October 2015

A CPI TWTA. Photo: CPI [Via Satellite 10-07-2015] Communications and Power Industries (CPI) received a contract worth more than $600,000 at list prices for its new 1.25 kW, Digital Broadcast Satellite (DBS)-band SuperLinear Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTAs) and related system hardware. The customer, an African integrator, is using the TWTAs and equipment for part…

125W Ku-band 3RU SSPA Chassis. Photo: Teledyne Paradise Datacom [Via Satellite 10-07-2015] Teledyne Paradise Datacom has increased the performance of its 3RU rack height Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPAs) in both Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) variants. The company expanded the available power levels and frequency bands, and added a number of new features.…

[Via Satellite 10-07-2015] Turkish satellite and cable operator Turksat has launched six channels from SPI International. The new channel lineup consists of the movie channels FilmBox and FilmBox Arthouse, the sports channels FightBox and Fast’nFunBox, the documentary channel DocuBox, and an international music channel 360 TuneBox. Along with the linear channels Türksat/Teledünya is also offering…

A Falcon 9 rocket being rolled out from its hangar. Photo: SpaceX [Via Satellite 10-06-2015] Spaceflight Services announced Sept. 30 that the company purchased a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX to conduct a launch entirely for rideshare missions. SpaceX will assist in the launch and getting the Falcon 9 into the correct position. After that,…

Orbcomm’s network control center in Sterling, VA. Photo: Orbcomm [Via Satellite 10-06-2015] Orbcomm is looking to expand its presence in maritime cold chain monitoring through the acquisition of Wam Technologies, an affiliate of Mark-It Services, in Skillman, NJ. The Machine-to-Machine (M2M)/Internet of Things (IoT) satellite operator announced Oct. 6 its intent to acquire substantially all…

Photo: Grupo Etercom [Via Satellite 10-06-2015] Grupo Etercom, a value-added solution integrator in Mexico, has selected International Datacasting Corporation’s (IDC) Titan video contribution solution to refresh its Satellite Newsgathering (SNG) networks. The company cited the functionality of the encoder’s interface and the ruggedized design as reasons for the purchase. IDC’s Titan encoders are designed for…

A Harris CapRock customer’s deepwater project in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo: Harris CapRock [Via Satellite 10-06-2015] Harris CapRock has transitioned 36 oil and gas customers to its Advanced Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) solution, providing on-demand bandwidth service to nearly 100 sites around the world. The company first introduced the Advanced VSAT solution in…

Screen capture of the Ex-Im Bank website following the lapse of authorization. Photo: Via Satellite [Via Satellite 10-06-2015] In light of lost sales to satellite manufacturers in the United States, the Satellite Industry Association (SIA) is urging Congress to reauthorize the Export Import Bank of the United States in order to restore Export Credit Agency…

Orlando Sanford International Airport. Photo: Daniel Piraino (Flickr) [Via Satellite 10-05-2015] There’s a shift taking place in the In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity (IFEC) provider marketplace, one that you could see at this year’s Airline Passenger Experience (APEX) Expo in Portland, Ore. “What’s changed from last year? Every satellite operator is here at this show because…

Artist’s rendition of HTS services to Sub-Saharan Africa. Photo: Eutelsat [Via Satellite 10-05-2015] Facebook and Eutelsat have reached a multi-year agreement with Spacecom to make use of the entire high throughput broadband payload on the future Amos 6 satellite to provide Internet access in Africa. Together the two companies plan to build a dedicated system…