Satellite News articles from February 2002

Satellite News archives from February 2002

Sirius Moves To Escape From XM's Shadow.
February 4, 2002... Now that Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. [SIRI] is ready to launch limited satellite radio service next week, it faces the major challenge of quickly building its subscriber base to catch up with rival XM Satellite Radio [XMSR], which is already...

Boeing Targets Government For In-Flight Broadband.
February 4, 2002... Aerospace giant The Boeing Company [BA] is going after the government market in a big way in an effort to salvage its in-flight broadband service venture Connexion by Boeing. In the latest example of this strategic shift, Boeing last week...

Iridium Plans Big Push Into Messaging Market.
February 4, 2002... Iridium Satellite LLC, the successor company to the failed mobile satellite handheld phone venture, plans to invest more than $25 million to move beyond its core voice services to exploit short-burst messaging. That is the word from Gino...

Spotlight: University of Colorado Buses Will Use GPS.(global positioning system)
February 4, 2002... Students at the University of Colorado in Boulder will have a better chance of arriving to class on time with the rollout of a global positioning system (GPS). The system will help monitor and manage the campus transportation system. ...

Analyst Sees Gains For Satellite Radio, Streaming Media.(Carmel Group CEO Jimmy Schaeffler)
February 4, 2002... Jimmy Schaeffler, chairman and CEO of The Carmel Group, sees a robust market developing this year for satellite radio and streaming media services via satellite. At the same time, he expects the proposed merger of U.S. DBS giants EchoStar...

EchoStar Battles Opponents Of Merger, Two-Dish Solution.
February 4, 2002... EchoStar Communications Corp. [DISH] is fighting back against opponents of its proposed merger with Hughes Electronics Corp. [GMH] and its new policy of requiring subscribers to use a second dish to get local channels in some markets. The...

Ex-American Airlines Chief Lifts AirTV Venture.
February 4, 2002... Robert Crandall, the former head of American Airlines [AMR], gave credibility last week to in-flight communications via satellite when he agreed to become a senior advisor to fledgling AirTV. Crandall brings more than 30 years of airline...

Boeing Ships TDRS For March Launch.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... The Boeing Co. [BA] last week sent a tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS) to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for final preparations before a March launch aboard an Atlas IIA rocket. The Boeing 601 model, named TDRS-I, is the second...

ADC Gains $3 Million Defense Pact.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... ADC International (ADC), a Sterling, Va.-based provider of secure mobile satellite communications equipment, airtime and maintenance services, has been awarded a competitive one-year contract by the Defense Information Technology Contracting...

HNS European Unit Inks Pact.(Hughes Network Systems)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... Hughes Network Systems Europe (HNSE), a provider of broadband satellite services in Europe through the DirectWay brand, has signed a contract to supply a satellite network to Ufinet, the telecom arm of Spanish energy firm Union Fenosa. ...

Eutelsat Joins Renault Racing Team.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... Eutelsat, one of the world's largest satellite operators, has been selected by Renault F1 to provide satellite communications services for the auto maker's racing team in the Formula One World Championship series. Renault F1 will return...

Trimble Announces Deal With TRACKER.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... TRACKER Network (UK) Ltd. will use Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Trimble's [TRMB] GPS technology for its next-generation TRACKER Communicator, a vehicle management and telematics system available in Europe. The TRACKER Communicator is produced...

MDA Wins Matra Contract.(MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. [MDA], of Richmond, B.C., has received a contract from Matra SystGemes & Information, a subsidiary of France's EADS Group, to upgrade three EagleVision mobile ground stations for the U.S. Air Force....

RT Logic Wins Pact From Naval Center.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2002... RT Logic, a Colorado Springs, Colo.-based provider of products for satellite ground operations and launch vehicle telemetry acquisition, announced that the Naval Satellite Operations Center (NAVSOC) selected its control center systems to...

Cobra Electronics Pounces On GPS Market.
February 4, 2002... While Apple Computer [AAPL] co-founder Steve Wozniak has been making plans to enter the market for handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, Chicago-based Cobra Electronics [COBR] has been conducting a stealth campaign to enter the...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.(table)
February 4, 2002... Week of Jan. 28 - Feb. 1 Percentage Change Symbol Jan. 30 Price One Week APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 3.25 -1.5 ARCOMS BTRK ...

Teledesic Slashes Broadband Plans.
February 11, 2002... Teledesic LLC, a Bellevue, Wash.-based satellite broadband company, is keeping alive its hopes to launch a global broadband satellite constellation by eliminating 258 satellites from its proposed 288-satellite constellation, cutting billions...

Orbimage Plans Bankruptcy, Eyes Recovery.
February 11, 2002... Orbimage, the Dulles, Va.-based remote sensing company that previously announced its intent to file for bankruptcy protection, has decided to delay that step while it attempts to negotiate more favorable terms with its bondholders. That is...

Sirius Could Miss Year-end Subscriber Target.
February 11, 2002... Sirius Satellite Radio's [SIRI] slower than expected rollout of its commercial service could force the company to miss a key subscriber target set by its lenders and leave it with only enough money to last until first quarter 2003, a Wall...

