Satellite News articles from May 2007

Satellite News archives from May 2007

Orbital Awarded Contract For Intelsat Satellite.
May 7, 2007... Orbital Sciences Corp. received a contract from Intelsat to manufacture the Intelsat-15 communications satellite, Orbital announced May 1. The satellite, scheduled for launch in early 2009, will be based on Orbital's Star 2 platform and...

SES Expects To See Cost Savings In Next Satellite Procurement Cycle.
May 7, 2007... SES Global posted positive results in the 2007 first quarter that were in line with expectations, but the talk among analysts stemmed from comments by SES hinting at potential savings the company thinks it might realize in the procurement of...

Sirius Cuts Loss In First Quarter; Continues To Push For XM Merger.(Financial report)
May 7, 2007... Sirius Satellite Radio reported a narrower loss in its latest quarter, signing up more subscribers than rival XM Satellite Radio in the first three months of 2007. New York-based Sirius reported a loss of $144.7 million in the 2007 first...

SPOTLIGHT: TrailGuard Uses Metal Detection Sent Over Satellite To Trap Poachers, Save Animals' Skins.
May 7, 2007... Poachers, beware: Illegal hunters are becoming the hunted through technology developed by an electrical engineer-cum-visiting scholar at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Having studied...

Tata Sky CEO Sees Three DTH Players In India.
May 7, 2007... India will be one of the biggest markets for satellite pay-TV services throughout the next few years. Dish TV, backed by Zee Telefilms, already is seeing strong growth in this market, and Tata Sky, a joint venture between Star and Tata,...

GSA Signs 24 Firms For SatCom-2 Deal.
May 7, 2007... The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) awarded contracts to 24 companies to provide next-generation satellite communications systems to U.S. government military and civilian agencies, the GSA announced May 2. Among the companies...

Anik F3 Begins Commercial Operations.
May 7, 2007... Telesat has initiated commercial services on its Anik F3 satellite. The satellite, built by EADS Astrium, provides capacity throughout North America and also carries a Ka-band payload to supplement services being carried on the Anik F2...

GeoEye Receives U.S. Government Awards.
May 7, 2007... GeoEye has received awards to supply U.S. government customers with satellite imagery, products and services, the company announced May 1. The awards for work for the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency the Department of...

ICO Selects Alcatel-Lucent, Hughes For Trial.
May 7, 2007... Alcatel-Lucent and Hughes Network Systems will develop architecture and technology for use in ICO Global Communications' alpha trial of mobile interactive media services, ICO announced May 1. Scheduled to begin in spring 2008, the trial...

Raytheon Nets Global Broadcast Service Award.
May 7, 2007... Raytheon Co. has been awarded a $14.5 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to build terminals for the Global Broadcasting Service (GBS) , the company announced May 1. Raytheon will build 59 Army receive suites and 69 Air Force Internet...

Integral To Upgrade JSAT Ground System.
May 7, 2007... Integral Systems Inc. received a contract with Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems to upgrade JSAT Corp.'s ground system to support the JCSAT-11 satellite, Integral announced May 1. The Epoch-based ground system already supports the...

ComDev Earns Civil Space Contract.
May 7, 2007... ComDev International Ltd. announced April 30 that it has been awarded a follow-on civil space contract valued at $39 million from an unidentified customer. Work on the program is expected to be completed by the end of ComDev's 2009 fiscal...

Qantas Unveils Aircraft Landing System.
May 7, 2007... The Qantas Group unveiled April 30 a new precision landing system that uses satellite technology to make landings more efficient, accurate and environmentally friendly. The GPS Landing System uses technology developed by Boeing,...

NTV-Plus Brings HDTV To Russia.
May 7, 2007... Russian direct-to-home operator NTV-Plus has launched three high- definition (HD) channels using Eutelsat's W4 satellite. NTV-Plus serves nearly 600,000 subscribers in Russia and the Ukraine and hopes to attract 10,000 and 20,000 subscribers...

