International Launch Services getting ready for Satmex-8 launch

Satélites Mexicanos, S.A. de C.V. (“Satmex”) and International Launch Services (ILS) is happy to announce that the launch date of Satmex 8, a C- and Ku-band satellite, has been set for March 27. It will be sent into orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The launching of Satmex 8 is expected to help in the timely and continuous transition of customers from Satmex 5 to the new satellite.

Initially planned to be sent into space on December 28, 2012, the Satmex 8 launch was delayed because of an irregularity experienced by the Proton Breeze M launch vehicle on December 28. Satmex 8 participated in the International Launch Services Failure Review Oversight Board (FROB) which recently completed as part of its return to flight process. The corrective measures required to prevent any recurrence of the anomaly have been started and are on schedule to support the new launch date.

ViaSat expands Ku-band satellite capacity through four new contracts

A quartet of new contracts will expand the total Ku-band satellite capacity of ViaSat Inc.'s global mobility network by more than 60 percent.

ViaSat will reserve this additional bandwidth for government and general aviation business growth as well as providing high data rates for customers in the mobile satellite communications market.

The current expansion phase is an overlay to ViaSat's mobile network in important regions around the world. The additional satellite bandwidth will not only improve baseline broadband performance; it will also create a foundation for future service plans.

ViaSat will elaborate on the regional coverage and availability of its expanded Ku-band satellite capacity within February 2013 at the earliest.

The Company recently delivered its 500th VR-12 satellite terminal. General aviation and government mobility markets have relied upon the ultra-small aperture system to accomplish “office in the sky” business applications, while military customers use them for enroute Command & Control and ISR services. 

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Gogo to install satellite, air to ground in-flight Internet solutions on American Airlines’ A320, 737 aircraft

Gogo, a world-leading company providing in-flight connectivity, said in a statement that it will set up two in-flight connectivity solutions on American Airlines’ new Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737 deliveries: Ku-band satellite and Gogo’s next generation Air to Ground technology - ATG-4.

These dual systems will allow the aircraft to provide smoothly continuous in-flight Internet service on both domestic and international flights. Installations will take place as the new aircraft are delivered to the U.S this year.

In a company statement, Gogo’s CEO and President Michael Small said, "Installing the two systems helps ensure these aircraft will stay connected wherever they fly, whether they're flying domestically or headed to an international destination. Gogo's ability to deploy multiple connectivity solutions gives us the flexibility to install the right technology for each individual aircraft regardless of its mission. American's decision to use both solutions is further acknowledgment of the significant advantages of the dual system for an enhanced customer experience."

Aside from American’s new A320 family and Boeing 737, Gogo was also formerly chosen to install existing MD-80 and Boeing 737, 757 and 767 in American Airlines domestic aircrafts.

ViaSat ships its 500th ultra-small airborne satellite terminal

Swedish company ViaSat has just reached a military and general aviation market milestone after shipping its 500th VR-12 Ku-band airborne ultra-small satcom antenna, along with its ArcLight technology.

The VR-12 serves as an aircraft which requires a limited size, weight and power of onboard communications equipment, all while meeting the requirements for advanced broadband satcom for media-rich applications.

The VR-12 airframe systems also include a “hatch-mount” version -- a combined antenna system and radome package that falls into the escape hatch of a C-130 aircraft. Other installations include tail mounts for the PC-12 (U-28), commercial Gulfstream and other planes, as well as a fuselage mount for government MC-12W aircraft.

Paul Baca, the General Manager for ViaSat Global Mobile Broadband, said that the ultra-small 30-centimeter aperture of the VR-12 brings the trend for larger antenna designs.

“The small VR-12 footprint has been a key to achieving so many successful Ku-band installations,” Mr. Baca said in a statement. “As more Ka-band satellites become operational, we plan to offer a new VR-12 Ka antenna with an identical footprint as a new configuration option.”

Mexsat Bicentenario Ku-band satellite successfully signals from space

Satellite manufacturer Orbital Sciences reported that it has picked up the first signals from the Mexsat Bicentenario C-/Ku-band satellite after its recent launch.

The first of a trio of satellites manufactured by Boeing and Orbital Sciences for the Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT) of Mexico, Mexsat Bicentenario is a new hybrid C-band and Ku-band satellite. It will improve and provide satellite communications services for domestic, military, civil, and humanitarian consumers in Mexico.

Orbital used its GEOStar-2 platform as the template for the Bicentenario design. The other two communications satellites will be built by prime contractor Boeing. The Boeing satellites are modified 702HP geomobile platforms and set to be launched in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

Boeing will also handle integration duties for the Mexsat satellite network. When completed, the network will be composed of three communications satellites (including Bicentenario itself), a pair of ground telemetry and control sites, the associated network operations systems, and reference user terminals.

Orbital will provide command and control ground equipment and software for the Mexsat Bicentenario satellite. It will also extend associated training and operational documentation to Mexsat personnel.

EUTELSAT 21B Ku-band satellite fully enters commercial service

Eutelsat Communications proudly declared that its powerful EUTELSAT 21B Ku-band satellite has fully entered commercial service. The Company's control center closely collaborated with its clients and uplink services providers to ensure the smooth transfer of all traffic from the older EUTELSAT 21A satellite to the new satellite.

A wide range of users like broadcasters, enterprises, government administrations, news agencies, and telcos will benefit from the vast new dimension of satellite communications services offered by the EUTELSAT 21B satellite from its 21.5° East orbital slot.

The EUTELSAT 21B satellite carries 40 Ku-band transponders compared to the 29 on EUTELSAT 21A. The new satellite also has an enhanced Widebeam which covers Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia. Finally, its two high-energy beams deliver data, satellite broadband, and professional video services to the North-West African region and the Middle East/Central Asian region respectively. These options allow Eutelsat customers to either operate their services within a beam, or to interconnect between beams.

The older EUTELSAT 21A will move to a new operations base at the 48 degrees East orbital slot. Meanwhile, the EUTELSAT 70B satellite is now going through in-orbit testing before entering service in the middle of January 2013.

Eutelsat leases Russian Ku-band, Ka-band capacity on future RSCC satellites

In need of additional satellite capacity for broadcasting and IP services, Eutelsat Communications has signed two 15-year contracts with the Russian Satellite Communication Company (RSCC.) Eutelsat will pay approximately 300 million euros for Ku-band and Ka-band capacity on two RSCC satellites that will be launched in 2013 and 2015.

RSCC is currently expanding its communications satellite fleet. One of those planned platforms, Express-AT2, is set for a 2013 launch. Express-AT2 is being built by ISS Reshetnev and will use a Thales Alenia Space-designed payload. It will occupy the 140 degrees East slot and more than double the Ku-band capacity for satellite broadcasting at the key video neighborhood in the Far East region of Russia.

The second RSCC platform that Eutelsat intends to access is the Express-AMU1 satellite. Scheduled for a 2015 launch, the new RSCC satellite will share the 36 degrees East position with the older EUTELSAT 36A satellite. Eutelsat will sell this capacity under the EUTELSAT 36C name.

Express-AMU1 will serve the European part of the Russian Federation. It will also broadcast markets in sub-Saharan Africa. Its numerous Ku-band and Ka-band transponders will help support the developing digital entertainment market in Russia by transforming the broadcasting infrastructure at 36 degrees East into a wider system that can support more television services and IP-based applications.

The 36 degrees East video neighborhood serves more than 11 million Direct-to-Home (DTH) antennas in Russia. Most of those subscribers follow either the premium NTV+ platform or the flourishing Tricolor TV platform.


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