Spotlight: WorldSpace Brings Super Bowl To U.S. Forces In Afghanistan.
February 11, 2002... Washington-based WorldSpace Corporation, the world's first satellite radio service, donated 1,000 portable satellite radios to U.S. military personnel stationed in Afghanistan so they could watch a live broadcast of the Super Bowl. The...

DVR Market: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
February 11, 2002... If the 2002 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is any indication of the market for digital video recorders (DVRs), then it's a sure bet that we'll see some disappearing acts this year. During last year's CES, the exhibit floor showcased four...

FCC Wants Details On EchoStar-Hughes Merger.
February 11, 2002... The challenges facing EchoStar Communications Corp. [DISH] in its bid to acquire Hughes Electronics Corp. [GMH], including its DirecTV unit, from General Motors Corp. [GM] seem to grow each week. The latest challenge came from the Federal...

Export Control Issue Again In Spotlight.
February 11, 2002... U.S. aerospace companies are complaining yet again that tightened satellite export controls imposed by Congress in 1999 are hurting their ability to do business abroad. Congress passed legislation to tighten export controls in response to...

Orbital Lifts NASA Satellite Into Orbit.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORB], of Dulles, Va., announced Feb. 5 the successful launch of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) high energy spectroscopic imager (HESSI) satellite into its targeted orbit aboard the company's...

SES CEO Bausch Wins Magazine Award.
February 11, 2002... Romain Bausch, president and CEO of SES Global, was chosen by the editors and analysts of PBI Media's Satellite & Space Group as Via Satellite magazine's "Satellite Executive of the Year 2001." Bausch will be featured on the cover of Via...

Boeing Hands Off Satellite To Thuraya.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications has assumed control of a mobile communications satellite designed and built by Boeing Space and Communications (S&C), a Seal Beach, Calif.-based unit of The Boeing Co. [BA]. Thuraya's acceptance of the...

Philips Inks Satellite Deal With DirectTV.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2002... Dutch-based Philips Electronics NV [PHG] said Feb. 4 that it signed a deal with DirecTV to provide satellite receivers to the DBS company. No financial details of the deal were disclosed. Philips said its receivers will be used in...

Companies Can't Wait For EU On Galileo Project.
February 11, 2002... As the month of February begins, the German transport minister is meeting with the Spanish transport minister, who is also the new president of the European Union (EU) Transport Council, to put the Galileo satellite navigation system back on...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
February 11, 2002... Week of Feb. 4 - 8 Percentage Change Feb. 7 One One Symbol Price Week Month APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS ...

Sirius Radio Rollout Tops DBS.
February 18, 2002... Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. [SIRI] is encouraged by the initial response to the commercial launch of its satellite radio service last week. Joseph Clayton, the CEO of New York-based Sirius, told SATELLITE NEWS in a phone interview from...

Secretive X-band Goes Commercial.
February 18, 2002... In what sounds like a Tom Clancy spy novel, XTAR, a startup venture of Loral Space & Communications [LOR] will use the military's secretive "X-band" to provide encrypted communications for military and other government users. XTRA's top...

Satellite Predictions for 2002 and Beyond.
February 18, 2002... By Roger Rusch Personal computers, cellular telephones, and the Internet first appeared and then transformed the world during the past 20 years. Satellites played a major role in the technology revolution by providing direct-to-home...

Spotlight: GPS Technology Aids Farmers.(AgGPS Autopilot DGPS system from Trimble Navigation)(Product Announcement)
February 18, 2002... Farmers are the latest target market for Global Positioning System (GPS) services. A new automated steering system that uses differential GPS (DGPS) technology has been introduced to guide agricultural vehicles in consistent rows for...

Satellite Broadband Series--Part 1: An Economic View Of Internet Services.
February 18, 2002... By Burt H. Liebowitz There has been significant investment in, and deployment of satellite- based broadband Internet services. Recently, however, several initiatives have been scaled back, gone defunct, or put on indefinite hold. Optimism...

Satellite Officials Warn About Radar Detector Interference.
February 18, 2002... The Satellite Industry Association (SIA), Hughes Network Systems (HNS) [HNS] and SES Americom Inc. all are urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to limit the "harmful interference" caused by radar detectors to many very small...

Loral's Financial Results Expected To Improve This Year.
February 18, 2002... Loral Space & Communications [LOR] is showing signs of earnings improvement that should continue this year, company officials said when fourth- quarter and year-end 2001 results were announced last Thursday. The company's financial results...

FCC Grants Approval For April Launch.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has waived its deadline for launch of the Intelsat 903 satellite because of delays in the bird's delivery by Space Systems/Loral [LOR], the spacecraft's manufacturer. Intelsat 903, a replacement...

DRS Technologies Gets Navy Orders.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... DRS Technologies [DRS], a Parsippany, N.J.-based manufacturer of communications systems and components, has received new contracts to provide two variations of the NATO Standard Agreement (STANAG) Link-11 Data Terminal Set (DTS) for U.S. and...

