Satellite Today articles from August 2004

Satellite Today archives from August 2004

DirecTV Agrees To Buy Pegasus Satellite TV Subscribers.
August 2, 2004... The DirecTV Group of El Segundo, Calif., today announced the acquisition of the satellite TV subscriber base of Pegasus Satellite Television and its related entities for $875 million in cash and the forgiveness of all claims between the two...

NASA Scrubs MESSENGER Launch.
August 2, 2004... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) today scrubbed the launch of the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft due to the potential for lightning from residual clouds associated...

Trinity Broadcasting Looks To The Skies.
August 2, 2004... Trinity Broadcasting Network today said the company's four networks - TBN, JCTV, Enlace USA and The Church Channel - now are being transmitted via the new Americas 5 satellite operated by Intelsat Global Service Corp. Home viewers can receive...

NDS CFO Ready For Inmarsat Challenge.
August 2, 2004... Rick Medlock is leaving his CFO job at NDS to fill the same spot at mobile satellite operator Inmarsat. Medlock has been the CFO of NDS for the last eight years, and he will leave that company at the end of September. NDS, which is one the...

Sirius Launches NFL Radio Channel; College Sports Could Be Next.
August 2, 2004... Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. [SIRI] just unveiled the first 24-hour radio channel dedicated to the National Football League (NFL). In a news conference earlier today, CEO Joe Clayton told Satellite Today that he expects the multiyear NFL...

NASA's MESSENGER Spacecraft Launches This Morning.
August 3, 2004... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's [NASA] MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft was launched aboard a Boeing [BA] Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at...

Intelsat Revenues Up, Net Income Down.
August 3, 2004... Intelsat Ltd. today reported revenues of $261.7 million for the second quarter, up seven percent from the same period one year ago. However, the net income for the second quarter dropped to $18.5 million from $42.6 million earned during the...

XM, Starbucks Enter Strategic Marketing Alliance.
August 3, 2004... Looking to leverage the Starbucks' brand, XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] entered into a strategic marketing alliance with Starbucks Coffee Co. [SBUX]. As part of the deal, XM subscribers will be able to listen to the Starbucks "Hear Music" channel...

Astro COO Looks To PVR Launch.
August 3, 2004... Astro All Asia Networks (Astro) is ready to bring Personal Video Recorder (PVR) services to Malaysia in the next 12 months. The DTH operator has some 1.3 million subs in that country. Astro COO David Butorac told Satellite Today, "We expect to...

Space Imaging, IATA Form Partnership To Sell Aviation Imagery.
August 3, 2004... Space Imaging reached an exclusive agreement for its aviation geospatial products to be sold by the Montreal-based International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents the world's commercial airlines. The imagery, derived from Space...

FCC Grants Intelsat Extension To Offer Services To Loral Customers.
August 3, 2004... The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in a July 30 order, made public yesterday after Satellite Today's deadline, granted special temporary authority (STA) to Intelsat North America LLC to allow it to continue providing "additional...

Sirius Promotes Doug Kaplan.
August 3, 2004... Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] promoted Doug Kaplan to senior vice president of business affairs and business development, entertainment and sports. Kaplan worked with Sirius President of Entertainment and Sports Scott Greenstein to help the...

First 'Stratellite' Launch Scheduled For January 2005.
August 4, 2004... Sanswire Networks LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of GlobeTel Communications Corp. [GTEL] today said it's planning to launch its first "stratellite" (a high altitude airship that will be, in some regards, competing with satellites) in January...

Clock Ticking On Amazonas Launch.
August 4, 2004... According to International Launch Services (ILS), the launch window for the Amazonas satellite launch opens this evening at 6:32 p.m., EDT, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Barring any weather or other such delays, the EADS...

