Really Rocket Science

U.S. Air Force considers commercial satellite lease covering western Africa to demonstrate willingness of Defense Department to break outmoded and inefficient buying habits, as industry hopefully anticipates decision.
[Space News – 09/27/2013]

Cyugnus capsule – Space News

Orbital Sciences Corp’s Cygnus capsule now slated for Sunday berthing at ISS.
[Space News – 09/27/2013]

SES’ Astra 2E satellite slated for launch on September 30.
[Yahoo Finance – 09/27/2013]

Soyz/Fregat rocket – Space News

Latest delay of planned Russian Soyuz/Fregat launch in December underscores issue for small-satellite owners.
[Space News – 09/27/2013]

Telecom New Zealand is awarded contract to establish and manage one of Inmarsat’s Pacific Ocean Region satellite access stations for Global Xpress.
[TelcoReview – 09/27/2013]

Thales Alenia Space gets contract to operate, support and maintain Europe’s GPS satellite navigation overlay system for 8 years for more than 120 million euros.
[Space News – 09/27/2013]

Both DirecTV and Dish are open to the idea of a DirecTV-Dish merger, but such a merger would likely face regulatory hurdles.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 09/27/2013]

The International Telecommunication Union on Sept. 27 warned owners of small satellites that they are not exempt from the rules that bind the rest of the satellite industry.
[Space News – 09/27/2013]

Microspace Communications celebrates its 25th anniversary, having built a network that comprises over a quarter of a million independent locations throughout the United States, Europe, and Latin America.
[PRWeb – 09/27/2013]

Russia’s two principal commercial satellite-fleet operators, RSCC and Gazprom, will invest heavily in consumer Ka-band satellites to provide satellite broadband across Russia.
[Space News – 09/26/2013]

Orange Business Services is providing secure satellite VPN services to improve communication between the Russian headquarters of Nordgold and its mines in Guinea and West Africa. [SYS-CON Media – 09/26/2013]

H2A launch – Space News

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Tokyo gets breakthrough contract to launch the Telstar 12 Vantage telecommunications satellite for Telstar.
[Space News – 09/26/2013]

Galileo satellite – Space News

Ground testing delays push back initial operational Galileo launch well into 2014.
[Space News – 09/26/2013]

IDATE releases latest edition of its report devoted to the future of TV, predicting changes in viewer behavior and evolving business models as the new industry player hierarchy is now taking shape.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 09/26/2013]

The first of the three Astrium-built Swarm research satellites is on its way to the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia on an Ilyushin-76 aircraft.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 09/26/2013]

iDirect Government Technologies’ Evolution TRANSEC meets the Department of Defense’s transmission security requirements.
[Via Satellite – 09/26/2013]

DigiGone video communications system and software platform is approved for use with Thuraya’s IP terminals.
[MarineLinke.com – 09/26/2013]

LEO Television Network of Pakistan has commenced distributing three television channels on AsiaSat 3S.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 09/26/2013]

L-3 TRL Technology is working with Avanti Communications to provide secure high-speed0 Ka-band satellite services to government and military agencies. [Yahoo Finance – 09/25/2013]

MEASAT’s Senior Vice President – Space Systems Development Dr. Ali R. Ebadi receives 2013 Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
[SatNews – 09/25/2013]

Lockheed Martin submitted its competitive proposal for the U.S. Air Force’s Hosted Payload Solutions (HoPS) initiative aimed at leveraging commercial satellites for some government missions.
[Via Satellite – 09/25/2013]

Satellite built by University of Hawaii students is headed into space courtesy of NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites program. [University of Hawaii System News – 09/25/20]

Colorado flopd damage – GCN

Army Air National Guard units use variety of devices to communicate during Colorado flood efforts, including pocket-sized satellite communicator and personal tracking devices.
[GCN – 09/25/2013]

Despite expected hits to satcom due to government and military budget cuts, government and military satellite communications are expected to reach $5 billion in revenue growth by 2022 according to NSR report.
[SatNews – 09/24/2013]

Space shuttle Atlantis – Space News

SpaceX, which had been seeking exclusive use of old space shuttle launch pad at Cape Canaveral, now says it would make the pad available to NASA and other users if it is allowed to lease the facility.
[Space News – 09/24/2013]

