Satellite Constellation News

Iridium Communications has entered into an agreement to acquire Satelles, Inc., a leader in secure satellite-based time and location services that complement and protect GPS and other GNSS-reliant systems. The service, named Satellite Time and Location (STL), is designed as an easy-to-adopt, secure solution that increases the efficiency and reliability of timing systems for digital infrastructure like 5G base stations, data centers, and other critical infrastructure and protects…

BlackSky Technology and Spire Global have teamed up to create a real-time, commercially available Maritime Custody Service that can automatically detect, identify and track more than 270 thousand vessels worldwide in open water, along rivers and canals, and while docked at port.The system uses data from Spire’s radio frequency-monitoring satellite constellation to detect emissions from maritime targets, including the ability to detect and locate dark vessels that manipulate their reported position in order to conceal nefarious activities.

ICEYE announced the start of a multi-year framework contract with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to support their efforts in managing various aspects of maritime operations with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data.Among its many missions, EMSA, a European Union agency, provides technical expertise and operational assistance in reducing the risk of maritime accidents and assisting in response and recovery from marine pollution from ships and oil installations. The agency…

Viasat and Cobham Satcom announced the companies are collaborating on a new, advanced satellite connectivity solution for the maritime and energy industries in preparation for the launch of Viasat’s next generation satellite constellation, ViaSat-3.The connectivity system, which will include a portfolio of groundbreaking antenna systems from Cobham Satcom, is being designed to deliver advanced, high-speed connectivity that will leverage the satellite capacity expected from the ViaSat-3 constellation.

Iridium Communications Inc. announced the commercially availability of its Iridium Certus 100 "midband" service for maritime, land mobile, IoT, aviation and government customers. Iridium Certus 100 provides a blend of capabilities for satellite connectivity, enabling small, low-profile antennas and battery-powered devices designed for maximum mobility, but with IP data speeds that efficiently support sending important pictures, emails and other vital information from remote places…

Agreement marks next step in accelerating LEO connectivity for the global shipping and offshore industriesAs part of its mission to deliver low latency, ‘fiber-like’ connectivity to the maritime and offshore industries, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) broadband satellite communications company OneWeb, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The AST Group (AST), a global leader in satellite communications systems.By working together, AST and OneWeb will offer fixed-land and maritime customers access to OneWeb’s fast…

SES Networks is working with Virgin Voyages to provide its fleet with high-speed, low-latency connectivity. Significantly, the Wi-Fi service will be free for every sailor. Virgin Voyages’ Lady Ships will tap into SES Networks’ satellite-enabled Signature Cruise Solution. SES Networks’ Signature Cruise Solution is an end-to-end service that combines SES’s low-latency O3b satellite constellation, its upcoming next-generation O3b mPOWER system and its highly reliable geostationary (GEO) fleet to ensure seamless connectivity across the globe. Both O3b and O3b mPOWER systems are operating in the medium earth orbit, around 8,000km above earth’s surface.

Satellite connectivity solutions provider COMSAT said it is extending the life of Inmarsat’s existing satellites through the leasing of an additional antenna at COMSAT’s Santa Paula, Calif. Teleport. The newly leased 12.8m antenna is transmitting and receiving in both C-band and L-band frequencies, bolstering capacity for the Tracking, Telemetry and Command (TT&C) and traffic operations of the Inmarsat satellite network. The Santa Paula teleport hosts Inmarsat’s Standard C equipment…

Finnish startup ICEYE launched its global Dark Vessel Detection solution to help governmental maritime security customers monitor their waters for illegal vessel activity.The high-tech solution, which combines synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellite data from ICEYE and automatic identification system (AIS) data from vessels, is used as a source of actionable information for governments monitoring their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), day and night, and even through cloud cover.“Dark…

A newly established consortium is going to develop a network for low Earth orbit satellites delivering ice chart data to ships at sea. A new research project called MARIOT (Maritime IoT) is going to develop a low Earth orbit satellite network based on the new VDES (VHF Data Exchange System) technology. The consortium behind the project is headed by the Danish satellite operator Sternula. The satcom developers GateHouse, Space Inventor, and Satlab as well as Aalborg University…

Satellite communications provider Speedcast International said it will begin to offer Intellian’s v240MT antenna to customers in the cruise and offshore energy sectors.The v240MT is Intellian’s next generation, tri-band and multi-orbit 2.4 meter antenna for use on Ku, Ka and C-band satellites. The antenna has the capability to provide Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) broadband access to virtually any satellite constellation within seconds. Intellian said the v240MT is designed to deliver data rates exceeding 1Gbps…

Iridium Communications Inc. announced today that KDDI Corporation, Navarino and NSSLGlobal Ltd., are the newest Iridium Certus service providers for the maritime industry. Iridium Certus will offer a L-band satellite broadband connectivity solution.With higher speeds, state-of-the-art small form factor terminals and competitive pricing options, Iridium Certus will offer a complete communications platform for all mariners and can serve as a primary service or VSAT companion solution.

