June 2015

Aerial view of Signalhorn’s Backnang, Germany headquarters. Photo: Signalhorn [Via Satellite 06-19-2015] An international banking institution located in Africa has entered an agreement with Signalhorn to provide a dedicated, multi-faceted turnkey telecommunications solution to support its worldwide business engagements. Signalhorn will procure equipment and develop bespoke solutions to form the backbone of the institution’s communication capability.…

Photo: Caracol Television, operator of Caracol Internacional [Via Satellite 06-19-2015] DishLATINO has grafted Caracol Television’s Caracol Internacional channel into its programming lineup, bringing a greater amount of culturally relevant news and entertainment to Colombians and other Latin Americans living in the U.S. DishLATINO subscribers will have access to popular Colombian shows including Noticias Caracol (Caracol…

Pascale Ehrenfreund, new chair of the DLR executive board. Photo: DLR [Via Satellite 06-19-2015] The Senate of the German aerospace center, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), has unanimously decided to appoint Pascale Ehrenfreund, research professor of space policy and international affairs at the Space Policy Institute in Washington D.C., as the new chair…

The Laser Communication Terminal (LCT) unit on Sentinel-1 transmits data to the ground facility via the European Data Relay Satellite (EDRS). Photo: ESA [Via Satellite 06-18-2015] The European Space Agency (ESA) and partner Airbus Defence and Space are aiming to build out the European Data Relay System (EDRS) into a global laser communications network by…

An Accion Systems electric propulsion system. Photo: Accion Systems [Via Satellite 06-18-2015] Accion Systems, a satellite technology startup that originated at MIT, has received a Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) worth $3 million. The award follows a $2 million seed round in December 2014. DOD’s RIF program helps…

Artist’s rendering of the Aquarius/SAC-D satellite. The Aquarius mission studied the interactions between changes in the ocean circulation, global water cycle and climate by measuring ocean surface salinity. Photo: NASA [Via Satellite 06-18-2015] The Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC)-D satellite observatory, a collaborative project between NASA and Argentina’s space agency, Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales…

Disaster Tech Lab Oklahoma 2015 deployment. Photo: Disaster Tech Lab. [Via Satellite 06-18-2015] Disaster Tech Lab is using satellite phones and Spot handheld messengers from Globalstar to improve the efficiency of its humanitarian rescue operations and enhance the safety of its volunteers in disaster zones. Disaster Tech Lab sets up networks and services that enable communications for…

A Shelf Drilling vessel. Photo: Shelf Drilling [Via Satellite 06-18-2015] ITC Global has completed installation and commissioning of communications systems for 35 rigs in the Shelf Drilling fleet. Following an August 2014 contract award, ITC Global outfitted Shelf Drilling’s globally dispersed rigs with a fully managed communications system custom designed to support corporate and crew…

From left: Kent Ho, group CEO of TSGN; T. Dhrmarajah Dhashna, group managing director of TSGN; Cheng Guangren, director and president of APT; Lo Kin Hang, VP and company secretary of APT.Photo: APT [Via Satellite 06-17-2015] TS Global Network (TSGN), a privately owned satellite telecommunications company in Malaysia, recently teamed up with Hong Kong-based APT Satellite…