U.N. Broadband Commission releases latest country-by-country data on the state of broad-band access worldwide.
[Via Satellite – 09/24/2013]

Emerging Markets Communications (EMC) acquires STM, Global IP and Vodanet Brasil.
[Via Satellite – 09/24/2013]

Arianespace, one of the sponsors of the Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications Council (APSCC) 2013, will use the platform to reaffirm its position as the benchmark satellite launch services provider in the region.
[ISPCS – 09/24/2013]

COM DEV Europe’s satellite terminal passes important milestone in completing inter-satellite communication link.
[Yahoo Finance – 09/24/2013]

SES and Arqiva sign multiple transponder contract.
[Satellite Spotlight – 09/24/2013]

Blue Sky Network, a supplier of satellite tracking and communication solutions for aviation, land and marine, has launched the HawkEye 7200 portable M2M tracking solution.
[Via Satellite – 09/24/2013]

Global Eagle Entertainment and THAICOM announce Memo of Understanding to offer in-flight connectivity services in the Asia-Pacific region.
[Yahoo Finance – 09/23/2013]

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting’s new CEO highlights Maritime as a major growth opportunity.
[Via Satellite – 09/23/2013]

Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) and Hummerlton Security Services (HSS) have signed a multi-transponder agreement on ABS 2 and ABS 3 satellites.
[Via Satellite – 09/23/2013]

StarTimes Communications Network Technology of China signs 10-year capacity agreement with SES to expand TV reach in Africa on SES 5.
[Via Satellite – 09/23/2013]

Harris Broadcast to automate upgraded HD playout and content management center of Tel Aviv’s SatLink.
[Via Satellite – 09/23/2013]

General Dynamics gets $15 million contract to provide up to 80 Ku-Band terminals with Ka-Band and X-Band conversion kits to the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division for an evaluation of Comms on the Move effort.
[Signal online – 09/23/2013]

Boeing sends protected government signal through ViaSat-1 commercial Ka-band satellite.
[Hispanic Business – 09/23/2013]

Australia’s Abbott is expected to appoint former head of Telstra to lead the NBN Co., after the entire board resigned on Monday.
[The Satellite – 09/23/2013]

Orbital Sciences Corp.’s Cygnus capsule docking with ISS aborted due to computer data link trouble.
[R&D Magazine – 09/22/2013]

 WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

SES 8 launch on SpaceX Falcon 9 suffering delays – Space News
Launch providers say the market is in state of chronic oversupply – satellite operators see another side of the coin, as they experience launch delays and struggle to secure launches.
[Space News – 09/20/2013]

Eutelsat’s ‘smart LNB’, a new-generation electronic feed connected to an antenna with an embedded transmitter for a new broadcasting ecosystem, wins EUsatcom innovation award.
[Satellite Spotlight – 09/20/2013]

ViaSat 1 broadband satellite – Via Satellite

Boeing demonstrates potential for military to access more communications pathways at lower cost, transmitting a government-developed, frequency-hopping signal through a commercial satellite.
[Via Satellite – 09/19/2013]

All 11 UHF, S, C and Ku-band transponders of India’s first exclusive defence satellite GSAT-7 have been turned on and are operating normally.
[India TV News – 09/19/2013]

European Space Agency delivers its SuperSites Exploitation Platform designed to enable the analysis and interpretation of large volumes of satellite data in order to better understand the processes causing geohazards.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 09/19/2013]

SES and CETel sign multi-transponder capacity deal to provide service to meet escalating demand in the Middle East.
[Yahoo Finance – 09/19/2013]

Orbital Sciences Antares Rocket – R&D Magazine

Orbital Sciences launches its first ever supply ship to ISS, becoming second private company to do so.
[R&D Magazine – 09/18/2013]

MIlitary satellite – Defense One

The PLA of China and the Pentagon are both testing and improving Anti-Satellite capabilities.
[Defense One – 09/18/2013]

The third Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) protected military communications satellite for the U.S. and its allies is successfully launched from Cape Canaveral.
[Space Fellowship – 09/18/2013]

OHB contracts Astrium to build German radar reconnaissance satellite to be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9.
[Space News – 09/08/2013]

Bentley Walker extends its service coverage towards Libya using Newtec’s Ka-band VSAT broadband platform.
[Satellite Spotlight – 09/18/2013]

