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8 November 2009

Free Content

Intelsat Named As Successful Bidder For Protostar 1 Satellite
(30 October 2009) Intelsat, Ltd., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, today announced that it was selected as the successful bidder in the 29 October public auction for the ProtoStar 1 satellite with a US$ 210 million, all cash offer.
Carbon Atmosphere Discovered On Neutron Star
(5 November 2009) Evidence for a thin veil of carbon has been found on the neutron star in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant.
X Prize Foundation And NASA Cap Amazing Lunar Lander Competition And Award US$ 2 Million In Prizes
(2 November 2009) The race for the US$ 2 million Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X Prize Challenge (NGLLXPC) incentivized prize purse, funded by NASA and presented by the X Prize Foundation, has come to an exciting finish.
Two New ESA Satellites Successfully Lofted Into Orbit
(2 November 2009) The second satellite in ESA’s Earth Explorer series – the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission – and the second demonstration satellite under ESA’s Project for Onboard Autonomy (Proba-2) were launched into orbit last night from northern Russia.
Integral Systems Opens Facility In UK To Provide Turnkey Earth Station System Integration Capability
(2 November 2009) Integral Systems, Inc. announced today at Global MilSatCom 2009, that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Integral Systems Europe (ISE), has opened a new facility in the United Kingdom (UK).

Satcoms

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. Wins US$ 1.6 Million SATCOM Equipment Order To Support Cellular Backhaul-Based Service Expansion In Asia
(5 November 2009) Comtech Telecommunications Corp. announced today that its Tempe, Arizona-based subsidiary, Comtech EF Data Corp., won a US$ 1.6 million order for satellite communications equipment.
Globalstar Opens New Gateway Expanding Coverage Into Oil Rich Nigeria And Western Africa
(5 November 2009) Globalstar, Inc., a leading provider of mobile satellite voice and data services to businesses, governments and consumers, today announced it has installed a simplex data applique at its new gateway ground station in Nigeria.
Hylas Satellite Delivery On Schedule
(5 November 2009) Avanti Communications Group plc, the broadband satellite operator, is pleased to announce that its HYLAS satellite payload has arrived safely at the ISRO satellite assembly facility in India where it is now being integrated into the platform and prepared for launch.
Intelsat Named As Successful Bidder For Protostar 1 Satellite
(30 October 2009) Intelsat, Ltd., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, today announced that it was selected as the successful bidder in the 29 October public auction for the ProtoStar 1 satellite with a US$ 210 million, all cash offer.
NSSL Selected As Launch Distribution Partner For Inmarsat’s Global Satellite Phone Services
(3 November 2009) NSSL Ltd has been selected as a distribution partner for Inmarsat’s Global Satellite Phone Services (GSPS).
Solomon Telekom Bridging The Internet Divide Across The Solomon Islands With SES World Skies
(4 November 2009) Committed to connecting unconnected regions of the world, SES World Skies, a division of SES S.A., today announced Solomon Telekom has signed an agreement for satellite capacity to extend its broadband services across the Solomon Islands.
Stratos Is Appointed Distribution Partner For New Inmarsat Global Satellite Phone Services
(3 November 2009) Stratos Global Corporation, the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, today announced it has been appointed as an Inmarsat Distribution Partner for Inmarsat's new Global Satellite Phone Services (GSPS).
Vizada To Distribute Inmarsat Handheld Service
(4 November 2009) Vizada, the leading independent satellite communications provider, has been selected by Inmarsat as distribution partner for Inmarsat’s Global Satellite Phone Services (GSPS).
Yahsat Signs First Service Partner Agreement For “Yahclick” Satellite Broadband Service
(4 November 2009) Star Satellite Communications Company PrJsc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) has signed its first service partner agreement for “YahClick”, Yahsat’s revolutionary satellite broadband service.

