Satellite News articles from July 2005

Satellite News archives from July 2005

Arianespace Delays Launch Of Ipstar.(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Arianespace announced July 6 that workers discovered an anomaly with the ground equipment used to prepare the Ariane 5 launcher, resulting in an additional delay of the launch of Shin Satellite's Ipstar spacecraft as Arianespace performs...

The Mobile TV Opportunity For Satellite Pay-TV Operators In Europe.
July 11, 2005... Mobile television is a hot topic in Europe and is gathering significant momentum. Mobile operators across Europe are testing technologies which could ultimately shape a new wave of video services to users. Whether the services will be based...

Military Driving Use Of Satellite Imagery.
July 11, 2005... With efforts to increase the use of commercial satellite imagery by U.S. government civil agencies moving slowly, the U.S. military has now taken the lead. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) awarded contracts in June 2004 to Space...

Spotlight: Satellite-Enabled WiMAX In Action.(Kativik Regional Government)
July 11, 2005... While major operators are starting to take a closer look at deploying hybrid networks that combine wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi and WiMAX, the Canadian government has already deployed a satellite-enabled WiMAX system that is providing...

New Skies CEO Sees Industry Consolidation On Horizon.(Chief Executive Officer)(Interview)
July 11, 2005... New Skies Satellite became the second private equity-owned satellite operator this year to launch an initial public offering (IPO) of common stock. And given the stock's rise on its first day of public trading and its increases since that...

Orbiting Wall Street.(Inmarsat Plc)(Panamsat Holdings Corp)
July 11, 2005... ISAT.L Inmarsat Plc has been trading publicly for a little more than two weeks and its share price on the London Stock Exchange has recovered from drops suffered during its first two days on the market. Inmarsat now is trading above its...

Intelsat Signs With RR Sat.(RR Satellite Communications Ltd)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Intelsat Ltd. announced that RR Satellite Communications Ltd. (RR Sat), an Israeli broadcast service provider, selected the operator to provide content distribution services in the United States and Asia. In one of the new contracts, RR...

BSkyB Steps Up Interactive Plans.(British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... U.K. satellite pay-television operator BSkyB stepped up its interactive plans in the country, naming technical partners for its interactive portal slated for launch before the end of 2005. The portal will allow Web site owners to deliver...

Teams Completes TSat Design Milestone.(Transformational Satellite Communications System )(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... A Lockheed Martin/Northrop Grumman team announced July 6 that it completed a major system design review of the Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSat) space segment program. The system will provide secure, wideband, mobile...

WIA Golf Tournament Set For Aug. 8.
July 11, 2005... The Women in Aerospace (WIA) association announced that its 5th Annual Women in Aerospace Golf Tournament will be held Monday, Aug. 8 at 8 a.m. at the East Course at Andrews Air Force Base. The cost is $49 per person and $196 per...

Algerie Telecom Taps Eutelsat For National Broadband Communications.(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Eutelsat signed a contract with Algerie Telecom, a telecommunications provider in Algeria, to support a satellite broadband program that will service public administrations and enterprises throughout the country. Algerie Telecom will...

Panamsat Expands Australia's Premier Ethnic TV Bouquet.(Panglobal TV)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Panamsat announced July 5 that Panglobal TV, a joint marketing alliance between Panamsat and Globecast Australia, signed a multi-year agreement with TV Oceania to bring Japan Broadcasting Corp.'s NHK World Premium service to Australia. ...

Satmex Future In Question.
July 11, 2005... With Satelites Mexicanos S.A. de C.V. (Satmex) filing last month in Mexico a voluntary concurso mercantil, which is similar to a bankruptcy filing in the United States, the future of the company has become even cloudier. According to a...

EMS Following In Connexion By Boeing's Footsteps.
July 11, 2005... Call it a potential case of sibling rivalry. In this case, the rivalry could occur in what is opening up to be a potentially lucrative market: data connectivity for in-flight passengers. This application, at least from a media exposure...

XM Announces Joint Venture, Programming Deals.(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... XM Satellite Radio announced July 12 the formation of a joint venture, Network Live, with AEG, America Online and entertainment and technology veteran Kevin Wall. Network Live will be a multi-platform digital entertainment company that will...