Rebortbuyer.com publishes “The Global Military Satellites Market 2012-2022 – Country Analysis: Market Profile” offering detailed analysis of the global Military Satellites Market over the next ten years.
[News Channel 5 – 09/18/2013]

NASA photo – R&D Magazine

MIT researchers are investigating how space weather may affect components of geostationary satellites.
[R&D Magazine – 09/18/2013]

Global VSAT Forum’s VSAT certification program is expanded to West Africa with partners NetHope and iDirect.
[Green Technology World – 09/17/2013]

Algerian hopes a new contract signed by Newtec and the Algerian Telediffusion d’Algerie will boost communications infrastructure for the North African country.
[IT News Africa – 09/17/2013]

Iridium announces the first turnkey hosted payload solution, Iridium PRIME, to host third-party payloads on stand-alone satellites leveraging the connectivity afforded by the Iridium NET satellite network.
[Satellite Spotlight – 09/17/2013]

KVH signs expanded capacity agreement with SES to meet rising demand for maritime communications.
[Satellite Spotlight – 09/17/2013]

Capacity on two Eutelsat satellites mobilised by Media Broadcast for coverage of German Federal Elections.
[PR Newswire – 09/17/2013]

Latin America will be fastest growing region in the world in terms of subscriber and revenue growth in the DTH market in the next 3-5 years according to NSR report.
[NSR – 09/174/2013]

Gilat announces release of Wavestream Ka-band Matchbox mini block upconverter.
[Wall Street Journal – 09/17/2013]

Arbitral Tribunal decides that Intersystem Coordination Agreement (ICA) signed by SES and Eutelsat in 1999 does not bar SES from using disputed Ku-band spectrum where Eutelsat does not hold the “regulatory” right to operate in these bands – SES agrees that Eutelsat would use those bands where it holds “regulatory” right.
[SatNews – 09/16/2013]

Inmarsat and Onixsat Telecom partner to provide BGAN M2M service to Brazilian banking sector.
[Via Satellite – 09/16/2013]

SES declares victory over Eutelsat in dispute over access to 500 MHz of Ku-band broadcast frequencies over the heart of Europe.
[Space News – 09/16/2013]

Satellite Launch – Space News

U.S. to spend almost $44 billion on launches in 2014 – 2018.
[Space News – 09/16/2013]

Hughes, SES and Row 44 sign trans-atlantic broadband agreement.
[Satellite Spotlight – 09/16/2013]

FRANSAT unveils its “FRANSAT Connect” interactive portal using the HbbTV standard at IBC .
[Satellite Evolution Group – 09/16/2013]

Blue Origin files formal protest of proposed shuttle pad lease to SpaceX.
[Space News – 09/16/2013]

Newtec signs agreement with Liquid Telecom of Africa to provide a VSAT Broadband Hub and thousands of VSAT terminals.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 09/16/2013]

Newtec and Telediffusioin d’Alterie sign multimillion Euro contract to deploy several of Newtec’s interactive satellite terminals running on the ASBU Multimedia Exchange Network over Satellite.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 09/16/2013]

Cygnus launch delayed due to weather and an inoperative cable; following system tests launch is expected to be scheduled for September 18.
[SatNews – 09/15/2013]

Launch of Canadian satellite CASSIOPE by SpaceX postponed; new launch date to be determined.
|SatNEws – 09/15/2013]

Rukmini, India’s first exclusive satellite for military applications, expected to be operational by the end of September.
[Financial Express – 09/13/2013]

Inmarsat and Stream Communications partner to deliver ‘machine to machine’ anywhere.
[Space Daily – 09/15/2013]

Inmarsat reports that governments and militaries in more than a dozen countries worldwide have successfully trialed or are evaluating its new L-TAC service for communications-on-the-move.
[Space Daily – 09/15/2013]

ATCi tailors Simulsat transport system for European News Gathering and Content Aggregation market.
[Hispanic Business – 09/14/2013]

The third Lockheed Martin-built Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite is encapsulated into payload fairing for planned September 18 launch.
[Your Communications News – 09/13/2013]

TrustComm’s expansion of its VSAT and engineering service portfolio to include Mobile Satellite Services is latest step in plan to become a single source provider for end-to-end commercial satellite communications.
[Via Satellite – 09/13/2013]

