Satellite News articles from June 2007

Satellite News archives from June 2007

Globalstar Places Four Satellites To Salvage S-Band Constellation.
June 4, 2007... Is eight enough? That's the question facing Globalstar Inc. even as the first four of the handheld satellite phone service provider's eight planned 2007 satellites were placed into orbit on May 30. The satellites, launched from Baikonur...

Freesat Poised To Launch In Britain After Two Years' Schedule Delay.
June 4, 2007... After a delay of approximately two years, a new Freesat service is likely to launch in the United Kingdom early next year. The BBC and ITV, two of the U.K.'s major broadcasters, are preparing to launch the service aimed at providing a...

SPOTLIGHT: NASA's FUSE Satellite Discovers Two Bright Young Stars Much Larger Than The Sun.
June 4, 2007... NASA astronomers using the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite and ground-based telescopes, have discovered the properties of a rare, extremely massive, and young binary star system at sizes dwarfing the Sun, NASA...

Showtime CEO Admits No Plans For an IPO.
June 4, 2007... Showtime, the Middle East DTH operator, is unlikely to have an initial public offering (IPO) this year as CEO Marc-Antoine d'Halluin admitted that an IPO "is not part of our plans." Discussing the reasons why the operator decided not to...

C-Com Sets Up Service Center In China.
June 4, 2007... C-Com Satellite Systems Inc. opened a service and support center in Beijing, the company announced May 29. The center will be operated by Hua Sheng & Li Tian Technology Co. Ltd., one of C-Com's Chinese value-added resellers, and provide...

Stratos To Distribute Thrane & Thrane Products.
June 4, 2007... Thrane & Thrane has signed Stratos as a distributor for satellite radio and land mobile and maritime communication equipment, Thrane announced May 29. Stratos will sell products to Stratos-appointed indirect sales channels, placing...

Garmin Launches Third-Party Development Site.
June 4, 2007... Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd., has made some of the technology behind its satellite navigation products available to the public, hoping to spur development of new applications and data content compatible with the systems,...

OmniGlobe Networks Introduces Network Management Software.
June 4, 2007... OmniGlobe Networks has rolled out OmniCenter, a network management software system that combines satellite and WiMAX network management, operations monitoring and bandwidth optimization, the company announced May 29. OmniCenter is...

Globalstar Launches Satellite Data And Voice Module.
June 4, 2007... Globalstar USA LLC is shipping its new GSP-1720 satellite data and voice module (SDVM), the company announced May 29. The Qualcomm Inc.-manufactured GSP-1720 is designed to provide integrators, original equipment manufacturers and...

Xtar Names Vice President For Government Services.
June 4, 2007... Xtar has named William Schmidt vice president of government services, Xtar announced May 29. Schmidt will be responsible for the business development, sales, and marketing of X-band services to the U.S. government as well as allied...

EU Promotes Broadband Expansion In South America.(European Union)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... The European Union (EU) has launched a project intended to bring broadband to millions of companies and households in South America via satellite. As it described itself in a May 30 statement, the EU-funded Broadband to Rural America over...

TCS Receives WWSS Order.
June 4, 2007... TeleCommunication Systems Inc. (TCS) has received a contract to provide satellite hardware to the Program Management Defense Communications and Army Transmission System team under the World Wide Satellite Systems (WWSS) program, the company...

GlobeCast Launches WorldTV DTH In Europe.
June 4, 2007... GlobeCast's direct-to-home (DTH) satellite brand, WorldTV, has expanded into Europe with the launch of a new bouquet of seven South Asian channels on the Intelsat 905 satellite at 35.5 degrees East, GlobeCast announced May 30. A...

Space Agencies Unveil Exploration Strategy Framework.
June 4, 2007... Space agencies from around the globe have agreed on a shared long-term view of space exploration. "The Global Exploration Strategy: The Framework for Coordination," was released May 31 by the agencies, including NASA, the European Space...