With ORBIT Act Restrictions Lifted, Will Consolidation Follow?(Open-Market Reorganization for Betterment of International Telecommunications Act)
July 18, 2005... U.S. President George W. Bush July 12 signed off on a law that lifts the restrictions in the Open-Market Reorganization for Betterment of International Telecommunications (ORBIT) Act that would otherwise prevent Intelsat from entering into a...

Viasat Ready For PVR Assault.(personal video recorder)
July 18, 2005... Viasat Broadcasting hopes its personal video recorder (PVR) offering in the Nordic region will help it compete more effectively in the direct-to-home market. But the company admits it may take time for the PVR offering to catch on with its...

Spotlight: Satellites Playing Greater Role In Tour De France.
July 18, 2005... When one thinks about a satellite's role in this year's Tour de France, one likely will think about how satellites are doing their part to provide broadcasters around the globe with live and taped video footage as Lance Armstrong seeks his...

Pace Reports Increase In Profits.(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Pace Micro Technology reported profits before tax of 8.1 million pounds ($14.2 million) for the year ended June 4. At the same stage last year, the profit number was 5.9 million pounds ($10.4 million). Pace achieved full year revenues of...

Terrestrial Competition Challenges Sirius, XM Licenses In Canada.(Sirius canada)(Canada Satellite Radio)
July 18, 2005... Terrestrial subscription radio service provider Chum Ltd. filed a petition with the Canadian government challenging the licenses awarded to Sirius Canada and Canadian Satellite Radio, the Canadian partners of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM...

Iraq Confidential: GI--Phone Home.(Sergovia)
July 18, 2005... Back in the days of World War II, it was pretty much unheard of for a U.S. soldier to phone home. The Korean War wasn't much different, and Vietnam was only marginally better - at outrageous per-minute rates. Even in Gulf War One it wasn't...

Panamsat Demonstrates Satellite-Enabled WiMAX Connectivity.(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Panamsat, Kencast Inc. and Trinity Workplace Learning took part in a demonstration of what Panamsat called "the first satellite-delivered live streaming video to handheld devices" using a WiMAX terrestrial wireless broadband network. The...

Globalstar Opens Satellite Gateway In Florida.(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Globalstar LLC, opened a gateway in Sebring, Fla., designed to enhance its coverage in Florida, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, the company announced July 14. The Sebring Gateway originally was expected to be operational Aug. 1 but...

Tandberg Television Sees Strong Revenue and Profit Rise.(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Tandberg Television, a supplier of technology to satellite pay-TV operators, reported strong revenue growth in its 2005 second quarter. Revenue for the quarter, which ended June 30, was 457 million Norwegian kroner ($69.9 million), an...

Direcway Subscribers Reach 253,000 At End Of Second Quarter.(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Hughes Network Systems LLC (HNS) said July 12 that the consumer and small business user base for its Direcway satellite broadband service reached 253,000 subscribers at the close of the second quarter, a 26 percent growth from the same...

Spacenet Extends Reach To Mexico Through Alliance With Globalsat.(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Spacenet Inc. announced July 13 that Globalsat, a Mexican satellite services provider, joined Spacenet's global services alliance. The agreement between Spacenet and Globalsat enables Spacenet to extend its global broadband service...

Globetel, Proton Energy Ink Deal.(Sanswire Networks LLC)(Globetel Communications Corp.)(Proton Energy Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Globetel Communications Corp. announced July 13 that its wholly owned subsidiary Sanswire Networks LLC signed a cooperative research and development agreement with Proton Energy Systems Inc., a subsidiary of Distributed Energy Systems Corp....

Intelsat, Globecast Launch DTH Platform.(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Intelsat and Globecast announced July 13 they are expanding the reach of international broadcasters across Europe through the joint launch of a new Ku- band direct-to-home (DTH) television platform on the Intelsat 905 satellite, located at...

SES Astra Inks Polish Internet Deal.(contract with eTel Polska)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... SES Astra reached an agreement with eTel Polska to provide Internet access services to small and medium enterprises, large corporations and public institutions throughout Poland. The service will be delivered via the Astra satellite system....

