February 2016

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket set to launch the SES 9 satellite. Photo: SpaceX [Via Satellite 02-26-2016] SpaceX announced another delay for the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the SES 9 satellite on Thursday night. The launch, originally scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 24, was held for unknown reasons at 6:45 p.m. just minutes after the Feb. 25…

Garrett Katzenstein, Rocket Lab’s new VP of product and mission management. Photo: Rocket Lab [Via Satellite 02-26-2016] Rocket Lab, manufacturer and operator of the Electron small satellite launch vehicle, has hired Garrett Katzenstein, formerly SpaceX’s senior manager for mission and launch operations, as vice president of product and mission management. Katzenstein will oversee customer experience…

Artist’s rendition of SES 14. Photo: Airbus Defense and Space [Via Satellite 02-26-2016] Panasonic Avionics has struck two major, multi-year, High Throughput Satellite (HTS) capacity agreements with SES to serve aeronautical and other markets across the Americas. Panasonic Avionics contracted for capacity on the SES 14 and SES 15 satellites, which are set to launch…

[Via Satellite 02-26-2016] Satellite communications provider Inmarsat has selected Thales to develop and manufacture a Complementary Ground Component (CGC) terminal for its European Aviation Network (EAN) high-speed In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) solution. Inmarsat unveiled EAN last year as the first aviation passenger connectivity solution across European airspace to integrate an advanced satellite network and an LTE-based…

Artist’s rendition of EchoStar 105 / SES 11. Photo: Airbus Defence and Space [Via Satellite 02-25-2016] EchoStar is positioning for 2017 to be a major growth year after a slew of new satellites reach orbit in 2016. The company has five satellites/payloads launching this year, including the long awaited EchoStar 19/Jupiter 2, bringing fresh room…

Falcon 9 rocket set to launch the SES 9 satellite. Photo: SES [Via Satellite 02-25-2016] SpaceX has delayed the launch of the SES 9 satellite aboard the Falcon 9 rocket, scheduled for Wed., Feb. 24 from Cape Canaveral, Fla. SpaceX reported the suspension on its Twitter account yesterday night before the 6:46 p.m. launch window…

SpeedCast’s Mawson Lakes Teleport, based in Adelaide, Australia. Photo: SpeedCast [Via Satellite 02-25-2016] SpeedCast International grew its statutory revenue by 42 percent in 2015 to $167 million. The company also achieved a 42 percent increase in Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA), with profitability of $29.3 million. Revenues in 2015 included the contributions…

Edmund Kong, CTO of Measat. Photo: Measat [Via Satellite 02-25-2016] Measat has selected Edmund Kong as the company’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Formerly the product line chief engineer at a leading aerospace manufacturer, he has 20 years of experience in the satellite industry. Kong will focus on developing Measat’s long-term technology strategy. He will be…

RT Logic’s CyberC4:Alert product. Photo: Kratos [Via Satellite 02-25-2016] The National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP), a U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and National Security Agency (NSA) program, has granted Common Criteria certification to Kratos Defense and Security Solutions CyberC4:Alert, a product from its RT Logic subsidiary. Officially known as the NIAP Common…

SIS Live’s teleport in MediaCityUK. Photo: SIS Live [Via Satellite 02-24-2016] SIS Live is in the midst of evolving from a company based largely on satellite connectivity to one that provides multiple forms of communications. The transition, according to Managing Director David Meynell, picked up considerable momentum last year, as the company sought to diversify…