Staff Writer

Germany’s MT Aerospace, a subsidiary of OHB Technology AG, received a contract from the French space agency, CNES, to help build the Soyuz ground facilities in Kourou, French Guiana, OHB […]

Arianespace signed a contract to launch the Herschel and Planck scientific spacecraft in late 2007 or early 2008, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced Dec. 15. The spacecraft, with a […]

TV Vlaanderen will launch Belgium’s first dedicated satellite TV platform in January using capacity from SES Astra, TV Vlaanderen announced Dec. 15. The operator will broadcast a bouquet of Flemish […]

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. said Dec. 13 that its Comtech EF Data Corp. subsidiary secured a $1.5 million order to provide satellite communications equipment to an unnamed telecommunications provider in Latin […]

Celtron International Inc. announced Dec. 13 it signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding shares of Satellite Security Systems (S3). Under the terms of the agreement, […]

Viewcast said Dec. 13 that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) would use its Osprey-230 video cards as part of an interactive distance learning and streaming video program through ISRO’s […]

The Russian Satellite Communications Co. (RSCC) and Indonesian national telecommunications operator PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk agreed to study the possibility of jointly developing a telecommunications satellite as well as a […]

SES Global S.A. will pay $760 million to acquire New Skies Satellite Holdings Ltd., the companies announced Dec. 14. The combination would solidify SES as the second largest global satellite […]

XM Satellite Radio announced Dec. 13 that Bob Dylan would host a new music show exclusively for the satellite radio service provider beginning in March. The weekly hour- long music […]

Sirius Satellite Radio and the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced Dec. 13 a multi-year agreement which expands the current relationship between the two organizations and makes Sirius an official NBA […]

Echostar Communications Corp. has added Television Dominicana, a 24-hour Dominican network, to its Dish Network direct-to-home satellite television service, Echostar announced Dec. 13. The station, which broadcasts news shows, sitcoms, […]

The Swe-Dish Suitcase has been awarded a new license by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to operate at increased power, Swe-Dish Satellite Systems announced Dec. 13. The modified license grants […]

Integral Systems Inc. set records with a profit of $7.5 million on revenues of $97.7 million in its 2005 fiscal year, the company reported Dec. 12. In 2004, the satellite […]

Direct-to-home satellite television service provider DirecTV stands to pay out more than $10 million dollars in separate settlements reached with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a group of […]

Sirius Satellite Radio and Familynet announced Dec. 12 they have launched Christian Talk exclusively on Sirius. The channel airs programming provided by Familynet, which is the broadcast arm of the […]

Iridium Satellite LLC signed an agreement for China Space Mobile Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd. (China Spacecom) to be an Iridium service provider. China Spacecom will be responsible for the establishment, […]

Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (CSR), which offers satellite radio service in Canada under the XM Canada brand, said Dec. 12 it completed its Cdn. $55 million ($47.7 million) initial […]

Point.360 announced Dec. 12 the availability of its standard-definition and high-definition (HD) global satellite transmissions service for spot distribution, syndicated program distribution and events. The service, based on Globecast’s worldwide […]

Spacedev introduced Dec. 12 its new Mission Xcelerator Solution Program, a service offering that includes the building and launch of microsatellites and nanosatellites for less than $20 million. The package […]

Vivendi Universal, TF1 and M6 have begun negotiations to merge French satellite pay-TV operators TPS and Canal+ Group, the company announced Dec. 11. Vivendi’s wholly owned subsidiary Canal+ holds a […]

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission awarded TMI Communications and Co. LP (Terrestar) and ICO Satellite Services S-Band Spectrumunder an order adopted Dec. 9, the FCC announced. The two companies have […]

SES Sirius made its mark serving the Nordic region under the name Nordic Satellite AB, but the satellite operator has outgrown its original market and its name. Now the company […]

Eutelsat After its first five trading days, Eutelsat finds its stock trading above the 12-euro ($14.16) initial public offering (IPO). The stock fell below its IPO price on its opening […]

The Modern Times Group (MTG), which owns the Viasat direct-to-home satellite television platform in the Nordic region, increased its stake in Nordic Betting Ltd. to 90 percent, MTG announced. MTG […]

Globalstar LLC said Dec. 6 that Elsacom, an independent gateway operator and Globalstar service distributor in Central and Eastern Europe, won a 20 million euro ($23.6 million) contract to provide […]

Spacenet Inc. said Dec. 5 that Scientific Games International Inc. (SGI) has selected Spacenet to provide 3,000 Skystar Advantage VSAT terminals for state lottery networks in Colorado, Pennsylvania, North Dakota […]

German satellite pay TV operator Premiere broadcast its first live high-definition (HD) program Dec. 3 as part of a field test for subscribers. The soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and […]

Eutelsat signed a deal with Morocco’s national public broadcaster, Société Nationale de Radio et de Télévision Marocaine (SNRT), to broadcast six television channels and four radio stations using Eutelsat’s Hot […]

Mobile communications not only is critical to military operations, but also to enterprise verticals such as asset tracking, aviation and maritime services. Iridium Satellite LLC will be focusing on these […]

Bellsouth Corp. and PDI-SAT will jointly market and deploy voice, data and DirecTV services to residential multi-dwelling units across BellSouth’s service territory, the companies announced Dec. 8. Under a non-exclusive […]