Digitalglobe Introduces Citysphere Product.(service launch)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Digitalglobe July 13 announced the availability of a product aimed at helping mappers, planners and geographic information systems specialists improve geospatial applications with current high-resolution satellite imagery data. ...

USDA Forest Service Taps Iridium For Automated Flight Following.(contract with Iridium Satellite L.L.C.)(United States. Department of Agriculture)(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... Iridium Satellite LLC said the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service fitted 200 primarily contract aircraft with Iridium equipment. The aircraft are part of the interagency Automated Flight-Following (AFF) program and are...

ABB Wins Components Contract.(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... ABB of Quebec City, Quebec, received a contract to supply the primary components for a Japanese satellite that will measure greenhouse gases in support of the Kyoto protocol, ABB recently announced. Under the Cdn. $10 million ($8.3...

Student-Built Satellite Shipped To Plesetsk For Launch.(Brief Article)
July 18, 2005... The SSETI Express, the first spacecraft to be designed and built solely by European students, has been shipped to Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced July 13. Students from 10 universities in nine...

Orbiting Wall Street.(WCS Wireless)
July 18, 2005... NSE & PA Wall Street analysts have launched coverage of New Skies Satellites. The first investment house to offer coverage of the stock was Lehman Brothers, which gave New Skies an "overweight" rating July 12. This rating means the stock...

Using Digital Cinema As A Stepping Stone.(Mainstream Data Inc.'s contract with Technicolor Digital Cinema L.L.C. and Thompson)
July 18, 2005... Mainstream Data signed an agreement with Thompson and its Technicolor Digital Cinema business to provide an end-to-end high-speed digital satellite network for the distribution of pre-show content to movie theaters across North America. ...

EADS To Build Astra 1M.(Brief Article)
July 25, 2005... SES Astra awarded the manufacturing contract for the Astra 1M television broadcasting satellite to EADS Astrium, SES Astra announced July 21. EADS Astrium will supply the payload and the platform, basing the satellite on the Eurostar...

Panamsat Expands Capacity In EMEA Region With Europe Star-1.( European and Middle Eastern markets)
July 25, 2005... Panamsat said July 19 it signed an agreement with Alcatel for the acquisition of the Europe*Star-1 satellite and two orbital slots, giving Panamsat a stronger presence in the European and Middle Eastern markets. Under the terms of the...

DirecTV, Echostar Outline Interactive Strategies.
July 25, 2005... The U.S. interactive television market is likely to see a great deal of innovation in the coming years as penetrating this market segment takes on increasing importance for global pay-TV operators. DirecTV Inc. and Echostar Communications...

Spotlight: GPS -- Contributing To Saving Lives In The Northwest.(usage of Global Position Systems)
July 25, 2005... Small, volunteer emergency response organizations in the northwestern United States are getting help from the U.S. GPS system to help coordinate the life-saving efforts using donated receivers. Northwest Medstar, a critical care transport...

DirecTV Picks Up Filipino Programming, 80,000 Subs.
July 25, 2005... DirecTV Inc. announced a deal that will bring it six new channels aimed at the Filipino market and more than 80,000 subscribers to its direct-to-home satellite television service. DirecTV joined up with ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. and its...

XM Invests In Worldspace.(Brief Article)
July 25, 2005... XM Satellite Radio said July 19 it made a $25 million strategic investment in the common stock of Worldspace Inc., which provides satellite radio service to Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. XM also gained warrants to acquire an...

Asiasat Seeks Asiasat 5 Manufacturer.(Brief Article)
July 25, 2005... Asiasat issued a request for proposal for Asiasat 5, a next-generation communications satellite designed to offer improved power and coverage across Asia. Asiasat 5 is intended to replace the Asiasat 2 spacecraft, which was launched in...

Gilat Names Levinberg Chairman And CEO, Announces Board Changes.(Brief Article)
July 25, 2005... Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. announced July 18 the nomination of Amiram Levinberg as the company's chairman and CEO, in conjunction with York Capital Management gaining an interest in Gilat. The change was made in connection with Bank...

Orbital Sciences Revenue, Profit Slip In 2005 Second Quarter.(Brief Article)
July 25, 2005... Orbital Sciences Corp. posted a profit of $7.6 million in the second quarter of 2005, down from a profit of $11.1 million in the same period in 2004, Orbital reported July 20. Revenue dipped slightly throughout the same period, falling from...

