General news on the satellite and space industry from around the web
Optus Satellite VP Paul Sheridan. Photo: Optus Satellite [Via Satellite 12-26-2014] Australia’s remote connectivity needs are fueling growth for domestic satellite operator Optus Satellite. The company’s latest satellite, Optus 10, began commercial service this month following a Sept. 11 Ariane 5 launch. Optus Satellite Vice President Paul Sheridan told Via Satellite that demand for telecommunications…
Artist’s rendition of akatsuki’s findings. Photo: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) / The University of Tokyo [Via Satellite 12-26-2014] Scientists have continued to make use of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA’s) Venus Climate Orbiter Mission AKATSUK after it missed its intended orbital injection around the planet in 2010. Researchers from the University of Tokyo…
A World Health Organization (WHO) map of Ebola cases from October 2014. Photo: WHO [Via Satellite 12-26-2014] The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has released a new mobile application that coordinates information between responders and provides the latest news to the general public. Available in English and French, the app also provides an interactive map that…
MUOS 3 Encapsulation. Photo: Lockheed Martin. [Via Satellite 12-26-2014] Lockheed Martin reports the third Mobile User Objective System satellite (MUOS 3) is encapsulated in its payload fairing for a Jan. 20, 2015 launch. United Launch Alliance (ULA) is contracted to launch the U.S. Navy satellite aboard an Atlas 5 rocket. The first two satellites, MUOS…
[Via Satellite 12-26-2014] Former Weather Central Inc. President William Baker has joined Tempus Global Data, a company seeking to commercialize weather data by orbiting a constellation of six hyperspectral sounders. Under his leadership, Weather Central provided weather data solutions to an international broadcaster customer base. Baker sold the company to a division of The Weather Company…
A Boeing 777. Photo: Ken Mist / Wikipedia [Via Satellite 12-26-2014] Starting January 2015, airlines will be able to equip Boeing 777 aircraft with satellite connectivity systems from Global Eagle Entertainment (GEE). On Dec. 22 the company announced it has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval via a Supplemental Type Certificate to install Ku-band satellite…
Digital rendering of ViviSat’s MEV. Photo: ATK [Via Satellite 12-24-2014] NASA has announced collaborative partnerships with four U.S. companies developing new space capabilities for government and commercial customers. The un-funded partnerships with SpaceX, United Launch Alliance (ULA), ATK Space Systems and Final Frontier Design are part of the Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities (CCSC) initiative…
Artist’s impression of Alphasat. Photo: ESA [Via Satellite 12-24-2014] Inmarsat’s U.S. Government Business Unit reached 10 Mbps while testing an on-demand lease service with the experimental L-band Advanced Communications Element (LACE) terminal. The prototype established a 10 Mbps return link for real-time video from the Middle East and Africa through a small L-band antenna across…
[Via Satellite 12-24-2014] Satellite industry research and consultancy firm Euroconsult has highlighted trends and supply and demand indicators from different 2014 Euroconsult reports and compiled them in the newly released “Satellite Value Chain: The Snapshot.” The report covers sectors such as satellite manufacturing and launch services, Earth observation, navigation and communications. Euroconsult included several noteworthy…
Galileo container sprayed clean. Photo: ESA [Via Satellite 12-24-2014] The European Space Agency (ESA) received the Flight Model 6 (FM06) Galileo navigation satellite at the European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) in the Netherlands. The satellite brings to four the number currently at ESTEC as ESA prepares for future launches. There are currently six…