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Digital rendering of coverage from OneWeb’s future satellite constellation. Photo: OneWeb [Via Satellite 03-02-2015] Honeywell Aerospace has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with OneWeb to provide aircraft equipment and airtime services to OneWeb’s planned satellite constellation. Under the agreement, Honeywell will provide business jet, commercial airline and military aviation customers with aircraft hardware and airtime…

Tata Sky dishes. Photo: David Brossard (Flickr) [Via Satellite 03-02-2015] Indian Direct-to-Home (DTH) operator Tata Sky has initiated its first 4K broadcasts in the subcontinent. The company launched its 4K Set-Top-Box (STB) this January in advance of the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Taking place from Feb. 14 to March 29, 2015, this is the first…

Airservices air traffic control tower at Melbourne Airport. Photo:Airservices Australia [Via Satellite 03-02-2015] AirServices Australia has teamed with Inmarsat and other aviation stakeholders to trial improved flight tracking services on commercial airline flights to and from the country. The announcement follows an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) resolution on Feb. 6 to adopt a new…

Radomes at Buckley Air Force Base. Photo: Airman Emily E. Amyotte/USAF [Via Satellite 03-02-2015] The United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) completed a three-day test of the Increment 2 ground system for the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS). SMC and the 460 Space Wing, operator of the SBIRS missile warning satellites demonstrated…

SpaceX’s 16th Falcon 9 mission carrying satellites for Eutelsat and ABs/ Photo: SpaceX [Via Satellite 03-02-2015] At 10:50 p.m. EST March 1, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the ABS 3A satellite for Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) and the Eutelsat 115 West B satellite for Eutelsat. The two Boeing-built, all-electric spacecraft launched as a…

NovelSat chart comparing the NovelSat NS4 waveform to DVB-S2. Photo: NovelSat [Via Satellite 02-03-2015] NovelSat announced plans to demonstrate its new NS4 waveform at SATELLITE 2015 and NAB this year. According to the company, NovelSat NS4 offers 45 percent higher spectral efficiency than Digital Video Broadcasting-Satellite Second Generation (DVB-S2). NovelSat intends to commercially release the…

Superyacht’s are typically the frontrunners of maritime connectivity. Photo: Wikipedia [Via Satellite 02-27-2015] Noting an uptick in expectation for faster bandwidth in the satellite communications market, NSSLGlobal recently ran a study that found nearly half of all superyacht crewmembers expect to receive the same connectivity speeds at sea as they do on land. With superyachts…

The Saphir Robotics Project. Photo: Thales Alenia Space [Via Satellite 02-27-2015] As part of the company’s “Tomorrow’s Factory” initiative, Thales Alenia Space is deploying the Saphir Robotics Project in clean rooms tentatively starting the second half of this year. The project, developed collaboratively with KUKA and AKEO+, creates a workstation with two robotic arms: one…

WorldView 3 image of Sao Paulo Brazil at 30 cm resolution. Photo: DigitalGlobe [Via Satellite 02-27-2015] DigitalGlobe signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) to collaborate on applications of Earth observation (EO) technologies for economic, social, and scientific benefits, with an emphasis on developing countries. Together…

Extreme racers from the 2014 Marathon Des Sables. Photo: Cimbaly/E. Sampers/MDS [Via Satellite 02-27-2015] The Marathon Des Sables (MDS) Organizing Committee has decided to use Spot Gen3 safety devices from Globalstar Europe Satellite Services for this year’s race, as well as the MDS 2016 and 2017. The multi-stage race takes places in the Sahara desert,…