September 2014

Russia’s Sept. 28 Proton launch. Photo: Roscosmos [Via Satellite 09-29-2014] The Russian Federal government has completed the first successful launch of the Proton rocket since the failure that destroyed the Russian Satellite Communications Company’s (RSCC) Express AM4R satellite in May 2014. The successful launch occurred on Sept. 28 at 12:23 Moscow Time from the Baikonur…

China’s Long March-2C carrier rocket launch. Photo: Xinhua. [Via Satellite 09-29-2014] Xinhua, China’s state-run media agency, reports the country has successfully completed the launch of an experimental scientific satellite on Sept. 28 at 1:13 p.m. Beijing time. A Long March-2C carrier rocket delivered the Shijian-11-07 satellite into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, located…

The International Space Station. Photo: CASIS/National Geographic [Via Satellite 09-29-2014] National Geographic, in partnership with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) intends to develop new imagery from the International Space Station (ISS) for educational purposes. The interest demonstrated by National Geographic and others has prompted CASIS to expand the “Good Earth”…

SES Uplink Antennas. Photo: SES [Via Satellite 09-26-2014] SES Broadband Services has extended its April 2014 partnership with Orbitcom, an Internet Service Provider (ISP), to distribute Astra Connect to German communities. Orbitcom will be responsible for the service, as well as providing equipment and customer support. Astra Connect can deliver satellite broadband services to a…

Click to read Via Satellite Russia in both English and Russian [Via Satellite 09-26-2014] Few countries have as much history in satellite as Russia. As the country that sparked a global technology revolution and one of the today’s well-known and promising BRIC nations, Russia is a stalwart of the satellite industry but, as a market,…

Pascal Jaussi, founder & CEO of S3, with Nikolai Ivanovich Yakushin, CEO of Kuznetsov, posing in front of the SOAR future NK-39 engines. Photo: JSC Kuznetsov [Via Satellite 09-26-2014] Executives from Swiss Space Systems (S3) met with Russia’s JSC Kuznetsov to check the NK-39 engines planned to power the unmanned suborbital shuttle SOAR. The two…

Toyota Stadium where J-league games are played. Sky Perfect JSAT broadcasts all J-league games. Photo: Jeff Boyd (Flickr) [Via Satellite 09-26-2014] Japan-based Sky Perfect JSAT has set the date for the launch of two Ultra-HD 4K channels on March 1, 2015. The channels will be available on the Sky PerfecTV! premium service. Sky Perfect JSAT…

NSSLGlobal’s Perth teleport. Photo: NSSLGlobal [Via Satellite 09-26-2014] NSSLGlobal has added a beam from Telenor and a beam from Eutelsat in order to expand the reach of its VSAT network. The company chose the Eutelsat 70B beam to replace services on Asia Broadcast Satellite’s ABS 2. NSSLGlobal said the switch removes the need for vessels…

Superflex Pro Data Receiver. Photo: IDC [Via Satellite 09-26-2014] International Datacasting Corporation (IDC) has received a new order from the United States government for assistance expanding its global satellite broadcast network. The company will provide products such as the SuperFlex Pro Data Receiver and the IP Encapsulator 4000 (IPE-4000). The receivers provided by IDC will…

Peter Platzer, CEO, Spire. Photo: Spire [Via Satellite 09-25-2014] Spire, a fast-paced remote sensing company with roots in Silicon Valley, has leapfrogged from incubation just two years ago at Lemnos Labs into a multi-million dollar startup with four satellites in orbit. Formerly known as Nanosatisfi, the company recently raised $25 million in Series A funding,…