Comtech Telecommunications gets $1.3 million in additional orders for equipment to support mobile network upgrade and expansion in Southeast Asia.
[Hispanic Business – 09/13/2013]

ATCi displays low cost flyaway antenna package for broadcasting video channels at IBC 2013.
[Broadway World – 09/13/2013]

Eutelsat and Samsung announce partnership to promote Ultra HD.
[Sys-Con – 09/13/2013]

Garuda Indonesia takes first two of ten 777-300ER aircraft to be fitted with Panasonic Avionics Corporation’s Global Communications Services.
[Via Satellite – 09/13/2013]

Land remote sensing satellite – Azernews

Azerbaijan plans to expand production capacities to manufacture satellite equipment.
[Azernews – 09/13/2013]

Futron forecast expects market for satellite communications to grow at 6% CAGR through 2021. [Digital Journal – 09/12/2013]

AEHF expands global communications for Allied missions; Netherlands makes call on protected communications satellite.
[Yahoo Finance – 09/12/2013]

According to Carrier ID survey carried out by the Satellite Interference Reduction Group and Newtec, 93% of respondents suffer from satellite interference at least once a year; 17% continuously.
[IT News Online – 09/12/2013]

Earth imagery photo – Space News

Satellite imagery firms in U.S. and Europe push for permission to sell sharper imagery.
[Space News – 09/12/2013]

PSSI Global and Juch-Tech break North American satellite transmission speed record using NS3 technology from NovelSat.
Sacramento Bee – 09/12/2013]

Inmarsat Maritime CEO tells audience at International Shipping Week that satellite communications systems can reduce vessels’ operating costs by as much as 10 percent.
[Ship & Bunker – 09/12/2013]

Northrop Grumman delivers precision pointing unit for highly sophisticated suite of antennas for Air Force’s Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite.
[PR Newswire – 09/12/2013]

C-COM Satellite Systems gets type approval from Avanti Communications for its iNetVu Ka-98G antenna system.
[SatNews – 09/12/2013]

Panasonic and Intelsat collaborate to offer communications over fastest growing air travel region on the high-performance EpicNG platform.
[Via Satellite – 09/12/2013]

Ericsson, Eutelsat, Globecast, Newtec, and SKY Italia successfully complete series of live tests of an end-to-end satellite-based delivery chain for contribution of live images in 4K (Ultra HD).
[Via Satellite – 09/12/2013]

Broadcom advances Direct Broadcast satellite chips at IBC.
[Yahoo Finance – 09/12/2013]

Calgary-based Blackline GPS partners with Iridium to provide mobile safety monitoring anywhere on earth.
[Calgary Herald – 09/12/2013]

Emerging regions drive transition in satellite industry into new environment with increased competition between satellite operators and grater uncertainty on demand usage and associated pricing conditions – Euroconsult.
[Via Satellite – 09/11/2013]

Goce satellite – BBC

European Space Agency prepares for its Goce gravity-mapping satellite to fall from orbit, burning up as it descends.
[BBC – 09/11/2013]

SiRRAN EXPLORER Mobile Net powers new Cobham range of satellite-optimized portable GSM/3G/LTE kits.
[Hispanic Business – 09/11/2013]

Mexico selects Lockheed Martin and Atlas V launch vehicle for its Morelos-3 communications satellite launch.
[UPI – 09/10/2013]

Smart Communications of the Philippines enters business deal with Thuraya to expand its satellite coverage to two-thirds of the world.
[GMA News – 09/10/2013]

Iridium says it will expand its ongoing Iridium Next modernization with dozens of additional satellites to be built by Thales that will carry only third party hosted payloads for governments and private customers.
[Wall Street Journal – 09/09/2013]

Astrium sells Telesat new South America satellite.
[BN Americas – 09/09/2013]

Hughes expands rotary-wing SATCOM capabilities, increasing data throughput for ISR applications.
[Avionics Intelligence – 09/09/2013]

Hughes Communications India will provide managed tele-education network to the Delhi Academy of Medical Sciences.
[Information Week – 09/09/2013]

