News & Events

McMurdo’s next-generation MEOSAR satellite ground station system installation in New Zealand. Photo: Business Wire [Via Satellite 11-11-2015] McMurdo has completed the installation of a six-antenna next-generation Medium-Earth Orbit Search and Rescue (MEOSAR) satellite ground station system in New Zealand. McMurdo expects the project, which is part of a joint initiative with Maritime New Zealand and…

[Via Satellite 11-11-2015] Hughes Network Systems and Telesat announced a 15-year agreement for Ka-band capacity on Telesat’s new Telstar 19 Vantage satellite, planned for launch in early 2018. The agreement calls for Telesat to deliver Ka-band capacity of 31 Gbps on Telstar 19 Vantage covering many countries in South America, which Hughes will use to expand…

Thomas Choi, co-founder and CEO of ABS [Via Satellite 11-10-2015] ABS is bringing what could be a step-change to satellite telecommunications by ushering in what it calls Ultra-High Throughput (UTS) capacity with its future satellites. ABS CEO Tom Choi told Via Satellite that the operator’s next satellite, ABS 8, will feature this new technology, and…

Photo: Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company [Via Satellite 11-10-2015] Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO), a major producer of oil and gas from the offshore areas of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, has signed a contract with Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) to provide enterprise-grade network connectivity to its rigs through the UAE national…

Space control office. Photo: U.S. Air Force [Via Satellite 11-10-2015] The United States Air Force awarded Harris Corporation a $40 million, nine-month extension of the network and space operations and maintenance contract. The company will support the Air Force satellite control network at two network control locations in the U.S. and at antenna sites throughout…

Guam Remote Ground Terminal (GRGT). Photo: NASA [Via Satellite 11-10-2015] General Dynamics and a consortium of industry partners have finished Increment A4 of NASA’s Space Network Ground Segment Sustainment (SGSS) program A4. This increment includes the ground antenna and associated control systems that are housed in a space Network Operations Center (NOC). The team also…

Optus Thuraya SatSleeve+ Photo: Optus [Via Satellite 11-10-2015] Optus Satellite is providing Thuraya’s SatSleeve+ and SatSleeve Hotspot to customers in Australia, enabling mobile coverage across the entire country where line of sight to the satellite exists. SatSleeve+ connects to a range of iOS and Android devices from Apple, Samsung, HTC, LG, Sony and Huawei, and…

Photo: Panasonic [Via Satellite 11-09-2015] Communications service providers with exposure to multiple markets are tapping into other growth opportunities to shore up their businesses while the oil and gas market contracts. Several players in the energy market underwent consolidation in the past year or two, opening up opportunities in more verticals than oil and gas.…

Etihad Airways is partnering with Yahsat to trial high-speed IFC on board its A320. Photo: Etihad [Via Satellite 11-09-2015] Yahsat, the United Arab Emirates-based satellite operator, has announced its plan to test high-speed, in-flight satellite connectivity using an Etihad Airways Airbus A320. The collaboration will allow both UAE companies to work together to trial in-flight…

Inmarsat headquarters. Photo: Matt Biddulph (Flickr) [Via Satellite 11-09-2015] Inmarsat reported considerable growth in aviation during the company’s third quarter, outpacing other segments in new revenue. Aviation revenue increased 57.5 percent from $11.9 million during the third quarter of 2014, to $32.6 million in Q3 2015, which ended Sept. 30. This contributed to total revenues…