DirecTV Outlook Stays Positive; Earnings Due Tomorrow.
August 4, 2004... El Segundo, Calif.-based DirecTV [DTV], the largest U.S. satellite TV operator, is scheduled to report what could be respectable second-quarter earnings Thursday. Bob Peck, a satellite analyst at Bear Stearns, issued a research note today that...

BSkyB Announces New Long-Term Growth Plans.
August 4, 2004... BSkyB, the UK satellite pay-TV operator, added 81,000 subscribers in the three months to June 30. As a result, the operator now has close to 7.4 million DTH subscribers in the UK. BSkyB also announced it was targeting 10 million DTH subscribers...

Galaxy10R Propulsion System Failure Won't Impact Customers.
August 5, 2004... PanAmSat Corp. [SPOT] today said that a failure of the Galaxy 10R's xenon ion propulsion system (XIPS) on Aug. 3 thus far has not affected the service of the satellite. According to a statement by the company, the secondary XIPS on the bird...

Amazonas Liftoff Successful.
August 5, 2004... International Launch Services successfully launched the EADS Astriumbuilt Amazonas satellite into orbit yesterday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 6:32 p.m. EDT. The satellite will be used by Hispasat of Spain to provide a variety...

Verizon Bundles DirecTV Into Its Telecom Offerings.
August 5, 2004... Verizon Communications [VZ] today became the latest phone company to bundle its services with DirecTV direct-to-home satellite television service offered by The DirecTV Group [DTV]. Verizon will be offering discounts to subscribers on their...

Globecomm Wins Terminal Infrastructure Contracts.
August 5, 2004... Globecomm Systems Inc. [GCOM] was awarded two contracts totaling $7.7 million for satellite up-linking infrastructure. Although the company did not specifically identify from whom the contracts came, Globecomm said one contract was from a U.S....

XM Tops Forecasts With Latest Quarterly Results.
August 5, 2004... Washington, D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] today raised its subscriber guidance for year-end 2004 from 2.8 million subscribers to 3.1 million. The move came in conjunction with the company's release of favorable financial results for...

DirecTV Adds 455,000 Subscribers In Second Quarter.
August 5, 2004... El Segundo, Calif.-based satellite TV operator DirecTV boosted its second-quarter 2004 revenues to $2.64 billion, marking a 21-percent jump from the same period last year. However, the company's bottom-line operating performance slipped due to...

Gilat Revenues Up, Net Loss Shrinks In 2Q.
August 5, 2004... Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. [GILTF] today reported second quarter earnings of $57.5 million, an increase of $5.4 million earned during the second quarter of 2003. The company also reported its net loss shrunk to $1.8 million from a net loss...

Loral Skynet Names New President To Replace Hart.
August 6, 2004... Patrick K. Brant has been named president of Loral Skynet, the satellite operating business unit of New York-based Loral Space & Communications, succeeding Terry Hart, who is leaving after seven years at the helm to pursue a career in academia....

Hispasat CEO Confident Regarding LatAm Prospects.
August 6, 2004... Hispasat is confident it will be successful in generating significant revenues from the Latin American broadcast and telecom markets now that its Amazonas satellite was launched yesterday. Hispasat CEO Jacinto Garcia Palacios believes the...

Report: Lockheed Martin A2100 Bird Rated Most Reliable.
August 6, 2004... The most reliable satellite with the lowest percentage of in-orbit insurance claims and the broadest communications applications is the Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems A2100 model spacecraft, according to the latest research issued by...

NetJets Outfits Executive Planes With Iridium Gear.
August 6, 2004... Bethesda, Md.-based NetJets Inc., which offers executives the feel of owning a corporate jet at time-share prices, is ordering 50 AirCell ST 3100 Iridium satellite communication systems for its growing fleet of Raytheon Hawker 400XP light...

Viasat Shows Slow Subscriber Growth.
August 6, 2004... Modern Times Group (MTG) subsidiary Viasat, a pay-TV operator in the Nordic region, reports 642,000 digital pay-TV subscribers at the end of June. So far this year, the DTH operator has added around 13,000 new subs. The operator also has nearly...

