Featured Stories

FLORIDA SMALLSAT PROGRAM RECEIVES $500,000 DOD GRANT
January 27, 1997
The newly established Florida Space Institute–a partnership between the Spaceport Florida Authority (SFA), several local universities and the NASA-sponsored Florida Space Grant Consortium–announced this month it won a $500,000 grant...
Technology
ODYSSEY SIGNS ITS FIRST LOCAL SERVICE PROVIDER
January 27, 1997
Odyssey Telecommunications, the Big Low-Earth-orbit venture backed by TRW Inc. [TRW] and Teleglobe Inc., announced its first local partnership this month, a memorandum of understanding with China Telecommunications Broadcast Satellite...
DIRECTV LAUNCHES CARIBBEAN OPERATIONS
January 27, 1997
DirecTv Inc. [GMH] announced it is the first DBS operator to reach the Caribbean, with service launches this month in Barbados as well as Trinidad & Tobago. Caribbean Communications Network...
SPACE SYSTEMS/LORAL WINS CHINASAT CONTRACT
January 27, 1997
State-owned operator China Telecommunications Broadcast Satellite Corp. (Chinasat) selected Loral Space & Communications Ltd. [LOR] unit Space Systems/ Loral (SS/L) to build Chinasat 8, a hybrid satellite. The satellite, which...
SBCA PETITIONS FCC TO PREEMPT LOCAL ZONING ORDINANCE
January 20, 1997
The Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association (SBCA), working with a local retailer from Meade, Kansas, announced Jan. 15 it petitioned the FCC to preempt an "aggressive" Meade ordinance limiting satellite...
GILAT ACQUIRES SKYDATA IN $20M STOCK SWAP
January 20, 1997
Tel Aviv, Israel-based VSAT manufacturer Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. [GILTF] completed its purchase of Melbourne, Fla.-based paging and satellite hardware manufacturer Skydata Inc. Gilat paid with approxi mately 8 percent...
VYVX ACQUIRES VIACOM'S ADVERTISING DISTRIBUTION SERVICE
January 20, 1997
Fiber-optic and satellite operator Vyvx Inc. announced Jan. 8 that it completed its purchase of MGS Services Inc., Viacom Inc.’s [VIA] broadcast adver tising distribution provider. MGS duplicates commercials and...