Wednesday, April 17, 2013

In Demand renews C-band capacity agreement with SES

World-leading satellite operator SES announced that content distributor In Demand renewed its capacity deal with the company to continue with the delivery of pay-per-view and Video On Demand sports and entertainment television content to cable headends in North America.

Under the terms of agreement, In Demand will make use of a full transponder of C-band capacity aboard the AMC-1 satellite of SES to provide programming like movies, events and sports packages to cable audiences throughout the United States and beyond. All in all, the content distributor relies on five transponders aboard three SES satellites for its full-time satellite distribution capacity.

“SES represents the foundation of our overall North American satellite distribution capabilities and strategy,” said In Demand CTO John Vartanian in a statement. “Our audiences have come to rely on the availability and quality of In Demand sports and entertainment programming. In turn, we have come to trust in our longstanding partnership with SES for the reliability and flexibility we need in our satellite distribution platform.”

The C-band payload aboard AMC-1 satellite does not only deliver North American coverage, but is also home to national television networks broadcasting to several cable headends. The Ku-band beam also supports national broadcasters and VSAT and broadband services for enterprise clients.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Belarus, Russia collaborate to launch new satellite constellation

Two powerful countries Belarus and Russia announce its plan of launching a new satellite fleet to enhance the image resolution of one meter, this according to Piotr Vityaz, head of administration of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

The new satellite constellation is expected to capture images from the outer space, with the resolution of one meter to provide for the high detailed imagery demands of the two countries. Presently, the leaders of Belarus and Russia are in talks of the possibility of launching these satellites.

Meanwhile, the existing satellite constellation that makes up the Belarusian-Russian integrated space system for live monitoring of the Earth will undergo expansion. Currently, it includes the Belarusian satellite BKA, the Russian satellite Canopus-B, and the ground-based infrastructure. In the future, the existing satellite constellation will gain one Belarusian satellite and two Russian satellites.

On July 2012, Belarus sent its own satellite into space. With this move, the country became a space power and later created the Belarusian space system for the remote sensing of the Earth. The system is made up of the satellite and the ground-based control center.

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Monday, April 8, 2013

Iran plans on launching seven satellites

Iran Space Agency Director Hamid Fazeli made an announcement that the country aims to send seven satellites into space during the current Iranian calendar year, which commenced on March 21. Various Iranian universities will be contributing in the satellite manufacturing project.

Director Fazeli said that one of the satellites scheduled for launch this year is the Nahid spacecraft, using a special kind of technology. Weighing 50 kilograms, the Nahid satellite is designed by experts at the research centre of Iran Space Agency, along with scientists at Amirkabir University of Technology.

Among the other satellites that will be launched this year include the reconnaissance satellite Fajr (Dawn), powered by solar energy, and the Zafar (Triumph) satellite, to be produced by the University of Science and Technology. Mesbah, a communications satellite weighing 69 kilograms, will also be sent into orbit by the end of 2013.

Zafar, known as the second version of the Navid (Promise) satellite, is outfitted with colour cameras and has the capability to survey jungles, mines, natural disasters and oil reserves.

Fazeli added that the Iran Space Agency is also working to produce carrier rockets that can carry heavier satellites into space.

In February 2009, Iran launched its very first satellite called Omid (hope), while the Rasad (Observation) satellite was sent into space in June 2011. A year after that, the country sent its third locally manufactured satellite called Navid (Promise), which sent its first image in February 8, 2012.

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Monday, April 1, 2013

Intelsat taps ILS to launch two satellites

International Launch Services (ILS) has been chosen by satellite services provider, Intelsat S.A, for two future ILS Proton satellite launch missions.

In a company statement, Intelsat EVP and CTO Thierry Guillemin noted, “Intelsat enjoyed another steady year in 2012, which included five successful satellite launches and the completion of the world’s first global broadband mobility platform, which will enable increased bandwidth to support our customers’ growth plans.” Guillemin added that the company is looking forward to building its momentum, hence choosing ILS for two satellite launches which will allow the company to reach developing regions and eventually meet the ever-increasing demand for highly efficient and reliable connectivity.

Recently, ILS successfully launched the first satellite aboard the Proton vehicle. The spacecraft took the Satmex 8 satellite into orbit.

“ILS is honored to be selected by Intelsat for these future missions. We are pleased to have Intelsat’s confidence and commitment to support their plans for growth and expansion of their business,” ILS President Phil Slack said in a statement.

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Sunday, March 31, 2013

Arianespace announces successful launch of 1801st Soyuz launch vehicle

Arianespace, a French commercial space transportation company, made a recent announcement that the Soyuz launch vehicle successfully sent its 1801st flight into space. The launch took place on Friday, March 29, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 00:43 Moscow time.