General Dynamics Awarded Satellite Terminal Contract.
June 4, 2007... General Dynamics SatCom Technologies has been awarded a $30.5 million follow-on order for satellite communications terminals for the U.S. Marine Corps Support Wide Area Network program, the company announced May 31. Ordered by the U.S....

Sirius Chooses Thomson Encoders For Video Services.
June 4, 2007... Grass Valley will supply its Argos MPEG-4 AVC mobile TV encoders from Thomson for use in Sirius Satellite Radio's TV offering, Thomson announced May 30. The encoder is designed to handle very low bit rates while enabling flexible frame rate...

RRSat Opens Platform Through Galaxy 23 Satellite.
June 4, 2007... RRSat Global Communications Network Ltd. has started operating a new MCPC platform on Intelsat's Galaxy 23 satellite located at 121 degrees West, RRSat announced May 31. The C-band platform will serve North American broadcasters by...

Globecomm Introduces Next-Generation Satellite Network Management System.
June 4, 2007... Globecomm Systems Inc. has introduced its next-generation satellite network management system, the company announced May 31. Dubbed AxxSys Orion, the system monitors and controls terrestrial elements of a satellite communications network,...

China Joins Space And Major Disasters Charter.(China National Space Administration)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... The China National Space Administration has joined the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters," an international initiative that provides free satellite imagery of areas affected by disasters, the European Space Agency (ESA)...

RCC Adds Intersputnik.(Regional Commonwealth in Field of Communications)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... The Regional Commonwealth in Field of Communications (RCC) has admitted Intersputnik as an observer, the satellite operator announced May 28. The RCC, established in 1991, is composed of telecom administrations throughout Central and...

MacDonald Dettwiler And Associates To Supply Imagery Ground Station.
June 4, 2007... MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. has been awarded a multimillion- dollar contract to supply an unnamed customer with a satellite imagery ground station for a planned high-resolution imagery satellite, the company announced. MacDonald...

Voom HD Makes Exec Appointment.
June 4, 2007... Voom HD Networks has appointed David Alworth vice president of operations and program administration, the company announced. Alworth will be responsible for operational and business affairs for Voom HD Networks' 15 high-definition channels,...

DirecTV-10 Launch Reportedly Delayed.
June 4, 2007... The planned June 20 launch of the DirecTV's DirecTV-10 satellite will be delayed to July, according to a May 31 report out of Baikonur, Kazakhstan, where the spacecraft is due to be lofted by International Launch Services aboard a Proton-M...

Orbiting Wall Street.
June 4, 2007... Norsat Norsat International Inc. made a final payment on its $1 million short- term debt, the company announced May 31, marking the first time since 1983 that the company had been debt free. "This is a significant milestone in the...

Manufacturing Problems Delay TerreStar-1 Launch.(Space Systems/Loral Inc. and TerreStar Networks Inc. devloping satellites)
June 4, 2007... Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) notified TerreStar Networks Inc. that delivery of the TerreStar-1 satellite has been delayed by 10 months, with a new delivery date scheduled for August 2008, TerreStar announced. SS/L subcontractors and...

To Our Readers.(improved digital content services)(Editorial)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... To better provide the timeliest news and industry analysis amid the changing demands of the digital workplace, this month marks the end of the blue sheet version of Satellite News as our redesigned Web site, www.SatelliteToday.com, carries...

To Our Readers.(www.SatelliteToday.com)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... To better provide the timeliest news and industry analysis amid the changing demands of the digital workplace, June 25 marks the end of the blue sheet version of Satellite News as our redesigned Web site, www.SatelliteToday.com, carries...

SatMex Suspends Auction For Lack Of Adequate Bidding On Company.
June 11, 2007... Satelites Mexicanos S.A. de C.V. (SatMex) Mexico's predominant satellite service provider, announced June 8 that it was suspending its sale process for the company's capital stock. Luis Rebollar, chairman of SatMex's board, said in a...

