Really Rocket Science - Business Network

Broadband Stimulus in Space

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:17:13 -0700

Terrestar-1 was launched a couple of weeks ago. In-orbit testing is going well, and the antenna is up. Wish we could say the same about the Solaris Mobile bird.

As we've blogged before, the company behind it has an interesting propostion: a diverse path for communicating via smartphone. No signal? No problem: connect via satellite.

More interesting is they'll be one of many satcom-based communications companies going after some of the US$7.2 billion set aside for broadband, as reported by the Wall Street Journal:

The launch is significant because it could make the case to policymakers, who may have government grants or business to offer, that satellite Internet service is a viable alternative to cable or cellular hookups.

The sheer size of TerreStar's satellite, which has a 60-foot antenna, will ensure that military personnel, emergency responders, and rural customers are always connected, said TerreStar President Jeff Epstein.

TerreStar has developed a smart phone that operates both on its satellite network and a traditional cellular network. The company has secured a roaming agreement with AT&T Inc. (T), and it could pursue similar agreements with other wireless carriers.

"Off the network grid, you can make calls via the satellite," Epstein said. "It's a redundant path."

TerreStar will be among the first satellite carriers to offer Internet speeds that are comparable to high-speed WiFi or cellular broadband. That could make the company eligible for some of the $7.2 billion in economic stimulus money for high-speed Internet connections in unserved and rural areas.

Right now, government officials and industry analysts say satellite Internet service is too spotty and slow to be a good candidate for the government money.

The advantage of satellite service, however, is that it can cover much wider swaths of the country than other types of connections.

With a robust network, satellite could become the ideal method to deliver high-speed Internet to sparsely populated areas, a top priority of President Barack Obama.

But TerreStar's Internet service rollout might be too late for an economic stimulus subsidy. By law, the government Internet grant money must be distributed by the end of September 2010, which means grant makers will start allocating the last round of funds sometime next spring.

Before TerreStar can start selling voice and data service, it has to test its network in orbit. Epstein said he wants to complete that testing by the end of the year.

SkyTerra Communications Inc. (SKYT) has similar plans to offer mobile Internet services. It announced earlier this month that it will launch one of two next-generation satellites in the first half of 2010.

Both SkyTerra and TerreStar have agreements with Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) and Infineon Technologies AG (IFNNY) to develop more models of regular-size satellite-cellular devices.

More power to them!

Here's the launch video, courtesy of Space Systems/Loral...

WBMSAT News Bits for July 10, 2009

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:30:46 -0700

Telesat and APT satellite, Hong Kong, complete transaction transferring leasehold interests in Telstar 10 to APT, along with certain customer contracts.[Trading Markets - 07/09/2009]

Iridium and Stratos supply satellite communications for "Around the Americas" environmental sailng expedition launched from Seattle.
[TMCnet - 07/09/2009]

STS-127 countdown continues for launch on Saturday, July 11 on mission to complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory.
[SatNews - 07/09/2009]

UltiSat completes and commissions a C-band teleport for AFCOMSAT, a leading Nigerian satellite services provider.
[SatNews - 07/09/2009]

ARINC and partner Impeva Labs receive U.S. Army contract for additional test deployments of mesh network satellite-based global asset visibility system.
[SatNews - 07/09/2009]

ViaSat signs contracts with pan-African satellite operator Rascom Star-Qaf for high-capacity infrastructure satellite communications between regional and national capitals in Africa.
[SatNews - 07/09/2009]

Internet and Satellite use by politicians in Thailand to widen debate, challenging traditional broadcast media; government may move to undercut these challenges.
[Voice of America - 07/08/2009]

Hughes subsidiary Helius wins award for distance learning technologies that support federal government and military.
[TMCnet - 07/08/2009]

Iridium and SeaMobile Europe partner to support UCAR Cap Odyssee challenge, involving three French women attempting to cross the North Atlantic on paddleboards.
[TMCnet - 07/08/2009]

Orbital Sciences selected by NASA to design, build, integrate, and test a new low-Earth orbit space science satellite to study X-ray polarization in space.
[SatNews - 07/08/2009]

Vizada launches ThurayIP broadband mobile satellite service.
[Satellite Today - 07/08/2009]

Galileo satellite constellation control center turned over to Telespazio in a loan for use agreement.
[SatNews - 07/08/2009]

Comtech makes Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) available for the CDM-625 advanced satellite modem when using the recently announced next generation VersaFEC forward error correction, delivering lower latency than ACM with DVB-S2.
[SatNews - 07/08/2009]

Intelsat wins exclusive satellite rights to Michael Jackson memorial service.
[Satellite Today - 07/08/2009]

Terrestar to launch hybrid satellite-cellular system using Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC) integration with the newly launched TerreStar-1 hybrid satellite.
[Network World - 07/07/2009]

SkyVision purchases iDirect Services 15000 Universal Satellite Hub to launch an Evolution network covering 100 percent of Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia with a single C-band satellite beam.
[SatNews - 07/07/2009]

Sirius XM iPhone application reaches 1 million downloads in two weeks.
[Satellite Today - 07/07/2009]

Arabsat and Sudanese Radio & TV sign agreement to launch DTH platform in Khartoum.
[SatNews - 07/07/2009]

The head of Iran's judiciary calls for prosecution of people working for "anti-establishment" satellite TV channels and websites.
[SatNews - 07/06/2009]

Brazil, hoping to enter circle of nations launching rockets, plans to expand Alcantara aerospace base in the north by building 12 more rocket launching pads; will stress advantage of closeness to equator and broadest launching angle in the world.
[Satnews - 07/06/2009]

Telespazio subsidiary Aurensis signs partnership agreement with Google to become partner for enterprise versions of Google Earth and Google Maps.
[Satellite Today - 07/06/2009]

Poland becomes Member State of EUMETSAT.
[SatNews - 07/06/2009]

Inidian Space Research Organisation works on geostationary satellite for Indian Meteorological Department to monitor climate change.
[SatNews - 07/06/2009]

Latitude Technologies to provide the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Air Wing Division fleet of aircraft with a suite of SATCOM hardware and related services.
[SatNews - 07/07/2009]

Cisco will send internet router into space on a geostationary satellite as part of a U.S. Defense Department-led initiative called Internet Routers in Space (IRIS).
[PCWorld - 07/06/2009]

ATCi announces availability of its Warrior satellite monitoring and surveillance system specifically adapted for law enforcement agencies.
[PRNewswire - 07/06/2009]

Univision successful in getting cable and satellite TV operators to pay to carry its programming, critical to its survival in the present economy given its huge outstanding debt.
[LA Times - 07/06/2009]

WBMSAT PS - Satellite Communications Consulting Services

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500 Spot Beams

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:39:24 -0700

Awesome: Arianespace is in final preparations for launching the world's largest communications satellite ever. The spacecraft was mated with the launcher yesterday. The launch is scheduled for 1 July 2009. Their stock price could use a little "launch," too.

The ensuing satcom smartphone, running Windows Mobile, will be offered by AT&T, according to Computerworld:

The carrier will resell satellite service and phones from TerreStar Networks, a startup that is set to have its first satellite launched on July 1. TerreStar is developing hybrid satellite/cellular handsets designed to be about the same size as a conventional smartphone.

TerreStar's satellite will sit 22,000 miles above North America and provide service across the U.S. and Canada, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Using licensed 2GHz radio spectrum, it will provide voice service as well as data at approximately 64K bits per second, said TerreStar Chief Technology Officer Dennis Matheson.

AT&T will resell that service in a hybrid offering, aimed initially at local, state and federal governments, Matheson said. The carrier will also resell the handsets, though not initially in its retail stores. The handsets will switch between satellite and 3G (third-generation) coverage as users roam in and out of cellular coverage areas. TerreStar is still working on a resale deal with a Canadian carrier.

Satellite phones have the advantage of working essentially anywhere across a region of the world, but the market has been limited by large handsets and high prices for devices and service. TerreStar is taking advantage of SDR (software-defined radio) chips coming from Infineon and Qualcomm to integrate satellite capability into the same processors that handle cellular connectivity. This will help the company match the size of other smartphones and eventually bring the cost of its handsets down to that of a BlackBerry, Matheson said. Qualcomm's work should lead to a satellite and CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) phone, which might allow for a future hybrid service from Verizon or Sprint Nextel.

