October 2015

[Via Satellite 10-28-2015] The October/November issue of Via Satellite Magazine is out, and in it we take a look at ways satellite is being used in the energy sector, broadcasting in India, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Today, each of these fields is in flux. Declining oil prices are leading energy companies to discover…

A Disaster Tech Labs-supplied SatPhone from Globalstar used in Greece. Photo: Globalstar [Via Satellite 10-28-2015] Globalstar and first responder communications specialist Disaster Tech Lab are working together to assist the victims of the European and Middle East refugee crisis by dispatching satellite communications solutions to the Greek island of Lesbos, which has received more than 20,000…

Eutelsat’s Spacebus Neo HTS spacecraft. Photo: Thales Alenia Space [Via Satellite 10-28-2015] Eutelsat announced an agreement with Thales Alenia Space for a new High Throughput Satellite (HTS) based on the Spacebus Neo platform. The all-electric satellite is planned for launch in 2019, where it will provide broadband to users in Africa. The baseline mission of…

SES satellite dishes. Photo: SES [Via Satellite 10-28-2015] Lifestyle content producer Scripps Networks Interactive has signed a strategic agreement with SES to expand and migrate its North American distribution platform to a pair of SES satellites at the center of the North American orbital arc. Scripps Networks Interactive is using a full transponder of C-band…

Digital rendering of the CubeRRT CubeSat. Photo: Ohio State [Via Satellite 10-28-2015] NASA has selected the Chair and Professor of Ohio State’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Joel Johnson to lead an agency program to help mitigate the impact of manmade Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). The agency awarded the university $5.6 million for the…

Orbital ATK’s Gilbert, Airz. satellite facility. Photo: Orbital ATK [Via Satellite 10-27-2015] After losing a satellite deal earlier this summer due to the lack of Export Credit Agency (ECA) support, Orbital ATK clenched a new order for a geostationary satellite this month. “We recently received another commercial satellite order in the form of a follow…

Artist’s rendition of the Silkwave 1 satellite. Photo: Boeing [Via Satellite 10-27-2015] Boeing has received a satellite order from New York Broadband (NYBB) to construct a satellite on its Boeing 702 platform to serve mobile users in China, India and other Asian markets. Denver, Colo.-based NYBB, which owns 12 Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) channels in the…

Artist’s rendition of SES 12. Photo: Airbus Defence and Space [Via Satellite 10-27-2015] In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity (IFEC) provider Global Eagle Entertainment (GEE) has doubled its satellite capacity from SES through a new multi-year, multi-transponder agreement. During the past two quarters, GEE has secured additional SES Ku-band capacity, adding bandwidth on six SES satellites —…

Eutelsat 172A’s Ku-band North Pacific downlink coverage. Photo: Lepton [Via Satellite 10-27-2015] Lepton Global Solutions has launched a managed satellite network service in the North Pacific for Lepton and Eutelsat’s enterprise and government customers. The service will provide a secure satellite network on Eutelsat 172A, located at 172 degrees east, and a Lepton-owned, collocated iDirect hub at the Hawaii Pacific Teleport in Oahu,…

Eutelsat 172A’s Ku-band North Pacific downlink coverage. Photo: Lepton [Via Satellite 10-27-2015] Lepton Global Solutions has launched a managed satellite network service in the North Pacific for Lepton and Eutelsat’s enterprise and government customers. The service will provide a secure satellite network on Eutelsat 172A, located at 172 degrees east, and a Lepton-owned, collocated iDirect hub at the Hawaii Pacific Teleport in Oahu,…