XM, DirecTV Forge Marketing Alliance.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... XM Satellite Radio [XMSR], the first U.S. satellite radio service provider, and DirecTV, the nation's largest provider of digital satellite TV, have signed a joint marketing agreement designed to promote XM's service to DirecTV's customers....

Telenor Promotes Mobile Services.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... Bethesda, Md.-based Telenor Satellite Services - formerly Comsat Mobile Communications - is promoting its portfolio of mobile satellite services to U.S. government users. A Government Services Administration Federal Telecommuni-cations...

XM Explains Recent Glitch.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... XM Satellite Radio's [XMSR] officials said faulty software caused a technical glitch last month in the company's nationwide satellite radio system. The software glitch, which occurred Jan. 29, affected back-office computer equipment. The...

Delta 2 Contractor Aids Iridium Liftoff.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2002... Alliant Techsystems [ATK], an Edina, Minn.-based supplier of solid- propellant rocket motors, said its solid propellant rocket motors helped launch a Boeing Co. [BA]-built Delta II 7920 rocket carrying five replacement satellites for...

Leica Geosystems--Everything But Its Own Satellite.
February 18, 2002... Mention the name Leica, and most people think of 35mm rangefinder cameras. But its Leica Geosystems unit is one of the big names in geographic information systems (GIS) and surveying. This multinational, headquartered in Switzerland, now...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.(Statistical Data Included)
February 18, 2002... Week of Feb. 11 - 15 Percentage Change Symbol Feb. 14 Price One Week Operators ... ...... APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 3.33 ...

On TelecomWeb.com.(Editorial)
February 18, 2002... Look to this space in SATELLITE NEWS for the latest news and developments appearing on PBI Media's Web site, telecomweb.com, the online destination for news and analysis on satellite issues, as well as news on broadband, fiber, wireless,...

For Globalstar, Bankruptcy Is No Panacea.
February 25, 2002... Globalstar L.P., the San Jose, Calif.-based satellite voice and data service, will need to cut costs further and boost revenues substantially to become profitable, even if it successfully restructures under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. ...

Boeing Slashes Satellite Manufacturing Operations.
February 25, 2002... Cost-cutting pressure being felt by satellite manufacturers worldwide was highlighted last week by The Boeing Co.'s [BA] announcement that it would undertake a major restructuring of its satellite manufacturing unit, Boeing Space and...

Mobile Satellite Industry Needs Globalstar To Survive.
February 25, 2002... The much-maligned mobile satellite industry suffered another setback recently when Globalstar L.P. filed for Chapter 11-bankruptcy protection. But the industry-wide fallout could be a lot worse if the company is unable to become profitable...

Spotlight: DirecTV, TiVo Unveil New Recording Features.
February 25, 2002... DirecTV Inc. [GMH], the El Segundo, Calif.-based satellite TV provider, and TiVo Inc. [TIVO], a San Jose-based personal video recording manufacturer, are expanding their relationship to position TiVo as the primary provider of digital video...

Sirius Rolls Out Softly, But Could Carry A Big Stick.
February 25, 2002... New York-based Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] has followed through on its promise to carry out a "soft" launch of its new satellite radio service in four widely differing markets -- Phoenix, Houston, Denver, and Jackson, Miss. Sirius'...

Iridium Eyes Future Of Aeronautical Market.
February 25, 2002... Iridium Satellite LLC is looking aggressively toward providing communications service to the general aviation market in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. "It is not a traditional market [for us]," said Iridium CEO Gino Picasso...

DirecTV's Marketing Muscle May Lift XM Sales.
February 25, 2002... A marketing alliance between DirecTV Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Inc. [XMSR] could boost the fledgling satellite radio company's annual sales by up to 15 percent a year and give it a competitive edge over rival Sirius Satellite Radio Inc....

Northrop Bids To Buy TRW.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2002... Northrop Grumman Corporation [NOC], Los Angeles-based aerospace and defense company, has sent an unsolicited proposal to TRW's [TRW] board of directors to enter into negotiations about combining the two companies. The proposed transaction...

Trimble Unveils Strategic Alliance.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2002... Trimble [TRMB], a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based provider of Global Positioning System (GPS) products, introduced its first software product from the recently announced strategic alliance with ESRI for mobile Geographic Information System (GIS)...

EchoStar VII Launched By ILS.(Brief Article)
February 25, 2002... EchoStar Communications [DISH] said its Lockheed Martin-built [LMT] EchoStar VII telecommunications satellite was launched into orbit Feb. 21 aboard an Atlas III rocket that lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The 8,800-pound satellite...

Should GPS Be Classified As "Critical Infrastructure"?
February 25, 2002... A prominent Washington think tank recommends that the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite navigation constellation be designated as "critical national infrastructure." If implemented, this recommendation could spell significant...

The Satellite News Financial Ticker.
February 25, 2002... Week of Feb. 18 - 22 Percentage Change Symbol Feb. 21 Price One Week Operators Operators APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 3.31 ...