Satellite Today articles from September 2004

Satellite Today archives from September 2004

Atlas II Series Rocket Retires After Batting 1.000.
September 1, 2004... With the successful launch of the National Reconnaissance Office's national security satellite yesterday at 7:17 p.m. EST from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the Atlas II series of expendable launch vehicles was retired with a...

Eutelsat/Fiat Consortium Backs Away From Galileo Operations.
September 1, 2004... At press time, Satellite Today learned that a consortium consisting of Eutelsat, LogicaCMG, Hispasat, F SpA and Aena decided not to bid on a contract to operate the European Union's planned Galileo satellite navigation system that will work in...

GlobeCast, SES ASTRA Team For Ethnic Programming.
September 1, 2004... SES Astra and GlobeCast are increasing the opportunities for ethnic channels to make an impact in Spain and France. The two operators have announced an agreement today to enable channel providers to gain access to more 10 million digital Astra...

Sirius Radios Now Factory-Installed Option On Audi Models.
September 1, 2004... Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI], the New York City-based satellite radio service that offers commercial-free music and sports programming to cars and homes across the country, said its hardware now is available as a factoryinstalled option on the...

Comsat Acquires Brazilian Carrier.
September 1, 2004... Comsat International Inc. purchased Vicom Ltda., a provider of satellite services and metropolitan fiber circuits in Brazil, from Net Servicos de Communicacao S/A. Under the terms of the contract, Comsat acquired all the shares of Vicom as well...

Smaller Satellites One Step Closer To Reality?
September 2, 2004... It seems that the U.S Air Force was listening to Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) when he told attendees at the National Defense Industrial Association Space Symposium in July that there needs to be a change in focus from large complex satellites to...

Lockheed Leads Bidding On Multi-Billion-Dollar Navy Contract.
September 2, 2004... A team led by Lockheed Martin [LMT] wants to win a multi-billion contract from the U.S. Navy to provide network-centric capabilities for the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), a next-generation narrowband tactical satellite communications...

Pace Names New Tech Director.
September 2, 2004... Pace Micro Technology made a key management appointment as it prepares to become a major player in the Personal Video Recorder (PVR) and High-Definition (HD) space. David Gillies is the company's new director of technology, and he will help...

CapRock Acquires Telematika.
September 2, 2004... CapRock Communications today said it acquired Indonesia-based Telematika Java Duta in an effort to bolster the communications services it supplies to remote locations. CapRock noted that Telematika has more than 15 years of experience in...

EchoStar Senior Notes Take Early Retirement.
September 2, 2004... EchoStar Communications Corp. [DISH] said its EchoStar DBS Corp. subsidiary elected to retire all its outstanding 10 3/8-percent Senior Notes due 2007 early. The $1 billion principal amount of the notes will be redeemed, effective Oct. 1, at...

WCC Preps Florida For Hurricane Frances.
September 3, 2004... The World Communications Center (WCC) today said it is supplying "hundreds" of its satellite phones that communicate through the Iridium constellation to Florida utilities, county governments, large retail corporations, insurance companies and...

SES Astra Pushes Into Africa.
September 3, 2004... SES Global company SES Astra is continuing its push into Africa with a new agreement with Worldsat, another SES Global company. Worldsat is providing SES Astra with the capacity for its geographical expansion into the entire continent. The...

Telesat Canada Celebrates Broadband Anniversary.
September 3, 2004... Ottawa-based Telesat Canada was formed Sept. 1, 1969, as the first operator of a satellite launched to serve a single country. Today, it is blazing the trail to offer high-speed broadband services with the recent launch of the Anik F2...

MDA Tapped For Follow-On Study.
September 3, 2004... MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) was selected by the Canadian Space Agency to develop concepts for a follow-on to the Radarsat-2 program. The Radarsat program is designed to provide government, military and commercial customers...