The spacecraft itself is very cool -- with 500 spot beams and a beam forming technology developed by HNS:

Dennis Matheson, TerreStar Networks CTO said, “The design, manufacture and delivery of TerreStar-1 has been a team effort. We have relied on our colleagues at Space Systems/Loral for their experience and support in delivering the integrated satellite and ground system that makes our new services possible. We now look forward to a flawless launch by our partner Arianespace.”
“It has been a pleasure working with TerreStar Networks on this challenging project,” said John Celli, president and chief operating officer at Space Systems/Loral. “With its 18-meter unfurlable reflector and extraordinarily powerful S-Band feed array, TerreStar-1 was designed to provide next generation capability for mobile devices.”
Ideally suited to provide critical services to government, emergency responders, rural communities and commercial users, the satellite uses 2 GHz spectrum to provide voice, data and video communications to satellite/terrestrial mobile devices the size of a typical smart phone. Space Systems/Loral, working with Hughes Network Systems, has developed a two-way ground based beam forming technology that enables the satellite to reallocate resources based on demand, thereby maximizing capacity.
TerreStar-1 is based on SS/L’s 1300 space-proven platform, which provides the flexibility to support a broad range of applications and technology advances. The satellite will be capable of generating over five hundred spot beams covering the Continental U.S., Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Arianespace will probably webcast the launch (expect a media advisory in a few days). Terrestar's annoying us with registration on their "Countdown to Communicate" site. Yeah, I registered and I'm still waiting for my e-mail confirmation. If it doesn't arrive in seconds, you lost me.

Overall, they seem to be doing things rights. With Dean Olmstead on their Board, would you expect anything less?

Technorati Tags: space+systems+loral loral terrrestar skyterra arianespace hughes

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits for June 19, 2009

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:47:11 -0700

Space Systems/Loral awarded Intelsat contract for Intelsat-19 and Intelsat-20, to be among the most powerful FSS satellites ever built.
[SatNews - 06/18/2009]

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite probes paired together atop Atlas V rocket; successfully launched Thursday, June 18.
[SatNews - 06/18/2009]

SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES completes multi-year agreement with Teleport Access Services to provide three transponders on NSS-11 to distribute at many as 50 Chinese television channels to cable households in Taiwan.
[SatNews - 06/18/2009]

Satellite-based upgrade of air-traffic management under development by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for four years is to ascertain aircraft positions more accurately and provide severe weather information to cockpits.
[Bloomberg - 06/18/2009]

Thuraya appoints Teknikkom Electronic as National Service Provider in Malaysia.
[SatNews - 06/18/2009]

Boeing transfers control of the second Wideband Global Satcom satellite to the Air Force.
[Defense Systems - 06/18/2009]

MTN, a SeaMobile company, and ERZIA, announce project to build teleport in Santander, North Spain to provide services in X-, C-, and Ku-bands.
[SatNews - 06/18/2009]

Spacecom announces that National Geographic will launch its newest channel, National Geographic Wild, in Romania over the AMOS-3 satellite.
[SatNews - 06/18/2009]

Thales Alenia Space and HISPASAT sign contract with Thales Alenia Space Espana for development and supply of REDSAT advanced communication payload for AG1, a GEO mission.
[SatNews - 06/18/2009]

Iridium and Cambridge Consultants win 2009 GTB Innovation Award for excellence in Wireless Network Infrastructure Innovation.
[SatNews - 06/18/2009]

Fulcrum Maritime Systems offers Long-Range Identification and Tracking services using Iridium satellite network.
[SatNews - 06/18/2009]

European Space Agency signs agreement with Thales Alenia Space to develop atmospheric reentry demonstrator Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle.
[SatNews - 06/18/2009]

NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to use Israeli technology to link various components of the satellite and pass data between them.
[Jerusalem Post - 06/17/2009]

NASA postpones launch of STS-127 due to Hydrogen leak; next available date for launch is July 11.
[SatNews - 06/17/2009]

Arianespace selected by ST-2 Satellite Ventures of Singapore to launch new telecommunications satellite ST-2, and by Asia Broadcast Satellite to launch ABS-2.
[SatNews - 08/17/2009]

Inmarsat launches BGAN X-Stream service in Asia-Pacific region.
[Satellite Today - 06/17/2009]

Open Range selects Israeli WiMax equipment supplier Alvarion as it builds out WiMax delivery to remote areas using Globalstar's hybrid satellite broadband network .
[Telephony online - 06/17/2009]

G6 provides continental United States wide voice and data satellite communications to Global Medic medical companies for all U.S. military services except Coast Guard.
[DVIDS - 06/17/2009]

NAB asks Congress to preserve localism in satellite rewrite, to ensure advertisers continue to be able to target certain audiences.
[SmartBrief - 06/17/2009]

Digital Britain report outlines plans for UK's digital transition, with three-year National Plan to improve Digital Participation, promising universal Access to broadband services by 2012.
[Department for Culture, Media, and Sport - 06/16/25009]

Eutelsat welcomes Digital Britain report, stating that the Universal Service Commitment to deliver 2Mbps broadband service to all U.K. residents by 2021 can be delivered today using existing satellite technology.
[SatNews - 06/16/2009]

Hughes Network Systems plans launch of next-generation 100 Gbps throughput Ka band satellite using IPoS standard in 2012 to expand broadband network service across North America.
[Market Watch - 06/16/2009]

DARPA awards contract for phase 2 of Fast Access Spacecraft Testbed satellite power generation and propulsion program to Boeing.
[Satellite Today - 06/16/2009]

Research report on China's VSAT market states that China's VSAT market achieved stable development in 2008, with satellite companies facing new opportunities and obtaining rapid growth.
[BusinessWire - 06/16/2009]

Satellite operators pledge not to exploit analog loophole to import distant network affiliate signals into local markets.
[Broadcasting & Cable - 06/16/2009]

NAB looks at satellite companies' proposal to share costs of getting local-into-local into all 212 markets.
[Broadcasting & Cable - 06/16/2009]

Expand Networks WAN optimization technology selected by IPSTAR to enhance its satellite based managed service offering.
[Market Watch - 06/16/2009]

Avanti plans large Ka band satellites to fill broadband gaps in the UK at speeds up to 2 Mbps on the Hylas satellite and the capability of greater speeds on the follow-on Hercules satellites.
[BBC News - 06/15/2009]

Gilat announces new multi-star VSAT networking solution, NetEdge.
[Globe Newswire - 06/15/2009]

Number of free-to-air satellite TV channels in the Middle East grows 30% in 18 months.
[Satelllite Today - 06/15/2009]

Eurovision incorporates new Ku-band capacity on Eutelsat W2A into global network, and C-band capacity for Africa coverage.
[PR Newswire - 06/15/2009]

$257 billion spent on space last year, with two-thirds coming from the private sector.
[ieee spectrum - June 2009]

Planetary geologists speculate that the moon's polar craters may hold billions of tons of hydrogen, fueling the concept of mining the moon.
[ieee spectrum - June 2009]

WBMSAT PS - Satellite Communications Consulting Services

Technorati Tags:

Satcom News

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:34:07 -0700

Last week's news summary, courtesy of Bill McDonald:

TeamCast and BBC will partner to develop new DVB-T2 modulator for professional applications.
[Satellite Today - 06/12/2009]

Euroconsult, a French satellite consulting firm, forecasts that nearly 1,200 satellites will be built and launched between 2009 and 1028, and increase of about 50% over previous decade.
[Satellite Today - 06/11/2009]

Intelsat plans launch of 11 satellites by end of 2012, 5 of which will refresh Asia-Pacific fleet.
[CNBC - 06/11/2009]

Thaicom opens gateway in Jakarta, Indonesia, the 15th gateway in the Asia-Pacific region.
[Satellite Today - 06/11/2009]

GOES-O launch date moved back to June 26th so design changes can be incorporated in linear shape charge system of Range Safety command destruct system of Delta IV rocket..
[SatNews - 06/11/2009]

