February 19, 2019 – The United States Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), in partnership with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), awarded two Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) launch service contracts. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) has been awarded a $297 million firm-fixed-price contract, for launch services to deliver AFSPC-44, NROL-85, and NROL-87…

February 18, 2019 – Satcom Global announced the successful migration of its Aura VSAT network to the iDirect Velocity platform, enabling customers of the high-speed Ku-band service to benefit from higher capacity per vessel, improved satellite network management, as well as the ability to fully capitalize on the coverage and additional capacity of primary network…

February 14, 2019 – Comtech EF Data Corp. received a delivery order in support of the recently awarded contract from the US Naval Warfare Systems Command. This latest delivery order, against the $59.0 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (“IDIQ”) contract, is for $1.8 million. The delivery order specified Comtech EF Data’s SLM-5650B Satellite Modems and firmware…

February 12, 2019 – Arianespace and Open Cosmos, a company providing turnkey space missions, announced that they have signed a contract for the launch of an innovative CubeSat deployment solution. Launched from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana using a Soyuz rocket, the CubeSat deployment platform is a key to the commercial offering from…

February 8, 2019 – Airbus and SKY Perfect JSAT have signed a cooperation agreement for the design preparation of the EDRS-D node. This third communication node of the SpaceDataHighway system is to be positioned over the Asia-Pacific region before 2025. EDRS-D will lead to a significant increase in the system’s communication capacity and considerably expand…

February 6, 2019 – Newtec has partnered with satellite communications solution provider Paradigm, which has become the first company to host its Newtec Dialog® SMB3310 high-throughput modem board. The two-way, high-throughput SMB3310 satellite modem board is now successfully embedded into Paradigm’s field-proven Paradigm Interface Module (PIM) terminal controller, which provides a common terminal interface for…

January 25, 2019 – Blue Origin demonstrated the versatility of the New Shepard system by taking 8 NASA-sponsored research and technology payloads into space. This flight was dedicated to NASA’s Flight Opportunities program, an essential program for researchers providing access to microgravity for technology development. Blue supports NASA’s Flight Opportunities program and its role in…

January 24, 2019 – Telesat announced that the two teams it contracted with last year to develop system designs for Telesat’s global low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation have successfully completed System Requirements Reviews. One of the teams is Airbus Defence and Space. The other is a consortium of Thales Alenia Space and Maxar Technologies,…

January 24, 2019 – Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has developed a slotted waveguide array antenna made of injection-molded resin which has been demonstrated to outperform conventional patch array antenna in side-lobe characteristics, cross-polarization characteristics and electric power efficiency, as well as offer reduced weight and cost. Mitsubishi Electric’s new antenna will enable radar systems to achieve…

January 24, 2019 – SES announced that Resolute Mining Limited is revolutionising its operations in Mali by bringing high-speed, low-latency connectivity to its Syama mining site. The fully-managed SES Networks satellite data connectivity solution enables enterprise cloud applications and helps enhance safety and productivity. Resolute Mining is building the world’s first purpose-built, fully automated sublevel…

January 22, 2019 – STC Solutions Saudi Telecom Company (STCS), the leader of Information Communications Technologies (ICT) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), will launch the first iDirect DVB-S2X network in the Middle East. Utilizing VT iDirect’s iQ Series of remotes, its next-generation DVB-S2X technology will enable STCS to offer high-speed connectivity and expand…

January 18, 2019 – Optus and New Zealand pay TV provider Sky Television have agreed a further 10-year agreement for satellite capacity. Under the deal, Optus will provide Sky with satellite capacity to 2031, with the current contract expiring in 2021. The contract is also conditional on Optus procuring fleet enhancements, including the successful launch…

January 18, 2019 – Newtec has provided a Newtec Dialog® hub system to SATSOL, a teleport and Internet Service Provider (ISP) on the Solomon Islands. The Newtec Dialog platform will deliver IP connectivity for the Solomon Islands government, with a single hop service from remote islands to the capital, Honiara. SATSOL is currently rolling out…

January 17, 2019 – With the support of specialists from Istar LLC, RSCC successfully completed the installation and commissioning of five central stations based on UHP equipment to provide via-satellite communication using the Express-AM series spacecraft. This will enable RSCC to use the capacity of its satellites more efficiently and expand the capabilities of the…

January 15, 2019 – China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) announced a Multiple Launch Services Agreement (MLA) with Satellogic, the world’s first vertically integrated geospatial analytics company. CGWIC will launch 90 of Satellogic’s spacecraft from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The first launch – scheduled for later this year – will deliver a dedicated payload…

January 14, 2019 – Thaicom Public Company Limited announced that True Visions Group Co., Ltd. one of Asia’s leading pay TV providers, signed a long-term transponder capacity contract for continuing its pay TV service to audiences in Thailand. The company has retained several Ku-band transponders on the new Thaicom-8 satellite which delivers pay TV services…

January 10, 2019 – Thales Alenia Space announced that it has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to lead the Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) satellite mission. FLEX was selected in 2015 as ESA’s eighth Earth Explorer mission, and is scheduled for launch in 2023. It will make use of an innovative instrument, named…

January 9, 2019 – Comtech EF Data has received a $1.0 million equipment order from a defense contractor. The equipment will be deployed to support a United States Air Force program. The order specified the DMD1050TS L-Band Satellite Modem Board. The DMD1050TS is Comtech EF Data’s latest generation modem board set targeted at critical government…