Satellite camera installation, Tsavo National Park – NBC

Covert satellite cameras may help catch animal poachers in Africa and eventually other countries where poaching is an issue.
[NBC News – 09/09/2013]

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo completes successful second flight test.
[R&D Magazine – 09/06/2013]

NSR’s Satellite-Based Earth Observation, 5th Edition, provides a complete and detailed analysis of the EO data vertical markets and their evolution over the next 10 years.
[NSR – September 2013}

NSR’s Maritime Satellite Markets focuses exclusively on the maritime satellite communications market – from narrowband MSS to future MEO-HTS deployments.|
[NSR – Septemer 2013]

SkyTruth’s view of the Bakken from space. The red stuff at the upper left is rig lighting and flaring from oil and gas drillers working the Bakken Shale. The bright area on the right is the city of Minneapolis.

The folks over at SkyTruth are doing a really good job, using existing observation spacecraft and they’re ready to send up a balloon to document what other ways frackers are polluting.

I missed this coverage over the summer…

Thanks to that and lots of other people, they’ve met their funding goal on indiegogo. The project…

SkyTruth is teaming up with Space for All  for a skytruthing mission over the massive Bakken shale oil and gas fields in western North Dakota.  We’re planning to launch a sensor package from the ground to the edge of space tethered to a high altitude balloon rig, courtesy of Space for All.  We will combine on the ground observations with detections from the balloon rig and measurements we are making from space to measure the amount of natural gas flaring there.  This will help us test the accuracy of our satellite-based flaring detections so we can do a better job of monitoring and reporting on the amount of environmentally damaging (and unnecessary and wasteful) flaringthat happens in the Bakken and elsewhere in the world.  The more good data we can collect on when, where, and how much, the more we can help groups that are working to reduce and eliminate it. This is what we mean by skytruthing – using remote sensing and mapping to understand and change the world.

Read more about the Bakken and oil shale fracking in this great piece by National Geographic: The New Oil Landscape

Watch their video pitch…

Hat tip to Motherboard.

Always nice to see a Delta launcher go. Extra nice to see a heavy go!

The payload is for the NRO, so we can only speculate as to what it was for. As reported by the L.A. Times…

Although little is publicly known about what exactly the rocket will be carrying into space, analysts say it is probably a $1-billion high-powered spy satellite capable of snapping pictures detailed enough to distinguish the make and model of an automobile hundreds of miles below.

If this is a LEO spacecraft, it’s probably on the big side, given the Delta IV Heavy’s capability.

Great job by NOAA in putting this video together, marking the retirement of the GOES-12 spacecraft.

NOAA’s GOES-12 satellite was decommissioned on August 16th, 2013 after 3,788 days in service. From April 2003 — May 2010, GOES-12 served as GOES East, providing “eye in the sky” monitoring for such memorable events as the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season and the series of blizzards during the winter of 2009-2010. After suffering thruster control issues, GOES-12 was taken out of normal service and moved to provide greater coverage of the Southern Hemisphere as the first-ever GOES South. During that time it provided enhanced severe weather monitoring for South America.

This animation shows one image from each day of the satellite’s life — a total of 3,641 full disk visible images.

China Satellite Communications signs Memo of Understanding with Global Eagle Entertainment to support in-flight connectivity services in the People’s Republic of China.
[Market Watch – 08/16/2013]

Ukrainian and Turkish TV channels begin broadcasting through Azerbaijan’s first communications satellite.
[ABC.AZ – 08/16/2013]

India Space Research Organisation hopes to raise its stature in the global satellite launch business with a successful launch of FSLV-D5 with an indigenous cryogenic engine August 19.
[business today – 08/16/2013]

FCC streamlines satellite communications rules affecting license applications by earth station operators.
[TVTechnology – 08/15/2013]

NOAA keeps quiet a report that suggests using Chinese weather satellite data to cope with potential gap in American satellite coverage.
[Space News – 08/15/2013]

Yahsat expands presence of its satellite broadband internet service in Angola with new partnership with Global Telesat.
[African Brains – 08/15/2013]

China Mobile Satellite Communications Group achieves growth from 1,000 minutes of airtime in April to over 60,000 minutes in July.
[4 traders – 08/15/2013]

Previously unannounced South American customer for Space Systems/Loral multi-mission communications satellite is Star One of Brazil.
[Sacramento Bee – 08/15/2013]