Marlink acquires capacity on Tlesat's Telstar 11N to extend its WaveCall maritime coverage into the North Atlantic Ocean.
[Satellite Today - 06/11/2009]

Successful 19 month Japanese moon mission concludes with a controlled crash landing on the surface.
{R&D Magazine - 06/11/2009]

MEASAT Satellite Systems and Classica Asia sign 5 year agreement for UNITEL CLASSICA HD channel to be distributed via MEASAT-3 satellite.
[SatNews - 06/11/2009]

C2SAT enters into licensing agreement for Shanghai based Xinguo IT to produce C2SAT stabilized antenna systems in China.
[SatNews - 06/11/2009]

Lockheed Martin team successfully mates infrared sensor payload to spacecraft bus for Air Force's GEO-2 satellite.
[SatNews - 06/11/2009]

Digi International enters satellite market with acquisition of all assets of all assets of MobiApps Holdings Private Limited, a developer of machine-to-machine communications technology focused on satellite, cellular, and hybrid solutions.
[Satellite Today - 063/11/2009]

Citrix partners with TeleCommunications Systems to support the satellite communication capabilities of the U.S. Army.
[UPI - 06/10/2009]

Iridium is awarded a phase II contract for continued development of the Distributed Tactical Communications System for the U.S. Navy.
[UPI - 06/10/2009]

ILS gets second contract of 2009 from Intelsat for two new firm satellite launches and one optional launch.
[SatNews - 06/10/2009]

Integral Systems signs deal with Orbital Sciences Corp tfor primary and backup satellite command and control systems for Koreasat-6.
[Satellite Today - 06/10/2009]

Satellite manufacturing facility planned for Dubai based on engineering skills learned during Dubai-Sat 1 construction in South Korea.
[Khaleej Times - 06/10/2009]

Spacenet announces Innovation & Technology award to Missouri Department of Transportation for innovative emergency communications satellite solution.
[TMCnet - 06/10/2009]

Cable and satellite TV providers use the digital TV transition today, Friday June 12, to push to add subscribers.
[nvdaily - 06/10/2009]

Univision and Televisa argue before federal judge over rights to stream Televisa's shows on line and on cell phones in U.S.
[AP - 06/10/2009]

DirecTV VP for government affairs accuses Comcast and other cable companies of pushing Massachusetts legislation for 5% sales tax on satellite DTV service as Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association launches media offensive against the legislation.
[Boston Herald - 06/10/2009]

Caprock Government Solutions receives Satellite Industry Leadership Award from 2009 International Satellite and Communications exchange conference in San Diego.
[SatNews - 06/09/2009]

TerreStar announces rescheduling of launch of TerreStar-1 for July7-12, 2009 to ensure on-orbit anomaly on another operator's satellite has no bearing on flight-worthiness of TerreStar-1.
[SatNews - 06/09/2009]

KVH adds dedicated Crew Calling Gateway to mini-VSAT system for Nor-Shipping in Norway.
[SatNews - 09/09/2009]

Air Force formally terminates contracts with companies including Lockheed Martin Corp. for TSAT communications satellite system.
[Forbes - 06/08/2009]

General Dynamics wins $119m U.S. Army WIN-T order for 293 satellite terminals and support services.
[Satellite Today - 06/08/2009]

KCPC Satellite Communications announces offer to purchase shares of Gilat Satellite Communications.
[Business Wire - 06/08/2009]

WildBlue provides hands-on demonstration of "next generation" satellite broadband for consumers on Capitol Hill.
[Business Wire - 06/08/2009]

Eutelsat announces data rate increase of Tooway consumer broadband service from 2 Mbps to 3.6 Mbps at no additional cost.
[PR Newswire - 06/08/2009]

Inflatable tower, built from materials available today, could climb to the edge of space and be used for research, tourism, telecommunications, or launching spacecraft.
[New Scientist - 06/08/2009]

Senator Feinstein expresses "extraordinarily serious concern" over new electro-optical satellites for the DOD recently approved by President Obama.
[got geoint? - 09/10/2009]

WBMSAT PS - Satellite Communications Consulting Services

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WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits for June 5, 2009

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:24:12 -0700

Air France crash may put pressure on airlines to improve satellite surveillance systems to allow air traffic controllers to track a plane's progress across open ocean.
[Associated Press - 06/05/2009]

General Dynamics wins $119m modification to existing U.S. Army contract, to provide additional terminals, trucks, and other parts for Warfighter Information Network-Tactical program.
[Charlotte Business Journal - 06/05/2009]

Iridium wins $22m contract to provide Navy with communications services and develop new tactical communications system for the Marines.
[Washington Business Journal - 06/05/2009]

Blue Sky Network and Iridium Satellite announce they will supply the Open Passage expedition with voice communications and GPS mapping during upcoming four month Arctic Journey.
[SatNews - 06/05/2009]

KVH assumes operational responsibility for the mini-VSAT Broadband service supporting North American and the Caribbean regions, previously managed under revenue sharing agreement with SES AMERICOM.
[PR Newswire - 06/04/2009]

Orange and France Televisions will offer the French Open men's final live and in 3D on cinema screens in France and Spain, delivered by satellite by Globecast.
[SatNews - 06/04/2009]

Launch preparations in Kourou for SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES' NSS-9 satellite to be featured on National Geographic's World's Toughest Fixes program.
[SatNews - 06/04/2009]

DirectTV CEO Chase Carey quits to return to News Corporation.
[TCMnet - 06/04/2009]

SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES announces three-year agreement with BT in Latin America for nearly three full transponders on NSS-10 to support extension of BT's IP network deep into remotest regions of Brazil.
[SatNews - 06/04/2009]

Mars Orbiter communications resumed in safe mode after unexpected re-boot Wednesday evening, June 3.
[SatNews - 06/04/2009]

Reason satellites could not help find lost Air France plane - on board GPS systems are primarily used for crew navigation and do not constantly enable tracking by a ground crew.
[CNN - 06/03/2009]

Satellite TV channel based in Egypt to promote moderate Islam and challenge extremist ideas when it launches in August.
[SatNews - 06/03/2009]

Ariane 5 integration of TerreStar-1 payload ready to proceed in preparation for launch of world's largest commercial telecommunications satellite.
[SatNews - 06/03/2009]

Dish Network ordered to pay TiVo $103m by U.S. District Court Judge David Folsom of the Eastern District of Texas for contempt of 2004 patent infringement judgement by using software workaround which allegedly still infringed on TiVo patent.
[CED Magazine - 06/03/2009]
Dish Network wins temporary stay of contempt order in a federal appeals court in Washington.
[Business Journal- Denver - 06/03/2009]

NASA completes review of Endeavour's readiness for June 13 launch for STS-127 mission to the International Space Station.
[SatNews - 06/03/2009]

Newtec ships 50,000th Sat3Play terminal for low cost, easy-to-install high-speed satellite internet access for consumers and small businesses in Europe.
[SatNews - 06/03/2009]

Iridium subscribers up 31.2%, total revenue up 2.0%, net income down 41.9% primarily on Iridium NEXT costs.
[PR Newswire - 06/02/2009]

SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES announces 3-year agreement with Telefonica del Peru for nearly a full transponder on NSS-10 to deliver corporate voice and data solutions as well as broadband and mobile phone services to remote areas of Peru.
[SatNews - 06/02/2009]

MEASAT 3a returns to Baikonur in preparation for late June launch aboard a Land Launch rocket, following six-month process to repair damage caused by a crane at the launch site.
[SatNews - 06/02/2009]

SkyVision and Eutelsat sign multi-year agreement for capacity on newly-launched W2A satellite.
[PR Newswire - 06/02/2009]

KVH signs multi-year agreement with SKY Perfect JSAT to lease satellite capacity on JCSAT-1B and the new Intelsat-15 satellites as it continues to move toward offering global coverage for its mini-VSAT broadband service.
[SatNews - 06/02/2009]

VoCeM, world's most efficient satellite communications compression software for VOIP or GSM, is launched by satellite communications company TriaGnoSys - it allows Inmarsat or Ku-band payload usage to be increased by factor between 5 and 10.
[SatNews - 06/02/2009]