Broadcast

France 24’s First Steps In Asia
(4 November 2009) Less than 3 years after its launch, France 24 – the French international 24/7 news channel – already reaches more than 100 million TV households and is available in more than 750,000 upscale hotel rooms across 120 countries throughout Europe, Middle-East, Africa and the East Coast of the US.
MediaScape Launches Cignal HD On SES World Skies’ NSS-11 Satellite
(3 November 2009) SES World Skies, a division of global satellite operator SES S.A. announced today at the CASBAA Convention in Hong Kong that it has concluded a new multi-year agreement with MediaScape, Inc to provide an additional transponder of capacity on the NSS-11 satellite at the orbital location of 108.2 degrees East.
Scripps Networks Interactive To Launch Food Network HD In Southeast Asia January 1
(4 November 2009) Scripps Networks Interactive Inc., which has identified international expansion as one of its key growth strategies, will launch Food Network in Asia on Jan. 1, 2010.

Earth Observation

DMCii Is Latest Addition To IPAD, Office Of Global Analysis, FAS, USDA Prime Vendor Contract
(4 November 2009) International Production and Assessment Division (IPAD), Office of Global Analysis (OGA), Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), announce DMCii, Guildford, UK as the latest addition to the Prime Vendor Contract.
ITT Picked To Build Advanced Imaging Systems For Japanese Weather Satellites
(2 November 2009) ITT announced today that Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Japan's largest satellite manufacturer, has selected ITT Space Systems to build the imaging systems for two geostationary satellites being built for the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
RapidEye To Supply Satellite Imagery To The European Space Agency
(5 November 2009) RapidEye, the only geospatial solutions provider to own and operate a constellation of five identical Earth Observation satellites, announced today that a frame contract has been signed with the European Space Agency (ESA) to provide RapidEye satellite imagery for monitoring and change detection in areas prone to natural disasters.

Navigation

Lockheed Martin-Built GPS Satellite Achieves 10 Years Of On-Orbit Operations
(2 November 2009) The third Global Positioning System Block IIR (GPS IIR-3) satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin to provide significantly improved navigation capabilities for military and civilian users worldwide, has reached 10 years of successful on-orbit operational service.

Tracking

Epes Carriers To Use SkyBitz To Increase Asset Efficiency And Security For Nearly 2,800 Trailers
(4 November 2009) SkyBitz, the leading remote asset tracking and information management service provider, today announced that Epes Carriers, Inc. subsidiaries, Epes Transport System and Texas Star Express, are launching the SkyBitz asset tracking and cargo sensor solution for their fleet of approximately 2,800 trailers.

Military Space

Astrium To Provide Satellite Communications For The German Navy
(2 November 2009) Astrium Services has been awarded a contract by the F125 ARGE, a joint-venture of Thyssen-Krupp and Lürssen, to deliver the satellite communication system for the German navy’s four new F125 class frigates.
CapRock And Paradigm Sign Strategic Partner Agreement To Supply Military Grade SATCOM To U.S. Government
(3 November 2009) CapRock Government Solutions announced today that it has signed a multi-year, multi-transponder strategic purchase agreement with UK-based Paradigm Secure Communications Ltd.
Com Dev USA Awarded Contract To Provide UHF Equipment
(3 November 2009) Com Dev USA, LLC, a subsidiary of Com Dev International Ltd., today announced that it has been awarded a contract valued in excess of US$ 7 million to provide UHF equipment for a satellite payload.
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. Receives US$ 1.0 Million Order For Frequency Converters To Support The U.S. Military
(3 November 2009) Comtech Telecommunications Corp. announced today that its Tempe, Arizona-based subsidiary, Comtech EF Data Corp., received a US$ 1.0 million order for satellite communications equipment from a government contractor.
Harris Corporation Successfully Completes Qualification Testing Of U.S. Navy Multiband SATCOM Terminal
(3 November 2009) Harris Corporation has successfully completed system qualification testing of a satellite terminal that will provide U.S. Navy personnel onboard frigates, cruisers and destroyers with access to the Internet, video and other broadband services.
ViaSat Antenna Systems For Australian Defense Communications Upgrade
(3 November 2009) ViaSat Inc. has been selected by BAE Systems Australia to supply satellite ground stations for a high-speed upgrade to Australian Defence Force (ADF) satellite communications.

