December 2014

CBERS 4 launch aboard a Long March 4B. Photo: Xinhua/Tian Zhaoyun [Via Satellite 12-08-2014] China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reports the 200th launch of a Long March rocket occurred Sunday Dec. 7, carrying the Chinese-Brazilian Earth Resource Satellite (CBERS) on a Long March 4B. CBERS 4 is the fifth satellite in the Earth observation program.…

A Discovery 100 hub. Photo: Advantech Wireless [Via Satellite 12-08-2014] Advantech Wireless has received a contract for two VSAT Discovery 100 Hubs from a Southeast Asian operator. The first is a C-band hub with two separate forward links (outbound carriers) and the company’s Multicarrier Demodulator (MCD). The MCD allows future expansion up to 96 carriers…

Norsat SigmaLink satellite terminal. Photo: Norsat [Via Satellite 12-08-2014] A large military contractor has purchased Norsat International’s recently launched SigmaLink Auto and Ranger products. According to Norsat, the customer supplies communications solutions to governments and militaries worldwide. Norsat’s SigmaLink Auto is a product line extension of an existing terminal platform with auto-acquire technology. The terminal…

Artist’s rendition of the Amazonas 5 satellite. Photo: SSL [Via Satellite 12-05-2014] Spanish satellite operator Hispasat has selected Space Systems Loral (SSL) to build its next satellite: Amazonas 5. Based on the SSL 1300 platform, Amazonas 5 is a multi-mission satellite to supply the full capacity of the Amazonas 4A, and redefine the Amazonas 4B mission originally…

Orbital Sciences Dulles, Va. Headquarters Building. Photo: Orbital Sciences [Via Satellite 12-05-2014] The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has unconditionally cleared ATK’s Aerospace and Defense Group to merge with Orbital Sciences. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and DOJ also terminated the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period. Orbital Sciences and ATK announced plans to merge in…

The three 12 meter KaBOOM antennas near NASA Kennedy Space Center. Photo: NASA [Via Satellite 12-05-2014] XTAR, a commercial X-band satellite operator, is providing an X-band space segment for NASA’s Ka-band Objects: Observation and Monitoring (KaBOOM) project. KaBOOM is a high-power Ka-band radar system under development to track and characterize Near Earth Objects — primarily…

The atoll of Fakaofo, southernmost of the Tokelau Islands. Photo: Wikipedia [Via Satellite 12-05-2014] Teletok, the sole telecommunications service provider for Tokelau, a territory of New Zealand consisting of three small atolls, has selected Kacific to provide satellite broadband from its Kacific 1 High Throughput Satellite (HTS) after it launches in 2017. Tokelau has a…

Artist’s rendition of the Sentinel 6 satellite. Photo: Airbus Defence and Space [Via Satellite 12-05-2014] The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected Airbus Defence and Space as the prime contractor for the Jason CS/Sentinel 6 Earth observation satellite. Thales Alenia Space France is providing the satellite’s main instrument, a radar altimeter that will measure global…

[Via Satellite 12-05-2014] CMMB Vision has agreed to acquire 51 percent of Dish-HD Asia for $6 million. Subject to regulatory approval, the company plans to combine Dish-HD Asia’s 76 satellite TV channels, Internet data services, and planned 4K Ultra-HD services with its platform and recently acquired capacity from two satellites to reach China’s population of…

MTS is using the ABS 2 satellite to broadcast 160 channels to 95 percent of Russia. Photo: SSL [Via Satellite 12-04-2014] Mobile Telesystems (MTS), a major telecommunications company in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), has decided to launch a satellite pay-TV service with 160 channels. The company has leased capacity from Asia…