Satellite News articles from March 2007

Satellite News archives from March 2007

JSAT, Sky Perfect Plan Joint Operations In Japan.
March 5, 2007... JSAT and Sky Perfect announced March 2 a holding company, Sky Perfect JSAT, intended to increase their presence and exploit market opportunities in the Japanese pay-TV market. The companies hope their cooperation will better position them...

Karmazin Makes Pitch To House Regarding XM-Sirius Merger.
March 5, 2007... If Sirius Satellite Radio CEO Mel Karmazin is to win the hearts and minds of federal regulators in Washington, he may first have to remind them which year it is. Anachronisms abounded Feb. 28 as Karmazin made his argument before the first...

Hughes Switches Spaceway-3 From Sea Launch To Arianespace.
March 5, 2007... A star-crossed start of the year for Sea Launch saw the launch provider take another hit with the March 1 announcement that Arianespace has been retained to launch the Spaceway-3 communications satellite for Hughes Network Systems LLC. ...

NASA Budget Woes Could Delay Orion-Ares Up To Six Months.
March 5, 2007... A shortage of funds will mean that NASA will see a delay of up to six months for the scheduled first launch of the next-generation Orion-Ares crew exploration vehicle, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said Feb. 28. That will only...

IPStar Grows But Shin Satellite Suffers Loss In 2006.
March 5, 2007... Shin Satellite had a tough year in 2006, reporting a net loss of Baht 46 million ($1.3 million). However, the operator said this was down to Thaicom 3's write-off of Baht 675 million ($20.2 million). Without the write-off, Shin Satellite...

BBC's Freesat Vision Moves Closer.(British Broadcasting Corp.)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... The BBC's plans to launch a free-to-view satellite platform have been approved by the BBC Trust. The BBC Trust believes the service, dubbed Freesat, would create "significant public value by offering licence fee payers an additional means...

Iridium Opens Ground Station In Norway.
March 5, 2007... Iridium Satellite LLC plans to open a telemetry, tracking and command/control station in Svalbard, Norway, under an agreement with Kongsberg Satellite Services, the company announced Feb. 28. The new facility, expected to open in the third...

Com Dev To Begin Work on Globalstar-2 Constellation.
March 5, 2007... Com Dev International Ltd. has received an authorization to proceed from Alcatel Alenia Space to provide advanced payload electronics for the Globalstar- 2 satellite constellation, Com Dev announced Feb. 27. The initial order is valued at...

SpaceDev Starsys Awarded Contract For NASA Mars Explorer Mission.
March 5, 2007... SpaceDev subsidiary Starsys Inc., has been awarded a $1.4 million subcontract by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to support the Mars Science Laboratory mission, SpaceDev announced. Starsys will develop and deliver electromechanical descent...

TCS Awarded Seventh GPS Patent.
March 5, 2007... TeleCommunication Systems Inc. (TCS) was awarded its seventh patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, TCS announced Feb. 27. The patent covers technology enables a wireless subscriber's location to be determined more quickly and...

XM Expands Outsourcing Through ClientLogic.
March 5, 2007... ClientLogic will provide expanded customer service, technical support and customer retention services to XM Satellite Radio, ClientLogic announced Feb. 27. ClientLogic services XM's 7.6 million subscribers in the United States and Canada...

EchoStar, DirecTV Settle Trademark Dispute.
March 5, 2007... EchoStar Satellite LLC and DirecTV have settled pending litigation regarding the use of trademarks as keywords to trigger sponsored links on Internet searches such as Google Adwords and similar search engines, the companies jointly announced...

Shin Satellite To Launch Video-On-Demand Service Australia.
March 5, 2007... Shin Satellite will launch a video-on-demand service in Australia, the company announced. The operator is teaming up with ReelTime Media, an Australian broadband TV company, to offer a variety of video content via Shin Satellite's IPStar...

Boeing Completes FAB-T Review.
March 5, 2007... Boeing Co. completed a critical design review of its family of advanced beyond-line-of-sight terminals (FAB-T) program, the company announced March 1. The review -- attended by senior U.S. Air Force, government and industry officials in...

