US Air Force satellite successfully launched

The United Launch Alliance or ULA - a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin - successfully launched the US Air Force’s X-37B, an Orbital Test Vehicle or OTV developed by Boeing. The unmanned spacecraft is a reusable vehicle which is launched into space via a rocket, but reenters earth as a spaceplane. ULA said the launch took place at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station via the Atlas 5 rocket.

Reports indicate the Air Force’s shuttle is classified and thus, the organization has not released much information about the launch’s mission. After the launch, a news and media blackout immediately followed.

Experts say the X-37B might be carrying specialized sensors that are being tested for possible use in future satellites. The space vehicle is about one fourth the size of NASA’s Space Shuttle, and are the first vehicle since the end of the shuttle program, to be runway-landing.

 

Recommended read:

• Vivacom boosts Internet on satellite download speeds, bandwidth allowance

US Army awards $35 million satellite communications contract to Rockwell Collins

Iowa-based avionics and defense company Rockwell Collins has received a $35 million contract from the US Army for satellite communications services. This new agreement is part of the indefinite quantity, indefinite delivery contract for services worth $88 million.

Rockwell Collins is expected to deliver its services through FlexForce Life Cycle Service Solution which it had been using for various military and government organizations across the globe. The contract will see Rockwell Collins delivers upgrades to satellite communications services, provide maintenance to the systems and networks, as well as give training support for the Army in their missions.

According to Scott Gunnufson, vice president and general manager of Service Solutions for Rockwell Collins, the company will also be handling the maintenance of critical satellite equipment which delivers internet on satellite, voice, video, and data solutions to military personnel, necessary for warfare.

 

Recommended read:

• Businesses, industries turning to the Ka band spectrum

Spidersat acquired by ITC Global

Florida-based satellite communications provider ITC Global Inc has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Spidersat, a leading system integrators company with headquarters in Australia and Africa. ITC Global Inc, which delivers enterprise grade satcom service to maritime, energy, and resource sectors, acquired SpiderSat to increase presence in the African continent.

 

The latter is one of the leading corporate ISP in Tanzania and delivers VSAT-based communications solutions to over 25 other countries in Africa. The co-founder and CEO of ITC Global Inc, Joseph Spytek, expressed his excitement now that the two companies have combined. Spytek said he was looking forward to expanding the company’s presence across the globe, and acquiring Spidersat, which already had an crucial business mark, would propel ITC to its marketing and business goals.

 

Spidersat had been delivering corporate network solutions to enterprise customers in the African continent for years. Aside from several technical offices in Ghana and Tanzania, it also has offices in Perth, Western Australia.

 

Recommended read:

• Internet from satellite
• YahClick Go to be made available in Africa

Boeing to build SES’ 11th spacecraft

American aerospace and defense giant Boeing has just snagged a contract to build SES 11th spacecraft, the SES 9 - a 702HP satellite to boost the Luxembourg-based satellite company’s transmission capacity in Indonesia, South Asia, and the rest of Northeast Asia.

 

Demand for satellite bandwidth capacity has been surging in Asia, and SES CEO, Romain Bausch, was happy to announce the agreement in Boeing as not only the latest effort to solidify business relationships but also improve the company’s global satellite fleet. SES currently has 52 geostationary satellite.

 

According to Craig Cooning of Boeing, the SES 9 will be outfitted with a xenon ion propulsion system, as well as a chemical bi-propellant system that remarkably reduces the launch weight of the vessel. The technology also allows the SES 9 to maximize payload capacity.

 

Aside from cutting-edge materials to be used in the satellite’s construction, the bird will also be equipped with 57 high-power ku band transponders to support the growing demand for bandwidth in target regions. The rise of mobile applications have also pushed demand for segment capacity in order to meet the growing needs in maritime communications, VSAT technology, broadcasting, telecom, mobile and fixed networks, as well as internet on satellite.

 

Based on the CASBAA forum, Asia is now the leading region in the satellite industry, providing operators and companies offering fringe technologies, new, diverse thriving markets.

 

You might also like to read:

• Inmarsat, Honeywell sign MDA for GX Aviation satellite Internet capacity