Astrophysics

High-Precision Measurements Confirm Cosmologists' Standard View Of The Universe
(2 November 2009) A detailed picture of the seeds of structures in the universe has been unveiled by an international team co-led by Sarah Church of the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, jointly located at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University, and by Walter Gear, of Cardiff University in the United Kingdom.

Astronomy

University Of Utah Celebrates Telescope's 'First Light'
(4 November 2009) The University of Utah will celebrate the initial observations or "first light" of its new US$ 860,000 research telescope in southwest Utah during a Wednesday, Nov. 11 symposium and reception on the Salt Lake City campus.

Stars

Carbon Atmosphere Discovered On Neutron Star
(5 November 2009) Evidence for a thin veil of carbon has been found on the neutron star in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant.

Galaxies

Shedding Light On The Cosmic Skeleton
(3 November 2009) Astronomers have tracked down a gigantic, previously unknown assembly of galaxies located almost seven billion light-years away from us.
VERITAS Discovers Very High Energy Gamma Rays From The Starburst Galaxy M82
(2 November 2009) The VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) collaboration, an international team of astronomers from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, has discovered very high energy (VHE) gamma rays emitted by the starburst galaxy M82 (the Cigar Galaxy).

Supernova

Rapid Supernova Could Be New Class Of Exploding Star
(5 November 2009) An unusual supernova rediscovered in seven-year-old data may be the first example of a new type of exploding star, possibly from a binary star system where helium flows from one white dwarf onto another and detonates in a thermonuclear explosion.

Moon

Masten Space Systems Qualifies For US$ 1 Million Prize
(30 October 2009) Masten Space Systems successfully qualified for first place in Level Two of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge Wednesday.
NASA And X Prize Announce Winners Of Lunar Lander Challenge
(2 November 2009) NASA will award US$ 1.65 million in prize money Thursday to a pair of innovative aerospace companies that successfully simulated landing a spacecraft on the moon and lifting off again.
X Prize Foundation And NASA Award US$ 2 Million In Prizes To Masten Space Systems And Armadillo Aerospace
(5 November 2009) Today, the X Prize Foundation along with NASA hosted an awards ceremony to culminate the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X Prize Challenge (NGLLXPC).
X Prize Foundation And NASA Cap Amazing Lunar Lander Competition And Award US$ 2 Million In Prizes
(2 November 2009) The race for the US$ 2 million Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X Prize Challenge (NGLLXPC) incentivized prize purse, funded by NASA and presented by the X Prize Foundation, has come to an exciting finish.

Mercury

MESSENGER Spacecraft Reveals More Hidden Territory On Mercury
(3 November 2009) A NASA spacecraft's third and final flyby of Mercury gives scientists, for the first time, an almost complete view of the planet's surface and provides new scientific findings about this relatively unknown world.
SEA Signs Euro 5 Million Two-Year Space Exploration Contract
(29 October 2009) Cohort plc, the independent technology group, today announces that its wholly-owned subsidiary, SEA, has signed a two year, Euro 5m contract to supply Remote Interface Units (RIUs) for the BepiColombo spacecraft mission to explore the planet Mercury.

Comets

Rosetta’s Final Earth Boost
(4 November 2009) ESA’s comet chaser Rosetta will swing by Earth for the last time on 13 November to pick up energy and begin the final leg of its 10-year journey to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
'Ultra-Primitive' Particles Found In Comet Dust
(2 November 2009) Dust samples collected by high-flying aircraft in the upper atmosphere have yielded an unexpectedly rich trove of relicts from the ancient cosmos, report scientists from the Carnegie Institution.

Microgravity

ESA Parabolic Flight Campaign Successfully Completed In Bordeaux
(5 November 2009) ESA’s 51st Parabolic Flight Campaign took place this week in Bordeaux, France.