Pegasus Faces Nasdaq Delisting.
September 3, 2004... Pegasus Communications Corp. [PGTVE] said that, starting today, the company's ticker symbol will be followed by an "E," indicating the company has failed to comply with one of the Nasdaq's requirements for continued listing. According to...

Sirius Surpasses 600,000 Subscribers.
September 7, 2004... New York City-based Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI], one of two U.S.-based satellite radio services, passed the 600,000-subscriber mark this past Labor Day Weekend, and it remains on target to achieve its goal of reaching a million subscribers by...

SES Astra Forms Troika To Market Turnkey Gear.
September 7, 2004... Betzdorf, Luxemburg-based SES Astra's TechCom unit agreed to partner with Integral Systems Inc. [ISYS] and Enertec, a company of the French LP2C group, to market and provide satellite control stations as well as related systems and services....

BT Broadcast Services Branches Out.
September 7, 2004... London-based BT Broadcast Services, the broadcast and media-solutions arm of BT, announced an agreement to promote use of the SES Astra satellite service operating at 19.2 degrees E to independent broadcasters. BT will provide the ground...

HNS, GTSI Offer Feds Broadband Capabilities.
September 7, 2004... Germantown, Md.-based Hughes Network Systems and GTSI [DTSI], inked a deal to provide satellite broadband services to government users. Using the DirecWay service provided by HNS, GTSI would be able to give its customers broadband services that...

XM Satellite Radio Adds Big Ten Conference Games.
September 7, 2004... Washington, D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] will air Big Ten Conference football along with men's and women's basketball games. The move follows an announcement last week by rival Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] that it would feature the...

EchoStar Seeks FCC Nod For New Satellite.
September 8, 2004... According to paperwork submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), EchoStar Satellite LLC, a subsidiary of EchoStar Communications Corp. [DISH], wants to construct, launch and operate a geostationary satellite at 113 degrees West...

France Telecom Goes Satellite For Rural Broadband.
September 8, 2004... Satlynx S.A., a joint venture of SES Global, Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. and Alcatel Space, signed an agreement to provide its two-way satellite broadband service to the customers of France Telecom after successfully completing numerous tests...

Iridium Takes Advantage Of New Spectrum-Sharing Rules.
September 8, 2004... The FCC, in an order adopted late last week and released yesterday, authorized Iridium Constellation LLC, Iridium Satellite LLC and Iridium Carrier Services (collectively called Iridium) to use an additional 3.1 megahertz of spectrum on a...

Spacehab Reports FY04 Good News, Bad News.
September 8, 2004... Spacehab [SPAB] reported a net income of $2.1 million for fiscal 2004 ended June 30, 2004, despite a drop in revenue when compared with financial released for FY03. Spacehab's revenues for 2004 totaled $77.6 million, compared with $95 million...

RT Logic Tapped By DigitalGlobe For Upgrades.
September 8, 2004... RT Logic, a wholly owned subsidiary of Integral Systems Inc. [ISYS], received a contract from DigitalGlobe Inc. valued at more than $2.5 million to aid in DigitalGlobe's efforts to upgrade its remote ground terminals and it mission-control...

Satellite Execs On The Move.
September 8, 2004... Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] named Michelle McKinnon senior director of investor relations. She will be responsible for communication of all investorrelated matters, including managing relationships with buy- and sell-side analysts. She brings...

DirecTV To Use Spaceway Satellite For HDTV.
September 9, 2004... El Segundo, Calif.-based DirecTV Group's [DTV] has taken the mystery out of its plans for providing high-definition (HD) satellite-TV services by announcing it will use the Spaceway satellites now under construction by its Germantown, Md.-based...

The Exodus Of Genesis.
September 9, 2004... Satellite Today learned that scientists have begun the process of piecing together the wreckage of the Genesis space capsule that crashed into the salt flats of Utah yesterday in an effort to determine why neither of the capsule's parachutes...

