Satcoms
Lockheed Martin awarded JCSAT-17 satellite contract
(3 February 2016) SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (SJC) has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract for JCSAT-17, a satellite based on the A2100 common design.
Wireless Nation uses Optus satellite capacity for Mobile Health NZ service
(3 February 2016) Optus Satellite has announced New Zealand-based affiliate Wireless Nation has signed a services agreement with Mobile Health NZ to broadcast high quality health education sessions using video conferencing from their satellite van throughout rural areas.
Panasonic brings inflight connectivity to its 1000th aircraft
(1 February 2016) Panasonic Avionics today confirmed that over 1,000 commercial aircraft are operating on its Global Communications Services network.
Terex selects Orbcomm for heavy equipment telematics solution
(28 January 2016) Orbcomm today announced that Terex Materials Processing, a business segment of Terex Corporation, has selected Orbcomm to deliver a customized end-to-end telematics solution to track and monitor Powerscreen and Terex Finlay machines.
Inmarsat granted a UAE Public Satellite Service License
(27 January 2016) Inmarsat has been granted a Public Satellite Service Licence by the General Authority for Regulating the Telecommunication Sector (TRA), to offer mobile satellite communications services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) region.
Frequentis and ND SatCom announce cooperation
(26 January 2016) Frequentis and ND SatCom announce their cooperation for IP-based ATM-grade voice communication over satellite networks.
RR Media selected for Eutelsat broadband initiative for Africa
(26 January 2016) RR Media has been selected to support Eutelsat's African satellite broadband initiative.
Satellite industry initiative quickens market entry for satellite on the move terminal equipment
(26 January 2016) The satellite industry is improving the way that terminal specifications, testing, and approvals are applied.
Paradigm selected to urgently provide multiple VSAT systems for project in Africa
(25 January 2016) Paradigm are in the process of shipping multiple VSAT systems out for an EU-funded project, which will serve over 50 countries in the developing African market.
Record activations as 9,800 more customers rely on SPOT in Europe in 2015
(25 January 2016) Globalstar Europe Satellite Services today announced that 2015 was another record year for SPOT activations in Europe.
 Broadcasting
SES and Inter Media Group extend their partnership for TV distribution
(4 February 2016) SES has signed a multi-year deal with Inter Media Group, Ukraine´s largest media group, for additional capacity to broadcast TV channels on Astra 4A at 5 degrees East.
ANA connects passengers to exclusive live television programming
(29 January 2016) Panasonic Avionics and All Nippon Airways (ANA) today announced a partnership to launch ANA SKY Live TV and broadband Internet services on domestic aircraft that fly routes across Japan.
Globecast Moskva announces new Russian customers Bestseller
(25 January 2016) Globecast has been chosen by Russian broadcaster Bestseller Channel, distributed by Signal Media International, to extend its reach to the European market via HotBird.
Earth Observation
Sentinel-3A fully tanked
(3 February 2016) With the launch of Sentinel-3A confirmed for 16 February, preparations for liftoff are charging full speed ahead.
Damage maps may help in future quakes
(29 January 2016) Nepal's magnitude 7.8 Gorkha earthquake caused significant damage and loss of life in 2015. In natural disasters like this, it is critical to locate areas that are in the most need of assistance as fast as possible.
Harris subsidiary awarded Joint Polar Satellite System weather payloads contract
(29 January 2016) Harris Corporation has received a $316 million cost-plus-award-fee contract modification to build two payloads for the fourth and fifth weather satellites in the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) program.
SMOS gets help from Tibet
(29 January 2016) Ground measurements are essential for making sure that satellites deliver accurate information about our changing world.
NASA awards Cross-track Infrared Sounder Instrument for the Polar Follow-On/Joint Polar Satellite System-3 and -4 missions
(28 January 2016) NASA has awarded a sole source contract modification to Exelis Space Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Harris Corporation, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, for two Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) instruments for flight on the Polar Follow-On/Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)-3 and -4 missions.