DirecTV signs two-year extension on contract with Convergys to provide customer-service support for DirecTV customers.
[Broadcast Newsroom - 06/02/2009]

Lockheed Martin wins $1.5 billion contract to build the third Space Based Infrared systems Geosynchronous Earth Orbit satellite.
[Satellite Today - 06/02/2009]

Globecomm Systems acquires Telaurus Communications, provider of maritime communications, for $6.5m.
[newsday - 06/01/2009]

Stratos Global Corporation announces its selection by MISC Berhad to provide crew communications to its entire fleet of more than 100 vessels.
[PR Newswire 06/01/2009]

SpaceX and Astronautic Technology of Malaysia announce new launch window of July 13 - July 14 for Falcon 1 Flight 5, carrying the RazakSAT satellite to orbit.
[SatNews - 06/01/2009]

SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES wins multi-year distribution agreement form In Demand for delivery of NBA League Pass and Major League Soccer's Direct Kick programming packages.
[Satellite Today - 06/01/2009]

Do we need to go to the moon to get to Mars? It might be argued that money spent on a return to the moon might be better spent on a Mars mission.
[IEEE Spectrum - June 2009]

Former astronaut Franklin R. Chang Diaz is working on a rocket engine which in its most ambitious form would be nuclear, and capable of taking people to Mars.
[IEEE Spectrum - June 2009]

Some believe China, which conducted its first three-person space mission last September, could be the first to reach Mars, if it accelerates its rate of progress.
[IEEE Spectrum - June 2009]

Elon Musk, who started Tesla Motors and PayPal, and most recently Space Exploration Technologies Corp., discusses the costs and risks of space exploration and getting to Mars.
[IEEE Spectrum - June 2009]

WBMSAT PS - Satellite Communications Consulting Services

Technorati Tags: via+satellite satellite+today satnews

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits for May 29, 2009

Fri, 29 May 2009 14:23:55 -0700

Sirius FM-5 satellite arrives at Baikonur Cosmodrome on May 26th for testing and integration in preparation for 5th Proton launch of 2009.
[Satnews - 05/29/2009]

Avanti Communications Group selected as member of North Sea Freight and Intelligent Transport Solutions consortium to deploy satellite communications services for safety and security for shipping in North Sea region.
[Satnews - 05/29/2009]

Harris wins $736m 10 year contract to provide satellite ground segment for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's geostationary operational environmental satellite.
[Orlando Business Journal - 05/28/2009]

SES Astra joint venture with Abu Dhabi's Yahsat, Yahlive, to launch first satellite and offer DTH satellite television in fourth quarter 2009.
[Reuters - 05/28/2009]

Starling Advanced Communications to introduce StarRail, a broadband solution for trains including an aerodynamically designed satellite antenna, at a trade show next month.
[TMCnet - 05/28/2009]

Thaicom subsidiary IPStar partners with Comtech EF Data to provide integrated satellite backhaul solutions for mobile and WiMax networks.
[Satellite Today - 05/28/2009]

Manned Lunar landing considered by Chinese scientists, in 2025-2030 time frame.
[Satnews - 05/28/2009]

MEASAT signs an agreement to provide MBNS of ASTRO ALL ASIA NETWORKS with 6 Ku-band transponders on MEASAT 3 for 15 years.
[Satnews - 05/28/2009]

Microsoft and BskyB to announce partnership to integrate functionality of XBox 360 gaming system and BskyB's satellite TV service.
[Satellite Today - 05/28/2009]

Spacenet and Orbital Enterprises deploy the Connexstar satellite communications services to support enterprise networks for Star Race Cars.
[Satellite Today - 05/28/2009]

RapidEye reports it has collected more than 69 million square kilometers of at least 80% cloud-free images during its first 100 days.
[Satellite Today - 05/28/2009]

Uganda becomes first country in Comesa regional bloc of Africa to launch a satellite communications system, to promote trade and commerce at reduced costs.
[Daily Monitor - 05/27/2009]

SkyTerra excercises option to move SkyTerra 2 satellite launch from Sea Launch to ILS, to be launched in late 2010.
[Satellite Today - 05/27/2009]

ESA's gravity mission GOCE proves that the sophisticated electric propulsion system is able to keep the satellite completely free of drag as it moves through the outer reaches of Earth's atmosphere.
[Satnews - 05/27/2009]

Soyuz TMA-15 launched from Baikonur May 27 with more visitors for the International Space Station.
[Satnews - 05/27/2009]

SES Astra signs agreement with Eurosat and the Country Land and Business Association to extend the reach of its Astra2Connect service in the U.K.
[Satellite Today - 05/27/209]

Japanese company NTT Electronics selects Newtec to be its DVB-S2 partner for development of its new integrated receiver decoder, the HVD6100.
[Satellite Today - 05/27/2009]

Canby Telcom of Oregon will switch from SES Americom's IP-Prime to Echostar
Satellite Services for HD IPTV.
[CED Magazine - 05/27/2009]

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. subsidiary Mabuhay Satellite Corp. withdraws its offer to buy $27.5m worth of ProtoStar preferred shares.
[Satellite Today - 05/27/2009]

European Space Agency awards Avanti €250k grant to design super-fast satellite broadband system called Hercules, to deliver between 2Mb and 50Mb broadband access to 2.5 million UK rural households currently without broadband.
[Tech Watch - 05/26/2009]

1,000 airplanes flying U.S. domestic routes expected to have Wi-Fi service by the
end of 2009; the airlines may move toward providing in-flight entertainment over the
Wi-Fi links.
[New York Times - 05/26/2009]

ViaSat receives certification from National Security Agency for ruggedized AN?PSC-14(C) Broadband Global Area Network integrated manpack terminal.
[Satnews - 05/26/2009]

Thailand's Information and Communications Technology Ministry discusses with National Telecommunications Commission the possible liberalization of Thailand's satellite market, given the approaching end of life for Thaicom 1 and 2 satellites.
[Bangkok Post - 05/26/2009]

Russia makes plans to detach and fly away its parts of the International Space Station when the time comes to de-orbit the rest of the ISS, likely around 2020.
[Satnews - 05/26/2009]

Shelby County Tennessee enhances interoperable contingency communications for emergency operations, deploying SkyTerra push-to-talk satellite services.
[BusinessWire - 05/26/2009]

Builder of Russia's Soyuz rockets finishes the first rockets due to be launched from South America pad in cooperation with the European Space Agency.
[Satnews - 05/26/2009]

Earth Space Agency launches a neutral space marketplace to assist civilian space companies to trade parts, services, and patents required for building space ships, satellites, and space probes.
[Satnews - 05/26/2009]

California residents file class action lawsuit against Hughesnet, alleging the company advertised connectivity speeds between 1 and 3 Mbps, while delivering much slower speeds.
[Satellite Today - 05/26/2009]

South Africa's SumbandilaSat to be launched as secondary payload on Russian Soyuz in August, because primary payload Russian Meteor M weather satellite will not be ready until then.
[Satnews - 05/25/2009]

Arianespace launches Russian governmental satellite on Soyuz rocket.
[Satellite Today - 05/25/2009]

WBMSAT PS - Satellite Communications Consulting Services

Technorati Tags: news via+satellite satellite+today satellite+week satnews

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits for May 22, 2009

Fri, 29 May 2009 11:59:19 -0700

Orbit Technology Group announces order worth more than $4m from the French Navy for Ku-band and C-band marine satellite communication systems.
[SatNews - 05/22/2009]

Comtech EF Data introduces point-to-multipoint modem, CDM-740, for satellite IP delivery using integrated DVB-S/S2 receiver and turbo product-coding SCPC modulator.
[Satellite Today - 05/22/2009]

Air Force rebuts General Accounting Office report critical of its management of the GPS program, saying it has plenty of ways to keep up the navigation system.
[Wireless Week - 05/22/2009]

NASA's return to the moon to get support from two satellites, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, to be launched together June 17 by an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral.
[SatNews - 05/21/2009]

