Satellite News

Orbital Sciences Corporation announced that the Measat-3a commercial communications satellite has arrived at its launch site at Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said it is inviting members from six space agencies in the Asia-Pacific region to participate in the Satellite Technology for the Asia-Pacific Region (STAR) Program, which JAXA introduced at the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) held in 2007.

OC Oerlikon and Swiss aerospace and defence group RUAG announced that RUAG will acquire 100 percent of Oerlikon Space AG.

Telesat Canada said it agreed to relinquish its leasehold interest in Telstar 10 (also known as Apstar IIR) to APT Satellite Company Limited, the satellite’s owner, and to transfer related customer contracts, for a total consideration of US$69.5 million, subject to adjustment.

EchoStar Corporation and Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited, announced the formation of a joint venture for the delivery of a direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television service to Taiwan and other targeted regions in Asia.

SkyVision, a provider of Internet services over satellite and terrestrial fibre optic systems, has signed a multi-year contract for one transponder on Eutelsat’s newly-launched W2A satellite.

You may have heard quite a bit about satellite television, it’s programming and costs, and need just a bare bones answer as to why you should purchase it for your home. Beyond having access to thousands of channels, up to 6,000 or more in many cases, the prices for it’s programming are much less than cable television with a clearer picture and no rental fees associated with the receiver that picks up the channels.

When satellite TV was first introduced, you would hear many horror stories about dish set up and placement, thunder storms, individuals falling off of their roofs and problems with the picture coming through, right when the big game came on. These are all horror stories of the past, as the technology for satellite TV service has become tremendously improved, and technicians will come out to place your dish where you won’t have any issues.