WBMSAT News Bits 06/17/2011

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits June 17, 2011

Navy selects Raytheon for satellite communications terminals under $51.6m contract for Navy's Extremely High Frequency Satellite Program.
[Military Aerospace Electronics - 06/18/2011]

Top secret Menwith Hill project in Yorkshire, UK, defence shield inspired by Ronald Reagan's 'Star Wars' program, ready to open with 33 satellite dishes receiving data from SBIRS's four satellites, after almost two decades of construction.
[The Observer - 06/18/2011]

Globecomm Systems is awarded GSA FCSA Schedule-70 Transponded and Subscription service awards covering five-year period with two five-year renewal options and total IDIQ value of approximately $3 billion.
[SatNews - 06/17/2011]

Honeywell acquisition of rugged mobile vendor EMS Technologies gives is a foothold in rugged products for satellite communications.
[eweek - 06/17/2011]

LightSquared sees setbacks on two fronts - attempt by primary investor Harbinger to gain access to S-band frequencies is foiled by Dish Network's acquisition of Terrestar; then public safety group testing affects of use of L-band reach verdict that "interference to public safety operations (using GPS) will occur" if LightSquared deploys its network as planned.
[Space News - 06/17/2011]

Rural Cellular Association and Cellular South join other tech companies in urging FCC to come up with a "win-win" solution for LightSquared and the GPS industry in the controversy over possible interference to GPS by LightSquared.
[Wireless Week - 06/17/2011]

Euroconsult expects global mobile satellite revenue to grow 7% per year over next 10 years in new report.
[Space News - 06/17/2011]

U.S. House of Representatives attempts to kill DISA plan for long-term lease of commercial satellite in favor of additional WGS satellite - questions emerge regarding long-term viability of defense-related commercial satellite capacity.
[NSR briefing - 06/16/2011]

Key House lawmaker asks FCC to kill LightSquared network, but FCC gives company extra two weeks to report on potential GPS interference issue.
[nextgov - 06/16/2011]

Cablevision executive John Bickham feels "Satellite penetration (of cable market) at 30% is unnatural and unsustainable. It's a one-way network. It has no tricks I know of that we can't do twice as well."
[Multichannel News - 06/16/2011]

Intelsat confirms upcoming launch schedule for four satellites, part of $1.3b fleet investment program in the Asia-Pacific region.
[SatNews - 06/16/2011]

Is DISH Network transforming itself by acquiring valuable wireless frequency spectrum which could allow it to grow a viable pay-TV distribution network or become a wireless service provider?
[Zacks - 06/16/2011]

ATCi to provide uplink disaster recovery services for the Outdoor Channel from its Southwest operations center, located in a storm free/earthquake free/hurricane free zone.
[SatNews - 06/16/2011]

Integral Systems announces plans to combine development for its RT Logic TElemetrix-500 series and the Avtec Programmable Telemetry Processors into the Satellite Ground Systems division of its subsidiary RT Logic.
[Benzinga - 06/16/2011]

Advantech Wireless launches new series of VSAT hubs and terminals.
[SatNews - 06/16/2011]

Cont-Trak offers reliable container tracking worldwide via satellite.
[Web Wire - 06/16/2011]

KNS and H2OSatellite announce 100th successful installation of SuperTrack A-Series VSAT on H2O Lightspeed Service, a high speed broadband VSAT solution specifically developed for the maritime market.
[SatNews - 06/16/2011]

Iran launches second domestically built satellite.
[SatNews - 06/15/2011]

USAF 50th Space Wing successfully completes two-phase GPS constellation expansion known as "Expandable 24," providing civil, military, and commercial GPS users with more robust signal and higher signal acquisition probability.
[SatNews - 06/15/2011]

Vizada Networks ramps up capacity on Eutelsat W7 satellite.
[PR Newswire - 06/15/2011]

SES ASTRA announces that N24 will be first German news channel broadcasting in HD on the ASTRA HD+ platform.
[SatNews - 06/15/2011]

WildBlue launches low-cost rural broadband plan funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
[socaltech - 06/15/2011]

Satellite manufacturers around the world prepare to compete for contract to build Nigeria's second satellite.
[Vanguard - 06/15/2011]

Scientists say magnitude of decrease in solar activity may indicate that the current solar maximum might be the last we'll see for a few decades, as sunspot cycle may be going into hibernation.
[Bloomberg - 06/15/2011]

The Satellite Interference Reduction Group teams up with the Global VSAT Forum to develop initiatives to combat satellite interference.
[Satellite Today - 06/15/2011]

Vizada and Thrane & Thrane sign partnership agreement to launch new broadband offering to the maritime market.
[Satellite Today - 06/15/2011]

Satellite and cellular phone provider Mobal expands Website with comprehensive buyer's guide to prepaid and postpaid phones and rental options.
[MailWire - 06/15/2011]

Air Force recoups costs to save AEHF satellite that failed to reach orbit, as Lockheed Martin will offset up to $25m of those costs.
[SpaceFlight Now - 06/14/2011

U.S. climate experts stress importance of new weather satellites in era of tight federal budgets, as current earth observation satellites have served past their lifetimes.
[R&D Magazine - 06/14/2011]

U.S. Air Force's newest Space Based Infrared Systems GEO-1 satellite successfully achieves orbital slot postion.
[SatNews - 06/14/2011]

Burma to launch first state-owned satellite, expand communications.
[Mizzima - 06/14/2011]

MultiChoice Africa and Eutelsat initiate pan-African student competition called "DStv Eutelsat Star Awards" to inspire innovative thinking among secondary and high-school students, create awareness how science and technology can be applied in everyday life, and show impact of satellites on African continent development.
[PR Newswire - 06/14/2011]

ARY Digital leases C-band capacity on AsiaSat 3S.
[Satellite Today - 06/14/2011]

SpaceX is chosen to launch new Thaicom 6 telecommunications satellite into geosynchronous orbit.
[SatNews - 06/13/2011]

House appropriators slam USAF satellite block buy proposal, stating that detailed information on the strategy is "woefully lacking," and denying request for advance appropriations.
[Space News - 06/13/2011]

Orbital Sciences wins contract to build Thailand communications satellite.
[Examiner - 06/13/2011]

Norsat granted $3.5 million satellite-based communications network and services contract by First Nations' Emergency Services Society of British Columbia.
[Satellite Today - 06/13/2011]

San Marino RTV signs three-year contract with Eutelsat to broadcast SMtv channel on Eurobird 9A satellite.
[Satellite Today - 06/13/2011]

Inmarsat and Thrane complete IPv6 trials over BGAN.
[Satellite Today - 06/13/2011][

Expanding use of remotely piloted aircraft by Defense Department consumes large amounts of satellite bandwidth - currently over 80% is commercial capacity - commercial operators are expected to upgrade geosynchronous fleets over next few years to meet increasing demand.
[National Defense Magazine July Report]

Air Force embraces small satellites as budget outlook grows dim.
[National Defense Magazine July Report]

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