News & Events

A Proton rocket. Photo: Roscosmos [Via Satellite 08-04-2015] International Launch Services’ (ILS) Failure Review Oversight Board (FROB) has concluded its investigation of the May 16 Proton failure, concurring with the most probable cause and the associated corrective action plan identified by the Russian Interagency Commission (IAC). Based on the data presented by Khrunichev, Proton’s manufacturer…

Goonhilly satellite station. Photo: Gemma Garner (Flickr) [Via Satellite 08-04-2015] Hispasat has reached an agreement with British teleport owners Goonhilly Earth Station (GES) to provide television distribution services across Europe. A transponder from the Hispasat 1E satellite will provide the capacity contracted over the next three years, which will be transmitted by means of one…

Yahsat’s Y1B satellite. Photo: Yahsat [Via Satellite 08-04-2015] Yahsat and mobile backhaul technology developer Sevis Systems have successfully created an optimized cellular backhaul solution that facilitates the expansion of mobile networks across the Yahsat Ka-band footprint. The pre-tested backhaul solution is based on Yahsat’s Ka-band system and Sevis’ scalable 7000-series optimization platform. The integrated IP…

[Via Satellite 08-04-2015] Comtech PST Corp., a New York-based subsidiary of Comtech Telecommunications has received a $1.3 million order for solid-state, high-power RF switches. The follow-on order came from a major domestic prime contractor for use by the United States military. The switches provide for broad frequency coverage and are key components in an integrated electronic countermeasures…

Michel de Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Eutelsat. Photo: Denis Allard/REA; Eutelsat [Via Satellite 08-03-2015] Emerging markets, and Latin America in particular, are expected to be primary drivers of growth for Eutelsat Communications, according to Chairman and CEO Michel de Rosen. The satellite operator has four satellites pending launches by year’s end — Eutelsat 8…

RUAG Space launch structures. Photo: RUAG Space [Via Satellite 08-03-2015] Switzerland-based RUAG Space has agreed to establish a composites production capability in the United States at United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Decatur, Ala., factory. RUAG provides carbon fiber structures for ULA’s Atlas launch vehicles, namely the payload fairing for the larger Atlas 5-500 launcher as well…

Lori Garver, former deputy administrator of NASA. Photo: NASA [Via Satellite 08-03-2015] NASA’s former deputy administrator Lori Garver has joined MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates’ (MDA) board of directors, effective immediately. Garver served as deputy administrator at NASA from 2009 to 2013, and from 1996 to 2001, she worked within the agency’s office of policy and…

An artist’s rendering of a U.S. Air Force Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite. [Via Satellite 08-03-2015] The United States Air Force declared Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite system on July 28. The constellation currently consists of three in-orbit spacecraft with three more, AEHF-4, AEHF-5, and AEHF-6, scheduled…

Yamal 300K’s Ku-band Northern Beam 1. Photo: Gazprom Space Systems [Via Satellite 08-03-2015] Russian satellite operator Gazprom Space Systems (GSS) has initiated cooperation with U.S. Electrodynamics (USEI) of Brewster, Wash., for teleport services. USEI has pointed one of its 9-meter antennas to Yamal 300K to operate the satellite’s Northern Beam 1 for a large communications services…

The U.S. House Of Representatives. Photo: Stephen Melkisethian (Flickr) [Via Satellite 07-31-2015] On July 30 the United States Congress missed what many considered to be the soonest viable attempt to reauthorize the Export-Import bank — an important player in the satellite industry — leaving the Export Credit Agency (ECA) inactive for a lengthier amount of…