WildBlue Divulges Preliminary Broadband Pricing.
August 9, 2004... WildBlue Communications, the half-billion-dollar attempt to provide affordable satellite-based broadband to rural America (and even to metropolitan areas where broadband coverage isn't total) has set a $49.95 starting price for its service -...

Occasional Use Of North American Transponders For Video Services Jumps.
August 9, 2004... A new study has found that occasional use of North American satellite transponders for video services rose by 51.9 percent during the second quarter of 2004. The Clarksburg, Md.-based Communications Center reported that the actual number of...

Telesat Canada Files For Modification Of Permitted-Space-Station List.
August 9, 2004... The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said Friday after the Satellite Today deadline that Telesat Canada filed two petitions, each for a declaratory ruling to be added to the permitted-space-station list. The first request is for the Anik...

EADS Astrium Wins Key ESA Contract.
August 9, 2004... EADS Astrium has won another key contract from the European Space Agency (ESA), valued at $84 million, to build the NIRSpec super-eye for the James Webb Space Telescope. The 200-Kg spectrograph is able to detect the faintest radiation from...

Integral Revenues, Income Up For 3Q04.
August 9, 2004... Integral Systems Inc. [ISYS] today reported an increase in both revenues and net income for the third quarter ended June 30 for fiscal 2004. Revenues for the quarter were $22.6 million, up from $19.3 million during the same period one year ago....

Alaska Awards WCC Contract For State Government Communications.
August 9, 2004... The World Communications Center (WCC) won a contract from the State of Alaska to provide satellite voice and data communications for the state government and state agencies. The initial contract expires in 18 months, but it contains options to...

Mobile Satellite Ventures, HNS Develop GPS-Equipped L-Band Terminal.
August 10, 2004... Growing demand for dispatch radio services in the public-safety market has spurred Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) and Hughes Network Systems (HNS) to develop a new L-band satellite terminal that will operate on the MSV mobile satellite...

EchoStar Generates 340,000 Net New Subs.
August 10, 2004... Englewood, Colo.-based EchoStar Communications [DISH] boosted its subscriber numbers and its revenues during 2Q04, adding 340,000 net new subscribers to total more than 10 million customers. On the revenue side, EchoStar reached $1.78 billion...

DigitalGlobe Provides Hawaii With Satellite Imagery.
August 10, 2004... DigitalGlobe today announced the inception of a project that will help in the creation of Hawaii's first publicly available, statewide Digital Ortho Quarter Quadrangles (DOQQ) and updated public-image base using QuickBird satellite data....

Galaxy CEO Resigns.
August 10, 2004... Galaxy Satellite Broadcasting CEO Jim Blomfield has resigned, citing personal reasons. Blomfield had been overseeing the launch of exTV, a new satellite pay-TV offering in Hong Kong. Galaxy is a joint venture between Intelsat and TVB, and...

Trafton Resigns From Boeing.
August 11, 2004... Will Trafton resigned from his role as the top executive directly responsible for the launch business at The Boeing Co. [BA], saying he plans to pursue "other interests." Trafton held the dual positions of vice president and general manager of...

OpenTV Encouraged By 2Q Results.
August 11, 2004... OpenTV reports significant revenue increases - more than 20 percent - in second-quarter 2004, exceeding $19 million as of June 30. The new numbers compare with $15.7 million at the end of second-quarter 2003. Royalty revenues totaling $5...

MB Tech Tests Flat DBS Antenna.
August 11, 2004... MB Tech Inc. [MBTT] completed successful tests of a proprietary, portable, software-driven, auto-positioning flat antenna for direct broadcast satellite (DBS) services. According to the manufacturer, the antenna does not need to be bolted down...

Trio Demos K-Band Satellite Connectivity.
August 11, 2004... Harris Corp. [HRS], Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., and Rockwell Collins Government Systems recently demonstrated a first-ever, small-diameter, multifunction advanced data link prototype antenna that received signals from military...