DirecTV Latin America Focusing To Introduce HD Services To Region.
June 11, 2007... DirecTV Latin America (DTVLA) could launch high-definition (HD) services in Latin America as early as this year. The operator, which has more than 4 million subscribers across all the major markets in Latin America (including Mexico), is...

Arabsat CEO Discusses Trends In Middle East Market.
June 11, 2007... Arabsat is one of the leading satellite operators in the Middle East and a key bandwidth provider to broadcasters, pay-TV operators and other businesses in the region. The dynamics of the industry landscape were directly affected by the...

Sea Launch Wraps Investigation, Plans Return To Flight.
June 11, 2007... Sea Launch has concluded its failure investigation and expects its return to flight in October with delivery of Thuraya-3 aboard a Zenit 3SL booster, company spokeswoman Paula Korn said June 8. While she said a formal statement would be...

Raytheon Wins Navy Multiband Terminal Contract.
June 11, 2007... Raytheon Co. has been awarded the U.S. Navy's Multiband Terminal (NMT) contract with its combined lifetime development and production value in excess of $1 billion, Raytheon announced June 4. Raytheon Network Centric Systems will develop,...

MDA To Support Canadian Arctic Surveillance.(MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. contracts with Canadian Department of National Defense)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) has signed a contract worth 2.8 million Canadian dollars ($2.6 million) with the Canadian Department of National Defense to conduct the definition phase for the Polar Epsilon project, MDA...

Lockheed Martin Completes TMOS System Design Review.
June 11, 2007... Lockheed Martin completed a successful system design review (SDR) of the TSAT Mission Operations System (TMOS) with the U.S. Air Force, the company announced June 4. In January, the company announced that under a $2 billion contract...

DRS Technologies Demonstrates X-band Satellite Communications-on-the-Move Capability.
June 11, 2007... DRS Technologies Inc. has demonstrated its X-band satellite communications-on-the-move (COTM) capabilities with an Xtar satellite during the U.S. Navy's annual Trident Warrior exercise, DRS Technologies announced June 4. DRS Codem...

Integral Systems Announces New Executives.
June 11, 2007... Alan W. Baldwin, a director of Integral Systems Inc., has been named its interim CEO, the company announced June 1. Bill Lewis was named the interim chief financial officer (CFO). Pete Gaffney, formerly the CEO, was named executive vice...

Ensequence Appoints VP Of Business Development.
June 11, 2007... Rick Howe has been named vice president of business development for Ensequence, the interactive video company announced June 4. Howe will represent Ensequence with cable, satellite and IPTV operators, working closely with operators on the...

Globecomm Awarded $20.7M For Alaskan Wireless Phone Service.
June 11, 2007... Globecomm Systems Inc. has been awarded a $20.7 million contract from General Communication Inc., Globecomm announced June 5. General Communication provides voice, video and data communication services to residential, commercial and...

Navy Awards $15.6M Contract To ViaSat.
June 11, 2007... The U.S. Navy awarded ViaSat an undefinitized, firm-fixed-price delivery order for multifunctional information distribution system-joint tactical radio system (MIDS-JTRS) production transition terminals (PTTs), the U.S. Department of Defense...

Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics Gain Defense Contracts.
June 11, 2007... Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems Corp. and General Dynamics C4 Systems have both been awarded multi-million, firm-fixed-price and cost-plus- fixed-fee contract modifications, the U.S. Department of Defense announced June 4. Northrop...

Surrey Reaches Milestone For Geostationary Mini-Satellite Platform.(Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) completed its baseline design review for a geostationary mini-satellite platform, the company announced June 5. The 2.28 million euro ($3.1 million) pre-development project receives part of the...

Boeing Completes Critical Wideband Global SatCom Satellite Tests.
June 11, 2007... Boeing Co. has completed end-to-end testing of the Wideband Global SatCom (WGS) payload command and control system in preparation for the launch of the first WGS satellite this summer, Boeing announced June 5. During the tests, the newly...

