Focus: Telecom

[11-27-07 – Satellite Today] Hughes Network Systems LLC will provide Essroc, a North American cement producer, with backup satellite broadband service, Hughes announced Nov. 27.     HughesNet Access Continuity uses satellite broadband technology to create a path to the primary landline network, ensuring that Essroc applications such as accounting, processing, e-mail, bulk loading, time and...

[11-26-07 – Satellite Today] Astrium Satellites signed a contract with Inmarsat to develop an Alphasat 1-XL satellite that will support Inmarsat’s Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service, Astrium announced Nov. 23. Alphasat is a European Space Agency (ESA) initiative to develop a new platform capable of carrying a large communications payload. Inmarsat signed an agreement...

[11-26-07 – Satellite Today] Shin Satellite signed a deal with Indonesia’s FirstAsia Group to provide Ipstar gateway operations and services, Shin announced Nov. 23. FirstAsia Group will place an initial order for 5,000 user terminals with the bandwidth commitment of 200 megabits per second. Construction of the Indonesian IPStar gateway will begin in December and...

[11-26-07 – Satellite Today] Sea Launch delayed its Thuraya-3 mission due to weather conditions, the company announced Nov. 25. No new date had been set. Thuraya-3, manufactured by Boeing, will provide mobile voice and data services from its orbital slot at 98.5° East. This will be the third Thuraya spacecraft placed into orbit by Sea...

[11-26-07 – Satellite Today] Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (SingTel) will provide satellite control services for the ProtoStar 1 satellite as well as lease C-band capacity on the spacecraft, SingTel and ProtoStar Ltd. announced Nov. 26. “ProtoStar has been working closely with SingTel for some time on joint opportunities, so these agreements now formalize what has been...

[11-26-07 – Satellite Today] PlanetSpace, Lockheed Martin and ATK have submitted a bid for NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Project (COTS), PlanetSpace announced Nov. 22. NASA has opened up the program to new bidders in October after terminating its agreement with Rocketplane Kistler. NASA announced that it had $174.7 million available for a new award...

[11-21-07 – Satellite Today] Intelsat Ltd. has signed two agreements to provide satellite-based cellular backhaul solutions to wireless operators in Kenya and Angola, the company announced Nov. 21.     Angola’s MSTelecom, a subsidiary of Sonangol Holdings, will use additional C-band capacity on the Intelsat 3R satellite at 43° West to provide transmission services as it...

[11-20-07 – Satellite Today] Raytheon Co. has completed the final system acceptance test to augment standard GPS signals over India, the company announced Nov. 20. The test of the GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation-Technology Demonstration System is an important milestone in the transition to satellite-based navigation for civil aviation, the company said.     When completed,...

[11-19-07 – Satellite Today] A Russian Proton rocket placed the Sirius 4 satellite into orbit for SES Sirius Nov. 18, International Launch Services (ILS) announced. This is the first commercial Proton mission since a September launch failure.     Sirius 4 will be located at 5° East and deliver broadcast and broadband services across Europe as...

[11-19-07 – Satellite Today] Thuraya is counting down to the launch of its Thuraya-3 satellite, which is set for Nov. 19 following several days of delays due to unfavourable sea conditions.     The mission, the first for Sea Launch since the company’s January failure, will place Thuraya-3 into a 98.5° East slot, where it will...