NDS Wins African Conditional Access Contract.
March 5, 2007... NDS will supply conditional access services to Gateway Communications for a new satellite pay-TV service in sub-Saharan Africa. Gateway plans to launch an African-focused, subscription-based service by mid-year. GTV initially will target...

Advantech Supplies NATO 3C Agency.
March 5, 2007... Adventech Satellite Networks Inc. has sold a digital video broadcast- return channel satellite system to a NATO Consultation, Command and Control (3C) Agency, Advantech AMT Inc. announced Feb. 27. NATO will use the system, which consists of a...

CapRock To Provide VSAT To Otto Candies Fleet.
March 5, 2007... CapRock Communications will provide VSAT services to the Otto Candies fleet of oil-industry transportation and support vessels operating in the Gulf of Mexico, CapRock announced Feb. 27. Financial details were not disclosed. [Copyright...

Construction Begins At Soyuz Launch Base In French Guiana.
March 5, 2007... The European Space Agency (ESA) officially opened the construction site of the Soyuz launch base in French Guiana in a ceremony attended by French authorities and representatives of all the European and Russian entities contributing to the...

GuardianBox Secures Satellite Broadband For Bentley Walker.
March 5, 2007... GuardianBox will provide security for satellite broadband systems offered by Bentley Walker, a European VSAT distributor, GuardianBox announced Feb. 26. GuardianBox reported that an evaluation of its system resulted in a 25 percent gain...

GIT Satellite To Provide Iridium Communications For Iditarod.(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... GIT Satellite and Iridium Satellite will provide communications for the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, which begins March 4. GIT Satellite will donate a complete complement of Iridium equipment, airtime, and data-enabling kits to be used to...

Ascent Media Names Managing Director For Singapore.(Wee Way Kiat)(Brief article)
March 5, 2007... Ascent Media Network Services has appointed Wee Way Kiat managing director of its Asian business, the company announced March 1. Wee, who will be based in Singapore, will have operational, strategic and financial responsibility for network...

SES Americom Retires SATCOM-C4 After 14 Years.
March 5, 2007... SES Americom conducted its last operations on the SATCOM C-4 satellite, safely de-orbiting the satellite more than 250 kilometers beyond the geosynchronous orbital belt, the company announced March 2. The Series 3000 spacecraft, which was...

Orbiting Wall Street.
March 5, 2007... Sirius, XM XM Satellite Radio brought in revenues of $933 million in 2006, up 67 percent from 2005, XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. announced Feb. 26. XM also added 1.7 million net new subscribers in 2006 to bring its total...

Loral Space & Communications Completes MHR Financing Deal Over Objections From Other Investors.
March 5, 2007... Loral Space & Communications completed a sale of $300 million of stock to MHR Fund Management LLC, Loral's largest shareholder, Loral announced Feb. 27. The deal was announced in October and was delayed after other shareholders raised...

ULA Successfully Launches First EELV Atlas 5.(United Launch Alliance, Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle)(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... An Atlas 5 rocket was launched by the United Launch Alliance for the U.S. Air Force on March 8. The booster lofted six satellites in a mission marking the first use of the Atlas for an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program...

Three Players Take Aim For FAA's Next-Generation Air Traffic System.
March 12, 2007... A July contract award for the Federal Aeronautic Administration (FAA)'s Next-Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) will be decided from among three players - ITT, Lockheed Martin or Raytheon - vying to build and deliver nationwide...

MilSpace 2007: Military Forces Looking Forward Toward Space.
March 12, 2007... The role of space in the military arena is set to intensify in upcoming years, with nations apart from the United States also looking to be more proactive in the realm. The MilSpace 2007 conference, which took place in Brussels last week,...

Thuraya CEO Al Sayed: "IPO Still Being Discussed".(Interview)(Company overview)
March 12, 2007... When Satellite News last spoke to Thuraya CEO, Yousuf Al Sayed, it was in the immediate aftermath of the NSS-8 launch failure, and the potential impact of when its Thuraya-3 satellite may be launched. However, while that question remains,...