Satellite TV distribution innovator Robert N. Wold passes away at 87.
[Los Angeles Times – 08/14/2013]

Air Force decides to shut down “Space Fence” program due to budget sequestration, a move that will put major strain on existing surveillance capacity and jeapordize satellite and space industries.
[Satellite Today – 08/14/2013]

Burgeoning military demand for satcom services, weather data and other space products, coupled with draconian budget cuts, may force new direction in military satcom services acquisition.
[National Defense Magazine – 08/14/2013]

Singtel decides not to sell Optus Satellite division; mulls IPO as an alternative.
[Satellite Markets & Research – 08/14/2013]

Brazil moves to end dependence on United States and secure its own satellite and digital networks following accusations of U.S. spying.
[globalpost – 08/14/2013]

Future Commercial Satellite Communications Services meets some of its goals, but challenges remain.
[Defense Systems – 08/14/2013]

International Launch Services review agrees with Russian conclusions that improper installation of three yaw angular rate sensors led to the failure of the July 2, 2013 Proton launch.
[Market Watch – 08/14/2013]

Expansion of aero connectivity market with new satellites planned over ocean routes will dictate multiple-frequency approaches to address narrow-body and wide-body commercial airlines connectivity needs.
[NSR – 08/14/2013]

Lockheed Martin chooses three companies to provide CubeSat integration for its Athena launch services – Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems (Irvine, CA), TriSept (Chantilly VA), and Spaceflight (Tukwila WA).
[Satellite Today – 08/14/2013]

SpaceX’s Grasshopper successfully completes 100m lateral divert test.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 08/14/2013]

Erickson Air-Crane Helitanker uses Blue Sky Network to provide satellite tracking for aerial firefighting.
[Avionics Intelligence – 08/14/2013]

Comtech receives additional $1.4 million in orders to supply solid-state high-power amplifiers to a military integrator.
[The Wall Street Journal – 08/14/2013]

TeleCommunication Systems to showcase next generation public safety communication solutions at APCO 013.
[Sacramento Bee – 08/14/2013]

Advantech Wireless releases new line of S-band frequency converters.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 08/14/2013]

Satellite Interference Reduction Group and Newtec launch industry survey to find out what the industry really thinks when it comes to satellite interference and Carrier ID.
[SatNews – 08/13/2013]

Thales Alenia Space to build satellite for Brazilian company Visiona for civil and military use.
[Industry Week – 08/3/2013]

ATK gets contract from Orbital Sciences Corporation to provide first and second stage propulsion for the Air Launch Vehicle Orbital is building for StratoLaunch Systems Corporation.
[Satellite Today – 08/13/2013]

RRsat posts record quarterly revenue increase.
[Satellite Today – 08/13/2013]

Kratos ISI to provide turnkey ground segment solution for Indonesia’s PT Telecom.
[Market Watch – 08/13/2013]

Spidersat to launch African network.
[human ipo – 08/13/2013]

World’s first pop-art satellite to be launched from Kazakhstan on October 29.
[R&D Magazine – 08/12/2013]

ViaSat newsgathering truck using C-COM Systems technology over ViaSat’s Excede network provides successful communications link from California wildfire scene where all others failed.
[Proactive Investors – 08/12/2013]

KVH more than doubles capacity of its mini-VSAT Broadband network in the Asia-Pacific region.
Satellite Today – 08/13/2013]

Australian iiNet forced to withdraw plans for 20GB download on interim NBN service due to lack of sufficient capacity due to successful growth of subscribers.
[ZDNet – 08/11/2013] 

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Oy, there’s a charging station, mate!

Who else but the Scots and ClydeSpace would send something like this into space? Via Wired UK…

UKube-1 is the UK Space Agency’s first CubeSat mission and is being fully assembled by Scottish satellite company ClydeSpace. It now has the added honour of being the world’s ” first functioning pop-art satellite”, with designs by artists Jon Gibson and Amanda White, who run the famous iambit gallery in Los Angeles.

The celestial charging station will hopefully be seen as a gesture of goodwill to would-be space invaders, joke the pair.

“It’s like when a complete stranger at the airport lets you use their wall charger,” says Gibson in an email to Wired.co.uk. “If their original goal was to obliterate our species with a massive plasma canon, perhaps even such a small gesture of kindness will make them reconsider.”