Raytheon to build two sensor suites for Joint Polar Satellite System
(28 January 2016) Raytheon Company has received a $564 million contract modification award from NASA for two satellite sensors as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Polar Follow-On missions.
DigitalGlobe receives early commitments for WorldView-4 satellite capacity
(27 January 2016) DigitalGlobe today announced its third customer commitment for direct access capacity on the WorldView-4 satellite, which is expected to begin commercial operations in early 2017 following its launch in September.
ESA selects Airbus Defence and Space for two new Sentinel-2 satellites
(26 January 2016) Airbus Defence and Space, the world’s second-largest space company, has signed a contract, worth around 285 million euros with the European Space Agency (ESA) to deliver two further optical satellites for the European Copernicus programme.
 Navigation
Thermal vacuum test validates Lockheed Martin’s GPS III satellite design
(3 February 2016) Engineers at Lockheed Martin recently proved their design for the world’s most powerful Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite can operate in and withstand the harsh conditions it will experience on orbit.
Galileo signals covering more of the sky
(2 February 2016) Europe’s ninth and tenth Galileo satellites have started broadcasting working navigation messages.
Miltary Space
On-demand aeronautical SATCOM service takes off with Satcom Direct and XTAR partnership
(3 February 2016) XTAR and Satcom Direct Communications (SDC) today announced their partnership to offer a new, on-demand and minutes-based SATCOM service for military and government end users.
Harris Corporation to offer fully digital GPS III payload
(1 February 2016) Harris Corporation has announced that it will offer an all-digital navigation payload for GPS III Space Vehicles (SV) 11 and beyond.
Apache AH-64E Guardian helicopters to include the ViaSat Link 16 Small Tactical Terminal
(28 January 2016) The Boeing Company has awarded ViaSat a contract for the production of approximately 90 Link 16 Small Tactical Terminals (STT) for the Lots 5 and 6 of the AH-64E Apache Guardian Attack Helicopter production line.
USAF releases final Booster Propulsion Technology Maturation BAA Award
(27 January 2016) The Space and Missile Systems Center released the tenth and final award notice on Jan. 27 under the Booster Propulsion Technology Maturation Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) solicitation supporting technology maturation and risk reduction for rocket propulsion system development.
 Science
Einstein put to the test
(25 January 2016) According to Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, all bodies in a vacuum regardless of their properties are accelerated by the Earth's gravity at the same rate.
Astrophysics
First locks released from LISA Pathfinder's cubes
(3 February 2016) Today, the lock fingers that kept the two test masses on LISA Pathfinder secure during the launch and cruise phase were successfully unlocked.
Astronomy
James Webb Space Telescope primary mirror fully assembled
(4 February 2016) The 18th and final primary mirror segment is installed on what will be the biggest and most powerful space telescope ever launched.
New galaxy-hunting sky camera sees redder better
(2 February 2016) A newly upgraded camera that incorporates light sensors developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is now one of the best cameras on the planet for studying outer space at red wavelengths that are too red for the human eye to see.
Webb Telescope mirrors installed with robotic arm precision
(27 January 2016) Inside a massive clean room at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland the James Webb Space Telescope team is steadily installing the largest space telescope mirror ever.
Stars
Globular clusters gain star-making fuel from outside cluster itself
(27 January 2016) Among the most striking objects in the universe are glittering, dense swarms of stars known as globular clusters.
Galaxies
Galactic center's gamma rays unlikely to originate from dark matter, evidence shows
(3 February 2016) Bursts of gamma rays from the center of our galaxy are not likely to be signals of dark matter but rather other astrophysical phenomena such as fast-rotating stars called millisecond pulsars, according to two new studies, one from a team based at Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and another based in the Netherlands.
Violent wind blown from the heart of a galaxy tells the tale of a merger
(3 February 2016) An international team led by a researcher from Hiroshima University has succeeded in revealing the detailed structure of a massive ionized gas outflow streaming from the starburst galaxy NGC 6240.