Manned Space

Lockheed Martin Team Avionics And Ground Systems Soar On NASA's Ares I-X Successful Flight Test
(2 November 2009) Lockheed Martin's avionics and ground system were fundamental to last week's picture perfect flight test of NASA's Ares I-X launch vehicle from Kennedy Space Center, FL.

Technology

Avio Wins Euro13 Million Contract For Propulsion Of SMALL-GEO Satellites
(4 November 2009) Avio has signed a €13 million contract with the OHB-System Company in Bremen, Germany, to develop and produce the propulsion unit of the launch platform for SMALL-GEO satellites (geostationary satellites for telecommunications), carried out within the framework of an ESA contract.

Launch Services

Eutelsat W7 Satellite In Baikonour And On Track For Proton Launch On November 23
(2 November 2009) The W7 satellite of Eutelsat Communications arrived at the Baikonour Cosmodrome on October 20, and is now in final stages of preparation for launch on November 23 by International Launch Services (ILS) on board a Proton Breeze M booster.
Loading Is Underway For The Shipment Of Arianespace's First Two Soyuz Launchers To French Guiana
(5 November 2009) The initial two Soyuz vehicles for Arianespace’s operation from the Spaceport in French Guiana are being loaded aboard the MN Colibri transport ship in St. Petersburg, Russia this week in preparation for their transatlantic crossing to South America.

Launch Services - SMOS, Propa-2

SMOS And Proba-2 Ready For Launch
(30 October 2009) The Russian State Commission has given the go-ahead to fuel the Rockot launcher that will take ESA's SMOS and Proba-2 satellites into orbit.
SMOS Forms Three-Pointed Star In The Sky
(3 November 2009) Following the launch of ESA’s SMOS satellite on 2 November, the French space agency CNES, which is responsible for operating the satellite, has confirmed that the instrument’s three antenna arms have deployed as planned, and that the instrument is in good health.
SMOS Satellite Launched
(2 November 2009) Environmental mission investigates fundamentals of water cycle and climate change.
SMOS – The Latest Satellite To Monitor Climate Change Is Placed In Orbit
(2 November 2009) The SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity mission) satellite was launched this morning by a Rockot launcher from the Plesetsk cosmodrome.
Successful Launch Of Canadian Technology On European Space Agency SMOS/Proba-2 Satellites
(2 November 2009) Aboard a Russian Rockot launch vehicle, two advanced satellites SMOS and Proba-2 have successfully been placed in orbit at 2:50 Central European Time.
Two New ESA Satellites Successfully Lofted Into Orbit
(2 November 2009) The second satellite in ESA’s Earth Explorer series – the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission – and the second demonstration satellite under ESA’s Project for Onboard Autonomy (Proba-2) were launched into orbit last night from northern Russia.
Cypress’s New High-Accuracy CMOS Image Sensors Fly Into Space On-Board European Space Agency’s Proba-2 Satellite
(4 November 2009) Cypress Semiconductor Corp. today announced three of its state-of-the-art CMOS Image Sensors for space applications are on-board the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-2 Satellite, which was successfully launched on November 2.

Launches

SMOS, Proba-2

Business

Integral Systems Opens Facility In UK To Provide Turnkey Earth Station System Integration Capability
(2 November 2009) Integral Systems, Inc. announced today at Global MilSatCom 2009, that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Integral Systems Europe (ISE), has opened a new facility in the United Kingdom (UK).

Events

Galileo Science Colloquium
(6 November 2009) More than 150 scientists from 21 countries attended a colloquium on the fundamental aspects and scientific applications of the Galileo satellite navigation system, held at the University of Padua on 14–16 October.
Tackling New Arctic Challenges From Space
(5 November 2009) International scientists, researchers and decision makers met at the ‘Space and the Arctic workshop’ to identify the needs and challenges of working and living in the rapidly changing Arctic and to explore how space-based services can help to meet those needs.
 



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