IPStar Launch Delays Continue.(Brief Article)
July 25, 2005... Arianespace said July 18 that it would announce the new launch date for Shin Satellite Plc's IPStar satellite during the week of July 25. The satellite originally was slated for launch from Arianespace's French Guiana launch site July 8, but...

Viacom, DirecTV Ink Long-Term Carriage Deal.(Brief Article)
July 25, 2005... Viacom Inc. and DirecTV Inc. announced July 20 a long-term agreement that secures the continued carriage of a variety of Viacom-owned channels on DirecTV's direct-to-home satellite television service platform. The deal also provides DirecTV...

IP Net Taps HNS To Expand Satellite Service Businesses.(Hughes Network Systems LLC)(JSC IP Net )(Brief Article)
July 25, 2005... Hughes Network Systems LLC (HNS) said July 19 that Russian satellite services provider JSC IP Net acquired a Direcway network operations center and DW7700 routers, enabling IP Net to deliver an expanded range of capabilities to Russia. ...

EMS Delivers DVB-RCS Hub To Hellas Sat.(EMS Satellite Networks)(Brief Article)
July 25, 2005... EMS Satellite Networks, a division of EMS Technologies Inc., announced July 20 it delivered and installed a DVB-RCS redundant hub to Hellas Sat Consortium Ltd.'s Athens teleport. The hub will help Hellas Sat expand its broadband connectivity...

Netdish Taps Encore Networks To Back Up VPNs Throughout Europe.(virtual private network )(Brief Article)
July 25, 2005... Encore Networks, a developer of virtual private network (VPN) security solutions, said July 20 that Italian service provider Netdish deployed Encore's VSR-30 broadband routers to provide satellite backup for terrestrial VPNs and private...

G4 Taps SES Americom For North American Distribution.(Brief Article)
July 25, 2005... SES Americom announced July 19 it signed a deal to provide satellite distribution services to G4, a television channel dedicated to video games. G4 programming will be delivered to cable head ends throughout the United States via...

Eutelsat Signs Japan HDTV Deal.(High Definition Television)(Brief Article)
July 25, 2005... NHK, Japan's national public broadcaster, signed a deal with Eutelsat under which NHK will lease a full 36 MHz Ku-band transponder on Eutelsat's Atlantic Bird 3 satellite throughout February 2006, Eutelsat said. NHK will use the capacity to...

Astrata Closes Contract With North Securities Of Denmark.(Astrata Group Inc.)(North Securities ApS)(Brief Article)
July 25, 2005... Astrata Group Inc. signed an agreement with Denmark's North Securities ApS to provide a GPS-based vehicle tracking system, Astrata announced July 20. Under the $3 million contract, Astrata will provide hardware and software for the...

Raytheon Delivers Anti-Jam GPS Sensor For Joint Strike Fighter.(Brief Article)
July 25, 2005... Raytheon Co.'s Space and Airborne Systems delivered the first flight- ready GPS system for the U.S. Air Force's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter test aircraft, Raytheon announced July 21. The system, which consists of a Raytheon digital anti-jam...

Premature First Stage Shutdown Destroyed Solar Sail.(Brief Article)
July 25, 2005... The June 21 failure of a Volna rocket that destroyed the Planetary Society's solar sail experiment was caused by premature shut-down of the first- stage engine. In its report to the Russian space agency Roskosmos, the failure review board...

Orbiting Wall Street.
July 25, 2005... PA & NSE Panamsat had a big week as it added capacity to its fleet through the purchase of the Europe*Star-1 satellite, as well as two orbital slots. Reaction from industry observers was generally positive, but investors did not seem to...

Orbcomm Asia Files Lawsuit Against Orbcomm.(Orbcomm Asia Ltd.)
July 25, 2005... Orbcomm Asia Ltd. filed a $50 million breach of contract lawsuit earlier this month against Orbcomm Inc. and its Orbcomm LLC and Orbcomm Holdings LLC affiliates. The suit alleges Orbcomm failed to deliver exclusive rights it promised Orbcomm...