August 2015

Mark Boggett, managing director of Seraphim Capital. Photo: Seraphim Capital [Via Satellite 08-27-2015] The European space industry is soon to gain a boost in venture capital once the London-based Seraphim Capital launches the Seraphim Space and Special Situations Fund during the fourth quarter of this year. The venture fund, which recently partnered with the European…

ISRO’s GSLV-D6 mission. Photo: ISRO [Via Satellite 08-27-2015] The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) completed the ninth flight of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle on Aug. 27, carrying the GSAT 6 communications satellite. The mission, conducted from Satish Dhawan Space Center Shar (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota, was the fifth developmental flight of GSLV and the third…

The AsiaSat 6 satellite. Photo: AsiaSat [Via Satellite 08-27-2015] Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited, or AsiaSat, reported that licensing approvals are inhibiting growth from its new satellites AsiaSat 6 and AsiaSat 8 during its 2015 interim results for the six months ended June 30. Combined with the challenge of excess capacity in Asian markets and…

SpeedCast satellite dishes. Photo: SpeedCast [Via Satellite 08-27-2015] SpeedCast has been awarded a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract for the delivery of satellite communications and network services by InterOil Corporation, a leading independent oil and gas business with operations dedicated to Papua New Guinea. InterOil will use a field connectivity solution, including containerized satellite data and…

[Via Satellite 08-27-2015] Arabsat is now offering Radiodiffusion-Télévision Ivoirienne (RTI) across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe from its BADR 4 satellite, the company announced Aug. 27. The operator began broadcasting RTI through an agreement with the public broadcaster. “Africa is a large continent and Cote d’Ivoire is one of the most fast growing…

[Via Satellite 08-26-2015] If Moore’s law continues to be an indicator of the pace of technology, then the flurry of activity seen throughout the satellite industry might be the new norm. In the September issue of Via Satellite Magazine, we talked with experts across the industry on how the evolution of satellite technology is influencing…

An ESA Swarm satellite at IABG Space Test Center. Photo: Airbus Defence and Space [Via Satellite 08-26-2015] An average of 140 satellites with launch masses greater than 50 kg will enter orbit by 2024, according to Euroconsult’s new “Satellites to be Built & Launched by 2024,” report. Of the 1,400 satellites over the next decade,…

Artist’s rendition of a satellite built on SSL’s flagship 1300 series platform. Photo: SSL [Via Satellite 08-26-2015] The United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded a contract to Space Systems/Loral (SSL) to study on-orbit robotic assembly of geostationary communications satellites. The program, dubbed Dragonfly, will evaluate ways to build satellites in space…

Welzheim Observatory telescopes. Photo: Welzheim Observatory [Via Satellite 08-26-2015] Signalhorn has agreed to modernize the satellite communications equipment for the Welzheim Observatory in Germany. The site, intentionally distanced from major population centers, collects light from celestial bodies that would otherwise be washed out by light pollution. Due to its location, the remote site is reliant…

Pierre-Jean Beylier, CEO of SpeedCast. Photo: SpeedCast [Via Satellite 08-26-2015] SpeedCast delivered a statutory profit of $2.2 million for the first half of 2015, improving from a loss of $5.5 million during the comparative period in 2014. The company demonstrated double digit year-on-year growth across all major Profit and Loss (P&L) metrics, with statutory revenues…