Satcoms

The EUTELSAT KONNECT satellite was successfully launched into Geostationary Transfer Orbit by Arianespace using an Ariane 5 rocket that lifted off from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, at 9.05 pm Universal Time (10.05 pm CET) on 16 January 2020. The separation of the all-electric satellite occurred after …

Arianespace opened its 2020 launch activity with a dual-satellite Ariane 5 mission from French Guiana that successfully placed EUTELSAT KONNECT and GSAT-30 into geostationary transfer orbit on 16 January 2020. Conducted from the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch site, today’s mission delivered an estimated payload lift performance of 7,888 kg. EUTELSAT KONNECT …

The antenna testing process has long been a drawn-out and expensive one yet it is integral to the prevention of interference. Enter QuadSAT, a company that brings the test range to you. Utilising drone technology, the QuadSAT system is able to offer affordable, accessible and accurate antenna testing and calibration, …

OneWeb and SatixFy UK announced on 13 January 2020 plans to add a digital technology pathway payload that will include a full digital payload into OneWeb’s launch schedule during 2021. This new technology will pave the way for satellites with a higher level of flexibility to efficiently support peaks in …

Thuraya, the mobile satellite services subsidiary of the UAE-based Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), announced on 13 January 2020 that it is participating in the 12th International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC) in Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Visitors to IPTC 2020 will be able to view and test Thuraya’s …

Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland GmbH, one of the leading private broadcasters in Germany, has renewed its standard definition (SD) distribution agreement with the satellite operator SES, SES announced on 9 January 2020. The complete free TV channel package of the Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland will continue to be available via SES’s ASTRA …

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Defence Agency (EDA) are embarking on new cooperative projects for exploring unknown or potentially hazardous environments: harnessing drones for the monitoring of disaster-stricken regions or toxic spill sites and making use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to navigate across the surface of asteroids …

HISPASAT, the Spanish satellite telecommunications operator, has awarded to Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), the construction of the Amazonas Nexus satellite, which will replace and expand the capacities of Amazonas 2 satellite, in orbit at 61º West. The contract was signed on 10 …

Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES) President Jean-Yves Le Gall presented his New Year wishes to the press at the agency’s Head Office in Paris Les Halles on 7 January 2020. He hailed the unstinting efforts of journalists covering space and working to raise its profile and bring the sector’s everyday …

The Satcoms Innovation Group (SIG) has appointed Helen Weedon as Managing Director. The appointment marks significant restructuring of the innovation forum. Helen succeeds Martin Coleman who will commence as a member of the group’s advisory board. Helen has played a pivotal role within the group since 2011, in which time she has …