Government Sales Drive Globecomm Growth.
September 9, 2004... Globecomm Systems Inc. [GCOM] reported a 61.5-percent increase in its year-end FY04 (ended June 30) revenues to $87.2 million from $54 million earned in the same period a year ago. The company attributed the spike to increased infrastructure...

Raytheon Gets $23.3 Million Contract Extension.
September 9, 2004... Raytheon Co. [RTN] received a $23.3 million addition to its U.S. Navy Multi-Band Terminal (NMT) contract originally awarded in October 2003. With the new extension, Raytheon now will propose an architectural standard for future Navy...

ESOA Appoints New Secretary General.
September 9, 2004... The European Satellite Operators Association appointed Aarti Holla-Maini as its new secretary general, managing and representing the association on a day-to-day basis. She most recently represented the joint-venture company Galileo Industries,...

Arianespace Snags Three Launch Contracts.
September 9, 2004... Arianespace was tapped by The DirecTV Group [DTV] for the launch of the Spaceway 2 satellite in April 2005 aboard an Ariane 5, and for the launch of an unnamed direct-to-home satellite at an as-yet-undisclosed time, also aboard an Ariane 5. ...

Wanted: New SES Americom CEO.
September 10, 2004... Hands-on SES Americom President and CEO Dean Olmstead left the company this week, and a search is underway to find his replacement. His departure is not expected to curb the company's drive to tap the emerging market opportunities. Those...

XM Launches Public-Safety Channel.
September 10, 2004... In the latest blurring of the lines between local terrestrial broadcast radio and subscription-based satellite radio, XM Satellite Radio today launched XM Emergency Alert on XM channel 247. The station is dedicated to providing critical,...

RTP Taps Intelsat For Global Content Distribution.
September 10, 2004... Intelsat signed a three-year deal with Radio e Televisao de Portugal (RTP), that country's state broadcaster, to provide end-to-end international distribution of RTP content to Europe, Africa and Latin America. Content will be transmitted via...

Sirius Inks Monster Deal.
September 10, 2004... Monster Cable Products Inc. will team with Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI] to market and distribute Sirius-branded accessories for the home and mobile entertainment markets. Monster also will work with the nationwide satelliteradio provider to...

Glover Joins EMS As Managing Director.
September 10, 2004... EMS Satellite Networks, a division of EMS Technologies Inc. [ELMG], hired Penny Glover as managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Glover comes to EMS with more than 15 years of satellite industry experience, most recently with...

India To Launch Israeli Photo Op.
September 10, 2004... Satellite Today has learned that, sometime next year, Israel's Tauvex II scientific camera will be launched from India aboard the GSAT-4 satellite. Any photos gleaned from the camera will be shared by academia in both Israel and India. The...

Arabsat Buys Two New Control Centers.
September 10, 2004... EADS Astrium won a contract from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based Arabsat to provide a satellite control center for the Arabsat-4A and Arabsat-4B satellites. Terms of the deal, whose value has not been disclosed, have EADS designing, integrating,...

Boeing May Have To Hand Back Insurance Money.
September 13, 2004... Satellite Today has learned that a group of underwriters has begun legal proceedings against The Boeing Co. [BA], seeking to recoup $250 million that previously had been paid out in connection with a defect in early 702-model satellites. The...

After A Year, Partners' ATG Promise Comes True.
September 13, 2004... ARINC and Telenor will be demonstrating technology this month at the World Airline Entertainment Association trade show in Seattle that allows GSM subscribers to use their mobile phones while in flight. The air-to-ground (ATG) technology would...

Orf Leases More SES Astra Transponder Capacity.
September 13, 2004... SES Astra, a European satellite-operating unit of SES Global [SESG], signed a long-term agreement with Orf to lease additional Astra satellite transponder capacity to Austria's largest public broadcaster. The new transmission capacities...

