The BSAT-3b broadcasting satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin for the Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) of Japan, is now operational following successful on-orbit deployment and checkout of all spacecraft systems. The spacecraft is located at 110 degrees east and is expected to provide more than 15 years of service for B-SAT. The satellite […]
A Proton-M rocket that failed to launch 3 GPS satellites on December 5 could have been too heavy, say local investigators. The rocket crashed into the Pacific Ocean destroying its important cargo, and forcing Russian officials to suspend all Proton launches while they determine what went wrong. Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that one theory […]
On December 7th a Russian Proton rocket suffered a serious malfunction and three satellites it was carrying tumbled into the Pacific Ocean after launch. The Glonass satellites would have served Russia’s GPS navigation. A formal Board of Inquiry has been set up to determine the cause of the failure. However, this will take some […]
Neotion, a French based provider of highly‐sophisticated processors (SoC) and Advanced CI & CI Plus Modules for Pay TV operators’ has been selected by ITI Neovision, a leading Polish DTH Pay TV operator as their exclusive supplier of CI Plus Conax Modules, for their HD satellite bouquet in Poland. The Neotion CI Plus Conax Chipset […]
Newtec, a global player in satellite communications, has announced that PALS Electronics has successfully achieved the Multimedia Exchange Network over Satellite (MENOS) certification of its vehicle-mounted and fly drive satellite antenna systems for use with Newtec’s ASBU-MENOS Open DSNG networking solution. The certification process ensures that the proposed solution is fully compliant with the MENOS […]
Eutelsat, as expected, has ordered a replacement for the failed W3B satellite which failed to orbit on Oct 28. Thales Alenia will build W3D in near-record time, just 24 months, which is speedy for a 56-transponder craft. The order and rapid build commitment means the new satellite should be on station at 7 degrees […]
DirecTV says it expects to add a net 200,000 US subs in this fourth quarter of the year, taking its total to just over 19m, and a very healthy $24 billion in annual revenues. But its future prospects over the next three years, claimed CEO Michael White, include a subscriber base of 30 million, […]
Conax, a provider of security solutions for digital content distribution, has entered a contract with state owned Vietnam Cable Television. VCTV is a MSO with 17 Vietnam cable operators and over a half million analogue subscribers. Conax will deliver a new content protection solution to VCTV’s subsidiary VTV, the second largest cable operator in Vietnam, […]
India’s DTH operators signed up 1.7 million subscribers in November, comfortably outpacing cable. Dish TV has added 500,000 subscribers in November as it crosses the nine million mark. India’s largest DTH service has added 2.26 million subscribers during this year. Says Dish TV chief executive officer RC Venkateish, “It looks like we will be performing […]
Hylas 1, owned by Avanti Communications, was launched on Nov 29 into orbit aboard an Arianespace rocket. Avanti’s CEO David Williams says he is confident that his company’s three-year plan to fill the craft is on schedule, and that a second Hylas will be launched in 2012. There could also be a third satellite ordered. […]