General news on the satellite and space industry from around the web
ETL System’s 64 Inputs x 128 Outputs Distributive Hot-swap Part Populated Vulcan L-band Matrix. Photo: ETL Systems [Via Satellite 01-27-2015] United Arab Emirates telecoms operator du has purchased three RF matrices from ETL Systems to add capacity to its Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network. The telco has seen an increase in IPTV subscribers as new…
NetHope has set up more than 100 VSATs in West African countries affected by Ebola. Photo: NetHope [Via Satellite 01-26-2015] Gisli Olafsson, emergency response director at NetHope, a consortium of 42 top global humanitarian organizations, has been in West Africa as part of the international response to the Ebola outbreak since October 2014. He has…
SpaceX’s CRS 4 Launch for NASA. Photo: SpaceX [Via Satellite 01-26-2015] SpaceX has closed its lawsuit with the United States Air Force over its $11 billion block buy of launches from Boeing–Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA). Through an agreement between the two, the Air Force increased the number of competitive launch services…
A laptop, tablet and smartphone. Devices like these are targeted for this new OTT solution. Photo: Miniyo73 (Flickr) [Via Satellite 01-26-2015] Eutelsat has partnered with Neotion and Broadpeak on a global solution for Free-To-Air (FTA)/secured Over The Top (OTT) services for smartphones, tablets and 4K screens. The solution operates independently from IP infrastructure, making pay-TV…
Africa portion of Amos 5 Ku-band West-Central Beam [Via Satellite 01-26-2015] Spacecom has won a multi-year contract to broadcast Africa Cable TV (ACTV), the newest pay-TV platform in Nigeria, from the Amos 5 satellite. The company will transmit more than 60 channels to Nigerian viewers, including both international and local content, from the satellite’s Ku-1…
Es’hail 1 Ku-band footprint. Photo: Es’hailSat [Via Satellite 01-26-2015] Al Araby Television Network has selected the Es’hail 1 satellite owned by Qatari satellite operator Es’hailSat to broadcast its channel exclusively in HD. The broadcaster is transmitting content over the satellite as of Jan. 25 from London, U.K. to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)…
The AirTRx25 Antenna. Photo: Orbit Communications Systems [Via Satellite 01-26-2015] Orbit Communications Systems announced it has received a substantial contract from a large defense organization in eastern Asia for a satellite communications solution designed for airborne platforms. According to the company, the unnamed buyer has been a longstanding customer, and has used its tracking and telemetry…
A half to scale CICERO model in assembly. Photo: GeoOptics [Via Satellite 01-23-2015] Commercial environmental data company GeoOptics is in the process of establishing partnerships to support, build and launch a constellation of Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) small satellites called the Community Initiative for Continuous Earth Remote Observation (CICERO). The company’s plan is to launch the satellites six…
A Russian Soyuz rocket. Photo: Roscosmos [Via Satellite 01-23-2015] As part of a series of reforms of its space sector, the Russian government has decided to combine the Federal Space Agency Roscosmos with the United Rocket and Space Corporation. The combined entity will be called Roscosmos State Corporation. Igor Komarov has been appointed as head…
Rajiv Khattar, president – South Asia of ABS. Photo: ABS [Via Satellite 01-23-2015] Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) has created a new executive position focusing on South Asia and has appointed Rajiv Khattar as the president. Rajiv brings more than 20 years in the cable and satellite industries, having spent 10 years at Dish TV India…