NewSat Taps Encore For VPN Over Satellite.
September 13, 2004... Encore Networks signed a reseller agreement with Australian satellite broadband operator NewSat under which NewSat will add Encore's complete line of IP-only and IP+Legacy virtual private network (VPN) security appliances to its broadband...

Intelsat Signs Two Oil And Gas Companies.
September 14, 2004... Intelsat announced two separate deals to lease transponder capacity to companies in the oil and gas industry. One agreement involves a long-term contract for capacity on its IA-6 satellite with CapRock Communications, a Houston-based satellite-...

Dominion: Arbitration Ruling A 'Positive Step'.
September 14, 2004... According to Naples, Fla.-based Dominion Video Satellite, a small, U.S.-based, satellite-TV company whose Sky Angel TV service features family-oriented programming, an arbitration panel unanimously found EchoStar Communications [DISH] violated...

John Madden Gets 'Sirius'.
September 14, 2004... Sirius Satellite Radio [SIRI], the exclusive satellite radio broadcaster of NFL games, nabbed "Monday Night Football" analyst and legendary NFL head coach John Madden to provide on-air analysis for "Sirius NFL Radio," a 24/7 year-round radio...

SES Astra Clinches ITV Transponder Leasing Deal.
September 14, 2004... Luxembourg-based SES Astra, a European satellite-operating unit of SES Global [SESG], reached an agreement to lease two transponders to ITV, reportedly the biggest commercial television network in the United Kingdom. ITV, which already has...

Northrop Grumman Taps EMS For EHF Contract Help.
September 14, 2004... Atlanta-based EMS Technologies [ELMG] said its space and technology division was chosen by Northrop Grumman [NOC] to develop an Extremely High Frequency (EHF) Satellite Communication Antenna Systems for the U.S. Air Force's B-2 Stealth Bomber....

Globecomm Wins Two Infrastructure Pacts.
September 14, 2004... Hauppauge, N.Y.-based Globecomm Systems [GCOM], a provider of end-to-end satellite-based communications, today was awarded two satellite infrastructure contracts valued at approximately $3.6 million. The first contract is with a repeat U.S....

XM Tests The Internet Waters, But Why?
September 15, 2004... XM Satellite Radio [XMSR] now is looking at Internet users as the next source of subscribers to its commercial-free satellite radio service. XM Radio Online subscribers will be able to listen to XM's music stations and a variety of other...

Gilat Hooks First Commercial SkyEdge Deal.
September 15, 2004... Gilat Satellite Networks boosted its prospects in Asia by signing a key deal with Australia's second leading telco, Optus. Gilat will supply Optus with a SkyEdge hub and remote sites for the expansion of Optus' existing Gilat networks,...

ntl Aims For One-Stop-Shop Status.
September 15, 2004... SES Astra, a SES Global company and a provider of direct-to-home services, signed a transponder contract with the broadcast division of ntl that gives ntl more capacity in the U.K. for small channel launches. Terms of the deal have ntl offering...

Hughes Launches VPN Solution.
September 15, 2004... Hughes Network Systems Inc. unveiled a satellite-based virtual private network (VPN) acceleration solution. Based on the IPsec standard, the company's DirecWay VPN Accelerator enables enterprises and government agencies to implement uniformly...

iNavSat Targets Galileo Win Via SiRF Partnership.
September 16, 2004... In an attempt to bolster its ranks and to strengthen its bid to secure the $2.6 billion concession to deploy and operate the Galileo satellite navigation system, the iNavSat Consortium welcomed SiRF Technology Holding Inc. [SIRF] to its ranks....

Intelsat Scraps Hong Kong Venture, Takes $30 Million Hit.
September 16, 2004... Intelsat is paying big for ending its 51-percent participation in Galaxy Satellite TV Holdings Limited, a company with a Hong Kong direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television subsidiary, Galaxy Satellite Broadcasting Limited. The subsidiary...