Boeing files accusations against NASA of 'inexplicably" altering evaluation process between the company and its competitor Lockheed Martin in the battle for a $1.1 billion contract for up to four GOES-R weather satellites.
[Satellite Today - 05/21/2009]

Swedish Space receives all necessary approvals from U.S. government for acquisition of U.S.-based Universal Space Network, a leader in satellite telemetry, tracking, and control services.
[SatNews - 05/21/2009]

Seven astronauts expected to return to Earth Friday May 22 after successful 11-day mission to upgrade Hubble telescope.
[SatNews - 05/21/2009]
Hubble considered better than new after the mission; never to be seen by humans again - a robotic spacecraft is to steer it back towards the atmosphere and a "watery grave" after 2020.
[SatNews - 05/19/2009]

Iridium launches third annual "test your satellite phone" week, encouraging emergency workers and first responders to ensure their satellite phone works, to be prepared in case of a disaster.
[PR Newswire - 05/21/2009]

Congressional investigators conclude that poor planning and unproven technologies on key Pentagon space programs led to cost overruns, delays, and possible gaps in military satellite programs.
[AP hosted by Google - 05/21/2009]

RRsat expands access of its content management and global distribution services to Africa via Telstar 11N.
[PR Newswire - 05/21/2009]

Finally - NASA's PharmaSat nanosatellite and the Air Force Research Laboratory's TacSat-3 satellite successfully launched from Wallops Island.
[SatNews - 05/20/2009]

NASA's largest ever parachute, 2,000 pounds and 150 feet in diameter, will allow recovery of the first stage rocket motor of the Ares 1, of the Constellation Program.
[R&D Magazine - 05/20/2009]

Inmarsat selects Arianspace to launch new Alphasat-1-XL satellite using new European platform, Alphabus, and weighing more than six tons, in 2012.
[SatNews - 05/20/2009]

ISS Reshetnev wins contract to build Russian Express satellites.
[Satellite Today - 05/20/2009]

DirectTV continues to top customer satisfaction poll among cable and satellite TV operators, as Comcast has greatest improvement, Cox improves, and Dish Network falls.
[AP hosted by Google - 05/20/2009]

Gateway Communications, the leading provider of African telecommunications services, announces AfricaConnect for South African retail community, following successful implementation in banking, mining, logisitcs, and other sectors.
[TMC news - 05/20/2009]

Eutelsat W2A satellite C and Ku-band go live, transferring service from W1 satellite and immediately initiating service for newly won contracts.
[PR Newswire - 05/19/2009]

Russian Proton-M rocket launches U.S. company ProtoStar's ProtoStar-2 telecommunications satellite.
[mosnews.com - 05/19/2009]

TerreStar and Space Systems Loral announce arrival of TerreStar-1 in Kourou, French Guiana, teeing up for June 24 launch on Ariane 5.
[Wireless Week - 05/19/2009]

ICO Global Communications files legal challenges against European Commision over exclusive licenses inssued to Inmarsat and Solaris Mobile for S-band MSS services in Europe.
[Satellite Today - 05/18/2009]

Avail Media and TVN merge, with investment from the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative, offering a possible answer to the absence of IP Prime, which SES Americom has announced it is closing down.
[Fierce IPTV - 05/18/2009]

Airlines race to install Wi-Fi - but how do you squeeze yourself and your laptop into a comfortable work position?
[The New York Times - 05/18/2009]

ATSB re-schedules launch of its remote sensing satellite, RazakSat, for mid-July.
[Satellite Today - 05/18/2009]

Congressmen introduce bill to name "incitive" satelllite broadcasters who broadcast "incitive stations" as terrorists
[Satellite Today - 05/18/2009]

Brazil and the U.S. working to arrest people in Brazil illegally using U.S. Navy FLTSATCOM communications satellites for communications throughout Brazil.
[strategypage.com - 05/17/2009]

NSR report - using stimulus funds to level the playing field, not tilt it - while less than 1% of stimulus package is directed towards broadband initiatives, much attention has been garnered, and present thinking seems to follow a competitive approach that would favor a single technology winner, which would be counterproductive.
[NSR Broadband Satellite Services report - May 2009]

WBMSAT PS - Satellite Communications Consulting Services

Technorati Tags: satnews satellite+week satellite+today via+satellite news

Satcom Stimulus

Fri, 15 May 2009 08:45:38 -0700

Good idea, rocket scientists. Get together and propose a joint solution for broadband stimulus's $7.2 billion:

Hughes Network Systems (News - Alert) says it has a "shovel ready" way to wring lots of value out of broadband stimulus spending. Though nothing is formalized yet, it is likely Hughes Network Systems and WildBlue Communications will submit a joint proposal to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for grants to underwrite the cost of end user customer premises equipment (which could include satellite terminals, receivers and installation).

Doing so would provide "an order of magnitude greater deployment if just the CPE is subsidized," says Mike Cook, Hughes Network Systems SVP. "That's very realistic; we can move now." As HughesNet now has 400,000 or so customers, an order of magnitude potentially would represent four million new broadband subscribers.

By way of comparison, a recent wired broadband build cost $5,000 to pass a rural home. If you assume penetration is 60 percent (six out of 10 homes buy broadband), the cost per activated home is $8333. All of the CPE and installation and activation cost should not come to more than several hundred dollars per activated home.

"Our recommendation is that stimulus funds should be used to subsidize CPE," says Cook." What we want is for subscribers to get systems with no upfront capital outlay and just pay for their service plans."

Currently-available plans range from 1 Mbps downstream up to 5 Mbps downstream.

Given that HughesNet now is available in virtually every zip code, it doesn't need to build infrastructure, or spend much time on demand stimulation. "Awareness is the limitation, not even so much demand," says Cook. "Frankly, we will have all the incentive we need to dramatically spend more marketing dollars if CPE subsidies are approved, because we get a good yield."

Going forward, as it builds and launches a new next-generation satellite, Hughes plans to offer faster speeds. One way of comparing potential end user bandwidth is to compare the current SpaceWay satellite service with the new satellite.

"SpaceWay delivers data today at 440 Megabits per second," says Cook. That data of course is a shared resource between some number of users, he says. As a financial matter, it is uneconomic to offer end-user speeds faster than 5 Mbps downstream, he says.

But future satellites have much-bigger capacity, allowing HughesNet to "probably can get into 20 to 30 Mbps on download speeds," says Cook, who says the advancements come from a variety of advances, including the additional spectrum, use of multiple spot beam, advanced coding techniques and higher-power transponders.

"If SpaceWay is a 10 Gbps platform, the new satellite will offer 70 to 100 Gbps," says Cook. "We are approaching an order of magnitude increase of capacity," he says.

Hmm. Gilat's Spacenet is missing. What gives?

Technorati Tags: starband viasat hughesnet spacenet gilat broadband+stimulus wildblue idirect

Satcom News Summary

Fri, 15 May 2009 06:14:50 -0700

Satcom news for the week, courtesy of Bill McDonald...

