WBMSAT News Bits 05/16/2014
Friday, May 16th, 2014Inmarsat refutes Malaysia’s claim that it does not have the raw data from Inmarsat used in the MH370 search, insisting it surrendered all information to investigators early on.
[The Malay Mail online – 05/16/2014]
New NSR report examines the potentials of the utility market for satellite communications.
[SatNews – 05/16/2014]
Azerbaijan’s next moves in satellite communications depend upon cooperation with France.
[TMCnet – 05/16/2014]

SpaceX launch of Canadian government space-weather satellite. Credit: SpaceX photo – Space News
Aerospace Corp., hired by U.S. Air Force to evaluate the Falcon 9 rocket for national security launches, says it won’t cut corners on SpaceX certification.
[Space News – 05/16/2014]
RapidEye+ will be a constellation of five satellites with an imaging capacity that will far exceed the current RapidEye constellation’s capacity of 5 million km2 per day.
[SatNews – 05/16/2014]
O3b signs agreement with FSM Telecommunications Corporation to provide its O3bTrunk service to Chuuk in Micronesia.
[SatNews – 05/16/2014]
KNS launches satellite antenna Z18MK3, Ku- and C-Band, to provide advanced communications for ships requiring broadband speeds at sea with exception reliability and durability.
[SatNews – 05/16/2014]

Dubai sunset – ThreatPost file photo
The emerging threat to satellite communications – satellite communications systems and devices subject to security risks.
[Threat Post – 05/15/2014]
Russian Proton-M rocket crashes while attempting to launch Express-AM4R satellite intended to provide affordable internet access to people in remote parts of Russia.
[NBC News – 05/15/2014]
Launch of GPS IIF-6 delayed because of poor weather.
[NASA Spaceflight – 05/15/2014]

Inmarsat 5 F2 – Boeing artist’s concept – Space News
State Department issues shipping licenses for two Russia-bound satellites.
[Space News – 05/15/2014]
Russian space program gets $52 billion boost as sanctions war vaporizes U.S.-Russian space cooperation.
[Space News – 05/15/2014]
Physicists and engineers research technique to ‘sweep’ Low Earth Orbit (LEO) debris from space using an Active Debris Removal (ADR) system of deployed micron-scale dust.
[SatNews – 05/15/2014]
COMSYS report confirms Hughes as the leading provider in VSAT. [Satellite Evolution Group – 05/15/2014]

ARKA file photo
Armenia’s government makes decision to create a satellite communication department in the national center for telecommunications.
[ARKA Telecom – 05/15/2014]
Airbus Defence and Space delivers full X-band operational capabilities to four UK Royal Navy Mine Counter Measure Vessels in Arabian Gulf ahead of equipping additional vessels.
[GISuser – 05/15/2014]
U.S. Air Force is discussing the possibility of building at least two more Wideband Global Satcom communications satellites with funding from potential international partners, according to Boeing.
[Space News – 05/15/2014]
Via Sat Brasil books full high throughput payload on EUTELSAT 3B for broadband services across Brazil.
[Market Watch – 05/15/2014]
SES launches new video distribution neighborhood for Latin America and new antenna seeding program for the NSS-806 satellite.
[SatNews – 05/15/2014]
MTN releases new connectivity solution for yachts.
[Via Satellite – 05/15/2014]
KVH receives $5.2 million international military order for its TACNAV tactical navigation system.
[SatNews – 05/15/2014]
Valleypoint Telecoms of Africa contracts with Avanti Communications to extend broadband coverage across Western Kenya.
[SatNews – 05/15/2014]
New report by Euroconsult provides comprehensive analysis of the how and why of the military’s usage of satellite communications, which saw tremendous growth over past 15 years.
[Space Daily – 05/14/2014]
U.S. officials complete final draft of regulations that will remove some satellite hardware and technology from the U.S. Munitions List.
[Space News – 05/14/2014]
Kennedy Space Center director says that without NASA’s planned heavy-lift Space Launch System rocket and Orion deep-space capsule, the center has no reason to exist.
[Space News – 05/14/2014]
Malaysia PM calls for real-time tracking of planes.
[abc News – 05/14/2014]
Rivals say Inmarsat’s offer of free tracking service for airlines is misleading, since outfitting a jet with the system could cost more than $100,000.
[Reuters – 05/14/2014]

Satellite Today file photo
Inmarsat states that its equipment is onboard almost 11,000 aircraft already and free global aircraft tracking can be done “almost instantaneously.”
[Via Satellite – 05/14/2014]
Via Satellite Asia covers various aspects of the satellite market in Asia, which “remains a showcase for satellite.”
[Via Satellite – 05/14/2014]
High Throughput Satellites are a growing opportunity in Asia.
[Via Satellite – 05/14/2014]