Credit: iam8bit

It’s high time get more creative with their public-facing marketing — as well as to their B2B audiences.

They probably grew up on Monty Python — always good for creative inspiration.

Thales Alenia Space claims that for the last 12 years its U.S. suppliers have mislabeled their components as “commercial” or “dual use” when in fact they were subject to defense-export controls known as ITAR.
[Space News – 08/09/2013]

National Research Council report calls for “systematic and deliberate program” to sustain the Landsat program.
[Space News – 08/09/2013]

Lockheed Martin expects to see increased demand for AEHF satellites over the next several years.
[Satellite Today – 08/09/2013]

Research and Markets offers 2013 report on satellite communications providers in the U.S., concluding that providers will invest in new technologies and markets to gain an advantage.
[Satellite Spotlight – 08/08/2013]

Summary of findings on root cause of failure of July 2 Proton mission cleared by Russian security and provided to ILS blames improper installation of three yaw angular rate sensors.
[SatNews – 08/08/2013]

Blue Origin proposes that rather than partnering with NASA, the agency let the company take over Launch Complex 39A and turn it into a multiuser complex for its rockets and those of other companies.
[Space News – 08/08/2013]

SpaceX will provide the launch services for Germany’s second-generation radar reconnaissance satellite system.
[SatNews – 08/08/2013]

Comtech subsidiary Comtech PST Corp gets $1l.9 million of orders for high-power amplifiers from a leading provider of aviation electronics and communication systems.
[Fort Mill Times – 08/08/2013]

Boeing’s first all-electric satellite passes critical design review, allowing the new program to move two satellites into assembly, integration and testing.
[Satellite Today – 08/07/2013]

Skystream, a major satellite service provider in the Middle East, looks to Iraq for future growth.
[Satellite Today – 08/08/2013]

The 6th WGS military communications satellite, paid for by Australia, is launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket from Cape Canaveral.
[CBS News – 08/07/2013]

Vietnam’s micro satellite Pico Dragon is shipped to International Space Station to be released into space.
[Space Daily – 08/07/2013]

Israel’s ORBIT Technologies signs $4.2 million contract to supply its IP-based video surveillance system on board a major European aircraft manufacturer’s passenger planes..
[Satellite Today – 08/07/2013]

Dish Network still looking at options to enter the domestic mobile space, hinting that T-Mobile may be next acquisition target.
[RC Wireless – 08/07/2013]

Inmarsat and RigNet partner on energy sector deal.
[MENAFN – 08/07/2013]

RigNet installs iDirect hub in Brazil to focus on energy and maritime applications.
[The Wall Street Journal – 08/07/2013]

ITC Global subsidiary Spidersat Communications to build new high-performance satellite network for Africa.
[Azosensors – 08/07/2013]

Blue Sky Network and Avionics Services partner to offer satellite tracking and fleet management solutions for aviation.
[avionics intelligence – 08/07/2013]

Next-Generation Satellite Communications to acquire 75% stake in mobile video business company from Mobile Media of China.
[Satellite Spotlight – 08/07/2013]

Another round of incremental funding for SNAP deployable satellite systems amounting to $3.2 million is received by TeleCommunication Systems.
[Satellite Spotlight – 08/07/2013]

Deployable mesh reflector and boom system made by Northrop Grumman’s Astro Aerospace unit deploys successfully aboard Alphasat satellite.
[Yahoo Finanmce – 08/06/2013]

Dish Network CEO Charlie Ergen says Dish-DirecTV merger makes a lot of sense strategically.
[Multichannel News – 08/06/2013]

Level 3 will build North American gateway for O3b’s satellite network.
[Yahoo Finance – 08/06/2013]

GSAT signs new capacity deals with SES on NSS-11 and SES-9 to meet pay-TV boom in the Philippines.
[Herald online – 08/05/2013]

Inmarsat’s Alphasat satellite reaches temporary slot in geostationary orbit, and passes significant milestones.
[Satellite Today – 08/06/2013]

O3b and Glocall to provide ultra-high speed connectivity to Somalia.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 08/06/2013]