NSSLGlobal has signed a Service Provider agreement with Iridium Communications Inc. that will see NSSLGlobal offer the new Iridium Certus L-Band service as part of its portfolio of maritime satcom offerings to its extensive customer base. Iridium Certus will be offered both as a standalone L-Band service and in conjunction with NSSLGlobal’s premier VSAT IP@SEA service as its preferred service assurance offering. The Iridium Certus service is suitable for vessels across the maritime spectrum, from recreational yachts and workboats to commercial fishing trawlers and merchant vessels.Iridium Certus will initially offer speeds of up to 352kbits but by early 2019 this will double to 704kbits ensuring that the service will be the most global and fastest L-Band satellite solution available.

Iridium Communications Inc. announced that seven additional service providers have signed agreements to provide the Iridium Certus service for maritime applications. Globecomm, Network Innovations, Pivotel, MVS USA, IEC-Telecom, MetOcean and Samsan Enterprise Company now further broaden the base of Iridium’s distribution for its next-generation L-band broadband service. These seven companies will play a critical role in delivering what will be the fastest and most competitive L-band satellite broadband solution to the maritime industry, enabling a truly global “connected ship” environment. This announcement comes shortly after Iridium became the second-ever recognized service provider for the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS)…

Satellite 2018 marks the launch of Cobham SATCOM’s Sea Tel 9711 Triband maritime antenna system, which leverages unique technology and capabilities from global communications company Viasat Inc. The Sea Tel 9711 Triband is the world’s first and only 2.4m maritime stabilized antenna capable of delivering full 2.4m gain performance across any C-, Ku-, or Ka-band network to maximize high-speed, high-quality broadband connectivity for high-demand maritime segments, such as Cruise, Energy and Government. The triband antenna system leverages radio frequency (RF) technology provided by Viasat to enable compatibility across any Ka-band satellite network operating in any orbit.

Inmarsat and Intellian have signed an outline agreement that will support enhancements to Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband service for the next decade and beyond. The new agreement will see Intellian design and manufacture a new generation of FleetBroadband terminals that will support the existing I-4 network alongside the major advances coming with Inmarsat’s sixth generation satellite constellation, the first of which is scheduled for launch in 2020. The next generation terminals will be significantly lower cost and feature a host of new capabilities, including much faster throughput speeds.

Iridium Communications announced that, SpaceX successfully launched the fourth set of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch marks the midway point of the Iridium NEXT launch program, and was the first Iridium launch to use a SpaceX flight-proven rocket. The first stage booster for Iridium-4 was previously used for Iridium-2, making Iridium the first company to reuse the same rocket booster. Each launch strategically delivers new satellites to specific orbital planes, so that the complete Iridium NEXT constellation will be operational as soon as possible after all launches are complete.

Iridium Communications has announced the successful third launch and deployment of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites. The satellites were delivered into low-Earth orbit approximately one hour after a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 5:37 a.m. PDT. With two successful launches having already been completed this year, this third batch of 10 satellites brings the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in orbit to 30, nearly half the amount required for a full Iridium NEXT operational constellation.

Iridium Communications announced the successful launch of its first ten Iridium NEXT satellites. The satellites were delivered into low-Earth orbit approximately one hour after the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 9:54:39 a.m. PST. Iridium NEXT is the company’s next-generation satellite constellation, replacing and enhancing its existing network of low-Earth orbit satellites spanning the entire globe – the largest commercial satellite constellation in space.

Inmarsat, a provider of global mobile satellite communications, has launched Fleet Xpress; the first globally available, high-speed broadband solution for maritime and offshore operators available from a single communications provider. Fleet Xpress aims to allow ship owners and operators to enhance business intelligence, improve operational efficiency and vessel performance, and provide a host of high-value, crew welfare benefits. Fleet Xpress will also empower third party application providers to enhance existing services to maritime customers, and to develop innovative new applications that will further drive operational efficiencies, ranging from real-time monitoring, remote diagnostics and telemedicine, to security and crew service management tools, among others.

Iridium Communications announced the second launch for the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation has been moved earlier, and is now targeted for June 25, 2017 at 1:24:59 p.m. PDT with an instantaneous launch window. SpaceX informed Iridium that range availability had opened up at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California, where SpaceX’s west coast launch facility is located, and planned to target Iridium’s launch four days earlier than originally scheduled. This launch will deliver the second payload of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit, bringing the total to 20 Iridium NEXT satellites in space. “We’re excited for this next launch,” said Matt Desch, chief executive officer, Iridium.

Cobham SATCOM has unveiled its first Iridium Certus Connected terminal at Nor-Shipping 2017, the SAILOR 4300. Due to go live in the first half of 2018, Iridium Certus is a new portfolio of global satellite services powered by Iridium NEXT, a second-generation L-band global satellite constellation established to deliver an uncompromising solution for the future of global maritime communications. The SAILOR 4300 is a Broadband Core Transceiver (BCX) type terminal, offering a highly reliable link over the Iridium NEXT satellite network with speeds suitable for data-heavy applications including…

exactEarth Ltd , provider of Satellite AIS data services announces the launch of exactView RT powered by Harris (exactView RT) – the world’s first global, persistent real-time Satellite AIS service. This capability is expected to enable a wide variety of new service capabilities for the global maritime community and to contribute strongly over the next 20 years to the improvement of maritime safety, commerce, navigation, environmental management and security. exactView RT consists of a system of more than 60 maritime satellite payloads…