News & Events

Orbital ATK-built propellant tank for SSL 1300 platform. Photo: Orbital ATK [Via Satellite 10-30-2015] Orbital ATK has signed a five-year contract with Space Systems/Loral (SSL) to produce flight sets of propellant tanks for the SSL 1300 satellite bus. Each flight set is comprised of two propellant tanks, with each tank containing a high-performance Propellant Management…

Intelsat’s new McLean, Va. headquarters. Photo: Intelsat [Via Satellite 10-30-2015] Intelsat reported signings of six additional contracts for its High Throughput Satellite (HTS) platform EpicNG during its third quarter 2015 earnings. “These contracts span applications including enterprise, fixed and wireless infrastructure, media and mobility,” said Stephen Spengler, CEO of Intelsat. “Of the contracts we are…

Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1, built by SSL. Photo: Eutelsat [Via Satellite 10-29-2015] Canada-based MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA), owner of U.S. satellite manufacturer Space Systems Loral (SSL), says being located in Canada has provided the company no reprieve from satellite financing challenges related to the closure of Ex-Im Bank. The U.S. Congress let the Ex-Im bank’s…

David Willetts. Photo: Policy Exchange (Flickr) [Via Satellite 10-29-2015] David Willetts, former U.K. minister for science and universities, has joined Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.’s (SSTL) board as a non-executive director. Willetts served the U.K. Government Cabinet Office as minister of science and universities in 2010. During his tenure, which came to an end in 2014,…

KSAT’s new Panama ground station. Photo: KSAT [Via Satellite 10-29-2015] Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) has established a new ground station in Panama City dedicated to the small satellite market. The site consists of two antennas with S-band and Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) capacity. The company completed final tests earlier this month. Panama Canal Authority worked collaboratively alongside…

A Renfe S100 train. Photo: eldelinux (Flickr) [Via Satellite 10-29-2015] Hispasat has implemented a connectivity solution for audiovisual services and Internet access on an AVE train, part of Spain’s high-speed rail system. This pilot project began at the end of May this year on a train from the Series 100 by Alstom, which covers the…

[Via Satellite 10-29-2015] Telecommunications operator Entel Bolivia has deployed an integrated headend solution from Harmonic to power its Direct-Broadcast Satellite (DBS) service. Harmonic is supplying its Electra encoders for MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) encoding and DiviTrackIP statistical multiplexing of SD and HD video content. Using Harmonic’s high-density, scalable video infrastructure solutions, Entel Bolivia can…

[Via Satellite 10-28-2015] The October/November issue of Via Satellite Magazine is out, and in it we take a look at ways satellite is being used in the energy sector, broadcasting in India, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Today, each of these fields is in flux. Declining oil prices are leading energy companies to discover…

A Disaster Tech Labs-supplied SatPhone from Globalstar used in Greece. Photo: Globalstar [Via Satellite 10-28-2015] Globalstar and first responder communications specialist Disaster Tech Lab are working together to assist the victims of the European and Middle East refugee crisis by dispatching satellite communications solutions to the Greek island of Lesbos, which has received more than 20,000…

Eutelsat’s Spacebus Neo HTS spacecraft. Photo: Thales Alenia Space [Via Satellite 10-28-2015] Eutelsat announced an agreement with Thales Alenia Space for a new High Throughput Satellite (HTS) based on the Spacebus Neo platform. The all-electric satellite is planned for launch in 2019, where it will provide broadband to users in Africa. The baseline mission of…