ND SatCom Implements IP-Based Network In Indonesia.
March 12, 2007... ND SatCom has teamed with Studio Hamburg Media Consult International to provide an Internet protocol (IP)-based radio contribution and distribution network for Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI), ND SatCom announced March 7. The network...

Harris Begins Delivery Of Multiband Terminals.
March 12, 2007... Harris Corp. has delivered the first 12 of 39 Large Aperture Multiband Deployable Antenna terminals to be used by the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force for multiband, mobile satellite communications, the company announced March 7. The...

NSS-10, NSS-11 Join SES New Skies Fleet.
March 12, 2007... SES satellites AMC-12/ASTRA-4A and AAP-1 have been transferred to SES New Skies and renamed NSS-10 and NSS-11, the company announced March 5. NSS-10 is located at 322.5 degrees East with NSS-11 at 108.2 degrees East. [Copyright 2006...

U.S. Army Seeks Wider International Cooperation.(Brief article)
March 12, 2007... The U.S. Army is seeking more cooperation with international partners, Col. Patrick Rayermann, chief of the Army's Space and Missile Defense Division, said March 7. "We do want to continue international cooperation," Rayermann said at...

ESA Orders Second Galileo Test Satellite From Surrey.
March 12, 2007... Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) will build a second Galileo test satellite under a contract from the European Space Agency (ESA), SSTL announced March 5. The Galileo In Orbit Validation Elements-A2 (GIOVE-A2) will be based on...

Hughes To Deliver Broadband Services For Orocom.
March 12, 2007... Hughes Network Systems LLC will provide a broadband satellite solution for Islamabad, Pakistan-based Orocom Ltd., a technology systems provider, Hughes announced March 5. The system will enable Orocom to deliver customized broadband...

Spirent Unveils GPS/Galileo Simulation System.
March 12, 2007... Spirent Communications has developed its GSS7900 GPS/Galileo Simulation System, which will support testing of free-to-use signals from both GPS and Galileo systems, the company announced March 5. The simulator is derived from Spirent's...

Orbiting Wall Street.(Ericsson corp. accquired Tandberg Television)(Telesat Canada earnings profit in 2006)(EMS Technologies Inc. earnings profit in 2006)
March 12, 2007... Tandberg, Ericsson Tandberg TV's board has extended a unanimous recommendation to shareholders that they accept Ericsson's buyout offer, Tandberg announced March 7. Ericsson made an unsolicited offer Feb. 26 to acquire Tandberg for...

Satellite Cellular Backhaul Market On The Rise.
March 12, 2007... The satellite cellular backhaul market is increasing in importance and proving to be a more lucrative one for satellite operators around the world. According to Patrick French, an European analyst at research firm NSR, the number of...

Premiere Sky To Launch Later This Year.(by Premiere GmbH)(Brief article)
March 19, 2007... Premiere, the German pay-TV operator, has created a new subsidiary, Premiere Sky, which will launch an eponymous programming package via satellite. Premiere Sky will hit the German market in September with an aim "to bundle current and new...

BSkyB, Sky Italia Keep Setting Pace Among European DTH Players.
March 19, 2007... In a regular look at how satellite pay-TV operators are performing in Europe, Satellite News examines the most recent results of Europe's leading DTH players, all of whom have announced their latest figures in recent weeks. The overall...

Panel: Satellite Industry Has Place Amid Emerging Video Technologies.
March 19, 2007... Flexibility is the key to remaining viable in a changing market for video technologies, agreed a panel of experts speaking at the March 13 meeting of the Society of Satellite Professionals International Mid-Atlantic chapter held in...

BellExpressVu To Bring New Video Services To Market.
March 19, 2007... Bell ExpressVu, the Canadian DTH operator, is hoping it can maintain the pace in the Canadian digital TV market by bringing a number of potential new services to its customers. Company president Gary Smith admitted to Satellite News that the...

ESA Gives CryoSat Update.(European Space Agency)(Brief article)
March 19, 2007... The European Space Agency (ESA) has given an update on the CryoSat-2 mission. ESA has reported that by the end of the year, CryoSat-2 will be almost fully assembled. Richard Francis, ESA's CryoSat-2 project manager, said the agency "has...

