This will enable IPTV Americas to offer an end-to-end satellite-delivered IPTV distribution solution to all telecommunications and cable operators’ head ends in Latin America and the Caribbean.
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The Dawning Of A New STAR-2 For Orbital
Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE:ORB) has been selected to design, manufacture, and test a new commercial communications spacecraft known as New Dawn.
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COM DEV USA Is Certifiable (SAE AS9100)
After careful planning and much work, COM DEV USA has received certification for SAE AS9100, the aerospace industry’s quality system standard. This achievement signifies that COM DEV USA’s processes have been independently evaluated and that its operations in El Segundo can be expected to design and manufacture top quality products for U.S. civil and national security space missions.
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Staging — Discovery Set For Dress Rehearsal
After reaching its launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery now awaits its next major milestone for the upcoming STS-119 mission.
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Triple Moons In Cassini’s Lens
Three of Saturn’s satellites are visible in this snapshot from the Cassini spacecraft.
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FCC Gives ICO ATC Approval With MSS
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved the application of ICO Global Communications (Holdings) Limited’s (NASDAQ: ICOG) subsidiary, New ICO Satellite Services G.P., use of an ancillary terrestrial component (ATC) in conjunction with its mobile satellite services (MSS).
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RRsat + Yamal-201 Combo Deliver In Russian
Global Communications Network Ltd. has been selected to distribute two additional Russian-speaking channels, Smile of Child and Bridge TV, over Russia via Gascom’s Yamal-201 Satellite at 90 degrees East.
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Norwegian Nansen Frigates Tap Thales For SATCOM Solution
The Norwegian Defence Procurement Division has awarded a contract to Thales to deliver a new satellite communications system for the five Norwegian Nansen class frigates.
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SES NEW SKIES Delivers NSS-9 To Kourou For Launch
SES NEW SKIES’ NSS-9 satellite has safely arrived at the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, onboard an Antonov cargo plane.
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Next NASA Moon Mission Completes Major Milestone
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has successfully completed thermal vacuum testing, which simulates the extreme hot, cold and airless conditions of space LRO will experience after launch. This milestone concludes the orbiter’s environmental test program at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
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Anomaly Annihilates ASTRA-5A’s Mission
SES ASTRA’s satellite ASTRA-5A, the former SIRIUS-2, operating at 31.5 degrees East, experienced a technical anomaly that has culminated in the end of the spacecraft’s mission.
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NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 18 January 2009
All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Sunday – Ahead: Week 13 of Increment 18.
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South Korea eyes space collaboration with Japan
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) has initiated talks with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) over the execution of joint experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
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Delta IV Heavy finally launches with NRO L-26
After three years of delays, United Launch Alliance have launched the third Delta IV Heavy, carrying the classified NRO L-26 satellite for the US National Reconnaissance Office. The rocket finally launched liftoff from Launch Complex 37B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, at 02:47 GMT (21:47 local time), following the resolution of a number of technical issues throughout the window.
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SES NEW SKIES’ NSS-9 Satellite Arrives in Kourou for February 12 Launch on Ariane-5
SES NEW SKIES, an SES company (Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) announces that its NSS-9 satellite has safely arrived at the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, onboard an Antonov cargo plane. The NSS-9 spacecraft, manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), will now be readied for launch onboard an Ariane 5 booster, scheduled for take off on February 12, 2009. The launch window for NSS-9 onboard Ariane 5 opens at 22:09 GMT time.
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Next G another blow to broadband satellite services
The announcement by the Government that Optus 3G now qualifies as a metro-comparable broadband service has eroded the addressable market for satellite service providers tapping into Australian Broadband Guarantee funding. Now they could soon be facing competition from Next G which claims coverage of 99 percent of the population.
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Ariane 5 Delivers Two Satellites Into Orbit
Eutelsat, one of the largest communications company in Europe, got its latest satellites delivered to orbit on Saturday, via an Ariane 5 rocket, which blasted off at 7.35 p.m. (5:35 p.m. EST), from the European space base in the French Guiana, on the northeast coast of South America.
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