Aloha Airlines Equips Planes With Iridium Data Services.
August 11, 2004... Aloha Airlines equipped 12 planes in its fleet with AFIRS satellite datacollection and transmission systems from AeroMechanical Services Ltd. The AFIRS system uses satellite service provided by Iridium to transmit vital information about the...

FCC Approves PanAmSat Sale.
August 12, 2004... The Federal Communications Commission gave the nod to the sale of PanAmSat Corp. [SPOT] to affiliates of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P., The Carlyle Group and Providence Equity Partners Inc. Regulatory approval was the last hurdle that...

Trafton, Brinkley Reunite To Lead Bankrupt Kistler.
August 12, 2004... Kistler Aerospace's board of directors boosted its efforts to raise the $500 million needed to complete the development of a reusable launch vehicle by naming two prominent industry executives to spearhead those activities. Will Trafton,...

Amazonas Reaches Geostationary Orbit.
August 12, 2004... According to EADS Astrium, the Amazonas spacecraft successfully performed early operations, and it now is in geostationary orbit. The satellite was designed and built by the company for Hispasat. The satellite has 51 transponders and will...

Comtech Licenses Technology To Improve Bandwidth Efficiency.
August 12, 2004... Comtech EF Data Corp., a subsidiary of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. [CMTL], licensed the DoubleTalk bandwidth compression system from Applied Signal Technology [APSG]. Daniel Enns, senior vice president at Comtech, told Satellite Today that...

ViaSat Receives $6.6 Million Order.
August 12, 2004... ViaSat Inc. [VSAT] today said it was awarded an add-on order valued at about $6.6 million for its multifunctional information distribution system terminals from the Space And Naval Warfare Systems Command. A roundup of contracts awarded by...

Intelsat Bid Could Come This Weekend.
August 13, 2004... Satellite Today has learned that Intelsat's board members have met to consider proposals that could bring in more than $4.5 billion once the auction for the company ends. Reports are that an undisclosed number of private-equity firms are...

AVC Confident Satellite Broadband Will Be A Success.
August 13, 2004... Frank Tyler, AVC Broadband's managing director, is confident that the satellite broadband provider can make an impact in the U.K. broadband market place. AVC Broadband is part of AVC Wireless Networks, which specializes in the provision and...

India Plans Education Satellite Launch.
August 13, 2004... India scheduled the launch of its Edusat satellite for mid-September. The launch of the satellite, dedicated to delivering educational content to Indian users, will be a milestone for the Indian Space Research Organization in that it will be...

ITT Buys Kodak's Remote Sensing Business.
August 13, 2004... ITT Industries Inc. [ITT] completed the purchase of the Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) business from Eastman Kodak Co. [EK] for $725 million in cash. According to the buyer, the acquisition significantly broadens the company's space payload and...

Thales Shakes Up Management Team.
August 13, 2004... Navigation systems provider Thales promoted Claude Boyard to vice president and CFO. Boyard joined the company in 1978, most recently serving as the business group director of finance for Thales' Business Group OEM Solutions. Nick Newman was...

Intelsat Sold For $5 Billion.
August 16, 2004... Intelsat Ltd. today said it has signed a definitive agreement to be sold to a consortium of private-funds partners. The transaction, which includes the assumption of $2 billion in existing debt, is valued at $5 billion. The winning consortium...

DirecTV Receives FCC Okay To Use Canadian Orbital Slot.
August 16, 2004... El Segundo, Calif.-based DirecTV [DTV] gained approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to relocate the company's DirecTV 5 satellite to the 72.5 degree W orbital slot controlled by Telesat Canada. The satellite would operate at...

Premiere's Financials In The Black.
August 16, 2004... Premiere, the German satellite pay-TV operator, reached profitability in the second quarter this year. Premiere's CEO Georg Kofler commented, "Premiere has finally turned EBITDA positive, a major milestone has been reached. Premiere will also...