Alcatel Alenia Space Signs Harris Corp. For Commercial Antenna Contract.
March 19, 2007... Harris Corp., an international communications and information technology company, has been awarded a contract by Alcatel Alenia Space, Harris announced March 12. Harris will supply a 12-meter, commercial satellite antenna for the first...

QinetiQ Outfits Helicopters With Satcom Systems In Under 12 Weeks.
March 19, 2007... As part of an in-theater, urgent operational requirement program, QinetiQ integrated in less than 12 weeks' time a civil satellite communications system into British Ministry of Defense Joint Helicopter Force (JHC) assets, the company...

World Market Survey Expects Govt. Launches To Increase Through 2016.
March 19, 2007... In its newly released, 2007 edition of the "World Market Survey of Satellites to be Built & Launched by 2016 (11th edition)," Euroconsult expects governments around the world to launch a total of 616 satellites over the next decade, an...

Tandberg TV Releases Numbers; Board Accepts Ericsson Offer.(Brief article)
March 19, 2007... In reporting its 2006 numbers, Tandberg Television claimed total revenue earnings of $350.3 million with a gross margin of 57.8 percent. The company listed operating expenses of $128.7 million, with depreciation and amortization for the year...

Globalstar Installs Global Packet Data Network.
March 19, 2007... Globalstar Inc., a provider of mobile satellite voice and data services, has completed hardware installation for its satellite packet data network, the company announced March 12. The work affects Globalstar data customers using the...

DigitalGlobe Opens Boston Office.(Brief article)
March 19, 2007... DigitalGlobe, a provider of high-resolution commercial satellite imagery and geospatial information, has opened a commercial business unit in Boston, the company announced March 12. The new office occasions the integration of assets from...

Arianespace Places Skynet-5A and Insat-4B Into Orbit.
March 19, 2007... Arianespace placed two satellites into geostationary transfer orbit on March 11 after its dual launch of military communications satellite Skynet-5A for the British Ministry of Defense, and the civil communications satellite Insat-4B for the...

Shin Satellite Gains IPSTAR New Zealand Deal.
March 19, 2007... Shin Satellite's subsidiary, IPSTAR New Zealand, has signed a deal with BayCity Communications to become the exclusive national service operator (NSO) for IPSTAR services throughout New Zealand. BayCity will be responsible for the...

Hughes To Offer DSL Coverage Throughout USA.
March 19, 2007... Hughes Network Systems is offering enterprise users nationwide broadband coverage with a choice of DSL and/or satellite technologies, the company announced March 13. Hughes has signed wholesale agreements with New Edge, Covad, AT&T,...

NDS Makes Indian Appointment.
March 19, 2007... Kishore Shirekar has been named general manager for NDS India as conditional access and middleware vendor NDS aims for improved performance amid a potentially lucrative DTH market in India. Based in NDS's Mumbai office, Shirekar will be...

Eutelsat Confirms HotBird-2 Clients To HotBird-8.
March 19, 2007... Eutelsat Communications confirmed March 14 that its broadcast clients of the HotBird-2 satellite had been transferred to HotBird-8. The precautionary switch, with no change in reception parameters for DTH homes or cable operators, was...

Arianespace To Loft SES Astra's Astra-1L.
March 19, 2007... SES Astra, a subsidiary of SES, will launch its Astra-1L satellite onboard an Ariane 5 rocket, SES Astra announced March 14. An A2100 AXS model built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, the satellite will join the Astra satellites...

Sea Launch Explosion Deemed An Engine Failure.
March 19, 2007... The Jan. 30 catastrophic failure of Sea Launch's Zenit-3SL booster carrying the NSS-8 commercial communications satellite was caused by engine failure, according to a commission of independent Ukrainian and Russian investigators. "The...

Wegener Corp. Reviewing Strategic Alternatives.
March 19, 2007... Wegener Corp.'s board of directors has formed a committee of independent directors to consider strategic and financial alternatives to boost shareholder value, the company announced March 13. The company has retained Near Earth LLC to...

