General news on the satellite and space industry from around the web
Orbital Sciences Dulles, Va. Headquarters Building. Photo: Orbital Sciences [Via Satellite 02-10-2015] Orbital Sciences and the aerospace and defense groups of Alliant Techsystems (ATK) have completed the merger between the two companies. This forms a new $4.5-billion space, defense and aviation systems manufacturer for which the new company will begin trading shares immediately. “Now, with…
Telekom Austria Group. Photo: Telekom Austria Group [Via Satellite 02-10-2015] Communications provider Telekom Austria Group (TAG) is extending its relationship with Eutelsat Communications to offer satellite broadband across its footprint in Central and Eastern Europe. This is an extension of the September 2013 agreement whereby the two companies partnered to host TAG’s white label Direct-to-Home…
Customer using satellite phone. Photo: Inmarsat [Via Satellite 02-10-2015] Inmarsat has announced plans to offer all post-pay IsatPhone 2 customers free access to the GEOS Worldwide Emergency Response Coordination service. The service allows customers to contact the GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC) by pressing the assistance button located at the top of the…
AMOS-5 satellite rendering. Photo: Wikipedia [Via Satellite 02-10-2015] Continental Satellite (ConSat TV) has chosen Spacecom’s Amos 5 satellite at the 17 degrees orbital position to transmit for the Nigerian Direct-to-Home (DTH) provider over an Amos 5 Ku-beam. ConSat TV offers its digital Pay TV platform with more than 50 premium and local channels to Nigerian…
Admiral Cecil Haney speaking at Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha, Nebraska in 2013. Photo: U.S. Stratcom [Via Satellite 02-09-2015] The United States Strategic Command (Stratcom) wants better tracking for small satellites as the number of them in orbit continues to skyrocket. Speaking Feb. 6 at a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event, Admiral Cecil Haney,…
NBN Co’s Geraldton Western Australia Earth station. Photo: NBN Co [Via Satellite 02-09-2015] Australia’s state-owned National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) has finished construction of the last ground station needed for its Long-Term Satellite Solution (LTSS) broadband service. Now complete, the stations are set to connect approximately 400,000 households and businesses in rural areas. NBN…
Photo: Eutelsat [Via Satellite 02-09-2015] Television and Internet Service Provider (ISP) United Group has prolonged its agreement with Eutelsat for capacity on the Eutelsat 16A satellite. The company uses satellite to broadcast its pay-TV platform Total TV to target markets in in Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of…
Milano Teleport’s C-band coverage. Photo: Milano Teleport [Via Satellite 02-09-2015] Milano Teleport has increased its C-band services with the addition of three regional beams for its iSeaglobal maritime product. The expansion follows a 35 percent increase in available C-band capacity the company made in December 2014. Milano Teleport now offers four regional C-band beams and…
The AssetPack-3 (AP3) global satellite tracker. Photo: AssetLink Global [Via Satellite 02-09-2015] AssetLink Global, a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Internet of Everything (IoT) solutions provider, has selected Iridium to connect its AssetPack 3 solar rechargeable monitoring and tracking device. According to Iridium, the partnership will improve AssetLink’s end-to-end asset management for customers in remote areas, even…
Photo: Brian Cantoni (Flickr) [Via Satellite 02-04-2015] Over-The-Top (OTT) operators could overtake satellite as the frontrunner for next generation video, according to analysts at Futuresource. While the satellite industry has been zealous in its pursuit of 4K, OTT operators are facing fewer barriers in bringing higher definition content to viewers, potentially positioning them to supplant…