ICG Gets FAA Approval For Boeing Parts.
May 7, 2007... International Communications Group received parts-manufacturer approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to produce and replace satellite communication systems on Boeing 737-700 aircraft, ICG announced April 30. ...

Industry Canada Authorizes Transfer Of TMI Approval To TerreStar Canada.
May 7, 2007... Industry Canada granted an application April 30 by TMI Communications and Co. Ltd. to transfer its 2-gigahertz mobile satellite service approval to TerreStar Networks (Canada) Inc., which is owned by TerreStar Networks Inc. and TMI. The...

DataPath Appoints Board Members.
May 7, 2007... DataPath Inc. has named five appointments to its board of directors, the company announced April 30. Among the additions are Valerie Baldwin, a former assistant secretary and chief financial officer for the U.S. Army; retired U.S. Navy...

Indonesian Government Partners With DigitalGlobe To Assess Taxes.
May 7, 2007... DigitalGlobe providing imagery to the Indonesian Directorate of Property Tax and Ministry of Finance that will be used to identify taxable land within the country, DigitalGlobe announced May 2. Details of the contract were not released. ...

TerreStar Global To Build Operations Facilities In Bermuda.
May 7, 2007... Terrestar Global Ltd. has signed a letter of intent with the Government of Bermuda to place its operations facilities in Bermuda, Terrestar announced May 3. TerreStar, a subsidiary of Motient Corp., plans to deploy a communications network...

DirecTV Launches Portable System.
May 7, 2007... DirecTV Inc. has made its portable system available for subscribers, the company announced May 3. The Sat-Go is available to DirecTV customers for $1,499, but nationwide retail availability has not yet been announced. [Copyright 2006...

Micro-Ant Antenna Receives DO-160 Approval.
May 7, 2007... Micro-Ant has completed RTCA/DO-160 testing of its new avionic teardrop antenna, the company announced. The antenna can be used for the satellite radio band and also is available for use with L-band and S-band antenna applications such as...

Orbiting Wall Street.
May 7, 2007... Hispasat Hispasat recorded a profit of 24.5 million euros ($33.3 million) in 2006, more than double earnings of 9.8 million euros ($13.3 million) in 2005, the satellite operator announced May 3. Revenues improved from 99.7 million euros...

Brant Takes Helm At SkyPort Global Aiming To Repeat His Successes With Loral Skynet.
May 7, 2007... Patrick Brant has joined SkyPort Global Communications Inc. as president and CEO, the company announced April 30. Brant most recently served as CEO and president of Loral Skynet, the satellite operations unit of Loral Space &...

Thuraya To Stick With Sea Launch Despite Launch Failure.
May 14, 2007... Yousuf Al Sayed, CEO of Thuraya, confirmed that his company will launch its Thuraya-3 satellite with Sea Launch despite delays stemming from a January failure. Thuraya-3 is intended to expand satellite telephone service into Asia and...

Galileo At Risk Of Foundering As Funding, Political Questions Remain.
May 14, 2007... The Galileo satellite navigation project, which is supposed to be built though a combination of public and private funding, is teetering on the abyss after industry players failed to satisfy political demands that they resolve differences...

Remote-Imaging Experts Dismiss NGA Director's General Concerns.
May 14, 2007... Assertions made last week by the director of the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) that some censorship of satellite imagery might be necessary for national or military defense stirred questions among experts of whether such...

CEO Bausch Seeks More Cost Savings For SES Global.
May 14, 2007... SES Global excited analysts in early May when the company revealed that it expected to realize cost savings on future satellites by focusing on its procurement process. "It is obviously a permanent objective on our side to optimize our...

Orbital Sciences Wins SES Americom Deal.
May 14, 2007... Orbital Sciences received a contract from SES Americom to manufacture the AMC-5R satellite, a ground spare and up to three more spacecraft, Orbital announced May 8. AMC-5R and the ground spare will be based on Orbital's Star-2 platform and...

