January 2015

A Satellite Newsgathering (SNG) truck. Photo: Michael Meinhardt [Via Satellite 01-21-2015] Advantech Wireless has received orders for its redundant/phase 250W/500W Extended Ku-Band SapphireBlu Gallium Nitride (GaN) based Solid State Power Amplifier (SSPA) solution totaling more than $1 million. The orders are for customers in the Satellite News-Gathering (SNG) industry. The extended Ku-band SapphireBlu GaN based…

DataMiner Network Management.Photo: Skyline Communications [Via Satellite 01-21-2015] Mobile Telesystems (MTS) has selected Skyline Communications’ DataMiner end-to-end, multi-vendor network management platform to monitor and control the equipment at the company’s Moscow, Russia-based satellite Earth station. The DataMiner solution for MTS provides fully unified remote monitoring and control of all system components, as well as fault…

SpaceX haedquarters in Hawthorne, Calif. Photo: SpaceX [Via Satellite 01-21-2015] Google and Fidelity have confirmed an investment of approximately $1 billion in SpaceX, powering the second large-scale Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications constellation announced in a mere five days. Together the two new investors own slightly less than 10 percent of SpaceX — a…

Global XpressPhoto: Inmarsat [Via Satellite 01-20-2015] Inmarsat Government has executed a service provider agreement with Globecomm Systems to supply Inmarsat Global Xpress service in support of U.S. government customers. Under the deal, Globecomm will offer comprehensive solutions involving network services, system integration, and end-user products and applications enabling a complete end-to-end solution for these customers. Inmarsat’s…

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket carrying the third Mobile User Objective System satellite. Photo: ULA [Via Satellite 01-21-2015] United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully launched the third Mobile User Objective System (MUOS 3) satellite for the U.S. Navy on Jan. 20 aboard an Atlas 5 rocket. The next-gen narrowband tactical communications satellite weighed…

Two Planet Labs satellites, known as Doves, deployed from the ISS. Photo: NanoRacks [Via Satellite 01-21-2015] Planet Labs, operator of a constellation of 73 small Earth observation satellites, has completed the first closing of the majority of its $70 million Series C round which, led by Data Collective, garnered support from both new and existing…

[Via Satellite 01-21-2015] Orbcomm has purchased InSync Software from the privately-held Identec Group AG, closing the acquisition on Jan. 16. InSync Software is a California-based provider of Internet of Things (IoT) enterprise solutions. The company’s software products are used in sensor-driven asset tracking and remote monitoring applications worldwide. Orbcomm plans to expand InSync’s uniform software platform from Radio-Frequency Identification…

A HughesNet Satellite Dish. Photo: Alan Levine [Via Satellite 01-21-2015] Hughes Network Systems has updated its Gen4 satellite Internet plans with Hughes SmartTechnologies, bringing improvements in downloading, browsing and data usage management. SmartTechnologies is comprised of four tools for improving the company’s satellite Internet offerings. SmartFetch reduces the number of “hops” needed to retrieve content,…

Natalya Brikner, CEO of Accion Systems. Photo: Accion Systems [Via Satellite 01-20-2015] Accion Systems, a startup company founded by graduate students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Space Propulsion Lab, is preparing to commercialize a new miniaturized electric propulsion system for small satellites. Using an ionic liquid propellant, the company’s electric thrusters are expected to…

Artist’s rendition of a Boeing 702MP satellite. Photo: Boeing [Via Satellite 01-20-2015] New York Broadband (NYBB), operator of 12 Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) television channels in the United States, has ordered a high-powered L-band satellite from Boeing. Hong Kong-based CMMB Vision has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NYBB to lease all the capacity on the…