Satellite News

On 29 October, mission operators sent a series of commands to NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft for the first time since mid-March. The spacecraft has been flying solo while the 70-meter-wide radio antenna used to talk to it has been offline for repairs and upgrades. Voyager 2 returned a signal confirming it had received the “call” and executed the commands without issue.

SES announced Gilat and ST Engineering iDirect as its latest technology partners who will be developing the core infrastructure modem platforms for O3b mPOWER, SES’s non-geostationary-satellite orbit (NGSO) communications system.

Inmarsat has been awarded a three year contract with the European Space Agency (ESA), which will co-fund the development of a new capability for governments to plan, procure, manage and monitor their satellite communications (satcoms) services from Inmarsat and other operators and service providers.

Orbcomm Inc. and Inmarsat announced that they will extend their agreement through at least 2035 and enhance their strategic partnership. The two companies will collaborate on joint product innovation and distribution of next-generation IoT satellite services, telematics devices and end-to-end solutions.

NXT Communications Corporation (NXTCOMM) has signed a capacity agreement with Eutelsat Communications for capacity on Eutelsat’s E117WA satellite, aimed to provide the Over-The-Air Testing of NXTCOMM’s proprietary flat-panel terminals that will offer high-speed connectivity to aviation, military and other mobility markets.

Mynaric has been selected by Telesat to supply multiple units of its CONDOR optical inter-satellite link terminals to DARPA’s Blackjack Track B programme.

The Hainan authorities are planning to create a well-protected telecommunications network for the secure exchange of information with other regions of China and other countries using quantum and satellite technologies, reported the Nanguo Dushibao newspaper.

RBC Signals announced Aurora Propulsion Technologies has contracted the company for satellite communication services.