Advantech Demonstrates DVB-RCS VSAT Terminal.
June 11, 2007... In collaboration with Hakusan Corp. and JSAT Corp., Advantech Satellite Networks has demonstrated the industry's first DVB-RCS VSAT terminal operating in a mesh topology where each VSAT terminal relays data via satellite to another terminal,...

C2SAT Appoints Telemar Scandinavia AB Global Service Partner.
June 11, 2007... C2SAT and Telemar Scandinavia AB have signed a global service level agreement, C2SAT announced June 5. The agreement includes global installation, service and maintenance of the unique 4 axes C2SAT Stabilized VSAT Antenna to users at sea...

Microspace Partners with Vista Satellite Communications.
June 11, 2007... Microspace Communications (Microspace) has entered into a strategic partnership with Vista Satellite Communications Inc. to offer alternative uplinking services to Vista's customer base, Microspace announced June 5. [Copyright 2006 Access...

Astrium To Build Amazonas-2 For Hispasat.
June 11, 2007... Astrium has been contracted by Hispasat to design and build Amazonas-2, a powerful geostationary satellite to increase Hispasat's offered capacity and meet demand on its American position, Astrium announced June 6. Equipped with a...

Chellomedia Seeks Interactive Advertising Boost.
June 11, 2007... Chellomedia, the European-based content division of Liberty Global, is launching a range of interactive advertising solutions for television platforms, including satellite, in the United Kingdom. The systems are designed to offer...

ND Satcom Aids G8 Summit.
June 11, 2007... Satellite technology and services are underpinning the Group of 8 (G8) political summit meeting in Germany. ND Satcom is working with the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) during the summit where a number of wealthy nations...

Kudelski Settles Patent Dispute.
June 11, 2007... The Kudelski Group, which supplies middleware and conditional access solutions to direct-to-home operators worldwide, has settled a patent dispute with Assa Abloy Identification Technologies. Kudelski's subsidiary, NagraID, settled the...

COSMO-SkyMed Spacecraft Delivered Aboard Delta 2 Launch.
June 11, 2007... Developed by Thales Alenia Space Italia for the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defense, a COSMO-SkyMed spacecraft was launched June 7 launch aboard a Delta 2 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Boeing Co....

Thuraya Slashes Prices.
June 11, 2007... Thuraya plans to re-launch its mobile satellite services in a bid to gain customers while promising significant discounts to existing subscribers, the operator announced June 5. Branded ThurayaECO, the new service will offer savings to...

DirecTV-10 Reaches Baikonur For Launch Preparation.
June 11, 2007... DirecTV-10 has been delivered to a space center in Kazakhstan in preparation for a launch scheduled for early July, the RIA Novosti newspaper quoted a Russian space company on June 6. The commercial telecommunications satellite, designed...

SkyWave Obtains CE Marking For Integrated Wireless Controller.
June 11, 2007... SkyWave Mobile Communications, a supplier of D+ communications products and services, announced June 6 that it had obtained the mandatory CE marking for its SureLinx 8100 D+/GPRS integrated wireless controller. SureLinx 8100 extends...

Orbiting Wall Street.
June 11, 2007... Morgan Stanley Commits $250 Million Term Loan to Sirius Sirius Satellite Radio has obtained a $250 million senior secured term loan commitment from Morgan Stanley Senior Funding Inc., Sirius announced June 5. The facility will mature...

DataPath's Acquistion of Swe-Dish Called 'Imminent'.
June 11, 2007... DataPath is on the verge of completing its acquisition of European mobile satellite terminal vendor Swe-Dish Satellite Systems with a deal likely to be announced later in the month, a Swe-Dish executive said on June 8. Lars Jehrlander,...

To Our Readers.(www.SatelliteToday.com)(Brief article)
June 18, 2007... To better provide the timeliest news and industry analysis amid the changing demands of the digital workplace, June 25 marks the end of the blue sheet version of Satellite News as our redesigned Web site, http://www.SatelliteToday.com, carries...

