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Northrop Grumman Corp. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) filed complaints with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over pending approval of the United Launch Alliance (ULA). The joint venture, which received preliminary approval in October, would combine the government launch vehicle operations of Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. SpaceX, which would be a competitor...

Orbcomm Inc. priced its initial public offering (IPO) of 9.2 million shares of common stock at $11 per share, the company announced Nov. 2. The offering was scaled back, as Orbcomm had announced in October its plans to offer 11.2 million shares at a range of $12 to $14. The stock will trade on the...

Soundexchange, the non-profit organization that collects and distributes royalties from digital music services on behalf of artists and record labels, is seeking higher fees from Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, Soundexchange announced Oct. 30. "The essence of satellite radio is music," John Simson, executive director of Soundexchange, said in a statement. "We are...

The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a $299.9 million contract change to further the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite (WGS) program. This funding exercises an option for production of WGS Space Vehicle 4, work that is to be completed by March 2011.

ViaSat Inc. posted record revenues of $131.5 million in its 2007 second quarter, up from revenues of $104.1 million in the same period a year ago, the company announced Nov. 2. ViaSat’s profits improved from $6 million to $6.5 million over the same period. The government segment had revenues of $70 million in the 2007...

Orange UK will launch a GPS navigation system for corporate customers that will be powered by Webraska, a provider of mobile GPS navigation systems and geospatial software for wireless carriers and service providers, Webraska announced Nov. 2. Available through Orange Business Services, Sat-Nav from Orange provides maps and traffic updates that are held on a...

Launch preparation is underway in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, for the launch of BADR-4, a Eurostar E2000+ satellite built by Astrium for the Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat). Liftoff on a Proton Breeze-M vehicle owned by International Launch Services (ILS) is scheduled for Nov. 8 at 20:01 GMT (3:01 p.m. EST). BADR-4, which carries 32 Ku-band transponders,...

Apax Partners has completed the acquisition of France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications (FTMSC), a deal commenced in July. Apax also recently announced its acquisition of Telenor Satellite Services, bolstering its status to become a key player in the mobile satellite communications market.

International Datacasting Corp. and SES Americom announced Nov. 2 the integration of IDC’s next-generation DVB-S2 satellite receivers aboard the IP-Prime IPTV service. As part of the agreement, IDC will be the exclusive provider of satellite receivers over the initial year of the service rollouts.

Patriot Antenna Systems unveiled Nov. 2 its 1-meter Back-Pack Flyaway Antenna system. The system provides transmit-and-receive operation in Ku- or Ka-band frequencies and is designed for frequent travel. The antenna stores in a durable, lightweight, nylon backpack case which is checkable on airlines.