October 2014

The ARC-210 radio recently became the first airborne radio to operate over the U.S. government’s newest satellite constellation – the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS). Photo: Rockwell Collins [Via Satellite 10-02-2014] Using the ARC-210 radio, Rockwell Collins recently demonstrated the ability to transmit over the United States Air Force’s Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite…

Gilat’s SkyEdge 2-c Capricorn VSAT system. Photo: Gilat [Via Satellite 10-02-2014] Gilat Satellite Networks recently tested its SkyEdge 2-c Capricorn VSAT over a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network with a tier-one Asian operator. During the test, Gilat’s 200Mbps Capricorn VSAT system provided accelerated and encrypted data in a single-session File Transfer Protocol (FTP) download.…

Oil rig. Photo: Pete Markham (Flickr) [Via Satellite 10-01-2014] Australian operator NewSat and partner ITC Global have tightened their partnership to focus on opportunities in the energy sector. NewSat’s Jabiru 2 hosted payload launched recently with Measat 3b on an Ariane 5 rocket. The launch marks the beginning of the company’s constellation, with the next…

Sierra Nevada Corp’s Dream Chaser. Photo: NASA [Via Satellite 10-01-2014] Following NASA’s decision not to use the Dream Chaser “mini-shuttle” to ferry astronauts for the Commercial Crew Program (CCP), Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has ramped up its efforts to find other commercial uses for its space vehicle. In addition to continuing to pursue human spaceflight,…

An Astra Uplink satellite dish. Photo: SES [Via Satellite 10-01-2014] Swisscom, a Switzerland-based telecommunications provider, is using Ka-band capacity from SES’ Astra 2E satellite to power the Astra Connect service over the country. The telco is using the service and upgrading existing access lines to provide nationwide Internet access, which is required as part of…

A global map showing ocean traffic with exactAIS. Photo: exactEarth. [Via Satellite 10-01-2014] Com Dev’s subsidiary exactEarth has received a contract from the Canadian government that effectively supersedes a 2012 agreement with new terms and an additional $1.6 million. The newly agreed upon contract is worth more than $17 million and extends the availability of…

[Via Satellite 10-01-2014] Unity Bank has partnered with SkyVision Global Networks for the satellite-based SkyVision Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect its 236 branch offices to its headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria. The service enables rural offices to connect to the bank’s Local Area Network (LAN) through SkyVision’s local Nigerian hub. SkyVision deployed the VPN and…

Artist’s rendition of Yahclick. Photo YahSat [Via Satellite 10-01-2014] UAE-based satellite operator YahSat has initiated a two-month promotional offer for satellite broadband through Yahclick. The promotion is available in several countries such as Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan and Tanzania. Depending on location, new subscribers can receive a free satellite modem and dish along with discounts…