Ariane 5 lifts off with Herschel and Planck on board - two of the most ambitious missions ever attempted to unveil secrets of remote parts of the Universe.
[SatNews - 05/14/2009]

Intelsat revenue increased 10% over previous year, while 1st quarter loss increased from $412.7m to $557.6m.
[Satellite Today - 05/14/2009]

TACSAT-3 team at Wallops Flight Facility almost gets the launch late in the window, but last minute Flight Termination System anomaly forces delay of launch to May 19.
[SatNews - 05/14/2009]

The European Union picks communications companies Inmarsat Ventures and Solaris Mobile (jointly owned by SES Astra and Eutelsat) to provide high-speed internet services from satellites to remote parts of Europe.
[Wireless Week - 05/14/2009]

DirectTV ordered by judge to temporarily stop running ads that use Charter bankruptcy to imply that Charter is liquidating in order to win over customers.
[CED Magazine - 05/14/2009]

Astronauts on space shuttle Atlantis grab Hubble Space Telescope, passing another milestone on the thus far impressive mission.
[SatNews - 05/13/2009]

Astronauts discover 21-inch stretch of nicks on shuttle Atlantis, but NASA says the damage does not appear to be serious.
[SatNews - 05/13/2009]

Russia's Federal Space Agency and NASA agree on a new price for ferrying U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station after 2012.
[SatNews - 05/13/2009]

Loral Space and Communications reported slight decrease in revenues, while Telesat realized growth from Nimiq 4.
[Satellite Today - 05/13/2009]

MetaVR builds 3D geospecific terrain covering 9,600 square kilometers in Afghanistan featuring high-resolution virtual village with over 500 buildings using SatImagery.
[SatNews - 05/13/2009]

Orbcomm loses $7m in quarter due to failure of one of its U.S. Coast Guard Quick Launch satellites in March.
[Satellite Today - 05/13/2009]

Pakistani religioius network leases AsiaSat C-band capacity.
[Satellite Today - 05/13/2009]

Al Jazeera English uses BGAN X-Stream from Stratos Global to broadcast live television news coverage of military developments from Pakistan and news from throughout Middle East.
[SatNews - 05/13/2009]

U.S. Government Accountability Office releases repoart that U.S. Air Force 2F program is over budget, and GPS service may be interrupted by delay in acquiring new 2F satellites.
[Satellite Today - 05/12/2009]

U.S. Air Force working with Lockheed Martin to "harvest" government owned property, ground stations, and other technologies developed for cancelled TSAT for future programs.
[Reuters UK - 05/12/2009]

Iridium OpenPort new-generation global marine satellite communication system successfully completes sea trials, drawing positive reviews; commercial rollout now underway.
[PR Newswire - 05/12/2009]

SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES selects International Datacasting Corporation's SFX 3102 DVB-S/S2 receivers for its customers who will be upgrading to DVB-S2 via the company's IPsys IP trunking service.
[SatNews - 05/12/2009]

TeleCommunications Systems, Inc. receives U.S. patent for encapsulation of encrypted data, enabling secure communications over IP network, allowing deployable systems such as satellite terminals to transmit secure data by having only an internet connection.
[EarthTimes - 05/12/2009]

Iridium pursues Russian market for mobile satellite services, forming "Iridium Communications Russia, OOO" to pursue a license there.
[Washington Business Journal - 05/11/2009]

Dish Network subscriber loss exacerbated by end of AT&T deal, even as Dish beats Wall Street estimates with 21% rise in profit, partly based on equipment sales.
[Associated Press hosted by Google - 05/11/2009]

Liberty Media Corp. CEO Greg Maffei says DirecTV may be sold to a telephone company.
[CED Magazine - 05/11/2009]

DataPath shareholders approve merger with Rockwell Collins.
[Satellite Today - 05/11/2009]

Europe will get a step up on the U.S. and NASA in space based astronomy when Planck and Herschel are launched virtually at the same time as the NASA mission to improve Hubble.
[Miami Herald - 05/10/2009]

EchoStar and DirecTV fight taxes in Ohio courts because cable competitors are not similarly taxed.
[CED Magazine - 05/08/2009]

Dish Network announces availability of free Remote Access service that allows its customers nationwide to program their DVRs with any Internet-connected device.
[CED Magazine - 05/08/2009]

Satellite broadband services grew solidly in 2008 following a strong 2007; a wide range of broadband networking, internet access services, and cellular backhaul, continued to exhibit their viability.
[NSR Report - Broadband Satellite Services, 8th Edition - May 2009]

Advance satellite coding and modulation techniques generate optimism about prospects for SCPC sales in 2009 and beyond.
[NSR Report - Advanced Satellite Coding and Modulation, 2nd Edition - May 2009]

Technorati Tags: satcom satnews satellite+today satellite+news space+news

Gilat's Stimulus

Tue, 12 May 2009 14:18:06 -0700

So there's $7.2 billion set aside for "broadband stimulus" in the U.S., and €1 billion in Europe for 100% connectivity. Spend it.

Satcom service providers have been barking at this "no broadband for us" market for years. Along comes Wildblue and blows the incumbents away with their success (Hughes/DirecWay and Spacenet/Starband). Game-changing technology? Not really.

Can satcom really get a piece of these stimuli? After reading the Gilat earnings call transcript, don't hold your breath:

Jonathan Ho - William Blair

In terms of this Obama and the European stimulus that you guys were mentioning, can you give us a little bit more color on maybe the potential opportunities there and maybe the timeframe that you keep, something flowing out of that opportunity?

Amiram Levinberg

You have similar things in US, the way we begin are not clear. So at this point of time, we have so many people who have to give suggestions and comments and show often advantages to different committees. And we are part of this process. In part, we are cooperating with other companies in our industry and in part obviously at the end of the day, different companies will come with different applications.

We are not at the application stage at this point of time as the rule we begin or not, completely clear at this point, but we've definitely lost the [share point], lost opportunity by many people including ourselves.

In Europe, with stimulus for broadband is somewhat smaller, not to be small money, but it is somewhat smaller, it's €1 billion and I have to say that because, unlike the situation in the US where we have a subsidiary on the job namely Spacenet, in the US, our activity is somewhat more remote because we need to get connected with local sales providers, so we are bit more remote in that situation in Europe.

Does he really know what's going on? Sounds like a Family Feud contestant: "show me, clueless CEO!"

Technorati Tags: spacenet gilat broadband broadband+stimulus internet

Satellite News Bits

Mon, 11 May 2009 13:43:09 -0700

All your satcom news is mine, via Bill McDonald:

TacSat 3 launch scrubbed May 7 due to bad weather in Wallops Island area.
[Satnews - 05/08/2009]

Russia successfully places Express AM44 satellite, named after A.S. Popov, into operation at 11 West within the Russian Satellite Communications Company satellite constellation.
[Satnews - 05/07/2009]

Pathfinder Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Advance Technology Risk Reduction (ATRR) satellite successfully launched from Vandenberg AFB by the Missile3 Defense Agency, supported by NASA and commercial firm United Launch Alliance.
[Satnews - 05/07/2009]

Planned acquisition of DataPath by Rockwell Collins receives approval of stockholders.
[Satnews - 05/07/2009]

El Corte Ingles will distribute Eutelsat's Tooway satellite broadband service to retail customers in Spain.
[Satellite Today - 05/07/2009]

Space Systems/Loral is selected to provide new communication s satellite, AsiaSat 5C, to Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited.
[Satnews - 05/07/2009]

TacSat-3 is scheduled for May 7 launch from Wallops Island; features 3 revolutionary trials including Raytheon's advance imaging spectrometer, Air Force avionics experiment, and Office of Naval Research's satellite communications package.
[NASA - 05/06/2009]

DirecTV merger with John Malone's Liberty Entertainment results in simplification of DirecTV's ownership, setting the stage for future deals.
[Satnews - 05/06/2009]

KVH debuts TracPhone FB150, 10.5" in diameter and 12" high, to offer small, cost effective broadband internet package for maritime applications, suited for boats as small as 40 ft.
[TMC Net - 05/06/2009]

C2SAT, actively working to establish a new presence in China covering local production facilities and product sales, is rewarded by largest single order to date, seven C2SAT 2.4m C-band antennas within six months.
[Satnews - 05/06/2009]

HD DTH satellite service to be offered in Phillipines by the Phillippine Long Distance Telephone Company and MediaQuest.
[Satellite Today - 05/06/2009]

Echo Satellite, offering satellite communications "hotspots" enabling wireless coverage for multiple users in any non-line-of-sight environment, changes name to SatMax in response to request from EchoStar Corp.
[Houston Business Journal - 05/05/2009]

Spacenet Inc. provides transportable satellite communications solutions to Erie Insurance for mobile claim centers.
[Globe Newswire - 05/05/2009]

Australian government's national high-speed national broadband strategy, "Ruddnet", focusing on 100mbps fiber connectivity to 90% of the population, and 12 mbps satellite connectivity to the rest, divides the nation.
[The Australian - 05/05/2009]

NASA officials lobby for extension of shuttle program to close gap between shuttle program and debuting of the Ares/Orion manned flight capability.
[R&D magazine - 05/04/2009]

U.S. military to launch experimental tactical satellite to demonstrate inexpensive user-friendly space technologies.
[Space.com - 05/04/2009]

