Technology

[Via Satellite 09-19-2014] Lockheed Martin has successfully mated the large system and propulsion modules of NOAA’s first Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R series (GOES-R) next-gen weather satellite. Now, with the core spacecraft assembled, the company will install the six weather and solar monitoring instruments. The GOES-R satellite is scheduled to launch in early 2016, and will...

[Via Satellite 09-18-2014] Beijing-based China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) has completed the Final Design Review (FDR) of the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite 4 (CBERS 4) in collaboration with Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE). The completed FDR paves the way for a December launch aboard a Long March 4B rocket from the Taiyuan...

[Via Satellite 09-18-2014] Emcore has agreed to sell its space photovoltaics business to private equity firm Veritas Capital, including all rights to the buildings and 275 employees in Albuquerque, N.M. An affiliate of Veritas has agreed to purchase the business for $150 million in cash. Founded in 1998, Emcore’s space photovoltaics business manufactures products for...

[Via Satellite 09-17-2014] Communications and Power Industries (CPI) provided a quad-band satellite communications radome to ViaSat in support of the company’s recent flight demonstrations using an integrated Ku-band and Ka-band airborne satellite terminal. The hybrid Ku-/Ka-band terminal and radome enable roaming between beams for In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity (IFEC) and other services to both commercial...

[Via Satellite 09-15-2014] Communications & Power Industries’ (CPI) Satcom Products group has released a 100-Watt C-band solid state Block Upconverter (BUC), based on Gallium Nitride (GaN). The new device complements existing Ku-band and X-band GaN BUC’s from CPI and, according to the company, is almost twice as power efficient as Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) counterparts. “CPI’s...

[Via Satellite 09-12-2014] Small satellite manufacturer SpaceQuest is looking to accelerate the pace of launches for its satellites. In December 2013 the company launched AprizeSat 7 and AprizeSat 8, and in June 2014 it launched two more satellites. But the limited availability of cost-effective launch options for small satellites, or SmallSats, has become a hindrance....

[Via Satellite 09-11-14] Orbital Sciences Chairman, President and CEO David Thompson told World Satellite Business Week (WSBW) delegates in Paris that he was unsure about the immediate prospects for the hosted payload market. “If you asked me about the potential for the hosted payload market one to two years ago, I would have said it...

[Via Satellite 09-11-2014] Laser Light Communications, a company dedicated to creating the first Optical Satellite System (OSS), has selected Ball Aerospace as its prime contractor. Ball Aerospace is responsible for a first phase design analysis, preceding an initial eight-satellite Medium Earth Orbiting (MEO) constellation. According to Laser Light, at 12 satellites the optical constellation should...

[Via Satellite 09-10-2014] United Arab Emirates (UAE) based satellite operator Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), has selected Orbital Sciences to build its next satellite, Al Yah 3. Slated for launch in late 2016 aboard an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket, Yahsat expects the new High Throughput Satellite (HTS) will provide capacity to more than 600...

[Via Satellite 09-10-2014] Boeing has received a contract for two 502 Phoenix small satellites from HySpecIQ. The satellites will carry hyperspectral payloads for advanced imaging capabilities. As part of the agreement, Boeing will handle sales, as well as processing and distribution for the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and the intelligence community. HySpecIQ will...