Galaxy clusters reveal new dark matter insights
(25 January 2016) Dark matter is a mysterious cosmic phenomenon that accounts for 27 percent of all matter and energy.
In galaxy clustering, mass may not be the only thing that matters
(25 January 2016) An international team of researchers, including Carnegie Mellon University’s Rachel Mandelbaum, has shown that the relationship between galaxy clusters and their surrounding dark matter halo is more complex than previously thought.
 Earth
Integral x-rays Earth's aurora
(26 January 2016) Normally busy with observing high-energy black holes, supernovas and neutron stars, ESA’s Integral space observatory recently had the chance to look back at our own planet’s aurora.
Mars
Mars Rover Opportunity busy through depth of winter
(25 January 2016) NASA's senior Mars rover, Opportunity, worked through the lowest-solar-energy days of the mission's seventh Martian winter, while using a diamond-toothed rock grinder and other tools in recent weeks to investigate clues about the Red Planet's environmental history.
Jupiter
Juno spacecraft burns for Jupiter
(3 February 2016) NASA's solar-powered Juno spacecraft successfully executed a maneuver to adjust its flight path today, Feb. 3.
Saturn
Saturn's rings: less than meets the eye?
(2 February 2016) It seems intuitive that an opaque material should contain more stuff than a more translucent substance.
Cassini heads for 'higher ground' at Saturn
(25 January 2016) NASA's Cassini mission is entering its next chapter with an orbital choreography meant to tilt the spacecraft's orbit out of Saturn's ringplane.
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Pluto
Pluto’s mysterious, floating hills
(4 February 20916) The nitrogen ice glaciers on Pluto appear to carry an intriguing cargo: numerous, isolated hills that may be fragments of water ice from Pluto’s surrounding uplands.
Pluto’s widespread water ice
(29 January 2016) Data from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft point to more prevalent water ice on Pluto’s surface than previously thought.
Asteroids
Airborne asteroid impact chasers release findings on space junk object WT1190F
(29 January 2016) The dramatic fall reentry of a piece of space debris has served as a dress rehearsal for researchers who observe small asteroid entries and impacts.
Companies selected to provide early design work for Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission spacecraft
(27 January 2016) NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., has selected four companies to conduct design studies for a solar-electric-propulsion-based spacecraft for the agency's Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM).
Comets
Inside Rosetta's comet
(4 February 2016) There are no large caverns inside Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. ESA’s Rosetta mission has made measurements that clearly demonstrate this, solving a long-standing mystery.
Extra Solar Planets
Novel calibration tool will help astronomers look for habitable exoplanets
(29 January 2016) Promising new calibration tools, called laser frequency combs, could allow astronomers to take a major step in discovering and characterizing earthlike planets around other stars.
1 trillion kilometres apart: a lonely planet and its distant star
(26 January 2016) A team of astronomers in the UK, USA and Australia have found a lonely planet, until now thought to be a free floating or lonely planet, in a huge orbit around its star.
Manned Space
Russian spacewalk marks end of ESA's exposed space chemistry
(3 February 2016) ESA’s Expose facility was retrieved today from outside the International Space Station by cosmonauts Yuri Malenchenko and Sergei Volkov, who were completing a spacewalk to place new experiments on the outpost’s hull.
New bedrest adventure adds artificial gravity
(2 February 2016) The human body is made for living on Earth – take away the constant pull of gravity and muscles and bones begin to waste away.
Technology
ICESat-2 equipped with unique 3-D manufactured part
(2 February 2016) NASA’s follow-on to the successful ICESat mission will employ a never-before-flown technique for determining the topography of ice sheets and the thickness of sea ice, but that won’t be the only first for this mission.
