Staff Writer

China plans to launch 10 satellites this year as part of a significant expansion of its space program, according to a Chinese aerospace official quoted in Business Daily Update. The […]

OptiStreams, a Fresno, Calif.-based private satellite network provider, has introduced a new line of wired and wireless networking hardware designed for consumer, small office/home office and small business users of […]

Pan-European ISP Tiscali, which recently signed a deal with SatLynx to rollout its Tiscali Sat service in 10 European countries, hopes to extend that partnership if the demand for satellite […]

Orca Interactive, a developer of applications for interactive TV services, announced the licensing of its RiGHTv software solutions to Bezeq, Israel’s national telecommunications provider, and YES, an Israeli satellite TV […]

SES Aster and RTL Group have signed contracts for the digital transmission of the “RTL Austria” bouquet of television channels via an Astra satellite located at 19.2 degrees East Longitude. […]

London-based GlobeTrac [OTC BB: GBTR] has signed a reseller agreement with Visible, a Milan, Italy-based company specializing in customer relationship management for mobile workforces. Visible and GlobeTrac have integrated the […]

Pharos Science & Applications, a provider of portable GPS navigation and location-based services, has announced a partnership with Hitachi to combine Hitachi’s G1000 multimedia communicator with Pharos’ Ostia Smart Navigator […]

AccessVia, a provider of automated sign printing solutions and electronic display technologies for retailers, has received a contract to provide stores on 225 U.S. Army and Air Force military bases […]

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing [BA: NYSE:] a GPS III study contract valued at $20.8 million. Under the contract, Boeing will perform a 24-month systems requirement review (SRR) […]

The dominant U.S. satellite radio services provider, XM Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: XMSR], beat analyst forecasts for the fourth quarter by signing up more than 430,000 customers – its best quarter […]

DirecTV, an El Segundo, Calif.-based satellite TV provider, has filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for authority to move its DirecTV 5 spacecraft into an orbital slot controlled by […]

Russia’s state-owned Khrunichev Research and Production Center has received a contract to manufacture the first national geostationary telecommunications satellite for the government of Kazakhstan, according to the TASS news agency. […]

Globecomm Systems [Nasdaq: GCOM], a Hauppauge, N.Y.-based provider of satellite-based communications solutions, has extended its relationship with African Virtual University (AVU) with a contract valued at approximately $1.5 million. The […]

John O’Keefe has been selected chief financial officer at Verdisys [OTC BB: VDYS.OB], a Houston-based provider of satellite communications and other services to the oil and gas industry. He joins […]

New York-based Sirius Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: SIRI] ended 2003 with 261,061 subscribers, up from approximately 30,000 subscribers at the end of 2002. This represents an increase of 772 percent over […]

Canada’s MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) has secured C$1.8 million (US$1.4 million) in downlink agreement renewals with four RADARSAT-1 clients. MDA holds the exclusive international marketing rights to RADARSAT-1 data. […]

Petah Tikva, Israel-based Gilat Satellite Networks [Nasdaq: GILTF] will supply a hub and 300 VSATs to China’s Central Agriculture Broadcast and Television School (CABTS) for a rural distant learning network. […]

Ottawa, Canada-based C-Com Satellite Systems [TSXV: CMI] has signed a distribution agreement with ShowNet Internet Solutions, a Kuwait- based reseller of DirecWay broadband satellite service, to distribute C-Com’s iNetVu mobile […]

AirTran AirWays, a subsidiary of Atlanta, Ga.-based AirTran Holdings [NYSE: AAI], has selected XM Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: XMSR], a Washington D.C.-based satellite radio provider, to provide in-flight entertainment. No financial […]

Wherify Wireless, a Redwood Shores, Calif.-based developer of wireless location products, has introduced what the company says is the world’s smallest GPS-enabled cell phone. The new phone will feature a […]

Seattle, Wash.-based Tenzing Communications and Emirates Airlines have formed a partnership to offer inflight email service on the Emirates fleet. Starting in the first quarter with new Airbus A340-500 aircraft […]

In the Jan. 6 issue, we incorrectly identified the name of the Japanese satellite operator that recently signed two satellite launch contracts with Arianespace. The name should be JSAT Corp. […]

Arianespace, an Evry, France-based commercial launch service provider, has received two launch contracts from JCSAT, a Japanese satellite operator. Financial terms were not disclosed. Under one contract, Arianespace will launch […]

TANDBERG Television, an Orlando, Fla.-based supplier of open solutions for digital broadcasting and broadband, is providing Intelsat with a turnkey video product, including digital compression and control and monitoring equipment. […]

Dulles, Va.-based SkyBitz has secured $16 million in funding to continue marketing efforts and product enhancements for its satellite-based asset tracking and information management service. This equity financing was co-led […]

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has approved three small-satellite missions under the Earth System Science Pathfinder program. The three spacecraft are Orbiting Carbon Observatory, Aquarius and Hydros. The Orbiting […]

Sirius Satellite Radio [Nasdaq: SIRI], a New York, N.Y.-based satellite radio company, has selected Steven Van Zandt as a creative advisor to develop a rock and roll channel called “Underground […]

Delphi [NYSE: DPH], a Troy Mich.-based manufacturer of vehicle component, has introduced a new satellite antenna system for passenger vehicles. Delphi said that this will be the first-known satellite TV […]

Week of Dec. 26 – Jan. 1, 2003 Percentage Change Symbol Dec. 31 Price One Week One Month Three Month Year to Date Operators APT SATELLITE HLDGS ATS 2.49 6.0 […]

By Timothy J. Logue Holiday parties for the satellite set during the last few years have been fun but also thought provoking. The morning after often involves lip chewing and […]