As the third Soyuz family mission for this year, Arianespace together with its Russian associates reported that the Soyuz TMA-08M manned transport spacecraft was placed accurately on its intended orbit for yet another mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

After the introduction of Soyuz at the Guiana Space Center (CSG) two years ago, the famed Russian medium-class launch vehicle instantly became an essential part of the European launch vehicle fleet, along with the lightweight Vega and heavy-lift Ariane 5. Offered to the commercial market, the French Guiana Soyuz is said to be Europe’s reference medium-class launch vehicle for commercial and governmental missions.

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Sunday, March 24, 2013

Intelsat extends capacity agreement with Lebanese distributor ART/IND

Intelsat, a leading satellite service provider of voice, data and Internet solutions, extended its multi-year contract with ART/International Network Distribution. The Lebanese company is known as a leader in aggregating and distributing niche and international channels in the global market.

ART/IND extended its initial agreement on the Intelsat 21 satellite, which is located at 302 degrees East, so that the company will be able to contribute and distribute its key programming channels in the U.S. The company, an Intelsat customer for more than ten years now, will be added to the list of other leading media companies on the satellite in providing a combination of various content.

Together with Intelsat 805, Intelsat 21 provides excellent video neighborhoods and DTH platform to media companies, therefore allowing excellent access to viewers.

“Through this agreement, we are able to continue serving our growing number of channel affiliates and customers and enjoy the global coverage that we require,” said Karim Abdallah, ART/IND’s CEO. “With its reliable satellite fleet and expansive coverage, Intelsat is uniquely capable of providing the access we need to serve our channel affiliates and customers.”

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Monday, March 11, 2013

House of Representatives approves increase in weather satellite program funding

The U.S House of Representatives recently approved a legislation that will help the budget shortfall threatening to delay the geostationary weather satellites of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

With a vote of 267-151, lawmakers voted to pass a spending bill that would keep the federal government operating after the current stopgap funding legislation expires on the 27th. Although the house bill would keep funding flat at the 2012 level for most of the federal agencies and departments, the geostationary weather satellites of the NOAA are an exception.

With two geostationary spacecraft orbiting at fixed points above Earth, these weather satellites help transmit crucial data for use in weather forecasts and for tracking storms. Once the spending bill is passed, it would approve an extra $186 million more than NOAA’s program received last year, setting aside a total of $802 million for the agency’s next-generation weather satellite, GOES-R.

Without the funding for the geostationary satellites, the spacecrafts could face further delays, translating into a longer and more severe weather satellite gap expected to occur in the next few years. However, before NOAA can receive the capital for the program, the Senate must approve the legislation first for it to become a law.

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

ISRO plans on developing next high-resolution Earth observation satellite

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is currently planning to build the agency’s next remote sensing satellite, Cartosat-3, which is expected to replace GeoEye-1.

At present, the GeoEye-1 satellite produces the highest resolution Earth images taken by a commercial satellite. The spacecraft is capable of taking panchromatic images with a resolution of 0.41 meters. But under the regulations of the United States, commercially released images should be degraded to 0.5 meters.

WorldView-3 satellite is scheduled to be released on 2014 by DigitalGlobe, which merged with GeoEye at the beginning of 2013. The satellite is expected to produce images with a resolution of 0.31 meters. But ISRO said that the camera of Cartosat-3 satellite would produce even better images with a resolution of 0.25 meters and take the highest resolution images of the Earth.

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Sunday, March 3, 2013

Europe to coordinate surveillance, tracking of space junk for satellite protection

In terms of space debris surveillance and tracking information, satellite operators across Europe mostly depend on the United States. In a move to protect their satellites, the European Commission has devised a new plan to fuse together the existing capacities of EU member states, like ground-based telescopes, radars and tracking (SST) data centers to become more self-sufficient.

The commission reported that about 600,000 space debris larger than one centimeter are circling the Earth, posing a threat to the subsystems and instruments aboard a satellite. These junks are joined by approximately 16,000 other objects larger than ten centimeters, which might cause permanent damage or even destroy a satellite in case of a collision.

The only way to prevent a satellite from colliding with other space objects is to monitor and catalogue the orbiting objects to keep track of their trajectory. As such, it can give an early warning to satellite operators to move their satellites and avoid collision.

The proposed Europe-wide SST service by the commission will be available to all public, commercial and military satellite operators, as well as public authorities concerned with civil security.

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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Astrium looking for non-European collaborator on next Earth observation satellite development

Civil and military space systems provider Astrium is currently searching for a new partner outside of Europe for the development of the company’s new geostationary Earth observation satellite called GO-3S. One of the possible countries interested in the GO-3S project is Singapore. As a means of attracting possible associates, Astrium is also offering dedicated capacity and a commission of income from services provided by the satellite.

