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The mobile unit of RTL Interactive has signed a contract to use SES Astra’s Blucom service, which allows broadcasters to provide interactive services, SES Astra announced Dec. 11. The Blucom signal is sent to satellite-TV users and their mobile phones via digital set-top boxes and with the support of Bluetooth technology. The return channel operates...

Archetype Corp. of Birmingham, Ala., has appointed Alva Wright as director of West Coast sales, the company announced Dec. 11. Wright will manage operations at Archetype’s satellite offices in San Diego, Calif. Archetype provides GSM-based, Web-enabled GPS tracking solutions for applications such as homeland security, logistics, enterprise resource planning and supply chain management. Wright will...

A Chicago man accused of developing and distributing software designed to steal DirecTV programming has agreed to a $1 million settlement with DirecTV Inc. and NDS Americas Inc., DirecTV announced Dec. 8. DirecTV and NDS, the creator of security features used to protect DirecTV’s broadcasts from unauthorized interception, filed a federal lawsuit against Robert Lazarra...

Orbital Sciences Corp. updated its 2007 earnings per share and free cash flow guidance following the pricing of a $143.8 million debt offering, Orbital announced Dec. 8. Orbital intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with cash on hand, to repurchase older debt as well as 2.7 million outstanding shares of common...

Aerojet has signed an agreement to integrate Russian-built thrusters into Aerojet’s satellite propulsion systems, GenCorp Inc. announced Dec. 6. Aerojet will integrate Russian-built Hall-effect thrusters built by Fakel Experimental Design Bureau of Kaliningrad, Russia, into electric propulsion systems marketed in the United States, Japan and South America. "This teaming agreement takes advantage of proven technologies...

Euro1080, a leading European high-definition (HD) channel and content provider, will broadcast all of its channels using MPEG-4 beginning in 2007, the company announced. In order to facilitate the transition, Euro1080 intends to offer a special MPEG-4 compatible set top box promotion to existing customers. Euro1080’s bouquet of HD channels include: HD1, HD2, HD5 and...

China placed the Fengyun-2D meteorological satellite into orbit Dec. 8, Xinhua announced. The Long March-3 rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province at 8:53 a.m. local time. The spacecraft, China’s second geostationary orbit meteorological satellite, will provide improved weather forecast services for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games as well as form...

BSkyB has made a deal with Google to bring a number of Web-based services to BSkyB’s broadband customer base, the companies announced. BSkyB will deploy Google’s suite of search, advertising, communications and video services, which will be tailored and branded for BSkyB’s broadband offering. BSkyB, which has more than 8 million direct-to-home subscribers, is targeting...

The launch of the Corot satellite has been postponed due to a leak in the fuel circuit of the Soyuz rocket’s Fregat upper stage, the European Space Agency announced. The mission, which will take place from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, has been posted from Dec. 21 to Dec. 27. Corot will be placed into a...

France’s Caisse des D�pots et Consignations will acquire a 25.5 percent stake in Eutelsat from French investment firm Eurazeo, the companies announced Dec. 7. This is the second major transfer of Eutelsat stock announced this week. Caisse des D�pots, a state-owned financial institution that performs public interest missions on behalf of France’s central, regional and...