AT&T CruiseCast car satellite system for in-car video, currently offering 22 channels, is soft-launched at select retail outlets.
[twice-com - 05/04/2009]

Giga-Com delivers satellite broadcast solutions to Kuwaiti government.
[Satellite Today - 05/04/2009]

French Airline installs Panasonic satellite in-flight entertainment system.
[Satellite Today - 05/04/2009]

Australian satellite company Codan acquires Locus Microwave.
[Satellite Today - 05/04/2009]

KVH announces promotion to make it easier for "big dish" maritime users to "move down" to the KVH "mini-VSAT" broadband service using the TracPhone V7(R) hardware.
[PR Newswire - 05/04/2009]

China Electronics Technology Group chief engineer states that China will be able to provide free global navigation and positioning services by 2020 with its own constellation of satellites named "Compass."
[Satnews - 05/04/2009]

Abu Dhabi or Dubai targeted to be host of new spaceport for space tourism in talks between Virgin Galactic and parties in the UAE.
[The National - May 3, 2009]

SatMagazine interviews Rob Bednarek, President and CEO of SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES.
[SatMagazine, May 2009]

Finding the Next Generation Aerospace workers for the U.S. Satellite Industry (a crisis in looming in the workforce).
[SatMagazine feature - May 2009}

SatMagazine interviews Charlie Maloney, GOES N-P Program Manager for Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, responsible for final systems test and launch preparations for next generation GOES satellites.
[SatMagazine - May 2009]

SatMagazine interviews Dr. Jesus Villasenor of M.I.T. and Mr. Luke Volpe of Dynamics Research Corp., about NASA's HETE mission.
[SatMagazine - May 2009]

NSR Report - Supervisory, Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) as well as Machine-to-Machine (M2M) services largely recession-proof; satellite platforms providing reliable ubiquitous communications to widely separated areas becoming increasingly important in these vertical markets.
[NSR Report - May 2009]

C2SAT - technology for the future - 4 axis antenna designed to increase reliability, precision, and accuracy of maritime terminal tracking of satellites for all vessels.
[SatMagazine feature - May 2009]

Technorati Tags: satellite+news satnews satellite+today satellite+week

Satellite News Bits

Tue, 05 May 2009 05:28:50 -0700

Satcom news summary for last week, courtesy of Bill McDonald:

Communications and Power Industries (CPI) wins three-year contract to supply high power, solid-state amplifiers to SWE-DISH, a DataPath company, for its Suitcase and CommuniCase product lines.
[SatNews - 05/01/2009]

Space Shuttle Atlantis to make final visit to Hubble telescope - launch to take place May 11.
[SatNews - 05/01/2009]

Eutelsat to launch Tooway broadband satellite service to UK residents in rural areas, initially with speeds of up to 2Mb, but by 2010 this will rise to 10Mb.
[Top 10 Broadband - 04/30/2009]

Soyuz to join Ariane 5 as launch vehicles lifting off from French Guiana, as Arianespace continues construction of the launch pad and support facilities.
[SatNews - 04/30/2009]

Zefiro 9A rocket motor, to be third stage of Europe's new small launch vehicle, tested at Salto di Quirra Interforce test range in Sardinia, Italy.
[SatNews - 04/30/2009]

WildBlue Communications seeks a share of the U.S. government's $7.2 billion broadband stimulus package to develop a new satellite-based platform that can deliver downstream speeds in excess of 18 Mbps to rural areas in need of a high-speed boost.
[Cable Digital News - 04/30/2009]

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates gets two nice wins - a $4m contract to provide an advanced technology solution to EADS Astrium, and a multi-million dollar contract from DigitalGlobe to provide a ground station solution for WorldView-1 and WorldView-2 satellites.
[SatNews - 04/30/2009]

Japanese government task force suggests introducing an early warning satellite that can detect missile launches as part of nations first basic plan on development and use of space.
[SatNews - 04/30/2009]

Iran states that the country's first domestically-made telecommunications satellite, Omid, launched in February, has successfully concluded its mission and re-entered earth's atmosphere.
[SatNews - 04/30/2009]

CPI will upgrade Army's Warfighter Information Network-Tactical military satellite electronics to add Ka band satellite capability under $3m contract with DataPath.
[Military & Aerospace Electronics - 04/29/2009]

NASA prepares to launch nanosatellite known as PharmaSat to perform experiments to help scientists better understand how effectively drugs work in space.
[R&D - 04/29/2009]

Pentagon may reach goal of doing collision analysis on 800 maneuverable satellites before October, considers possibility of tracking 500 more satellites which cannot be maneuvered.
[SatNews - 04/29/2009]

Ducommun Incorporated announces that their Miltec subsidiary has delivered flight-ready nanosatellites to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, completing first U.S. Army satellite development plan since 1960.
[SatNews - 04/29/2009]

Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee holds hearing to examine the challenges faced by civil and commercial space users as the number of satellites and the amount of space debris orbiting Earth continues to grow.
[SpaceRef.com - 04/28/2009]

International Space University students suggest ways to prevent space collisions in results of 2007 study released at "Space for a Safe and Secure World" symposium.
[SatNews - 04/28/2009]

Hughes wins arbitration against Sea Launch; Sea Launch ordered to pay $52m in dispute over whether Hughes had legal right to cancel Sea Launch contract.
[Satellite Today - 04/28/2009]

German teleport and satellite service provider CEDTel GmbH acquires ND SatCom Managed Services Division.
[SatNews - 04/28/2009]

The Australian Defence Force will spend $167 million for a special payload on the Intelsat 22 satellite to be launched in 2012, to boost its tactical communications for military serving in Afghanistan and nearby theatres in the Indian Ocean.
[The Australian - 04/28/2009]

Boeing wins contract to build satellite for Intelsat, to be launched in 2012, which will serve Australian military.
[The Detroit News - 04/28/2009]

Excelerate Technology wins contracts to provide satellite systems to enhance police communications capabilities in UK.
[Public Technology - 04/28/2009]

Nigeria National Assembly pledges to assist NIGCOMSAT to secure funding for NigComSat 2 & 3.
[Daily Trust - 04/28/2009]

Harbinger Capital Partners founder Philip Falcone presses ahead with multibillion-dollar plans to build international satellite-cellphone business.
[Wall Street Journal - 04/27/2009]

TerreStar satellite to be launched in June to be largest commercial satellite yet, with 60ft mesh antenna, to enable cell-like satellite phones; SkyTerra plans two even larger satellites next year.
[Seattle Times - 04/26/2009]

NSR Report - high throughput Ka-band spotbeam satellites pushing open satellite market door - full long-term potential to change market recognized by few.
[NSR report - April 2009]

WBMSAT PS - Satellite Communications Consulting Services

Technorati Tags: satnews satellite+today via+satellite satcom news

Satellite News Bits

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:08:59 -0700

This week's satcom news, courtesy of Bill McDonald...

WildBlue to demonstrate 18 Mbps satellite-to-home service at Colorado capitol to showcase what satellite-delivered broadband can provide for rural residents.
[TMCNet - 04/24/2009]

Harris is awarded 10 year $600m contract to provide military satellite communications terminals for the U.S. Army, to provide worldwide backbone for high-priority military communications and missile defense systems.
[TradingMarkets - 04/23/2009]

Canadian broadcasters call for cable and satellite TV operators to compensate local TV stations for their signals in battle over Ottowa's local TV station rescue package.
[hollywoodreporter.com - 04/23/2009]

Dish network unveils Earth Channel, offering live views of earth from first earth camera installed on a commercial communications satellite.
[WorldScreen - 04/23/2009]

SES Astra signs second distribution agreement for the Spanish market with Net2, for Astra2Connect internet broadband service.
[Satellite Today - 04/23/2009]

SatCom Global is awarded full distribution partner status by Inmarsat for its FleetBroadband services.
[SatNews - 04/23/2009]

Six MTV HD channels are launched on SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES HD-PRIME platform.
[SatNews - 04/23/2009]

Axxon's newest global asset tracking solution, SMARTONE, uses Globalstar Simplex data network, allowing customers to track the location of mobile assets virtually anywhere.
[SatNews - 04/23/2009]