Gregory Pederson, director of sales and marketing at Astrium, noted that the 10-meter-long, 4.9-ton Earth observation satellite will cover roughly one quarter of the Earth’s surface using a three-meter resolution and a picture rate of five images per second.

The company said that Go-3S could potentially be capable of guiding its field of observation to a target zone in a matter of minutes to send images and video to the ground in real time. Astrium’s new Earth observation satellite is expected to have a lifespan of 15 years. Moreover, featuring a mirror approximately four meters in size able to observe 60 x 60 miles areas, Go-3S will be able to deliver 14 hours of uninterrupted coverage a day.

In a statement, Pederson said that Astrium is seeking partners and investors to work with them on the project, and that the company has already invested research and development money on the GO-3S satellite.

“Singapore for many reasons is one of the main countries interested in this,” Pederson added. “There is potential for technical cooperation and business cooperation. Generally speaking, Singapore is interested in projects that are leading the market. We are creating a new market segment in which an investor can be at the forefront of technology and business. That is something that suits Singapore perfectly.”

Astrium already finished a round of feasibility study on its new Earth observation satellite at the end of 2012, and is currently on the development phase until 2015. The company is expected to commence on manufacturing GO-3S in 2016 and operate it in space starting 2020.

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Monday, February 25, 2013

ISRO successfully sends Indo-French SARAL, six other satellites into orbit

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully sent the Indo-French oceanographic study satellite, SARAL, into space from its spaceport at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on Monday evening. Along with the SARAL satellite, ISRO’s PSLV rocket also launched six foreign mini and micro spacecrafts which includes Austria’s UniBRITE and BRITE; Canada’s NEOSSat and SAPPHIRE; Denmark’s AAUSAT3; and the United Kingdom’s STRaND.

A 410-kg satellite with two payloads, Argos and Altika, SARAL comes from the space agency CNES. The Indo-French satellite will be performing an oceanogprahic studies with the goal of improving the understanding of ocean state conditions. The Argos payload is a satellite-based data collection platform, while the Altika payload will aid in studying the height of sea surface,

This was the 23rd mission of the PSLV, which has an impeccable record of 21 consecutive successful flights. The recent launch is also the ninth time ISRO used the “core alone” variant of the rocket. ISRO has originally planned to perform the launch last December 12, 2012, but was delayed to carry out additional tests that to “address technical issues to ensure reliability.”

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Friday, February 22, 2013

Singapore to develop satellite, space technology industry

Singapore has announced the country’s plans of developing its satellite and space technology, and it’s first move is by creating the Office for Space Technology and Industry (OSTIn) -- an inter-agency office that will manage the development of its local space industry.

The office is supervised by the Economic Development Board (EDB), along with other participating ministries and agencies. Among them are the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR); the Ministry of Defense (MINDEF); Ministry of Education (MOE); MInistry of Foreign Affairs (MFA); Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI); and the National Research Foundation (NRF).

OSTIn is expected to do the planning and executing of economic strategies to help the growth of the local space industry. The office will also give out incentives and work with industry stakeholders to help them with their satellite business from Singapore. The office is already supporting two projects at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore to stir the country’s public satellite capabilities.

Meanwhile, Singapore Technologies Electronics (ST Electronics) announced that its subsidiary, ST Electronics (Satellite Systems) is currently developing the first commercial remote sensing satellite of Singapore called TeLEOS-1, which is set to launch in 2015.

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Sunday, February 10, 2013

Clyde Space announces Scotland’s first satellite launch

Clyde Space, a world-leading supplier of CubeSat, Nanosatellite, Small Satellite and spacecraft systems, made a recent announcement that Scotland will be launching the country’s first ever satellite on June aboard a Russian rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Taking part in United Kingdom’s Space Agency mission, UKube-1 nanosatellite will utilize GPS technology to measure plasmaspheric space weather and examine how cosmic radiation can help enhance the security of communication satellites. Moreover, UKube-1 will also carry five experiments targeted at U.K students.

Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland called the project “one small satellite for Clyde and a giant leap for their extraterrestrial export business and a new hope for space science in Scotland.”

Clyde Space got a visit from First Minister Salmond, Russian Federation consul general Sergey Krutikov, and Scottish Enterprise chief executive Lena Wilson to have a look at the nanosatellite.

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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

South Korea successfully sends first satellite-carrying rocket into orbit

South Korea is the latest addition to the list of countries who have successfully launched their own satellite into space. In spite of two previous failed attempts and several postponements, South Korea finally sent their 140-ton satellite-carrying rocket, KSLV-1, into orbit on Wednesday from the Naro Space Center. This comes after the satellite launch of rival country, North Korea, last month.

