December 2015

Mark Dankberg. Photo: ViaSat [Via Satellite 12-14-2015] ViaSat is ramping up its coverage with a plan for global High Throughput Satellite (HTS) connectivity with a fleet of three new satellites. Mark Dankberg, CEO of ViaSat, described the triple satellite system during the company’s most recent earnings call. In an interview with Via Satellite, he laid…

Arianespace Soyuz mission VS08 with four O3b satellites. Photo: O3b Networks. [Via Satellite 12-14-2015] O3b Networks has reached an agreement with Arianespace to launch four new High Throughput Satellites (HTS) aboard a Soyuz rocket in 2018. A few days ago O3b ordered eight additional satellites from Thales Alenia Space, expanding its constellation to 20 spacecraft.…

A maritime satcom terminal. Photo: EM Solutions [Via Satellite 12-14-2015] U.K.-based Inmarsat and EM Solutions of Australia have teamed up to develop a maritime satcom terminal capable of linking with both Milsatcom and Global Xpress (GX) systems. The new terminal is scheduled to receive full Inmarsat accreditation during the second quarter of 2016, and will be…

A Proton launch mission. Photo: International Launch Services (ILS) [Via Satellite 12-14-2015] Khrunichev Space Production and Research Center, manufacturer of the Proton launch vehicle and upcoming Angara series, launched a Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Sunday, Dec. 13 with a Russian military satellite. Khrunichev reports all aspects of the launch were nominal, including…

[Via Satellite 12-14-2015] UrtheCast’s wholly-owned Spanish subsidiary UrtheCast Imaging, also known as UrtheCast Spain, has obtained a senior secured term loan of 25 million euros ($27.5 million), from Banco de Sabadell. The loan has a five-year term and will accrue interest at the Euribor six-month rate (but no less than zero percent) +2.6 percent per…

ISRO’s PSLV-30 mission. Photo: ISRO [Via Satellite 12-11-2015] The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) and its International Space Policy Working Group (ISPWG) are considering expanding access to India’s launch services to the U.S. market through the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and its commercial arm, Antrix Corp. On Dec.…

A Falcon 9 leaving the hangar. Photo: SpaceX [Via Satellite 12-11-2015] SpaceX customer Orbcomm announced its launch provider is planning to conduct the static fire of its upgraded Falcon 9 rocket on Dec. 16, preceding the launch of 11 Orbcomm Second Generation (OG2) satellites. Once the static fire is completed to verify the readiness of…

DigitalGlobe’s WorldView 4 satellite. Photo: Lockheed Martin [Via Satellite 21-11-2015] DigitalGlobe has selected Raytheon to support the September 2016 launch and mission planning of its next satellite: WorldView 4. Raytheon’s Constellation Scheduling System (CSS) runs routine planning and scheduling automatically, in order to enable more efficient schedules. WorldView 4 is the fifth DigitalGlobe satellite to…

Turksat MoU signing Dec 11, 2015 between Ensar GÜL, CEO of Turksat, and Andy Start , president of Inmarsat’s global government business. Photo: Inmarsat [Via Satellite 12-11-2015] U.K.-based Inmarsat and Turkish state-owned satellite operator Turksat have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore opportunities through the formation of a strategic partnership, initially focused on the…

Hispasat control center. Photo: Hispasat [Via Satellite 12-11-2015] Spanish satellite operator Hispasat is in charge of distributing “Cara a Cara 2015,” the Spanish presidential debate between Mariano Rajoy and Pedro Sanchez through Telefonica Servicios Audiovisuales. The debate, produced by the Spanish Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, is scheduled for Monday evening, Dec. 14. The…