November 2014

MSC Divina ship. Photo: MSC [Via Satellite 11-25-2014] Marlink has installed the Marlink Global C-band iDirect service on MSC Cruises fleet of 12 ships. The upgrade brings iDX 3.2 software and the X7 modem from iDirect for improved VSAT connectivity. Marlink completed the installation in October following successful tests of the modem in August. MSC…

Photo: NASA [Via Satellite 11-25-2014] NASA has opened the registration process for its Cube Quest challenge, a CubeSat competition focused on developing space exploration technology. Competitors will vie for a piece of the $5 million prize along with a chance at launching their CubeSat to the Moon and beyond as a secondary payload on the…

A solar prominence, caused by powerful magnetic forces on the surface of the sun. Photo: Solar Dynamics Observatory/NASA [Via Satellite 11-24-2014] Several agencies of the United States government are interested in greater amounts of data on solar activity. Flares and dramatic high energy bursts called Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) can and do bombard Earth’s atmosphere…

XCOR’s XR-5H25 engine. Photo: XCOR [Via Satellite 11-24-2014] XCOR has successfully conducted hot fire testing of the XR-5H25 engine’s regeneratively cooled thrust chamber, with both liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants supplied in pump-fed mode through the company’s proprietary piston pump technology. The engine is under development for United Launch Alliance (ULA) under the liquid…

An OTE building. Photo: OTE [Via Satellite 11-21-2014] OTE, a telecoms operator in Greece, has selected Eutelsat’s KA-SAT to deliver its new satellite broadband service to homes across Greece. The OTE Satellite Internet Service, aims to deliver download speeds of up to 22 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 6 Mbps. The Greek operator…

A Thuraya XT handset in use. Photo: Thuraya. [Via Satellite 11-24-2014] The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Dubai Police has launched a new emergency service for the Thuraya XT handset. The Thuraya SOS service enables users to send a preprogrammed Short Message Service (SMS), or text message, by pressing the soft key on the right side…

A Pegasus rocket mated to the “Stargazer” L-1011 carrier aircraft. Photo: Orbital Sciences [Via Satellite 11-24-2014] Orbital Sciences has received a launch contract from NASA for the agency’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) scientific satellite. Orbital will use the air-launched Pegasus rocket to deliver the satellite into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). ICON’s launch is slated for…

A Gilat SkyEdge 2-c Hub. Photo: Gilat [Via Satellite 11-24-2014] Gilat Satellite Networks has received orders for its SkyEdge 2-c terminals from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) RDN in Italy, Europasat in the United Kingdom, and Switzerland’s Swisscom. The ISPs plan to use the terminals to provide satellite broadband through SES’ Astra Connect Internet services for…

Combined coverage at 16/17 east. Photo: Eutelsat [Via Satellite 11-21-2014] In a highly important strategic move, Eutelsat and Spacecom have joined forces to better serve the African broadcast market. The two companies have agreed to establish a framework for cross-commercialization of Ku-band capacity connected to the high-power African service areas of Eutelsat’s Eutelsat 16A satellite…

JPSS 1 satellite. Photo: NASA [Via Satellite 11-21-2014] NASA has awarded Northrop Grumman a $121 million contract to build and deliver the third Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) for NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). ATMS provides critical atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles to support weather forecasting. The instrument has 22 channels spanning the frequency…