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AsiaSat announced Dec. 19 a new capacity deal with Afghan broadcaster Shamshad TV. The broadcaster will lease C-band capacity on AsiaSat 2 to distribute programming to broadcast networks across Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and other parts of Asia.

NASA has signed an agreement to make its archive of images and other information available through Internet giant Google, NASA announced Dec. 18. Under a Space Act Agreement, NASA’s Ames Research Center and Google will make NASA’s information, including weather visualization and forecasting, 3-D maps of the moon and Mars, and tracking of the International...

Arrowhead Global Solutions Inc. received an order from the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to provide the U.S. Marine Corps with expanded commercial satellite capabilities, the company reported Dec. 18. Arrowhead, in conjunction with SES, will provide bandwidth availability, portability and mobility to support missions in the United States, Europe, Southwest Asia, Southeast Asia,...

XM Satellite Radio has completed its new two-satellite system after XM-4 was handed over to the satellite radio operator by Boeing Co., the companies announced. XM-4 was placed into orbit in October by Sea Launch and joins XM-3, launched in 2005, to provide service for XM through the next two decades, the company said. The...

Croatia has become the 20th full member of Eumetsat’s community of states, the organization announced Dec. 15. Under an agreement signed earlier this year, Croatia will be able to fully participate in the decision-making process for Eumetsat, the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. Croatian companies also will be able to bid for...

Orbital Sciences Corp. launched the TacSat-2 satellite for the U.S. Air Force aboard a Minotaur I space launch vehicle Dec. 16, the first mission from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), a private facility located at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The Minotaur launch was performed for the U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile...

SeaMobile Inc. announced Dec. 18 that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Geolink, a satellite-based broadband communications and networking services provider to the European market. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has received the first signals from the Engineering Test Satellite No. 8 (Kiku-8), which was launched Dec. 18 from the Tanegashima Space Center, JAXA reported. The solar panels have been deployed, and “the satellite is now in good condition and operations are progressing smoothly.”

A Delta 2 rocket placed a classified payload into orbit on Dec. 14 for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, the first mission for the newly formed United Launch Alliance. The Delta 2 lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., at 4 p.m. EST and deployed the payload following a 58-minute flight. The ULA, a...

NovAtel Inc. has become the first company outside of Europe accepted as a full member of Galileo Services, a non-profit organization promoting the development and use of Galileo-enabled businesses, NovAtel announced Dec. 14. The European satellite navigation service is expected to be fully operational beginning in 2010.