October 2014

Telstar 12V, Telesat’s upcoming satellite with high throughput spot beams. Photo: Telesat. [Via Satellite 10-31-2014] Canadian satellite operator Telesat is planning a replacement satellite for Telstar 18 that might include a high throughput component. Telesat 18 entered service in August 2004 and has a 13 year lifespan. The successor satellite, to be decided upon soon,…

[Via Satellite 10-31-2014] Euroconsult predicts the growth of High Throughput Satellite (HTS) systems will see use climb from 107 Gbps in 2014 to just above 1,300 Gbps in 2023. This equates to a Calculated Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of more than 30 percent during the years between, according to the research group’s latest report: “High…

Paraná, Brazil landscape. Photo: Stuart (Flickr) [Via Satellite 10-31-2014] Gilat Satellite Networks has deployed a CellEdge small cell over satellite solution to 20 sites in the rural region of Paraná, Brazil. The installation, completed in only two months, provides 3G coverage through an agreement with TIM Brasil, the country’s second largest operator with a leading…

ITU Secretary General Hamadoun I. Touré. Photo: ITU [Via Satellite 10-31-2014] The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has passed a resolution at the Plenipotentiary Conference today to consider global flight tracking in its World Radiocommunication Conference in 2015 (WRC-15) agenda. The resolution also instructs the director of ITU’s Radiocommunication Bureau to submit a specific report that…

Aireon global space-based ADS-B diagram. Photo: Aireon [Via Satellite 10-30-2014] Harris Corporation has delivered Aireon’s first flight payload for integration into Iridium NEXT satellites. This is the first of 81 Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receiver payloads that will be launched and deployed on Iridium NEXT to provide Aireon’s real-time aircraft monitoring system, which aims to…

Digital rendering of an SSL 1300 satellite. Photo: SSL [Via Satellite 10-31-2014] SSL has been selected by an undisclosed customer to manufacture a communications satellite on the SSL 1300 satellite platform. SSL is also tasked with procuring a launch vehicle. The satellite will carry C-band and Ku-band payloads. Its purposes are voice and data communications,…

IMT operators are not using all the spectrum already available, according to LS Telcom. Photo: Carl Lender (Flickr) [Via Satellite 10-30-2014] The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has some big decisions to make at the World Radio Telecommunication Conference 2015 regarding the allocation of spectrum resources. A top concern of the satellite industry is that C…

NASA’s Wallops Island Va. launch site the day after Orbital Sciences’ Antares launch failure. Photo: NASA/Terry Zaperach [Via Satellite 10-30-2014] NASA’s Wallops Incident Response Team has concluded its preliminary assessment of the launch pad at Wallops Island, Va. following Orbital Sciences’ Oct. 28 Antares launch vehicle explosion. Initial findings show the damage was largely contained…

Air New Zealand Pacific Economy 777-300ER equipped with in flight entertainment systems. Photo: Phillip Capper/Wikipedia [Via Satellite 10-30-2014] Global Eagle Entertainment (GEE) has entered a long-term agreement with SES for Ku-band satellite bandwidth. Through this partnership, GEE will offer global coverage to airlines using SES’ fleet of more than 50 satellites. The company will also…

Lockheed Martin’s A2100 Space Operations Center (ASOC). Once fully operational, the ASOC will be able to monitor up to 50 satellites. Photo: Lockheed Martin [Via Satellite 10-30-2014] Lockheed Martin has opened its new headquarters for commercial space in Denver, Colo. The new facility will become the prime location for the manufacture of the A2100 satellite…