Pakistan Signs Telesat For Paksat-1R Satellite.
March 19, 2007... Telesat has been signed by the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), Pakistan's national space agency, to assist in the procurement and 2010 launch of the Paksat-1R satellite to replace the existing Paksat-1,...

Orbiting Wall Street.
March 19, 2007... Consolidation A Key Driver In Investor Interest The planned merger of satellite radio operators Sirius and XM is the kind of consolidation that private investors want to see more of, according to a panel of investment bankers. ...

Satellites' Role Amid IPTV Market Remains Uncertain.
March 19, 2007... Internet protocol television (IPTV) is a market beginning to take off. In the last two years, some of the biggest telcos around the globe have announced aggressive plans to capture the video market. With telcos determined to capture a large...

BSkyB Gearing Up For Bidding Battle To Purchase Pipex.
March 26, 2007... If Fleet Street rumors prove correct, BSkyB is headed for a four-way battle for Pipex Communications, a major player among the United Kingdom's telecoms market. With nearly 1.1 million fixed line customers, almost 600,000 broadband...

Inmarsat's Backing Of Stratos Buy Raises Questions Amid MSS Market.
March 26, 2007... The March 19 announcement that CIP Canada Investment Inc. would acquire Stratos Global Corp., the largest distributor of Inmarsat services, in a deal funded in part by Inmarsat, has clouded many a crystal ball as to what the deal may mean...

Close Is Good Enough For SpaceX In Second Demonstration Launch.
March 26, 2007... Even though the second demonstration flight of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX)'s Falcon 1 failed to reach orbit and was presumed lost at sea only moments after its launch from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, the company's CEO...

SPOTLIGHT: Satellite Research Discovers That Amazonian Rain Forests Work Better When Dry.
March 26, 2007... According to a newly published study, NASA satellites have revealed that Amazon forests are neither evergreen nor dependent on constant rain, and are capable of manufacturing their seasons. A team of 27 researchers from 15 institutions...

Key Players Sign On For Europe's Galileo Project.
March 26, 2007... While not out of the woods yet, the Galileo project took significant steps forward last week with signatures being attained from all the companies for the setting up of the Galileo Operating Company (Concessionaire). A leading satellite...

Telesat Canada Hired To Launch Vietnamese Satellite.
March 26, 2007... Telesat Canada has signed a contract to aid in the launch of Vietnam's first telecommunications satellite, according to Vietnamese state news service TTXVN. Under the contract, signed in Ottawa March 16 with Vietnam's state-owned Post...

GlobeCast To Manage MobiTV Content Ingestion.(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... MobiTV has hired GlobeCast to manage content ingestion to support live-TV delivery to MobiTV's mobile and broadband platforms in North America, GlobeCast announced March 18. GlobeCast will furnish constant channel ingestion via satellite,...

Iridium Marks Progress In Maritime Market.
March 26, 2007... Iridium Satellite has appointed OTESAT-Maritel as an authorized service provider, Iridium announced March 16. A satellite communications equipment and services provider to the Greek and international maritime markets, OTESAT-Maritel is a...

ViaSat Delivers Ku-Band Antenna For Air Force; Certifies End II End Technology.
March 26, 2007... ViaSat Inc. delivered a Ku-band satellite communications antenna kit to the U.S. Air Force that will be used on C-130 aircraft, the company announced March 16. The antenna enables use of an airborne system to access U.S. Department of...

Sky TV New Zealand Continues Widescreen Additions.
March 26, 2007... Direct-to-home operator Sky TV New Zealand is increasing the number of widescreen channels available to customers, as the National Geographic Channel will begin broadcasting in 16:9 widescreen in early April, Sky announced. UKTV will...

NewCom Signs Up SES Americom For Emergency Communications Deal.(NewCom International)(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... NewCom International has signed a marketing agreement to add SES Americom's Redisat to NewCom's communications offerings available across the Southeast United States, SES Americom announced March 21. NewCom, a Miami-based teleport...