Ariane 5 Launch Orbits Astra-1L, Galaxy 17.
May 14, 2007... Arianespace's second heavy-lift flight of 2007 deployed two telecommunications satellites into geostationary transfer orbit May 4, the company announced. The Ariane 5 placed the Astra-1L spacecraft for SES Astra and Galaxy 17 for Intelsat...

WildBlue, AT&T Extend Broadband Operating Agreement.
May 14, 2007... WildBlue Communications Inc. and AT&T have expanded their AT&T Yahoo! Broadband via Satellite (Provided by WildBlue) program throughout a 22-state wireline footprint, WildBlue announced May 9. WildBlue provides high-speed Internet via...

ViaSat Supplies Antenna For Kompsat Program.
May 14, 2007... ViaSat Inc. will provide a 7.3-meter antenna system to the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) that will be used to support the Korean Multipurpose Satellite (Kompsat) program, ViaSat announced May 9. ViaSat Antenna Systems will...

Boeing, Northrop Grumman Perform Orbital Express Demonstrations.
May 14, 2007... Boeing Co. demonstrated a fully autonomous, free-flight rendezvous and capture operation, while Northrop Grumman Corp. multiple fluid transfers between two space vehicles using the Orbital Express system, the companies announced separately...

SkyNet 5 Begins Operations.
May 14, 2007... SkyNet-5A, the first of three military communications satellites for the U.K. Ministry of Defense, has entered service, Astrium announced May 10. Through subsidiary Paradigm Secure Communications, Astrium is the prime contractor for the...

SAT Corp. To Supply System To Advantech For Saudi Aramco Network.
May 14, 2007... SAT Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Integral Systems Inc., delivered its MonicsNet Satellite Carrier Monitoring system to Advantech Satellite Networks Inc. for use in the Saudi Aramco Satellite Communications Network, Integral announced...

OpenTV To Power HD Service For Russian DTH Operator.
May 14, 2007... Russian direct-to-home operator NTV-Plus will launch high-definition (HD) services using OpenTV's digital television solutions, OpenTV announced May 8. NTV-Plus, owned by Gazprom-Media, delivers more than 90 channels to 560,000...

SlingPath Unveils Satellite Newsgatherings Training Course.
May 14, 2007... SlingPath has launched a satellite newsgathering (SNG) online training program, the company announced. The course is intended to provide a basic level of competence in operating satellite uplinking equipment in order to reduce potential...

GMV To Provide Satellite Ground Software To Intelsat.
May 14, 2007... GMV signed two contracts with Intelsat Ltd. for satellite flight dynamics software support for advanced satellites, GMV announced May 8. GMV will provide software to support on-station operations, maneuver planning and calibration as well as...

Wegener Receives Digital Signage Order.
May 14, 2007... Wegener Corp., a provider of equipment for television, audio and data distribution networks worldwide, received an order from Satellite Store Link to launch networked digital signage in Mexico, Wegener announced May 8. Wegener's equipment...

Shop Latino TV Selects Intelsat For Cable Distribution Platform.
May 14, 2007... Intelsat Ltd. has signed a multi-year agreement with Shop Latino TV for program distribution into the North American cable market through Intelsat's Galaxy neighborhood, Intelsat announced May 8. Intelsat will provide hybrid transmission...

Nationwide Internet To Resell HughesNet Service.
May 14, 2007... Nationwide Internet will become a reseller of Hughes Network Systems' satellite broadband Internet service, HughesNet, Nationwide Internet announced May 8. [Copyright 2006 Access Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved.]

Russia's National Broadcasting Launches Pay-TV Channels On Eutelsat-W4.
May 14, 2007... Russian broadcaster National Broadcasting Company has launched 12 pay-TV channels on Eutelsat-W4, Eutelsat Communications announced May 7. The transponder is being leased by RSCC acting on behalf of the broadcaster. Dubbed the Tricolor...

Gilat To Provide Broadband Wireless Access Over WiMAX.
May 14, 2007... Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. has entered into an agreement with Proxim Wireless Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Terabeam Inc., to offer WiMAX, Wi- Fi Mesh and other broadband wireless access solutions, Gilat announced May 7. The...

