General news on the satellite and space industry from around the web
An OHB AG Facility. Photo: OHB AG. [Via Satellite 09-02-2014] Erwin Kayser-Threde, located in Munich, Germany has merged with OHB System AG in Bremen, Germany. The combined company will use the name OHB System AG, but will continue to use the Kayser-Threde logo for process control technology activities. Both companies were subsidiaries of OHB AG.…
An O3b satellite. Photo: Thales Alenia Space [Via Satellite 09-02-2014] O3b Networks has completed in-orbit testing of the four Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites launched on July 10. This brings the company’s current constellation up to eight spacecraft, with four more slated to launch in early 2015. O3b’s eight-satellite constellation enables the company to launch…
Artist’s rendition of Africasat 1a. Photo: Orbital Sciences [Via Satellite 09-02-2014] Onlime has signed for additional transponder capacity from Measat on Africasat 1a. The new capacity will be used to support growth in African markets. Launched in 2013, Africasat 1a is a hybrid C- and Ku-band communications satellite providing coverage over Azerbaijan, Central Asia, Europe…
Inmarsat’s IsatHub. Photo: Inmarsat [Via Satellite 09-02-2014] Panama is one of the first countries in Latin America where Inmarsat’s IsatHub connectivity service will be offered. IsatHub launches globally this month, providing a secure network for users within 30 meters of the terminal. Inmarsat distribution partner MVS USA, will provide 24/7 customer service, sales and technical…
GeoMetWatch orbiter rendition. Photo: GeoMetWatch [Via Satellite 08-29-2014] Commercial weather company GeoMetWatch is reevaluating its original plan to orbit six geo-hyperspectral sounders as hosted payloads. Instead, the company hopes a new approach that includes separate satellites will help to bring the constellation online by 2020. “We are looking at some free-flyer opportunities which, for some of…
CONAE’s Tronador 2 launch vehicle. Photo: Wikipedia [Via Satellite 08-29-2014] The National Commission on Space Activities (CONAE), Argentina’s space agency, has completed the second experimental flight of the Tronador 2 launch vehicle. The rocket, VEX 1B, reached a height of 2,200 meters during the 27 second flight. CONAE launched the Tronador 2 rocket in Pipinas,…
Hiroshima following the August 2014 landslide. Photo: GetHiroshima.com (Flickr) [Via Satellite 08-29-2014] C-Com Satellite Systems reports its customer Japan Satellite Communications (JSC) has deployed iNetVu mobile antennas in response to landslides in Hiroshima, Japan. Heavy rain triggered the landslides, which have displaced more than 1,500 people and killed more than 70. “JSC has deployed over 350…
NASA’s lightweight cryotank, built by Boeing. Photo: NASA [Via Satellite 08-29-2014] NASA has completed an extensive set of tests on a new large 5.5-meter diameter composite cryogenic fuel tank. Built by Boeing, the lightweight tank is being evaluated for use on rockets. Engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. simulated the physical…
Inmarsat HQPhoto: Inmarsat [Via Satellite 08-29-2014] Inmarsat has received a $9.1 million dollar Phase 2 quarterly payment from LightSquared within the 60 day contractual cure period. LightSquared’s July 2, 2014 notice of default was issued by Inmarsat following a missed payment. As of July 1, LightSquared owed a quarterly Phase 2 payment of approximately $4.1…
Netwec equipment for Bentley Walker. Photo: Newtec [Via Satellite 08-29-2014] VSAT service provider Bentley Walker has expanded its coverage to include Iraq. The company has installed a Newtec IP Broadband Hub at Avanti’s Makarios Teleport gateway, located in Cyprus, to begin providing service throughout the country. Last year Bentley Walker used thousands of Newtec terminals…