IDC and SENSIO Technologies announce operational roll-out of 3D in HD for digital cinema in Europe.
[SatNews - 04/23/2009]

Sea Tel Cobham releases first and only 3-axis marine stabilized antenna capable of automatically skewing to enable reception of DIRECTV signals from three Ku and two Ka satellites when moving from region to region.
[SatNews - 04/23/2009]

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting signs contract with SES SIRIUYS for satellite capacity in the Nordic region.
[SatNews - 04/23/2009]

NOAA provides Google Earth data including three-dimensional mapping of the Great Lakes.
[SatNews - 04/23/2009]

China successfully launches remote-sensing satellite on Long March 2C for surveying land resources, the environment, urban areas, and farmers' crops.
[SatNews - 04/23/2009]

Merging of IP and satellite communications finds impetus as TeleCommunication Systems marries IP and satellite communications to provide all-IP service to military, enabling broadband data speeds and VOIP over small, transportable dishes.
[Urgent Communications - 04/22/2009]

eLynx, of Tulsa, launches intelligent WellLynx XI, combining satellite communications and intelligent input/output technology for monitoring wells using the Iridium satellite network.
[businesswire - 04/22/2009]

Arrowhead Global Solutions becomes CapRock Government Solutions, marking final integration of the unit into the CapRock company structure.
[BusinessJournal - 04/22/2009]

Comtech Mobile Datacom wins $8m order to build, test, and deliver next-generation Blue Force Tracking High Capacity, BFT-HC satellite transceiver to U.S. Army.
[RTT News - 04/22/2009]

Hughes signs Clear Channel Satellite as reseller of HughesNet broadband satellite solutions in the U.S.
[PR Newswire - 04/22/2009]

SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES announces five-year contract with Turner Broadcasting System, Inc for distribution and contribution for CNN delivery to and from Europe and the Middle East.
[SatNews - 04/22/2009]

Sea Launch successfully launches Telespazio's SICRAL 1B communications satellite into transfer orbit, while SpaceX is forced to delay launch of its first commercial payload due to potential compatibility issue between Falcon 1 vehicle and the payload.
[Aviation Week - 04/21/2009]

India launches Israeli-built spy satellite to boost its surveillance capabilities after last year's Mumbai attacks exposed weaknesses in its defense apparatus.
[SatNews - 04/20/2009]

ORBCOMM provides satellite network for Manitowac's CraneSTAR cran-tracking and asset management system.
[PR Newswire - 04/20/2009]

Stratos and SeaMobile partner to jointly market SeaMobile's ClipWay real-time video transmission application.
[PR Newswire - 04/20/2009]

YAHSAT confirms landmark partnership deal with SES Astra to create new company offering direct-to-home satellite services to broadcast partners in Middle East, North Africa, and South-west Africa.
[Digital Production Middle East - 04/20/2009]

India launches radar-imaging satellite RISAT-2 to boost Earth observation, especially during natural disasters such as floods, cyclones and landslides.
[CNN.com/asia - 04/20/2009]

SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES announces multi-year agreement to deliver THIS TV chanhnel from MGM and Weigel Broadcasting.
[Business Wire - 04/20/2009]

Brazil's "Operation Satellite" is first large-scale enforcement attempt against satellite hacking in Brazil, a wide-spread practice that uses homemade gear to illegally communicate over U.S. military satellite transponders.
[wired.com - 04/20/2009]

NSR Report - churn pressures drive adoption of advanced DTH receivers in the U.S. market.
[NSR Report - April 2009]

WBMSAT PS - Satellite Communications Consulting Services

Technorati Tags: satcom+news satcom news satnews satellite+today satellite+week

Satcom Smartphone

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:32:31 -0700

In the Northeast U.S., there aren't many places your mobile phone doesn't get a signal. Sure, there are little pockets where you don't, and in remote areas it can get a little tricky. In those instances, it sure would be nice to have a system available like Thuraya -- a hybrid satellite/GSM network.

Most of the time, you're using the GSM portion of your mobile. Out in the desert -- lots of that type of terrain in the Middle East -- your mobile connects via a specialized geosynchronous satellite. Apparently, it works well enough so you don't notice, but you probably get used to the inherent latency (your signal has a 45,000 mile round trip to complete, so at the speed of light figure at least a quarter-second of delay).

In the fully developed world, satellite phones have yet to be financially successful. Through bankruptcy, Iridium and Globalstar have been able to survive. Iridium was almost shut down completely were it not for the U.S. Department of Defense -- they saw the value of a unique, diverse path for voice and narrow-band communications, so they kept it afloat.

Last week, TerreStar got some ink in USA Today:

The first handsets for TerreStar's satellite would cost about $700, said TerreStar chief executive Jeff Epstein. At a cellphone trade show here last week, the company displayed a prototype built by small Finnish company, Elektrobit. The phone has a QWERTY keyboard and runs Windows Mobile software, making it similar to many BlackBerry-style, e-mail-oriented phones for corporate use, but a bit thicker. Unlike Iridium and Globalstar phones, there's no protruding antenna.

"This way, you take your BlackBerry and you replace it with that device," Epstein said.

Both companies indicate that calling over a satellite will cost less than $1 per minute, the approximate price of Iridium calls. TerreStar also has a roaming agreement with AT&T Inc. for calls that don't go through the satellite, and expects the combined satellite and ground system to be working before the end of this year.

However, neither TerreStar or SkyTerra will replicate Iridium's worldwide coverage. The phones will work in North America only. Nor will they be getting away from a significant limitation of satellite phones: The handsets need to be in clear view of a satellite. In other words, the satellite service will work only outdoors, and a hill, tree or building obscuring the southern sky can be a problem, especially if you're far north.

Given these limitations, and the steady expansion of ground-based networks, is there really a mass demand for satellite phones?

Satellite analyst and consultant Tim Farrar at TMF Associates is skeptical. He believes the number of people interested in satellite calling, even if just for emergencies, is small compared to the overall cellphone market.

"They need hundreds of thousands and more likely millions of users of these handsets to make it into the mainstream," he said. "You have to gain an awful lot of momentum before manufacturers will consider it worthwhile to build this into their handsets."

Farrar thinks marketing will be a challenge too. For mainstream adoption, sales representatives at cellphone stores would have to get customers to accept that the satellite connectivity would work only outdoors.

"Last time around, people tried out Iridium phones, and thought 'What use is this to me if I have to go out and stand in the middle of a field to make a call?"' he said.

Given these obstacles, Farrar believes the value of SkyTerra and TerreStar is in their spectrum holdings. The companies have permission from the Federal Communications Commission to use slices of the airwaves for both satellite and ground-based networks, as long as they have a satellite in orbit. The government hoped that such hybrid space-terrestrial licenses would encourage companies to provide emergency satellite coverage when cell towers are knocked out by disasters like Hurricane Katrina.

For now SkyTerra and TerreStar aren't using their spectrum for ground-based communications. Eventually, the companies could try to put the airwaves to use with their own cell towers on the ground — or they could use that spectrum to entice a carrier like AT&T or Verizon Wireless. Those companies would normally have to pay billions for spectrum with nationwide coverage, but they might find that snapping up one of these satellite companies is a cheaper way to get that access, said Armand Musey, a satellite consultant.

Investors aren't optimistic: Terrestar, which is listed on the Nasdaq, has a market capitalization of $72 million, which is paltry compared to the cost of its satellite system. SkyTerra is privately held.

"There certainly is not a market for having all of these companies — TerreStar, SkyTerra, Inmarsat, Iridium — all operating satellite-only," Musey said. "The market is just not that big."

The news from Elektrobit of Finland will be manufacturing the handset is about a year old, but this isn't the first time satcom news gets recycled (case in point: Americom's DigitalC in 1999 and again in 2000).

The TerreStar-1 satellite is scheduled to launch in June, 2009, via an Ariane 5 launch vehicle. Space Systems/Loral has been building it since 2005.

Let's hope a smart business follows.

Technorati Tags: iridium globalstar terrestar skyterra thuraya inmarsat loral elektrobit smartphone