First Galileo Navigation Message Transmitted.
May 14, 2007... The first Galileo navigation message has been transmitted through the GIOVE-A Navigation Signal Generator Unit developed by Thales Alenia Space and the GIOVE Mission Segment, Thales announced May 4. The GIOVE Mission Segment is designed...

Orbiting Wall Street.
May 14, 2007... Eutelsat Video applications drove a 10 percent increase in Eutelsat's 2007 third quarter revenues, the company announced May 10. Eutelsat posted revenues of 205.7 million euros ($278.6 million) in the quarter, which closed March 31....

Loral Announces Numbers, Is Deemed To Be On The Verge Of Becoming A Top-Tier Satellite Player.
May 14, 2007... The announcement that Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) will manufacture the NSS-12 spacecraft for SES New Skies came as small but further indication of the overall health of SS/L's parent company just two days after the release of Loral Space and...

MSV Signs Launch Deals With ILS, Sea Launch.
May 21, 2007... Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) awarded contracts to International Launch Services Inc. (ILS) and Sea Launch Co. to launch next-generation satellites, ILS and Sea Launch announced May 15. The ILS agreement is for a 2009 single firm launch...

Euro GNSS CEO: Getting Galileo Back On Track Will Be Long Process.(Jean- Francois Bou)
May 21, 2007... A pragmatic approach will be needed to make Galileo a success, said Jean- Francois Bou, interim CEO of Euro GNSS -- the Galileo operating company). "In a complex project such as this, it is important to look at the long- term perspective...

Row 44 Eyeing The Skies For Airborne Broadband Connectivity.
May 21, 2007... A small California start-up hopes to succeed where industry giant Boeing Co. failed with its Connexion satellite Internet service for aircraft. Row 44 will begin testing a high-speed satellite broadband service with a U.S. domestic...

Letter To The Editor.(Letter to the editor)
May 21, 2007... Dear [Editor]: While I was pleased to see coverage of our first quarter results in Satellite News on May 14th, 2007, I was somewhat surprised to read the following in your publication: "Iridium Satellite LLC reported 2007 first quarter...

SPOTLIGHT: French Scientists Tracking Huge Waves From Space Hoping To Minimize Risk To Coastal Populations.(European Space Agency's Envisat satellite)(France's Reunion Island)
May 21, 2007... French scientists are using images from the European Space Agency's (ESA) Envisat satellite to learn lessons about the origin and movement of waves which reached heights of up to 36 feet before devastating France's Reunion Island in the...

BT Believes In The Power Of Satellite In Latin America.
May 21, 2007... BT is confident that satellite services and technology will play a pivotal role as it looks to grow its telecoms business in Latin America. The operator recently acquired Comsat International, a provider of data communication services for...

China Launches Nigerian Communications Satellite.
May 21, 2007... China launched a communications satellite for Nigeria, reportedly marking the first time a foreign buyer has purchased a Chinese satellite and its launching service. According to a May 14 report by state-run Xinhua, the carrier rocket...

Inmarsat Holdings Ltd. Reports First Quarter Numbers.(Financial report)
May 21, 2007... Citing profits from its latest mobile satellite services products, Inmarsat Holdings Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Inmarsat, reported a 16 percent increase in first-quarter revenues for the period ending March 31 compared to the same...

Orbcomm And Quake Settle Dispute, Sign 10-Year Deal.(Quake Global)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... Orbcomm and its subsidiaries have signed a settlement with Quake Global Inc. dismissing all legal proceedings between the companies, Orbcomm announced May 14. Furthermore, they inked a 10-year manufacturing agreement for Quake Global to...

Novatel Obtains License To Sell Galileo Receivers.
May 21, 2007... The European Space Agency (ESA) has furnished Novatel Inc. with a 10-year license for the company to sell precise-positioning receivers for tracking Galileo signals, Novatel announced May 14. Galileo is the European Union's...

