Satellite News

The U.S. Defense Department’s Defense Advisory Working Group (DAWG) has decided to terminate the current competition for the Transformational Satellite (TSAT) programme, Reuters reported.

Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) announced that it has been awarded a contract for a high-power spacecraft.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced it has completed the final handover of Superbird-7, which is the first Japan-made commercial communications satellite and also the next-generation communications satellite for SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation.

Roots Global, a pan-European TV platform for South Asian communities in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, is expanding up its offer of channels broadcast from the Eurobird 9 satellite of Eutelsat Communications.

Hughes Network Systems, LLC announced that its Brazilian operating entity, Hughes do Brasil, will implement services on new Ku-band capacity on Intelsat’s Galaxy-28 satellite to meet growing demand for its HughesNet broadband services across Latin America.

Satellite ground systems manufacturer Integral Systems has announced a realignment of its business areas along with several executive appointments, effective immediately.

“He doesn’t know what he’s doing. He has fallen into the hands of a bunch of people who have convinced him that they are smarter than everybody else. When they come out and say [rocket launches are] going to be 10 times cheaper, I want to find out what they are smoking.” — John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, about SpaceX CEO Elon Musk

Activation of Hubble Space Telescope science instruments and resumption of science observations has been suspended following two anomalies seen in systems onboard the telescope. The science payload will likely stay in safe mode for another week. Spacecraft operations are not affected.