Sea Launch Looking Up After Concluding Failure Investigation.
June 18, 2007... The fallout from a few fateful seconds on Jan. 30 has taken several months to repair, but Sea Launch has now found itself preparing for an October return to flight following the catastrophic failure which claimed a Zenit 3SL booster and SES...

SatMex Staves Off Sale As Low Bidding Prompts Reconsideration.
June 18, 2007... A week after Mexico's predominant satellite service provider announced that the auction for its capital stock was being suspended, questions remained about an imminent sale. On June 8, Satelites Mexicanos S.A. de C.V. (SatMex) announced...

WorldSpace Targets Broadcasting To Italy In Late 2008.
June 18, 2007... While discussions about satellite radio lately have tended to revolve around the proposed merger of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Radio, other movement is occurring in the industry. Satellite radio has not yet found a foothold in Europe,...

Israel Launches Ofek-7 Spy Satellite.(Brief article)
June 18, 2007... Israel launched an advanced spy satellite into orbit on June 11, Israeli officials said, representing a new intelligence-gathering tool for efforts to collect information on Iran and other regional adversaries. Israeli officials said the...

DirecTV Chooses New Fraud Protection Program.
June 18, 2007... Neural Technologies, a United Kingdom-based technology vendor, is helping U.S. pay-TV operator DirecTV combat fraud. Neural announced June 11 that it had completed the installation of its latest fraud-management system for the broadcaster....

Dynamic Digital Signage To Arrive In India.
June 18, 2007... Tata Indicom VSAT Services (TIVS), an Indian VSAT service provider, is teaming up with DigiFour Technologies to deliver dynamic digital signage (DDS) services in India. Digifour is behind SCALA, a digital signage platform introducing TNET...

Raytheon Ships ARTEMIS Surveillance Sensor.
June 18, 2007... Raytheon Co. has delivered a hyper-spectral imaging sensor developed to demonstrate and assess military applications from satellites launched on demand, the company announced June 11. The ARTEMIS (Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective...

Northrop Grumman Proceeding To SDR For AIRSS Contract.
June 18, 2007... The U.S. Air Force has exercised an option on its Alternate Infrared Satellite System (AIRSS) contract with Northrop Grumman Corp. to accelerate the program to a System Design Review (SDR), Northrup Grumman announced June 11. Developed...

ViaSat Gains $3.7M Contract For Military Satcom Capability.
June 18, 2007... ViaSat Inc. has received a $3.7 million award from the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to develop and implement a new enhanced Military UHF satellite communications waveform called the Integrated Waveform (IW), ViaSat announced June...

Stratos Shareholders Accept Sale To CIP Canada.
June 18, 2007... Shareholders of Stratos Global Corp. have accepted a buyout offer from CIP Canada Investment Inc., the companies announced June 12. CIP Canada will pay 7 Canadian dollars ($6.59) per share for Stratos, the largest distributor of Inmarsat...

Northrop Grumman To Develop Satellite Communications System For B2.
June 18, 2007... Northrop Grumman Corp. has begun work on a system development and demonstration contract for an extremely high frequency satellite communications system for the U.S. Air Force's B-2 stealth bomber, Northrop Grumman announced June 12. The...

Telenor Developing Maritime Broadband Communications Service.
June 18, 2007... Telenor Satellite Services is developing a broadband communications line of services targeting the maritime industry, Telenor announced June 12. The system, dubbed OceanRoam, will provide vessels with Internet and telephone connectivity...

Astrium Signs Distribution Deal With Iridium.
June 18, 2007... Astrium Services, a subsidiary of EADS Astrium, signed an agreement to become a value-added reseller of Iridium satellite communication equipment and services, Iridium announced June 11. The deal authorizes Astrium to package...

TerreStar Files Application To Modify Launch Milestone.
June 18, 2007... TerreStar Networks Inc. filed a request with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to extend the launch milestone for its TerreStar-1 satellite, the company announced June 11. Satellite manufacturer Space Systems/Loral notified...

