February 2016

A satellite ground station. Photo: Ben Freeman [Via Satellite 02-05-2016] Atlas Space Operations, in cooperation with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and partner RT Logic has successfully tested its Freedom Platform, performing numerous live S-band downlink operations using a support antenna in Southern California. This test validates operational functionality of the Atlas Freedom…

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo: Wilfredo Rodríguez [Via Satellite 02-05-2016] The ASC Signal Division of Communications & Power Industries (CPI) has won a contract for eight multi-band antennas for coverage of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games and other regional sports broadcasts for a major Latin American broadcast network. The contract includes one 7.6-meter…

A Hispasat ground control center. Photo: Hispasat [Via Satellite 02-05-2016] Spanish satellite operator Hispasat is preparing the ground segment for the new Hispasat 1F and Amazonas 5 satellites, having awarded a $5.5 million contract to Indra for the supply of four ground stations along with other upgrades. Two of the stations will be installed in…

[Via Satellite 02-05-2016] Oil and gas telecommunications provider RigNet has completed the acquisition of Orgtec S.A.P.I. de C.V., d.b.a. Tecnor, a provider of telecommunications solutions and services for remote sites on land, sea and air in Mexico. Tecnor provides a wide array of equipment, voice and data services, satellite coverage, and bandwidth options to industrial,…

An XTAR facility. Photo: XTAR [Via Satellite 02-04-2016] XTAR is in the early stages of planning the replacement satellites for its next generation constellation. The operator’s two spacecraft, XTAR Eur at 29 degrees east and XTAR Lant at 30 degrees west, are now 10 and 11 years old, respectively. As these satellites start nearing their…

Photo: SES [Via Satellite 02-04-2016] SES has signed a multi-year deal with Inter Media Group, Ukraine´s largest media group, for additional capacity to broadcast TV channels on the Astra 4A satellite at 5 degrees east. In addition to its two leading channels, Inter and NTN, Inter Media Group will distribute six additional channels on the…

Photo: Yukon Quest (Flickr) [Via Satellite 02-04-2016] Hughes Network Systems is sponsoring the U.S. portion of the Yukon Quest, a 1,000 mile international sled dog race, with its HughesNet broadband service. The company will provide high-speed Internet access and Voice Over IP (VoIP) service to enable communication for information such as weather updates, course warnings…

Es’hail 1 / Eutelsat 25B. Photo: SSL [Via Satellite 02-04-2016] Al Rayyan 2, a satellite television channel launched in 2012 to showcase Qatari cultural and national identity, is now broadcasting to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region from Es’hail 1. The mission of Al Rayyan 2 is to make authentic Qatar known to…

[Via Satellite 02-04-2016] Tango Wave, a manufacturer of high-power, high-linearity outdoor unit (ODU) Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTAs) and subsystems for broadcast and data services, has moved to a new state-of-the-art design and manufacturing facility in Sunnyvale, Calif. Responding to the anticipation of future business opportunities in the high-power satcom uplink communications markets, the facility will house…

NASA’s SLS rocket. Photo: NASA [Via Satellite 02-03-2016] NASA has selected 13 CubeSats to test new technology on the first flight of the agency’s upcoming rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), set to pave the way for deep space exploration. Launching in 2018, the new rocket aims to first propel an unmanned Orion spacecraft beyond…