Saft batteries achieve major space milestones
(1 February 2016) Saft, the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of advanced technology batteries for industry, achieved two major space milestones in December 2015 as its VES16 Li-ion (lithium-ion) batteries made a successful launch onboard TeLEOS-1, Singapore’s first commercial Near Equatorial Orbit (NEqO) earth observation satellite.
NASA engineers to build first integrated-photonics modem
(29 January 2016) A NASA team has been tapped to build a new type of communications modem that will employ an emerging, potentially revolutionary technology that could transform everything from telecommunications, medical imaging, advanced manufacturing to national defense.
Millennium Space Systems to launch ALTAIR-1 technology pathfinder
(27 January 2016) Millennium Space Systems has inked a contract for launch services with NanoRacks LLC of Webster, Texas, to launch its ALTAIR-1 Pathfinder satellite into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) this summer via cargo resupply to the International Space Station (ISS).
OHB Sweden to build propulsion systems for EUCLID space research satellite
(27 January 2016) OHB Sweden has been appointed as supplier of both the chemical propulsion system as well as the fluidic part of the micro-propulsion system for the satellite EUCLID by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Thales Alenia Space in Italy.
DSI teams with SFL to demonstrate autonomous spacecraft maneuvering
(26 January 2016) The world’s first demonstration of autonomous spacecraft maneuvering was recently completed by Silicon Valley-based Deep Space Industries (DSI) and the Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) of Toronto, Canada.
 Launch Services
United Launch Alliance launches GPS IIF-12 satellite for U.S. Air Force
(5 February 2016) United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully launched its first mission of the year with an Atlas V rocket carrying the Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF-12 satellite for the U.S. Air Force.
Final GPS IIF satellite moves to next processing phase toward launch
(3 February 2016) When a space vehicle is loaded with 320 pounds of hydrazine, the 45th Space Wing's Airmen-led GPS processing team knows they are in their final stages toward launching a premier capability to the warfighter.
Six CubeSats with JPL contributions chosen for SLS flight
(2 February 2016) The first flight of NASA's new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), will carry 13 low-cost CubeSats to test innovative ideas along with an uncrewed Orion spacecraft in 2018.
Space Launch System’s first flight to send small sci-tech satellites into space
(2 February 2016) The first flight of NASA’s new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), will carry 13 CubeSats to test innovative ideas along with an uncrewed Orion spacecraft in 2018.
Thales Alenia Space wins Airbus Safran Launcher contract
(1 February 2016) Thales Alenia Space Belgium announced today that it has signed a contract with Airbus Safran Launchers (ASL), prime contractor for the Ariane 6 launcher on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA), to particpate in development of the range safety system for Ariane 6, including a qualification launch.
Eutelsat 9B satellite soars into space
(30 January 2016) The Eutelsat 9B satellite of Eutelsat Communications was successfully launched into geosynchronous transfer orbit today by ILS using a Proton rocket that lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 04.20 (22.20 GMT, 23.20 CET on January 29).
First SpaceDataHighway laser relay in orbit
(30 January 2016) The European Data Relay System’s first laser terminal has reached space aboard its host satellite and is now under way to its final operating position.
ILS Proton launches the Eutelsat 9B satellite
(30 January 2016) International Launch Services (ILS) successfully placed the Eutelsat 9B satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit today, for Eutelsat Communications of Paris, France.
Airbus Defence and Space readies Eutelsat 9B satellite for launch
(28 January 2016) Airbus Defence and Space, the world’s second largest space company, is making the final preparations for the launch of Eutelsat 9B, the latest spacecraft in the Eutelsat fleet.
Ariane 5 soars to success for long-time customer Intelsat
(27 January 2016) Arianespace kicked off its fast-paced 2016 operational schedule tonight with the 70th consecutive launch success using Ariane 5, which orbited a pioneering new-generation satellite for this workhorse vehicle’s leading commercial customer.
Intelsat 29e, the first Intelsat EpicNG satellite, successfully launched into orbit
(27 January 2016) Intelsat today announced that Intelsat 29e, the first of the Intelsat EpicNG high throughput satellites, was launched successfully from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 vehicle.