Abducted school girls – Leadership file photo
Delegate to Nigerian National Conference claims foreign intervention over rescue of abducted girls resulted because of NigComSat’s inability to locate the girls by satellite.
[Leadership – 05/14/2014]
India’s Telecom regulator TRAI recommends that BSNL be allowed to set up a new gateway for providing satellite phone services to address an urgent requirement by security forces.
[BGR – 05/14/2014]
[KVH introduces IP-MobileCast content delivery service, an industry first that will enable seafarers to receive daily digital newspapers, television news, sports updates, music, movies, and more.
[SatNews – 05/14/2014]
The International Media Associates (TIMA) signs three-year contract with Eutelsat for Eutelsat 10A capacity to serve the growing market for satellite news gathering (SNG) across Europe,
[Broadband News – 05/14/2014]
Xplornet and Hughes sign agreement for all Echostar XIX High Throughput Satellite broadband capacity over Canada.
[MarketWatch – 05/14/2014]
Mitsubishi to provide launch services for Sky Perfect JSAT for the first time, in 2016 from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.
[Via Satellite – 05/14/2014]
Hispasat signs an agreement with Intelsat to co-locate its Amazonas 1 satellite at the same position as Intelsat’s Galaxy 11, at 55.5 degrees west.
[Via Satellite – 05/14/2014]
Skycasters unveils new portable, easy-to-assemble antenna system for installers who need to establish satellite Internet connections in remote areas at Governor’s Hurricane Conference.
[News9 – 05/14/2014]
Advantech Wireless announces release of new 2300-G series 60W to 125W Ku-Band SSPA/BUC designed to withstand extreme temperatures.
[University Chronicle – 05/14/2014]
South-Korean antenna manufacturer Intellian has officially opened its newly expanded Innovation Centre in Seoul, saying that the extra space will allow it to increase production.
[The Digital Ship – 05/14/2014]
Federal court lifts ban on RD-180 engines, but Russian cooperation is uncertain.
[Via Satellite – 05/13/2014]
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Rogozin calls for ban on U.S. military use of RD-180 engine, and says that Russia does not intend to continue cooperation with the U.S. on the international space program beyond 2020.
[Space News – 05/13/2014]
AT&T in talks to buy satellite TV provider DirecTV for $50 Billion as telecoms megadeal war looms.
[MailOnline – 05/13/2014]

Teachers and pupils in a GEC program classroom. Photo: Department for International Development – Via Satellite
Avanti Communications has partnered with the British Department for International Development (DFID) to deliver education programs to 60,000 students in Kenya.
[Via Satellite – 05/13/2014]
Speedcast announces buyout of Satcomms Australia.
[University Chronicle – 05/13/2014]

A North Sea oil rig. Photo: Snapper (Flickr) – Via Satellite
ITC Global confident that oil and gas sector is on a long-term upswing for satellite connectivity; the sector counted for roughly half of its first quarter 2014 business.
[Via Satellite – 04/13/2014]

Image taken from the DubaiSat 2 satellite of the Emirates palace in Abu Dhabi on December 1, 2013. Photo: EIAST – Via Satellite
Emirates Institution for Advance Science and Technology unveils results from its Super Resolution Tool which improved resolution of satellite imagery by 2.5 feet, including images from DubaiSat 2.
[Via Satellite – 05/13/20104]
Marlink announces that it has been contracted to provide its new WaveCall Plus bundle to MSC Cargo Italy’s entire fleet of 124 vessels.
[Digital Ship – 05/13/2014]
Satellite operators to proceed with launches from Russia.
[Spaceflight Now – 05/12/2014]
Thales Alenia Space signs a contract with the Korean satellite service operator KT Sat to build two telecommunications satellites, Koreasat-7 and Koreasat-5A.
[SatNews – 05/12/2014]
U.N. agency gathers in Canada to discuss better flight-tracking solutions after Malaysia jet loss.
[Reuters – 05/12/2014]
Satellite operator Inmarsat is to offer a free, basic tracking service for almost all of the world’s passenger jets after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
[NBC News – 05/12/2014]

SMU Research file photo – PHYS ORG
Satellite view of volcanoes finds the link between ground deformation and eruption.
[PHYS ORG – 05/12/2014]
Inmarsat Maritime to provide communications services to small vessels.
[Via Satellite – 05/12/2014]
NSR’s regional-centric analysis of DTH platforms points to a significant divergence in market trends not just between “developing” and “developed” markets, but also within the markets of the “developing world”.
[NSR – 05/12/2014]
Satcom Direct is expanding outside its traditional aeronautical market through a partnership with Thuraya.
[Via Satellite – 05/12/2014]
Tigo Star, owned by Millicom International Cellular, launches DTH service in Bolivia.
[Via Satellite – 05/12/2014]
Afghanistan’s first satellite begins formal operations.
[KHAAMA PRESS – 05/10/2014]
MarketBrief report examines the current trends and opportunities in the Canadian Fixed Satellite Services in the light of recent regulatory changes and industry developments.
[Satellite Markets – May 2014