Industry Latest

Artist’s rendering of a GEOStar 3 satellite. Photo: Orbital Sciences [Via Satellite 02-04-2015] Orbital Sciences will use Aerojet Rocketdyne’s XR-5 Hall thrusters on its newest satellite bus, the GEOStar 3, for an all-electric design. The contract provides electric propulsion systems for the next three years, capable of both orbit raising and station-keeping. Orbital Sciences introduced…

Estonia accedes to ESA Convention. Photo: ESA [Via Satellite 02-04-2015] Estonia, a member state of the European Union (EU) has taken a critical step toward membership in the European Space Agency (ESA). On Feb. 4, the country’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications — who leads foreign trade and entrepreneurship — Anne Sulling, along with…

Ted Tewksbury, interim president and CEO at Entropic. Photo: Entropic [Via Satellite 02-04-2015] MaxLinear has agreed to purchase semi-conductor solutions manufacturer Entropic, with unanimous approval from both boards of directors. MaxLinear placed the implied total transaction value at approximately $287 million and the implied enterprise value is $181 million — the net of Entropic’s cash…

[Via Satellite 02-04-2015] International Datacasting Corporation (IDC) has received a contract from the U.S. government to expand its secure satellite-broadcasting network. The company is providing the latest generation of its Cyphercast decryption client, which uses the same Irdeto security technology that is integrated into its high performance satellite receivers. The Cyphercast decryption client ensures the…

[Via Satellite 02-04-2015] Arabsat and Media Space have signed a contract to broadcast the Saudi Digital Satellite Platform from Arabsat satellites. The platform is part of an initiative to develop a private media sector in Saudi Arabia, and will broadcasts Saudi channels. The contract is worth approximately $2.7 million. The post Arabsat, Media Speed Awarded…

True Color view of North America that depicts weather moving across the continent. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument on the NOAA/NASA Suomi NPP satellite captured the image. Photo: NOAA [Via Satellite 02-03-2015] The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) is in danger of encountering near-term coverage gaps…

A rendering of Turksat 4A in orbit. Photo: Mitsubishi Electric [Via Satellite 02-03-2015] Hughes Europe has signed an agreement with Turksat to deliver its Jupiter High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) ground system to the Turkish operator. The deal aims to enhance Turksat’s services across Turkey and neighboring countries in Europe and the Middle East. Using Jupiter’s ground system,…

Mark Rawlins, SDA chairman. Photo: Radical Moves PR [Via Satellite 02-03-2015] Mark Rawlins, director of communication system operations at Eutelsat, has been elected as the new chairman of the Space Data Association (SDA), an international non-profit association of satellite operators that supports the controlled, reliable and efficient sharing of space environment and RF spectrum data.…

Gearbulk shipping vessel at sea. Photo: Gearbulk [Via Satellite 02-03-2015] Telecommunications provider SpeedCast International has been awarded a multi-year communications contract from shipping services company, Gearbulk. The new Ku-band satellite service will provide broadband connectivity on 50 cargo vessels across the world, bringing the fleets’ communication capabilities up to speed. The vessels will benefit from…

[Via Satellite 02-03-2015] The latest edition of NSR’s Energy Markets via Satellite report has found that, although near-term challenges exist for some segments of the energy market, the long term opportunities remain strong. At more than $3.8 billion in retail revenues split between the oil and gas, mining and utility markets by 2024, new capacity,…