General news on the satellite and space industry from around the web
Skynet 5A being installed on the payload interface adapter for its Ariane 5 launch. Photo: Arianespace [Via Satellite 11-06-2014] Airbus Defence and Space has selected Hughes Network Systems to develop a new ultra-compact, lightweight terminal for a service named XeBRA. The new terminal measures 8 x 25.8 x 23 centimeters, and will weigh less than…
Artist rendering of the Jabiru 1 satellite being built on Lockheed Martin’s A2100 platform. Photo: Lockheed Martin [Via Satellite 11-06-2014] NewSat has selected General Dynamics C4 Systems Satcom Technologies to manufacture four 13.2-meter antennas for the Jabiru satellite program. Three of the antennas will be in Ka band, while the fourth will be Ku band for…
Gilat’s SkyEdge 2C platform. Photo: Gilat [Via Satellite 11-06-2014] Hispasat and Gilat have signed two new European Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for their Virtual Network Operations (VNO) program. Euskaltel of the Spanish autonomous community “Basque Country,” and NOS, previously known as ZON Optimus, of Portugal are the new customers. Euskaltel previously ordered Gilat’s SkyEdge 2-c…
CDM 625A modem. Photo: Comtech [Via Satellite 11-06-2014] Comtech EF Data has augmented several of its satellite modems to optimize the devices for use with High Throughput Satellite (HTS) systems. The CDM-760 Advanced High-Speed Trunking Modem now includes an integrated High-Speed Packet Processor for high-end users, that can process more than 190,000 packets per second…
Via Satellite is reporting from the OilComm 2014 event. [Houston, Texas 11-05-2014] The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is nearing a decision point on the regulatory plan 3.55-3.65 GHz Citizen’s Broadband Radio Service (CBRS). The FCC will decide on the fate of 50 MHz at the 3.65 GHz band, which several incumbent operators use today. The…
ViaSat-1 in the Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR). Photo: SSL [Via Satellite 11-05-201] Boeing has completed testing on its new anti-jamming communications technology, proving it is capable of operating as either a ground-based user terminal or satellite-based networking hub, enabling the military to send and receive secure communications at a lower cost by using existing…
Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) equipment. Photo: U.S. Army [Via Satellite 11-05-201] AIS Engineering, a woman-owned, small business, was awarded a contract to provide bandwidth for the Joint Satellite Engineering Center (JSEC) for the Project Manager Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (PM WIN-T). AIS will be providing the satellite capacity together with SES Government Solutions (SES GS). The…
Liftoff of H-IIA Flight 19. Photo: NARITA Masahiro [Via Satellite 11-05-201] Spaceflight Inc. and Japan Manned Space Systems Corporation (JAMSS) have announced a cooperative launch service agreement to integrate and deploy CubeSats from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Astro-H mission. Under this cooperative agreement, Spaceflight and JAMSS will launch and deploy eight 3U CubeSats…
Pharostar maritime VSAT antennas. Photo: Airbus Defence & Space [Via Satellite 11-05-201] Airbus Defence and Space has doubled its satellite capacity to provide increased throughput and service availability for yacht owners transiting back to the Caribbean from the summer season in the Mediterranean. Vessels sailing along the entire U.S. East Coast and the Caribbean will…
[Via Satellite 11-05-201] COM DEV International, a manufacturer of space hardware subsystems, has been awarded a fully-funded contract valued at approximately $6 million to deliver Ku-band equipment — including multiplexers, switches and ancillary equipment — to be used on a high throughput communications satellite. The satellite is being built to replace an existing satellite and…