More Connexion By Boeing Modems Ordered.
August 16, 2004... If the orders are an indication of how the Connexion By Boeing service is growing, expect to see more planes next year with the service on board. ViaSat Inc. [VSAT] said the company received a follow-on order for 85 airborne modems from the...

AIA Names New Assistant VP Of Technical Operations.
August 16, 2004... The Aerospace Industry Association (AIA) promoted Bruce Mahone to the position of assistant vice president of technical operations, responsible for coordinating the activities of AIA's Technical Operations Council. Mahone has held various...

Optus Launches Broadband Satellite Solution.
August 17, 2004... Australian telco Optus launched a new satellite broadband solution, Optus Broadband Satellite. The service aims to provide fast Internet connections at affordable prices to rural Australia. John Anderson, the deputy prime minister of Australia,...

Sirius Leverages NFL Deal With New Portable Unit.
August 17, 2004... Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] introduced a portable plug-and-play receiver aimed directly at the National Football League (NFL) enthusiasts among its subscriber base. The new receiver, aptly named the Sportster, is designed with features for...

Microspace Aids Christian Radio In Program Distribution.
August 17, 2004... Raleigh, N.C.-based Microspace Communications, a provider of point-to-multipoint satellite services and the operator of a large business satellite network, was selected by the Christian Radio Consortium (CRC) to deliver programming to more than...

Satellite Companies Do Their Parts For Hurricane Cleanup.
August 17, 2004... Following the devastating effects of Hurricane Charley late last week, at least two satellite companies have stepped up to help in the aftermath. Globecomm Systems Inc. [GCOM] has provided satellite connectivity and callcenter restoring...

XACT Unveils Portable Battery For Sirius Radios.
August 17, 2004... One of the early complaints about satellite radio in general was that people were paying for the service but they could only get it in their cars, making the investment a questionable one. Since Sirius and its rival XM Satellite Radio [XMSR]...

XM Receiver Allows Listeners To Play It Again.
August 18, 2004... How many times have you caught the tail end of a bit on morning radio or the final seconds of a song you've been waiting to hear and then wished you could hit a rewind button to go back over what you missed? With the new SKYFi2 receiver,...

J.D. Power: Customer Satisfaction Higher Among Sat-TV Users.
August 18, 2004... According to the 2004 J.D. Power And Associates Residential Cable/Satellite TV Customer Satisfaction Study, released today, satellite television subscription services received a higher overall customer satisfaction (723 on a 1,000-point scale)...

AMC-15 Delivered To Launch Site.
August 18, 2004... SES Americom today said its AMC-15 satellite has been delivered to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in preparation for its scheduled Sept. 24 launch aboard a Proton launch vehicle. The satellite, a Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems...

Marlink Unveils New Worldwide Maritime Service.
August 18, 2004... Marlink, a subsidiary of Rockville, Md.-based Telenor Satellite Services, rolled out a new maritime communications service to provide global voice and advanced data communications to leisure boats, fishing vessels, coastal and security patrol...

EUMETSAT Teams With ZAMG.
August 18, 2004... EUMETSAT, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites, inked a key deal in Austria to improve training materials for satellite meteorology. The project, named EUMeTrain, will create additional advanced training...

FCC Orders Certain Satellite Operators To Report Outages.
August 19, 2004... The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today released an order modifying the reporting requirements for satellite outages. The rules apply only to voice and paging communications offered by satellite operators and satellite communications...

Loral Files Reorg Plan.
August 19, 2004... Loral Space & Communications Ltd. [LRLSQ] and certain of its subsidiaries today filed a proposed reorganization plan with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, and the company now plans to emerge from Chapter 11...