CMA CGM Group, the world’s third largest container shipping group, contracts Marlink to upgrade the majority of its fleet to Marlink’s Ku-band VSAT service Wavecall. [Satellite Evolution Grolup – 08/06/2013]

Satellite, aerospace, and defense industries thrive in Maryland.
[Satellite Today – 08/06/2013]

GlobeCast partners with Arabsat to offer new solutions to broadcasters seeking to distribute programming in North Africa.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 08/06/20103]

Hughes Network Systems to supply Jupiter high-throughput satellite system to Media Networks, a B2B unit of Telofonica Digital, to power first commercial Ka-band service over Latin America.
[Satellite Today – 08/05/2013]

Satellite service startups with mission to establish on-orbit satellite servicing systems capable of adding ten years to the lifespan of geostationary satellites struggle to get going in the market.
[Space News – 08/05/2013]

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Asia Broadcast Satellite confirms new ABS 2A satellite from Boeing will be launched with Satmex 9 in fourth quarter of 2015.
[Satellite Today – 08/01/20103]

European Space Agency finishes testing an innovative laser communication platform that speed up data transfer from orbiting satellites.
[Engineering & Technology Magazine – 08/01/2013]

Astrium is awarded contract to build latest satellite for Telesat.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 08/01/2013]

EUTELSAT Communications scales up in Latin America through acquisition of SATMEX. [Satellite Spotlight – 07/31/2013]

SpaceX is awarded launch reservation contract with MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates to support largest space program to date in Canada.
[Satellite Today – 07/31/2013]

BroadbandEverywhere launches new superfast satellite broadband service available anywhere in England and Wales using SES Broadband Services platform.
[Hispanic Business – 07/31/2013]

Cobham signs up to become Satellite & Radio Communications Equipment Partner for Volvo Ocean Race 2014-2015.
[MarineLink.com – 07/31/2013]

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince hears Yahsat’s chairman describe the Yahsat project, and how it benefits the United Arab Emirates with employment and economic stimulus.
[The National – 07/31/2013]

FCC grants ViaSat license for Ka-band satellite in-flight connectivity.
[Satellite Today – 07/31/2013]

GOES-R satellite magnetometer boom successfully deployed.
[R&D Magazine – 07/30/2013]

SES completes in-orbit testing of SES 6.
[Satellite Today – 07/30/2013]

Inmarsat strengthens its position as a top MSS satellite communications provider with Alphasat launch; with Inmarsat5s expected in next 2 years will be able to offer seamless global connectivity.
[Satellite spotlight – 07/30/2013]

Space Systems/Loral is selected to provide multi-mission satellite to Eutelsat. [The Wall Street Journal – 07/30/2013]

Successful demonstration shows Inmarsat’s new L-TAC service operating in vehicles traveling at speeds of up to 70 mph.
[Satellite Today – 07/30/2013]

Renewing its GSA contract, the Certified Woman Owned Small Business GIT Satellite Communications ranks in the top 20 percent of GSA sales along with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and other major aerospace contractors.
[SatNews – 07/30/2013]

Panasonic Avionics and China Telecom Satellite sign memorandum of understanding to jointly develop, implement and support in-flight connectivity solutions for the Chinese market.
[Hispanic Business – 07/30/2013]

U.S. Pacific Command studies options for layered communications network that would rely on mix of military satellites, commercial satcom services and aircraft serving as gateways.
[National Defense – 07/29/2013]

Air Force report outlines threats to satellite and aerospace industries from space debris.
[Satellite Today – 07/29/2013]

EUTELSAT 5B arrives in Kourou and begins preparation for August 29 launch.
[Yahoo Finance – 07/29/2013]

India’s ISRO prepares its first defence satellite for launch from Korou, slated for August 30.
[The Hindu – 07/29/2013]

Orbit Communications to supply Embraer with IP-based communication management solution for its aircraft fleet.
[Wireless Developer Network – 07/29/2013]

European Union considers EU Commission proposal to acquire fleet of surveillance drones, spy satellites, and planes to boost European defense industry in wake of NSA spying revelations.
[RT.com – 07/27/2013]

India’s Insat 3-D weather satellite launched from Kourou.
[India West – 074/26/2013]

New Ukrainian pay-TV platform Lybid TV launches on EUTELSAT 36B.
[News9 – 07/26/2013]

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