Peter J. Brown

It was all smallsats this week at the Small Satellite Conference in Utah. However, the conversations about smallsats’ place in our industry has been going on for quite a while. […]

In June, Kazakhstan’s National Space Agency, KazCosmos, announced that it had lost contact with the nation’s first communications satellite, Kazsat 1. News coverage of this event to date has been […]

The impact of widespread satellite broadband deployments on previously unserved and underserved regions of the world has been substantial and represents a real win-win for the user and service provider […]

Satellite industry experts pretty much agree that satellite-delivered TV and video, including direct-to-home services, direct broadcast services and the distribution of digital and high-definition TV are the star performers in […]

Military satellite designers rely on increasingly complex layers of software, and this means more vulnerabilities are lurking in space and on the ground. As more emphasis is placed on everything […]

Situational awareness cannot be taken for granted, and anything that adversely impacts the performance of GPS signals and satellite navigation equipment needs to be watched closely. In mid-April, the U.S. […]

The launch of a pair of satellites owned and operated by African interests have given new hope to communications providers that transponder prices will come down and enable more networks […]

A team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is using the agency’s first software-defined radio (SDR) system in deep space to communicate with spacecraft studying Mars. The system, dubbed Electra, […]

The launch of a new, more powerful satellite is exciting, as it opens the door to a range of new services and capabilities. But many satellite customers are quite satisfied […]

The time is right for NASA to transform its TV channel — NASA TV —- into something more international, more engaging and more likely to attract a larger audience. In […]

The closer you look at private networks and virtual private networks over satellite, the sooner you realize that both have considerable potential, and the two service offerings have emerged just […]

The mobile satellite services (MSS) sector has a definite role to play in the future of communications as the reach of terrestrial telecommunications services providers only extends so far. However, […]

The use of satellite links to backhaul cell phone and other handheld wireless device traffic enables service providers to reach more customers and gain new revenue streams. For developing countries […]

When it comes to health care, satellites play an increasingly important role. The scope of this activity is enormous and growing, as innovative professionals seek out new and better ways […]

Since the U.S. Federal Communications Commission adopted rules for licensing and operation of ancillary terrestrial component in 2003, satellite industry observers have been wondering whether or not the technology would […]

NASA wants to have astronauts back on the moon by 2020, and this expensive effort is in addition to everything else the agency has on its plate. A debate is […]

High-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) is a 3G mobile broadband solution that absolutely thrills the growing ranks of users who find their download speeds improved by a factor of four […]

The ability to beam ads and promotional content to any number of sites simultaneously via satellite remains a remarkable concept, and network reliability and cost concerns that may have conspired […]

Customers are seeking robust encoding solutions that are futureproof and can be easily adapted to meet the needs of a marketplace where mobile content delivery requirements are emerging to join […]

The National Guard Empowerment Act of 2007 was introduced in both the House and Senate (S 430 & HR 718) at the end of January. There are several important provisions […]

With boats from China, New Zealand, Germany, the United States and Switzerland among the competitors at the 32nd America’s Cup, the event will draw an enthusiastic audience from around the […]

The cluster of storms that left a path of destruction across central Florida in early February again brings into focus the true status of alerts and warning systems throughout the […]

Satellites play a critical role in domestic and international homeland security operations. To maintain secure borders, around-the-clock surveillance is required, and monitoring what flows across borders and approaches a country’s […]

The lessons of recent natural disasters around the globe are not likely to be forgotten soon, and people need to be reassured that in the event of any large-scale natural […]

Internet Protocol (IP)-based virtual private networks (VPNs) have become more popular as companies realize that when it comes to secure and reliable  networking, owning a dedicated network is not the […]

Satellite-based services support everything from pay TV and cellular phone services to robust broadband and niche VSAT markets throughout Africa. While the market is growing, Africa remains a continent where […]

Asia must seriously consider increasing regional cooperation in the satellite realm. Joint satellite-based projects involving disaster response and emergency management, especially in light of the latest earthquake in the region, […]

As 2006 comes to an end, it cannot be said that John Malone, chairman of Liberty Media Corp., is sitting on the sidelines of the satellite and wireless broadband market. […]

Big satellites are the workhorses of the satellite industry, but smaller spacecraft are performing more and more missions as a growing number of customers are finding that small satellites are […]

For a long time, establishing a satellite link required the user to stop or pause along the way, and that still remains a valid option today in many instances. However, […]