PanAmSat Sale Closes Tomorrow.
August 19, 2004... Affiliates of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P., The Carlyle Group and Providence Equity Partners Inc. are scheduled to acquire The DirecTV Group's equity stake in PanAmSat tomorrow. In anticipation of that, PanAmSat Corp. closed its merger...

AsiaSat Beats Economic Odds.
August 19, 2004... Despite softness in the Asia marketplace right now, AsiaSat saw its revenues increase in the first half of 2004, reaching $70.6 million, a 21-percent increase compared with last year. This spike includes a one-off, lumpsum receipt of $15.77...

Raytheon Inks $1.6 Billion Cruise-Missile Contract.
August 19, 2004... Raytheon [RTN] won a $1.6 billion, multiyear contract for a full-rate production (FRP) run of Tactical Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles for the U.S. Navy and for Britain's Royal Navy. The Tactical Tomahawk is equipped with a twoway satellite...

News Skies Reports Narrowing Operating Profits.
August 19, 2004... Downward pressure on transponder pricing caused operating profits to slip at New Skies Satellites N.V. [NSK] during second-quarter 2004, compared with the same quarter last year. Two non-recurring events, including a one-time $32 million cash...

StarBand Launched SOHO Service.
August 20, 2004... StarBand has launched its new StarBand 484 Small Office two-way satellite Internet service. The service provides the fastest SOHO (small office/home office) upload speed, up to 256 kbps, for a monthly fee ranging from $139.99 to $159.99, based...

MTG Strengthens Russian Position.
August 20, 2004... Modern Times Group (MTG) has strengthened its position in Russia by increasing its stakes in DTV, a Russian Free-To-Air (FTA) channel and StoryFirst Communications, a U.S. entity that owns and operates CTC, Russia's largest privately owned...

Intelsat Pre-Books 35,000 Channel Hours For Olympics.
August 20, 2004... Intelsat today said it pre-booked more than 35,000 hours of programming from the Summer Olympic Games in Athens for 50 channels. Intelsat said the programming represents the equivalent of nearly four years of continuous programming carried...

Telenor Acquires GMPCS.
August 20, 2004... Telenor Satellite Services, a subsidiary of Telenor of Norway [TELN], today said it purchased GMPCS Personal Communications Inc., a full service provider of global mobile personal communications via satellite. GMPCS will operate as a subsidiary...

Equity Investors Complete Purchase Of PanAmSat.
August 20, 2004... The DirecTV Group Inc. [DTV] and PanAmSat Corp. announced that the completion of PanAmSat's sale to affiliates of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P., The Carlyle Group, and Providence Equity Partners. DirecTV, which held an 80.4 percent stake...

Orbimage Expects Up To Five More Years Of Service From OrbView-2.
August 20, 2004... Orbimage yesterday said its OrbView-2 satellite, which just passed its seventh year of successful service, is expected to remain in service for at least another three to five years. That forecast will be used to help the company plan its...

AGS Awarded AFRTS Contract.
August 23, 2004... Americom Government Services (AGS), a subsidiary of SES Americom, won a contract from the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service to launch a new Pentagon Channel that will broadcast all kinds of infotainment - including information aimed at...

ESA Ready To Look Into Envisat Results.
August 23, 2004... The European Space Agency (ESA) will host a meeting next month for more than 700 scientists from 50 countries who will analyze the performance of the agency's Envisat satellite mission. Envisat reportedly is the most powerful means ever created...

DirecTV Signs Exclusive Deal With WAPA-America.
August 23, 2004... Direct-to-home satellite television service provider DirecTV Inc. [DTV] inked a deal with LIN TV Corp. [TVL] to be the exclusive satellite distributor WAPA-America, a Puerto Rico-based network for news, movies and original programming. The...

Rainbow DBS Benefits From Parent Financing.
August 23, 2004... Rainbow National Services LLC, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp. [CVC], just closed an offering of $300 million worth of 8.75 percent senior notes due 2012; for $500 million worth of senior subordinated notes due 2014; and for a $950...