"After analyzing various data, the Naro rocket successfully put the science satellite into designated orbit," Science Minister Lee Ju-Ho said in a statement. "This is the success of all our people.”

The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) is especially designed to collect and examine study weather data, measure radiation in space, and test how indigenous devices installed on the space probe operate in space efficiently. South Korea will use this as a test to develop more sophisticated satellites in the future.

The first stage of KSLV-1 was designed and built by Russia under an agreement between the two governments.

Almost four years ago, South Korea also launched a satellite into space, but the spacecraft was not deployed properly due to a failure in release mechanisms on the second stage. A year after that, the country attempted another launch, which was also unsuccessful because the rocket exploded just two minutes after its launch.

The recent satellite launch of South Korea comes amid growing tensions with neighbor country, North Korea, as it threatens to conduct its third nuclear test after successfully launching a long-range missile that placed a supposed satellite into orbit last December. However, the accomplishment of South Korea is a result of the country's years of effort to improve its space program and capitalize on its position as a global technology powerhouse.

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

SES, MagtiSat mark new partnership with capacity deal

Satellite Services and MagtiCom -- a mobile and telecommunication company based in Georgia -- signed a deal for a fourth transponder at the ASTRA 31.5 degrees East orbital position after MagtiSat’s first year of operations. MagtiSat is known as Georgia’s first domestic direct-to-home (DTH) satellite platform.

In order to provide high-definition (HD) channels for up to 100 popular Georgian and foreign digital TV channels, as well as 40,000 customers all throughout the country, MagtiSat will make use of four SES transponders. The operator is broadcasting in DVB-S2 standard and MPEG-4 encoding.

The orbital position of the transponders at 31.5 degrees East will deliver superior growth opportunities for Central Eastern Europe broadcasters, and can even accommodate the increasing demand for SD adn HD services in the region.

MagtiCom’s General Director Lars P. Reichelt said that the company’s goal is to provide Georgian customers with world-class satellite TV all over the country, adding that MagtiSat is now firmly established in the TV landscape of Georgia and that the company is happy with the excellent customer feedback. Georgia’s switchover to digital TV broadcasting was successful because of MagtiSat’s help.

Expressing gratitude to their first partnership, Norbert Hölzle, SES Senior Vice President, Commercial, Europe, said in a statement: “We would like to congratulate our partner MagtiCom on setting the benchmark for DTH business in the region in its successful first year of operations. MagtiCom’s expertise in delivering telecom solutions and SES’ wealth of knowledge in providing excellent satellite TV signals have proven to be vital in enabling TV audiences across Georgia to enjoy high-quality satellite television channels. We will capitalise on these strengths and continue to deliver more channels to the region in the coming years.”

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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Ball Aerospace clears final major design review of JPSS-1

Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS-1) spacecraft has finally been cleared in its final major design review by American spacecraft manufacturer, Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. This accomplishment signifies that the spacecraft’s development is on track for its scheduled launch on the first quarter of 2017.

Together with NASA and NOAA, Ball Aerospace administered a delta Critical Design Review (dCDR) in December 2012 on the JPSS-1 that lasted for four days. Due to the success of the spacecraft review, it can now carry on with the implementation.

The next-generation satellite will follow the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite to deliver critical environmental data and maintain the progression of weather and environmental observations.

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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Canada advances into the final stage of RADARSAT Constellation program

Officials confirmed that the expensive RADARSAT Constellation project of the Canadian government will be launching its final stage, despite the costs which have grown from $600 million to more than $1 billion. Christian Paradis, the Federal Industry Minister and the one responsible for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), would be announcing the plans on Wednesday.

In a statement, Paradis said that the Canadian government guarantees that they have necessary tools to monitor and manage resources, assert the nation’s sovereignty, and protect the vast territory and coastal areas. He added that the first-class RADARSAT Constellation Mission keeps Canada at the cutting edge of design and operation of radar satellites.

Established in 2005, the RADARSAT project was contracted out to MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) to develop the program. The high-end satellites will be used for maritime surveillance, disaster management and environmental monitoring of Canada’s huge land mass, oceans and coastal approaches at least once per day, and up to four times daily in the high Arctic. It is scheduled to be launched between 2016 and 2017. Recently, MDA handed over a revised proposal to the government for the construction phase of the RADARSAT project.

“Canada has a hard-won reputation for expertise in a highly competitive global environment. Through strategic investments in R&D and space, our Government is fostering industrial innovation, promoting commercialization, creating high-quality jobs, and positioning our industry for continued growth in the global economy,” Minister Paradis added.

Officials from MDA and the Canadian Space Agency will join Christian Paradis at the company’s satellite systems office to make “a significant announcement.”

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