Airsis Licenses Antenna Technology.
September 16, 2004... Integral Technologies Inc. [ITKG] inked a non-exclusive agreement with Airsis LLC that gives Airsis the right to market and manufacture Integral's lowprofile, small, ruggedized, flat-panel antenna designed for use with Orbcommbased telematics...

Satellite Deals Of The Day.
September 16, 2004... * Content security solutions supplier Irdeto Access is teaming with IPricot to offer a high-performance security router to deliver multimedia content over satellite IP-DVB networks. To do so, IPricot embedded Irdeto's content-security...

Hurricanes Won't Deter SUIRG Meeting.
September 17, 2004... It's going to take more than a hurricane to force the cancellation of the Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group's (SUIRG) meeting in St. Petersburg Beach, Fla., a spokeswoman for the group told Satellite Today. The show will take place...

GPS-Enabled Phone Sales Increase.
September 17, 2004... 1-800-Mobiles Inc., a wireless catalog and e-tailer based in New York City, said it experienced a 73-percent growth in GPS-enabled phones in the month of August, compared with sales made in July. This growth should not come as a surprise,...

DirecTV Alleges Piracy In Suit Against Utah Couple.
September 17, 2004... The DirecTV Group [DTV] has prosecuted bars and individuals for stealing its satellite TV signals, and it now it is pursuing legal action against a married couple. The Utah couple is accused of conducting a fraudulent scheme to obtain...

National Guard Taps SkyPort, iDirect For Satellite Solution.
September 17, 2004... SkyPort International and iDirect Technologies said the National Guard selected their joint satellite solution to provide an emergency communications network to Guard teams designated to assist civilian agencies during crisismanagement events...

iSECUREtrac Completes Financing Round.
September 17, 2004... GPS tracking solutions provider iSECUREtrac Corp. [ISRE] wrapped a pair of financing initiatives: a $750,000 round of private placement at 23 cents per share and an inventory-lease financing for $500,000 to support the manufacturing and...

New Stratos Releases Next-Gen Maritime Messaging Product.
September 17, 2004... Stratos Global Corp. [SGB] launched its next-generation Stratos messaging solution that provides a platform for satellite-based maritime messaging and communications. Users now have access to a unified software solution that provides a single...

Trio Forms Global WAN Network.
September 20, 2004... Multinational corporations in need of global communications networking are the target customers of a partnership formed by Intelsat, iDirect Technologies and Equant [ENT] to provide satellite-based, wide area network (WAN) services. ...

Hispasat Allays Amazonas Worries.
September 20, 2004... Spanish satellite operator Hispasat along with Hispamar Satellites confirmed that results of in-orbit tests carried out so far on the payload of satellite Amazonas have been positive. The Amazonas satellite was launched from the Baikonur...

EchoStar Won't Renew Quest Deal.
September 20, 2004... EchoStar Communications Corp. [DISH] won't pursue an expansion of its marketing relationship with Qwest Corp. In a statement released by the company, EchoStar said it will seek to expand relationships with current and future telecommunications...

Satellite Deals Of The Day.
September 20, 2004... * Comtech Systems Inc., a subsidiary of Comtech Communications Corp. [CMTL], received a $77 million contract from an unnamed major U.S. prime contractor, with the equipment supplied from the contract going to a foreign government. Comtech...

MultiChoice Africa Set For HD Launch.
September 22, 2004... MultiChoice Africa, a pan-African DTH platform, is potentially two years away from launching a high-definition (HD) channel in South Africa. MultiChoice CEO Nolo Letele told Satellite Today, "We recognize that, in South Africa, there are very...

Sea Launch Signs Fourth PanAmSat Gig.
September 22, 2004... Long Beach, Calif.-based Sea Launch has been selected to launch PanAmSat's Galaxy 16 communication satellite from a sea-based launch site on the Equator. The agreement calls for Sea Launch to lift the 4700-kg spacecraft to geosynchronous...

