Technology

[Via Satellite 08-07-2014] Norsat earned $9.6 million in revenue during the second quarter of 2014, up 11 percent from $8.6 million the same time last year. Non-military revenues increased 17 percent as a result of market diversification. Adjusted EBITDA rose from $0.8 million to $1.3 million compared to Q2 2013. Two of Norsat’s three primary...

[Via Satellite 08-7-2014] Macom Technology Solutions has released MAGX-001214-650L00; a gold-metalized pre-matched Gallium Nitride (GaN) on Silicon Carbide (SiC) transistor designed for pulsed radar applications. Assembled in a high-performance ceramic flange package, the MAGX-001214-650L00 supports up to 650 W of peak power with a typical 19.5 dB of gain and 60 percent efficiency. Furthermore, the...

[Via Satellite 08-06-2014] Generation Orbit Launch Service successfully completed a captive-carry test flight for its Flight Bed Experiment (GO-FET) from Florida’s Cecil Spaceport. The three-hour test met all primary and secondary objectives using a Learjet 35 carrier aircraft with a standardized pod integrated to a wing hardpoint. The primary purpose of the test was to...

[Via Satellite 08-05-2014] Google’s acquisition of satellite imagery startup Skybox Imaging has officially closed. According to Skybox, the deal was completed on Aug. 1, 2014. In June Google purchased Skybox for $500 million dollars in cash. Google said it wants the Skybox team to help improve Internet access and disaster relief efforts. It is also...

[Via Satellite 08-05-2014] Iridium has received the first satellite-engineering model for the upcoming Iridium NEXT constellation. The company reports that the model arrived at Iridium’s Technical Support Center (TSC) on July 29, 2014. Orbital Sciences is building the 81 satellites that will comprise both active and spare units for the Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) constellation...

[Via Satellite 08-05-2014] Space Systems Loral (SSL) received a contract from Intelsat to build the company’s next satellite, Intelsat 36. The spacecraft, to be built on the SSL 1300 bus, will carry Ku-band and C-band payloads and is slated to launch in 2016. In June 2014 African Direct-to-Home (DTH) provider MultiChoice signed a 15-year contract...

[Via Satellite 08-04-2014] Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) CEO Matt Perkins is confident that applying Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) technology to satellite will continue to revolutionize satellite design over the next decade. Already a key practice at SSTL, Perkins told Via Satellite that as more companies adopt this approach it will continue to accelerate...

[Via Satellite 08-04-2014] Telespazio and the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) will cooperatively run the operations for Galileo, Europe’s navigational satellite program, through a joint venture. Established by the two entities in 2009, Spaceopal GmbH, is the main contractor for operations services and will handle controlling the satellites, navigation data...

[Via Satellite 08-04-2014] Millennium Space Systems has initiated the first round of its competitive “Bootstrap” partnership program. Companies selected through the program will partner with Millennium Space on the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) production run of six Altair satellites. The company currently has six Altair E1 satellites under production to expedite the process. Millennium Space...

[Via Satellite 08-01-2014] Euroconsult estimates that between 2014 and 2023, a total of 1,155 satellites will be manufactured and orbited, worth a collective total of $248 billion. The report, “Satellites to be Built & Launched,” attributes 25 percent of this projected business to commercial space companies, with the majority, 75 percent, coming from government programs....