GeoEye Appoints Director Of Government Affairs.(Uyen Dinh)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... GeoEye has appointed Uyen Dinh as its senior director for government affairs, the satellite imaging company announced May 11. Dinh becomes responsible for the overall development and execution of the company's legislative affairs and...

Nominations Sought For NGA Advisory Committee.(National Geospatial Advisory Committee)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... The U.S. Department of the Interior is seeking nominations for membership on the new National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC), Interior Deputy Secretary P. Lynn Scarlett announced on May 14. The NGAC is to advise the federal...

Chase Named To Chair SATELLITE 2008.(Scott Chase appointed by Access Intelligence LLC.)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... Access Intelligence has named Scott Chase as chairman for the SATELLITE 2008 Conference and Exhibition. Active in the satellite industry since 1981, for the past four years Chase has been a partner of Grid Media. His responsibilities...

FCC Grants TerreStar Spectrum Reservation.
May 21, 2007... The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted TerreStar Networks Inc. a reservation for 20 megahertz of spectrum in the 2GHz frequency band. TerreStar, a majority owned subsidiary of Motient Corp., plans to use the spectrum in...

Eutelsat Repositions To 9 degrees East With Eurobird-9.
May 21, 2007... Eutelsat Communications announced May 15 that its HotBird-2 satellite has been rebranded as Eurobird-9 and redeployed to 9 degrees East, marking the opening of a video neighborhood adjacent to Eutelsat's premium HotBird position. The...

Ministers To Adopt European Space Policy.(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... Ministers responsible for space activities among the European Space Agency's (ESA) member states will meet May 22 with officials responsible for the internal market, industry and research in the European Union's (EU) Competitiveness Council...

Globalstar To Add Asian Gateway.
May 21, 2007... Globalstar Inc. will add a gateway in Asia and extended a value-added reseller partnership, the company announced. Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. will construct and operate a Globalstar gateway ground station in Singapore under a...

Rad Data Partners With Inmarsat For Voice Over BGAN.
May 21, 2007... Rad Data Communications has been appointed by Inmarsat as a solutions partner for the Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service, RAD Data announced May 16. [Copyright 2006 Access Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved.]

Russian Service Provider Picks Shiron's InterSky.
May 21, 2007... Shiron's certified distributor and support center in Russia, JSC Cedicom, has contracted with Elvis-Telecom Co. for delivery of InterSky DVB-S2 broadband satellite solution, JSC Cedicom announced May 16. Shiron's broadband satellite...

Russia, ESA Sign Contract For Four Rocket Launches.
May 21, 2007... Progress plans to sign a contract with the European Space Agency at the Paris Air Show for the launch of four Soyuz-ST carrier rockets from the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana, according to press reports. The first of the launches is...

Advantech Appoints Sales Executives.
May 21, 2007... Advantech appointed Richard McPhaden vice president of sales and Michael DiPaolo senior director of business development, the company announced May 16. Prior to joining Advantech, McPhaden was vice president of marketing at Polarsat and...

Comtech EF Data Expands Government Programs Group.(appointed Robert Turner)(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... Comtech EF Data Corp. named Robert Turner vice president of government programs, the company announced. Turner will manage the government programs group, the company's primary interface to government, military and civilian agency...

Telesat to Operate Radarsat-2 Satellite.
May 21, 2007... Telesat Canada has reached an agreement with MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) to operate MDA's Radarsat-2 for the lifetime of the satellite, Telesat announced May 17. Telesat operates the eight satellites in its own fleet...

Swedish Space Prepares For Sirius-4 Satellite.
May 21, 2007... Swedish Space Corp. has been chosen by SES Sirius to run the implementation and operations of the next-generation Sirius-4 satellite, Swedish Space announced May 17. The satellite, being manufactured by Lockheed Martin, will be the third...

Iridium Touts 'Test Your Satellite Phone' Week.
May 21, 2007... Coinciding with the U.S. National Weather Service's National Hurricane Preparedness Week, Iridium Satellite LLC is promoting May 21-25 as "Test Your Satellite Phone" Week. Similar to the popular biannual testing of smoke alarms, the goal...

