A Proton-M rocket that failed to launch 3 GPS satellites on December 5 could have been too heavy, say local investigators. The rocket crashed into the Pacific Ocean destroying its important cargo, and forcing Russian officials to suspend all Proton launches while they determine what went wrong. Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that one theory […]
On December 7th a Russian Proton rocket suffered a serious malfunction and three satellites it was carrying tumbled into the Pacific Ocean after launch. The Glonass satellites would have served Russia’s GPS navigation. A formal Board of Inquiry has been set up to determine the cause of the failure. However, this will take some […]
Middle East pay-TV operator Orbit Showtime Network is about to initiate an improved conditional access system designed to disable an estimated five million pirates, many viewing on so-called Dreambox receivers. Owners of Dreambox units use the internet to update the latest pirate software to view encrypted programming. Orbit Showtime (OSN), which merged their rival services […]
Australian investment funds managed by Macquarie have increased their holdings in the lucrative satellite and TV services sector. Various Macquarie funds already invest in UK-based Arqiva, and have just bought facilities house Ascent Media, part-owned by John Malone, which has sold its distribution business to Encompass Digital Media for $120m, including $7m of debt. Malone […]
Eutelsat, as expected, has ordered a replacement for the failed W3B satellite which failed to orbit on Oct 28. Thales Alenia will build W3D in near-record time, just 24 months, which is speedy for a 56-transponder craft. The order and rapid build commitment means the new satellite should be on station at 7 degrees […]
Troubled Hollywood studio MGM on December 2nd saw its bankruptcy reorganisation plan approved by a New York court, and cleared the way for MGM to speedily exit its Chapter 11 bankruptcy. MGM expects the new plan to become effective mid-December. “Today’s ruling is an important milestone for MGM,” said Co-CEO Steven Cooper. “Thanks to the […]
UK-based satellite services specialist Arqiva is going through some internal changes, with existing CEO Tom Bennie stepping down once a new CEO is found, and seeing Nick Thompson looking after its newly merged terrestrial broadcast, satellite & media division (and Steve Holebrook running mobile, government & enterprise). Thompson now says that with solid revenue numbers […]
Three weeks from now, just before the Christmas holiday, will see a Russian rocket launching Eutelsat’s Ka-Sat, a wonderful piece of satellite engineering complexity that will provide copious two-way broadband connectivity to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. At 6.1 tonnes in weight it is one of the heaviest satellites ever launched and will […]
Eutelsat’s glittering Hot Bird prizes were awarded to a slew of channels in Venice, some well-established and some fairly new to the world of satellite transmission. Founded in 1998, this event was the 13th in the series “and is now a healthy teenager,” said Eutelsat chairman Giuliano Berretta. “We congratulate the men and women generating […]
Sales of flat-panel TVs at Japan’s electronics stores during the second week of November (8th-14th) increased by almost 600 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier, as consumers rushed to the stores to beat the cut-down of the government’s subsidy program for the purchase of eco-friendly home appliances. Data from market research […]