DARPA Taps SpaceX For Responsive-Launch Demo.
September 22, 2004... The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Air Force gave a $8 million contract to Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) that calls for SpaceX to demonstrate a highly responsive, affordable launch capability that...

SatMAX NLOS Antenna Added To GSA Schedule.
September 22, 2004... Eagle Broadband Inc. [EAG] said Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) received approval from the General Services Administration to add Eagle's SatMAX non-line-of-sight (NLOS) satellite communications repeater system to SAIC's GSA...

SKY Television, Cricket Ink NZ Rights Deal.
September 23, 2004... SKY Television of New Zealand signed a five-year deal with New Zealand Cricket that gives it exclusive rights to all international and domestic cricket games until 2009. John Fellet, SKY Television CEO, commented, "I am pleased to continue...

Russia, South Korea In Joint Satellite Project?
September 23, 2004... Satellite Today has learned that Russia is expected to, within a month, send a proposal to South Korea that calls for a technology transfer to South Korea that would allow that country to build its own rockets to launch satellites into orbit....

Enhanced Tachyon Product Offers Higher Speed, Satellite Access.
September 23, 2004... Vienna, Va.-based Tachyon Networks, a satellite broadband communications service provider for business and government users, is upgrading its network to deliver 512 kilobits per second (Kbps) remote transmission speeds to its European, Middle...

ViaSat Wins Innovators Award.
September 23, 2004... The San Diego Telecom Council named ViaSat one of the winners in its first annual "Innovators In Telecommunications" awards. ViaSat won for its launch of the first DOCSIS-based, satellite-IP-delivery system. DOCSIS is a set of standards born...

Satellite Deals Of The Day.
September 23, 2004... * Integral Systems Inc. [ISYS] inked a contract with SingTel Optus to expand the Optus C1 satellite control system to include support for the Optus D1 and D2 satellites. Under the contract, Integral will provide the primary and backup control-...

Galileo Model Is Tested.
September 24, 2004... Satellite Today has learned that the European Space Agency's European Space Research and Technology Center is testing the design-worthiness of an experimental Galileo satellite built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. The satellite is the...

MTG Claims Key Victory Over Canal Digital.
September 24, 2004... Modern Times Group, (MTG), the owner of the Viasat direct-to-home (DTH) platform, is claiming a key victory over its Nordic DTH rival Canal Digital. It just announced that its application to the Swedish Market Court for an injunction to...

University Students Prepare Picosat Launch.
September 24, 2004... CapRock Communications is the primary corporate sponsor of a project headed by a team of students at the University of Louisiana that is preparing to send a picosatellite (a small satellite the size of a soccer ball) into orbit. The satellite...

Boeing Wants More Military Business.
September 24, 2004... The Boeing Co. [BA] has made some aggressive moves in targeting work from the U.S. Department of Defense, demonstrating a new mobile theater-of-operations directional communications technology that can give soldiers secure intelligence data...

Satellite Deal Of The Day.
September 24, 2004... * ATK [ATK] completed its acquisition of the PSI Group following a review of the transaction by the Federal Trade Commission. PSI is a components designer and manufacturer for military and commercial space-based applications. ATK will use the...

It's Official: Lockheed Martin Team Wins MUOS Contract.
September 27, 2004... Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company of Sunnyvale, Calif., won a $2.1 billion cost-plus-incentive-fee contract from the U.S. Navy for the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), a next-generation narrowband military satellite communications...

Insurers Use Satellite Imagery To Set Coverage.
September 27, 2004... Satellite Today has learned that an insurance company in California is using satellite imagery to determine whether to renew coverage to certain clients in high-fire-risk areas who may need to file claims following any wildfire activity. In one...

Eutelsat Reshapes Corporate Governance Structure.
September 27, 2004... Eutelsat shareholders approved a plan to restructure its corporate governance by replacing a 15-member supervisory board/four-member management board with a single 10-member board of directors. Giuliano Berretta was elected chairman and...