News on key developments at SupremeSAT, and general news on the Space and Satellite industry from across the web
Photo: Etihad Airways [Via Satellite 12-31-2015] Yahsat is keen to carve a niche in the In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) market. The Middle-East-based operator, which signed a deal with Etihad Airways in November to trial IFC services, is hoping for more deals in 2016. Masood Sharif Mahmood, CEO of Yahsat, told Via Satellite that Yahsat is in…
Testing of the five-kilowatt Hall Thruster. Photo: European Space Propulsion [Via Satellite 12-31-2015] European Space Propulsion (ESP), a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, successfully completed testing of a five-kilowatt Hall Thruster with a Power Processing Unit (PPU) supplied by Thales Alenia Space in Belgium. The test program was successfully conducted in the United Kingdom, and…
An Atlas 5 rocket. Photo: ULA [Via Satellite 12-31-2015] United Launch Alliance (ULA) has contracted Orbital ATK to provide large-size composite structures to be used for the Atlas 5 and Delta 4 vehicles in support of the current United States Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELV) programs. During the contract scope, Orbital ATK will…
Artist rendition of the GR-1 monopropellant thruster. Photo: Aerojet Rocketdyne [Via Satellite 12-31-2015] NASA has selected Aerojet Rocketdyne for a public-private partnership to mature the design of the 1-Newton GR-1 monopropellant thruster, which uses a green propellant known as AF-M315E. Once matured, the improved GR-1 thruster will enable the technology to transition from development to…
Artist rendition of the Belintersat 1 satellite. Photo: Belintersat 1. [Via Satellite 12-31-2015] China Great Wall Industries Corporation (CGWIC) has announced Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSat) as the winner of a bidding process to provide In-Orbit test (IOT) and carrier Spectrum Monitoring (CSM) services for Belintersat 1, a communications satellite owned by the government of Belarus.…
In-Flight Connectivity. Photo: United Airlines [Avionics Today 12-29-2015] In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) is becoming ubiquitous with air travel, and doing so at a rapid clip. In the world of aviation, where progress is often glacial at best, a year doesn’t always mean much for one segment of the industry, but with Internet popping up on fleets…
SSL 1300 Series overview. Photo: SSL [Via Satellite 12-30-2015] PT Telkom Indonesia has selected Space Systems Loral (SSL) to provide the next communications satellite Telkom 4, which will be used for Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) in Indonesia, India, and Southeast Asia. The satellite will be based on the SSL 1300 platform, which provides the flexibility…
Photo taken on Dec. 29, 2015 shows the Long March-3B carrier rocket is launched with the Gaofen-4 Satellite in Xichang of southwest China’s Sichuan Province. Photo: Xinhua [Via Satellite 12-30-2015] China has launched its most sophisticated observation satellite, Gaofen 4, as part of the country’s High-Definition (HD) Earth observation project, according to the state-run news…
Photo: Rovi [Via Satellite 12-30-2015] Rovi Corporation, a digital entertainment technology provider, has expanded its entertainment discovery patent license agreement with Shaw Communications, a major Canadian cable and satellite service provider serving 2.6 million video customers across Canada. The deal expands the scope of usage under Shaw’s existing long-term license agreement to Rovi’s intellectual property.…
India-Pakistan border at night. Photo: NASA [Via Satellite 12-30-2015] The Department of Land Resources at India’s Ministry of Rural Development has accepted a proposal from the Chandigarh Administration for using satellites to map city properties, according to The Indian Express. The project is expected to start next month and has a deadline of one year.…