SatCom Boosted By Inmarsat Deal.
June 18, 2007... Inmarsat has made SatCom Group a full distribution partner for its forthcoming satellite phone services scheduled to be introduced in the third quarter, SatCom announced June 11. Inmarsat's voice services initially will focus on the...

Multichoice Links Up With Top Cellular Operator.
June 18, 2007... Multichoice, an African direct-to-home operator, has linked up with South African mobile operator Vodacom to try and increase Multichoice's pay-TV subscriber base. Vodacom will sell a pair of Multichoice's digital satellite platforms...

Globecomm Systems Nets Contract For Next-Generation Media Processing Center.
June 18, 2007... Globecomm Systems Inc. has been awarded a $16.1 million contract to install a next-generation media processing center for an unnamed telecommunications services provider in Asia, Globecomm announced. Under a previously announced $3.5...

TCS To Provide Satellite Communications Components To U.S. Army.
June 18, 2007... TeleCommunication Systems Inc. (TCS) has been awarded a contract to provide satellite system components to the Project Manager, Defense Communications and Army Transmission System team, TCS announced June 13. Under the $1.1 million contract...

Marlink Demonstrates Global Maritime Broadband VSAT Service.
June 18, 2007... Marlink has previewed its new line of global maritime broadband satellite services, the company reported June 13. Dubbed VSAT@sea, the services feature three standard configurations for providing Internet Protocol-based communications...

Exmar Shipmanagement Chooses SeaWave Integrator.(Brief article)
June 18, 2007... Exmar Shipmanagement N.V. has selected SeaWave's Integrator solution to provide communications aboard Exmar's fleet of 25 oil and gas vessels, SeaWave and Iridium Satellite announced June 12. The SeaWave system provides an integrated...

Globalstar Expands Simplex Coverage.(Brief article)
June 18, 2007... Globalstar Inc. expanded its satellite Simplex data coverage to include all of Australia, New Zealand and the surrounding maritime region, the company announced June 13. The move expands the asset tracking and fleet management system to...

ND SatCom Names Vice President Of Sales.
June 18, 2007... ND SatCom appointed David Bowne vice president of sales, the company announced June 13. Bowne, who will be responsible for overall sales in the Americas region, previously held positions with General Dynamics' legacy companies, including...

Comtech Receives Order To Support Cellular Backhaul In Asia.
June 18, 2007... Comtech EF Data Corp. was awarded a $2.5 million equipment order to support a satellite-based cellular backhaul network in Asia, the company announced June 14. The order, from an unspecified mobile operator looking to support a...

Globalstar Vice President For Strategic Initiatives & Space Operations To Resign.
June 18, 2007... Globalstar Inc. announced June 14 that Megan Fitzgerald, senior vice president for strategic initiatives and space operations, would resign from the mobile satellite voice and data services provider effective Aug. 17. Fitzgerald, who is...

Orbiting Wall Street.
June 18, 2007... MDA Denies Reports Of Divesting Space Assets MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., has denied press reports that the company is looking to sell its surveillance and space assets. "In response to [June 14] articles in the Wall...

Canadian Government Authorizes Spectrum Licensing Toward Development Of New Satellites.
June 18, 2007... In the Canadian government's sponsoring its largest-ever spectrum licensing initiative to develop new satellites and increase and improve broadcasting and telecommunications services to Canadian entrepreneurs and consumers, Industry Canada...

To Our Readers.(www.SatelliteToday.com)(Editorial)(Brief article)
June 25, 2007... To better provide the timeliest news and industry analysis amid the changing demands of the digital workplace, this issue marks the end of the blue sheet version of Satellite News as our redesigned Web site, www.SatelliteToday.com, carries...

BC Partners' Buy Of Intelsat Sparks Both Enthusiasm, Wariness.
June 25, 2007... Last week's news of the plans of U.K.-based private equity firm BC Partners to purchase with other investors a majority stake in Intelsat Ltd. for $5.03 billion looks to prove both expensive and instructive in the industry. Yet while the...