December 2014

One of the worst-hit towns by Typhoon Hagupit in the Philippines. Photo: TSF [Via Satellite 12-18-2014] Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF), the Inmarsat-sponsored telecoms agency, has entered Eastern Samar in the Philippines to provide crucial emergency communications in the wake of Typhoon Hagupit. Following assessments of the towns spanning Borongan to Artechi, many of which were…

A group of students who receive help from Tanzania Support Foundation. Photo: Tanzania Support Foundation. [Via Satellite 12-18-2014] Globecomm has donated desktop computers to a school in the Tanzanian village of Selela to support the mission of the Tanzania Support Foundation helping small communities become more self-sufficient in education, healthcare, hygiene and clean water. A…

WorldView 3. Photo: Ball Aerospace [Via Satellite 12-18-2014] As a result of its annual satellite life review, DigitalGlobe will extend the useful lives of two of its satellites: WorldView 1 and WorldView 2. The company has also assigned an initial useful life to its newest satellite, WorldView 3 that is slightly longer than the original…

Core structure of the GPS 3 non-flight satellite testbed. Photo: Lockheed Martin [Via Satellite 12-18-2014] Raytheon and Lockheed Martin have completed the fourth of five planned launch and early orbit exercises for the U.S. Air Force’s next generation GPS 3 satellite and Operational Control System (OCX). Exercise 4 demonstrated new automation capabilities, information assurance, and…

LPOD-R family of Outdoor Amplifiers / Block Up Converters (BUCs). Photo: Comtech EF Data [Via Satellite 12-18-2014] Comtech EF Data has introduced its new LPOD-R Block Up Converter models. Each LPOD-R consists of a Solid-State Power Amplifier (SSPA) module with a monitor/control processor, a power supply and a fan assembly. LPOD-R is equipped with temperature…

Don Buchman, director of mobile broadband at ViaSat. Photo: ViaSat [Via Satellite 12-17-2014] ViaSat is looking at new business models and opportunities to provide In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) services, according to ViaSat Director of Mobile Broadband Don Buchman. The company first launched into IFC almost year ago to the date in December 2013. What started as…

Raytheon researches Gallium Nitride at the Radio Frequency Components Foundry in Andover, Mass. Photo: Raytheon [Via Satellite 12-17-2014] Satellites may soon carry Raytheon’s Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology into orbit. The company has successfully validated its GaN Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) technology for use in space-bound equipment. Raytheon GaN MMICs, manufactured at its Andover, Mass.…

ESA testing its new storable fuel upper-stage propulsion system. Photo: Airbus Defence and Space [Via Satellite 12-17-2014] As commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA), Airbus Defence and Space engineers have developed a new upper-stage engine demonstrator. Although engines that run on storable fuel are a core competency of German-European aerospace engineering, none are currently…

Artist’s rendition of Rosetta as it neared the comet 67P 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Photo: ESA [Via Satellite 12-17-2014] The European Space Agency (ESA) has made a test — originally created for its Rosetta comet-chaser mission — readily available to all European space missions. The test helps ensure propellant tanks will not crack up when subject to aggressive…

Artist’s rendition of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. Photo: NASA [Via Satellite 12-17-2014] NASA has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. TESS will launch aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, with liftoff targeted for August 2017 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The total cost for…