Satellite News

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. has been selected by Mexico’s Grupo Elektra to provide a SkyEdge satellite hub station and 1,964 VSATs for use in several Latin American countries including Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, El Salvador, Panama and Argentina.

SkyTerra Communications, Inc., Inmarsat plc, Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) and Mobile Satellite Ventures (Canada) Inc. (MSV Canada) announced that the companies have reached a comprehensive co-operative agreement for L-band operations in North America.

NASA announced that the next mission in the Mars Scout programme, originally planned for launch in 2011, is now targeted for launch in 2013.

NASA has awarded a contract to Boeing Satellite Systems for two satellites that will replenish the NASA communication relay network, which provides telecommunications links between low Earth orbiting spacecraft and the ground.

ISRO has set the launch dates for an Israeli spy satellite and its own Cartosat-2.

Rocket: Ariane 5 GS; Payload: RASCOM-QAF 1, Horizons-2; Date: 21 December 2007, 2142 UTC; Site: Kourou, French Guyana. The satellites were successfully placed in their target orbits.