March 2015

Sierra Nevada Corporation’s uncrewed Dream Chaser on orbit. Photo: SNC [Via Satellite 03-31-2015] After a very public downselect from the final round of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) in 2014, the fate of Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) Dream Chaser space vehicle appeared unclear. However, the program is very much continuing, evidenced not only by the…

[Via Satellite 03-31-2015] Gilat Satcom has released a portfolio of connectivity solutions for remote communities in Africa to access a satellite network for prices starting at $1 a month. The company’s “Village Island” offerings provide satellite solutions for low Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) customers in rural areas. The Village Islands portfolio has three components that customers…

The AN/PRC-152A handheld radio. Photo: Harris Corporation [Via Satellite 03-31-2015] Harris Corporation has received orders from two countries in the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) for Falcon radios for secure military communications. One nation is acquiring $16 million of Falcon 3 AN/PRC-117G manpacks, AN/PRC-152A handheld radios, and AN/PRC-150 High Frequency (HF) radios. Each enables Type-1…

Khalid Balkheyour, president and CEO, Arabsat. Photo: Arabsat [Via Satellite 03-31-2015] Arabsat has signed a contract with Siemens Convergence Creators to provide a new Communication System Monitoring (CSM) for the Dirab Earth station. The system includes SIECAMS, which bolsters the operator’s satellite monitoring and interference detection capabilities. Siemens Convergence Creators’ CSM will monitor all the…

Class Based Queuing view of XipOS version 3.0. Photo: XipLink [Via Satellite 03-31-2015] XipLink and SES Government Solutions (SES GS) have teamed up to deploy advanced acceleration and optimization technology for the U.S. government at a lower cost per bit. SES GS customers will use XipLink’s XipOS system, which provides Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) acceleration…

Avanti’s Artemis satellite, purchased from ESA in 2013. Photo: ESA [Via Satellite 03-30-2015] British satellite operator Avanti is launching two new programs in Africa in partnership with the United Kingdom Space Agency through the International Partnership Space Program (IPSP). Additionally, TS2 Satellite recently launched Africa-focused Ka-band satellite services from Avanti’s Hylas 2 satellite, making Africa…

The site of ISS-Reshetnev’s upcoming integration and test facility. Photo: ISS-Reshetnev [Via Satellite 03-30-2015] Russian satellite manufacturer Academician M.F. Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems (ISS-Reshetnev) has initiated pre-construction procedures for the building of a new integration and test facility. The company is demolishing a derelict building from the early 1990s near its territory to make room for…

The PSLV-C27 launch of IRNSS 1D. Photo: ISRO [Via Satellite 03-30-2015] The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched the fourth of seven satellites in the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). The March 28 launch of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, the 28th successful mission and seventh in the XL configuration, delivered the satellite into…

Arianespace’s VS11 mission carrying FOC satellites 3 and 4. Photo: Arianespace. [Via Satellite 03-30-2015] On March 27 Arianespace completed the launch of the third and fourth Full Operational Capability (FOC) satellites for Europe’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Galileo. The 700-kg satellites, known as Adam and Anastasia, reached their intended deployment point following two burns…

Photo: Eutelsat [Via Satellite 03-30-2015] Strong Media SAL-Off-Shore (SMO), a digital television receiver equipment specialist, has entered a new multi-year agreement with Eutelsat to launch pay-TV services in Sub-Saharan Africa. The company leased capacity on the Eutelsat 16A satellite in order to launch a variety of channels in English, French and Arabic. SMO owns operations…