Telenor Expands Into Key Eastern European Cities.
May 21, 2007... Telenor Satellite Broadcasting (TSB) has expanded its multi-service network into Sofia, Bulgaria; Bucharest, Romania; and Budapest, Hungary; the company announced May 18. The extended connection to fiber and satellite solutions will...

Orbcomm Signs Deal With Wireless Carrier.
May 21, 2007... Orbcomm signed a deal with an unidentified American wireless carrier to begin offering terrestrial wireless services to complement its existing satellite-based wireless services, Orbcomm announced May 16. Orbcomm will resell its partner's...

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting Extends Network Into Eastern Europe.
May 21, 2007... Telenor Satellite Broadcasting expanded its network into three Eastern European countries, the company announced May 18. Connections to Telenor's fiber and satellite solutions have been established in Sofia, Bulgaria; Bucharest, Romania;...

Eagle Broadband Signs Deal With U.S. Government Client.(introduced SatMax Alpha Emergency Communication System )(Brief article)
May 21, 2007... Eagle Broadband Inc. delivered a SatMax Alpha Emergency Communication System for use in a classified U.S. government program, the company announced May 18. The portable system allows use of Iridium phones without needing direct...

Korea Plans To Make Satellite Imagery Available.
May 21, 2007... South Korea's Ministry of Science and Technology plans to begin selling images collected by the Arirang-2 satellite to foreign countries through France's Spot Image. Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported May 18 that Spot will...

Orbiting Wall Street.
May 21, 2007... Intelsat Intelsat Ltd. reported revenue growth of 85 percent in the first quarter of 2007 but posted a loss of $115.1 million due to the acquisition of PanAmSat, Intelsat announced May 14. Total revenue first three months of 2007 was...

Analysts Still Downbeat On Asian IPStar Prospects.
May 21, 2007... Shin Satellite has continued to struggle with its IPStar strategy, according to the company's first quarter numbers released May 14. The satellite operator reported about 75,000 IPStar customers after adding 9,000 customers in the 2007...

China Launches Yaogan-2 Remote Sensing Satellite.
May 28, 2007... China launched a remote-sensing satellite named Yaogan-2 on May 25 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, according to the state- run newspaper Xinhua. The satellite, launched by a Long March 2D booster rocket, was...

Resuscitated MSUA Conference Ponders Industry's Future Health.
May 28, 2007... There was certainly plenty of give-and-take, even if no consensus as to where the market was going. But the disparity of opinion was definitive about one thing, at least: When it comes to the future of mobile satellite services (MSS), even...

Batelco Ready To Improve Satellite Offerings In Middle Eastern Market.
May 28, 2007... Bahrain Telecommunications Co. (Batelco) believes satellite technology will be a vital element in its growth strategy as it looks to become a bigger player across the Middle East. The Bahrain-based telco signed a deal in April with Asia...

Multiplatform Chances Inspire JSAT CEO's Thinking.
May 28, 2007... As Japan's foremost satellite operator, JSAT Corp. is not merely a major player among the Asian satellite industry but also plays a key role in powering one of the most advanced satellite pay-TV markets in the world. As part of its plans...

ICO Signs Deal With ILS.
May 28, 2007... ICO Global Communications Ltd. signed an agreement with International Launch Services (ILS) for up to five launches from 2009 through 2011, ICO announced May 24. As part of the deal, ILS will design and propose a dual launch capability for...

ViaSat Expands Agreement With WildBlue.
May 28, 2007... ViaSat Inc. received a contract to supply 500,000 Ka-band satellite terminals for WildBlue Communications, ViaSat announced May 24. Combined with units already delivered, ViaSat will have supplied more than 750,000 terminals to WildBlue once...

Jaba Networks To Market SatMax System In Mexico.
May 28, 2007... Jaba Networks Communications of Mexico City will resell Eagle Broadband Inc.'s SatMax Iridium satellite communications system in Mexico, Eagle Broadband announced May 24. Eagle's system enables use of Iridium satellite telephones indoors...