Satellite News

Mobile Satellite Ventures LP announced that it has been awarded a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for antenna-configuration techniques that reduce interference between terrestrial and satellite links.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Supervisory Authority of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) have signed an agreement opening up the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) and Galileo programmes to further co-operation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to give domestic and foreign clients free and unlimited access to civilian navigation services of the GLONASS navigation satellite system.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently granted TerreStar Networks Inc., a majority owned subsidiary of Motient Corporation (MNCP), a reservation of 20 MHz of spectrum in the 2 GHz frequency band.

The head of the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency said that he would like the government to have some control over the way that commercial satellite imagery is used.

The Budget & Planning Commission of the Majlis (the Iranian parliament) has rejected plans to buy a telecom satellite for state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), reports Taliya News.

The UK’s Office of Fair Trading has decided to request that the European Commission examine the proposed acquisition by Apax Partners SA of Telenor Satellite Services AS.

Poland is the fourth country to become an ESA European Cooperating State (ECS) following Hungary (April 2003), Czech Republic (November 2003) and Romania (February 2006).