E-letter: Briefs

XM Satellite Radio has extended its exclusive relationship with American Honda Motor Co. through 2016, XM announced Jan. 30. American Honda, which markets Honda and Acura vehicles, has produced more […]

The latest Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft has been turned over to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for operational use, manufacturer Lockheed Martin announced. DMSP F-17 […]

Global Satellite Broadcasting Corp. (GSBC) was asked by Paragon International Placements Ltd. Jan. 29 to delay its listing in the United States by a few days. The request was made […]

SpaceDev Inc. will move the operations of its Starsys division from Boulder, Colo., to a new facility in Louisville, Colo., in March, SpaceDev announced Jan. 30. The 72,000- square-foot facility […]

Sea Launch has reset the launch of the NSS-8 communications satellite for SES New Skies for Jan. 30, Sea Launch announced. The 37-minute launch window remains set to open at […]

About 93.9 percent of households in Saudi Arabia own a satellite dish, Middle East telecoms consultancy Arab Advisors reported in “Saudi Arabia Media Survey 2007,” released earlier this month. Showtime, […]

TerreStar Networks Inc. plans to raise $450 million in funding through the sale of senior secured discount notes due in 2015, TerreStar announced Jan. 29. TerreStar, a majority-owned subsidiary of […]

Intelsat plans sell its Silver Spring, Md., teleport, which includes the land, facilities and six antennas ranging in size from 3.8 meters to 10 meters, Intelsat announced Jan. 26. Intelsat […]

Belgian direct-to-home operator TV Vlaanderen has surpassed the 30,000-customer milestone, the company announced. The service was launched in the Flanders region of Belgium in June. TV Vlaanderen hopes to ramp […]

The uplink and downlink phased-array antennas developed by Northrop Grumman Corp. for the first Advanced Extremely High Frequency (EHF) military satellite communications payload have been integrated onto the first flight […]

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. will supply its SkyAbis CDMA2000 to provide satellite backhaul for an unnamed African telecommunications operator’s network, Gilat announced Jan. 23. Gilat will install more than 150,000 […]

Sea Launch has set the launch of the NSS-8 communications satellite for SES New Skies for Jan. 27, Sea Launch announced.  The 37-minute launch window remains as previously planned, opening […]

Spanish industrial group Abertis has completed the purchase of a 32 percent stake in Eutelsat Communications 1.1 billion euros ($1.4 billion), Abertis announced Jan. 23. Abertis subsidiary Abertis Telecom acquired […]

Globecomm Systems Inc. has received a $13.1 million notice of award from NATO to provide additional systems in support of a multi-national GPS friendly force tracking system, the company announced […]

France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications (FTMSC) signed a new deal with Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) to develop an emergency mobile satellite communications system. The deal was announced at International Aid […]

Sea Launch has set the launch of the NSS-8 communications satellite for SES New Skies for Jan. 26, Sea Launch announced. The 37-minute launch window opens at 6:22 p.m. EDT. […]

William Freeman will be named chairman of TerreStar Networks Inc., Robert Brumley, president & CEO of parent company Motient Corp. said Jan. 24. A formal announcement will be made Thursday […]

Telenor Satellite Services has signed a three-year extension with Hurtigruten Group for at-sea maritime broadband communications on board Hurtigruten’s fleet of cruise and transport vessels. Norway-based Hurtigruten is an international […]

TeleCommunication Systems Inc. (TCS) has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army to provide satellite communication terminals and maintenance, the company announced Jan.23. The VSAT terminals will provide the […]

The Svobodny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East will be closed after a launch scheduled for later this year, the commander of the Russian Space Forces said Jan. 22. The facility […]

The People’s Republic of China has confirmed that it did perform an anti-satellite weapon test but has no plans to participate in an arms space race, according to Xinhua news […]

Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) has been awarded a patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering use of GPS positioning data in hybrid satellite-terrestrial networks, MSV announced Jan. […]

The U.S. Air Force awarded a contract to Aerojet-General Corp. to provide technology for the Hydrocarbon Boost Technology Demonstration (HBTD) program, the Air Force announced Jan. 17. Under the $109.7 […]

Spacehab Inc., which provides commercial space services to NASA, has eliminated 36 jobs as the company’s contract to support space shuttle operations nears completion, Spacehab announced Jan. 18. The elimination […]

A prototype structure that holds the primary mirrors for the optical element of the James Webb Space Telescope passed a series of cryogenic tests, Webb prime contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. […]

International Datacasting Corp. (IDC) has been awarded a contract by Shin Broadband Internet of Thailand to provide software for a next-generation Internet protocol TV service in Asia, IDC announced Jan. […]

Kudelski Group has acquired a controlling stake in OpenTV, the company announced Jan. 16. Kudelski, a supplier of conditional access system to pay-TV operators, announced in October that it had […]

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has chosen BAE Systems to lead a team of 10 companies in the next development phases of the Novel Satellite Communications (NSC) […]

SkyPort International Inc. announced Jan. 17 a strategic partnership with Comdex Inc. in which the two companies will jointly provide secure satellite communications services to Comdex customers around the globe. […]

Comtech EF Data Corp. will supply components, including modulators and redundancy switches, to DirecTV under a contract valued at about $1 million, Comtech Telecommunication Corp. announced Jan. 16. The components […]