Core180 To Assist Arrowhead On Defense Project.
March 26, 2007... Network integration firm Core 180 Inc. received a subcontract from Virginia-based Arrowhead Global Solutions Inc. to provide bandwidth management for a project for the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN), Arrowhead announced March 20....

Lockheed Martin Completes Delivery Of GPS Block 2R-M Satellites.
March 26, 2007... Lockheed Martin delivered the eighth and final GPS 2R-M satellite to the U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin announced March 21. Each satellite in the series includes a modernized antenna panel providing increased signal power to receivers on...

Newpoint Gets Iridium Modem Support For Mercury Products.
March 26, 2007... Newpoint Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Integral Systems Inc., is adding support for the Iridium satellite modem in its Mercury EM product, Integral announced March 21. Mercury EM is an element manager for interfacing...

Raytheon Completes Testing Of Navy Multiband Terminal.
March 26, 2007... Raytheon Co. and the U.S. Navy have completed formal testing of the Navy Multiband Terminal satellite communication system, Raytheon announced March 21. The system of submarine, shore-based and shipboard communications terminals was...

South Korea Looks To Delay Satellite Launch Two Years.(Arirang 5 satellite)(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... A shortage of funding likely will delay the launch of South Korea's multipurpose Arirang 5 satellite by two years, the Korea Times reported. "The government failed to secure enough funds to build Arirang 5, which needs approximately 250...

Sea Launch Inks Satellite Agreement With SES.
March 26, 2007... Sea Launch Co. signed an agreement with SES to launch a yet-to-be- determined satellite aboard a Land Launch vehicle in mid-2009, Sea Launch announced March 22. The new satellite would replace a mission designated for the AMC-21...

WebTech, Iridium Offer Dual-Mode Cellular and Satellite Tracking System.(Iridium Satellite L.L.C. and WebTech Wireless Inc.)(WT1900 system)(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... WebTech Wireless Inc. and Iridium Satellite unveiled a dual-mode cellular and satellite asset tracking-and-management system for the transportation industry. WebTech's WT1900 system incorporates Iridium's 9601 short-burst data modem to...

ViaSat, DRS Technologies Demonstrate IP Link Between F/A-18, Ground Network.
March 26, 2007... ViaSat Inc. and DRS Technologies Inc. demonstrated an Internet Protocol (IP) data connection linking the cockpit of an F/A-18 jet fighter to a ground network, the companies announced. In the test, the aircrew used an advanced technology,...

New KVH Antennas Bring HDTV To Marine Vessels.
March 26, 2007... KVH Industries Inc. rolled out its TracVision M series of marine satellite TV systems, the company announced March 22. The M5 and M7 antennas use KVH's new RingFire technology to bring "home theater-quality" coverage and reception of...

WildBlue Launches Service Using WildBlue-1.
March 26, 2007... WildBlue Communications Inc. has started operations with its WildBlue-1 satellite, which will allow the company to more than triple its customer capacity, WildBlue announced March 20. Wildblue-1, built by Space Systems/Loral, was placed...

DMC Orders Imagery Satellite.(DMC International Imaging Ltd., Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.)(Brief article)
March 26, 2007... DMC International Imaging Ltd. will add an imagery satellite to the Disaster Monitoring Constellation in 2008, the company announced March 20. The UK DMC-2 microsatellite will be built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. and provide imagery...

IAI/MBT Orders Interference Detection System From SAT.
March 26, 2007... SAT Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Integral Systems Inc., will deliver a digital spectrum analyzer to IAI/MBT for its Europe-based teleport, SAT announced March 20. The SAT-DSA unit provides satellite carrier monitoring and interference...

MSV Names President, Satellite Services.
March 26, 2007... Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) appointed John Mattingly to the position of president, satellite services, the company announced March 20. Prior to joining MSV, Mattingly served as president of satellite services for Comsat Corp. and...

Hughes Introduces High-Speed BGAN Mobile Satellite Terminal.
March 26, 2007... Hughes Network Systems LLC's Hughes 9250 mobile satellite terminal has been approved to operate over Inmarsat's Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN), Hughes announced March 15. The unit is designed to deliver high-speed transmit and...