January 2015

SES 10 coverage. Photo: SES [Via Satellite 01-30-2015] The digitization of the oil and gas (O&G) sector is spurring on demand for new satellite capacity to keep pace with data needs. Dave Sikorski, sales director of North American enterprise and mobility at SES, names three reason for the increase in demand: crew welfare, monitoring regulations…

European Data Relay System (EDRS). Photo: ESA [Via Satellite 01-30-2015] Following the successful test campaign of the first multigigabit optical intersatellite link between the Copernicus Sentinel 1A and Alphasat satellites, the European Space Agency and Airbus have entered a partnership to complete the full European Data Relay System (EDRS). This test campaign paved the way…

Global XpressPhoto: Inmarsat [Via Satellite 01-30-2015] Satcom Direct’s Land Mobile group, which focuses on satellite communications solutions for its land-based enterprise customers, is now authorized to provide Inmarsat Global Xpress (GX) products and services to its clients. Satcom Direct has been an Inmarsat partner since 1997 and has now been appointed as a Value Added…

[Via Satellite 01-30-2015] The U.S. Strategic Command (Stratcom) signed a technical arrangement with Germany to share Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services and information. The arrangement, signed by Maj. Gen. David D. Thompson, Stratcom director of plans and policy, and German army Brig. Gen. Dirk H. Backen, the defense attaché at the Embassy of the Federal…

Participants of the 4H HughesNet program Photo: HughesNet [Via Satellite 01-30-2015] Building on momentum generated in 2014, National 4-H Council and HughesNet, Hughes Network Systems’ satellite Internet service, are announcing a new 2015 program supporting their commitment to introduce more American youth to hands-on, community-based Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education. The partnership brings…

Comtech Xicom TWTAs. Photo: Comtech Xicom [Via Satellite 01-30-2015] Comtech Xicom Technology, a subsidiary of Comtech Telecommunications, has received a $3.8 million follow-on order from a U.S.-based system integrator for Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTAs). These TWTAs are for a major U.S. Army program for transportable satellite communications (satcom) systems providing voice, data, video conferencing,…

A prototype under construction by Spire. Photo: Spire [Via Satellite 01-29-2015] Spire, formerly known as Nanosatisfi, unveiled plans to launch and operate a constellation of 20 commercial weather SmallSats by the end of 2015. The satellites have already been manifested on different launch vehicles around the world and will use a technique known as Radio-Occultation…

Ball Aerospace engineer integrates instruments onto JPSS 1. Photo: Ball Aerospace [Via Satellite 01-29-2015] Ball Aerospace & Technologies has integrated two of the five instruments scheduled to fly on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s (NOAA) next polar-orbiting weather satellite, the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) 1. The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite-Nadir (OMPS-N), produced…

Inuvik Satellite Station Facility in Inuvik, Canada. Photo: SSC [Via Satellite 01-29-2015] The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) is increasing its capacity at the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility in Inuvik, Canada, with the addition of a new multi-mission antenna. The increasing customer demand for communication with polar-orbiting satellites, normally used for Earth observation and atmospheric monitoring,…

Artist’s rendition of the deployed CFOSAT spacecraft in orbit. Photo: CNES [Via Satellite 01-29-2015] CNES, the French space agency, and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) have signed an agreement to step up the schedule for the China-France Oceanography Satellite (CFOSAT) mission. This agreement ties into the broader contract signed by CNES and CNSA in…