SpaceX Falcon 9 upgrade certified for National Security Space launches
(25 January 2016) Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, Air Force Program Executive Officer for Space and Space and Missile Systems Center commander, updated the certified baseline configuration of SpaceX's Falcon 9 Launch System to Falcon 9 Upgrade, for use in National Security Space (NSS) missions.
 In Orbit
Indra expands Hispasat ground segment
(1 February 2016) Indra has been awarded the contract to expand the Hispasat ground segment for an amount of more than 5 million euros and an execution period extending until January 2017.
Reports
Passenger connectivity services to surpass $5 billion by 2025
(4 February 2016) According to Euroconsult's newly released report, Prospects for In-Flight Entertainment & Connectivity, total revenues from passenger connectivity services are expected to grow from $700 million in 2015 to nearly $5.4 billion by 2025, a 23% CAGR over the 10-year period.
Business
Honeywell completes acquisition of Com Dev International's space hardware and systems business
(4 February 2016) Honeywell has completed the acquisition of Ontario, Canada-based Com Dev International, a leading satellite and space components provider of switches and multiplexers.
RigNet completes acquisition of TECNOR
(4 February 2016) RigNet has completed the acquisition of Orgtec S.A.P.I. de C.V., d.b.a. TECNOR, a leading provider of telecommunications solutions and services for remote sites on land, sea and air, including a wide array of equipment, voice and data services, satellite coverage and bandwidth options in Mexico.
Cubic completes acquisition of GATR Technologies
(3 February 2016) Cubic Corporation has received final Hart-Scott-Rodino regulatory approval and completed its acquisition of GATR Technologies (GATR), a manufacturer of next-generation deployable satellite communication terminal solutions based in Huntsville, Alabama.
Luxembourg to launch framework to support the future use of space resources
(3 February 2016) The Luxembourg Government announced a series of measures to position Luxembourg as a European hub in the exploration and use of space resources.
Clyde Space forms US company and reveals UK expansion
(27 January 2016) Clyde Space, the pioneering company which designed and manufactured Scotland’s first satellite, today announced it is opening its first subsidiary company in the United States.
Airbus Defence and Space and OneWeb create OneWeb Satellites company
(26 January 2016) Airbus Defence and Space, the world’s second largest space company, and OneWeb, which is building a new global satellite communications system, announced the creation of OneWeb Satellites.
Telenor Satellite Broadcasting becomes Telenor Satellite
(25 January 2016) Telenor Satellite Broadcasting (TSBc) announced today that it is changing its name to Telenor Satellite.
 Products and Services
SES unveils SES Plus to highlight new offerings for data markets
(3 February 2016) SES announced today that it has launched a new satellite data network, SES Plus, that will offer customised products and solutions to tackle the evolving needs of the markets.
Advantech Wireless launches VR7400C VSAT Router
(28 January 2016) Advantech Wireless, a global leader for High Throughput Satellite (HTS) broadband communications solutions, today launched its new VR7400C VSAT Router.
Orbcomm’s Isatdata Pro (IDP) core modem is now commercially available
(26 January 2016) Orbcomm today announced that its new OGi core modem is now commercially available.
People
Advantech Wireless appoints Regional Vice President for Russia and CIS sales
(3 February 2016) Advantech Wireless has announced that Gregory Litinsky has joined the Company as Regional Vice President for Sales for Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Todd May named Marshall Space Flight Center Director
(1 February 2016) NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has named Todd May director of the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Intelsat appoints Jacques Kerrest as Chief Financial Officer
(29 January 2016) Intelsat announced today that Jacques Kerrest is joining the company as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, reporting to Intelsat’s Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Spengler.
Comtech EF Data expands executive management team
(26 January 2016) Comtech EF Data Corp. announced today that it expanded its executive management team with the appointment of Mark Toppenberg to Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing Strategy.
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