Technology

[Via Satellite 10-23-2014] SpaceQuest has signed a letter of intent to launch satellites on Mishaal Aerospace’s M-OV orbital launch vehicle once it is ready. The agreement defines the launch requirements and minimum payload requirements necessary for launch. SpaceQuest has launched its past four satellites on Kosmotras Dnepr rockets, but has expressed a strong preference for...

[Via Satellite 10-22-2014] Comtech EF Data, a subsidiary of Comtech Telecommunications, has received a $2.3 million order for the Advanced VSAT networking platform from a systems integrator in Asia. The customer specified a mission requirement for high-throughput, bi-directional connectivity with the ability to support greater throughput demand in the future. Advanced VSAT is a fully...

[Via Satellite 10-23-2014] Satellite Earth Observation data, value-added services and information products are expected to more than double from $2.3 billion in 2013 to $5.1 billion in 2023, according to NSR’s new “Satellite-Based Earth Observation (EO), 6th Edition” report. Driving this growth is a combination of higher resolution imagery and increasing demand from public authorities....

[Via Satellite 10-20-2014] Intelsat and Spanish satellite operator Hispasat have agreed to continue working together at the 55 degrees West orbital location over Latin America. Hispasat has collocated its Amazonas 1A satellite with Intelsat’s Galaxy 11 since June 2014. The company reports it has purchased capacity on the upcoming Intelsat 34 satellite, set to launch...

[Via Satellite 10-17-2014] The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected Airbus Defence and Space to design and build six second-generation Meteorological Operational (MetOP-SG) satellites in a $1.65 billion contract. The constellation is split into two series with three satellites each. The first of the six is planned to launch in 2021, and each spacecraft will...

[Via Satellite 10-17-2014] Lockheed Martin has transferred the first Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instrument to its Denver Colo. facility for integration into the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R (GOES R) series. The GLM leverages technology originally designed for the Lightning Imaging Sensor used on NASA‘s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission. The device has a 1.8-megapixel focal...

[Via Satellite 10-17-2014] Thales Alenia Space will create a Common Interoperability Layer (CIL) between France’s Composante Spatiale Optique (CSO) military system and Italy’s civil/military Second-Generation Cosmo-SkyMed (CSG) satellite constellations. The agreement ensures interoperability between user ground systems for CSO and CSG Systems as part of the Multinational Space-based Imaging System (MUSIS) program. The MUSIS Federating...

[Via Satellite 10-15-2014] Wavestream, a provider of Solid-State Power Amplifiers (SSPAs) for mission-critical defense and broadcast satellite communications systems, has appointed its past President and Co-Founder James Rosenberg as CTO. Before rejoining Wavestream, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gilat Satellite Networks, Rosenberg held senior engineering positions at Comtech Xicom Technology, where he was responsible for...

[Via Satellite 10-14-2014] The seventh Global Positioning System (GPS) 2F satellite has completed in orbit checkout and control has been transferred to the United States Air Force, according to Boeing. Both the Air Force and Boeing conducted the initial activation and system checkout following the Aug. 1 launch. Boeing transferred control of the satellite on...

[Via Satellite 10-13-2014] SES has established a regional office dedicated to the Middle East region in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first employees at the new site are comprised of engineering, sales and business development professionals, with support internationally from other offices. This year SES also opened the SES Technical Academy in Dubai in...