Leidos received a two-year experimental license to test functionality and evaluate the performance of the ViaSat VR-18 satcom terminal installed on de Havilland 8 aircraft. Leidos said it will test the aircraft-mounted antenna for system reliability and performance in the Ku-band, with that testing supporting the use of such antenna on aircraft supporting DOD intelligence operations. The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology approved the license Wednesday.
FCC staffers "are in the early stages" of reviewing the agency's orbital debris mitigation rules to see what changes might be needed, particularly in light of numerous proposed smallsat constellations, Chairman Ajit Pai wrote Senate Commerce Committee members Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska. Pai said the FCC will explore establishing an interagency working group on debris mitigation. Pai's letter released recently and dated Nov. 21 responded to calls from the lawmakers about coordination with NASA and the FAA on a comprehensive mitigation policy (see 1710020036).
The Country Network debuted its first shows this week in Ultra HD, becoming the 11th 4K channel on SES’ platform, SES announced Tuesday. The platform packages satellite distribution, reception gear and content for North American pay-TV operators, SES said. TCN reaches 15 million U.S. homes, and its 2018 strategy includes introducing its new 4K service “to the most influential media companies, large and small,” said CEO Tim Eaton.
Correction: Boeing is asking to transfer its June 2016 V-band constellation application to Greg Wyler's SOM1101, not its March 2017 constellation application (see 1712070055).
Apple TV now supports the SiriusXM app, allowing for listening via Apple TV 4K and the fourth-generation Apple TV, SiriusXM said Thursday.
Boeing no longer intends to launch and operate the V-band non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite constellation it submitted an application for in 2016 (see 1606230050), handing off its plans to an company owned entirely by OneWeb founder and Executive Chairman Greg Wyler. In an FCC International Bureau filing Wednesday, the company asked for permission to amend its V-band constellation application to substitute in Wyler's SOM1101 as the one authorized to launch and operate the broadband constellation. Boeing denied its initial application was a case of spectrum speculation, saying it submitted it "in good faith with intent to construct a satellite system," but it and SOM1101 concluded "it would be more appropriate" for SOM1101 to be the licensee with Boeing "remain[ing] available to provide manufacturing and advisory service as needed." Boeing said SOM1101 "is well-positioned to bring innovative services to market." It said it won't profit from a SOM1101 license transfer when it's partially reimbursed for part of its NGSO application costs. It has been common for satellite manufacturers to file "on spec" for different systems as a means of spurring interest in new technologies, so it wouldn't be fair to suggest Boeing never had any intention of operating its own system, said Andrew D’Uva, president of satellite and wireless consultancy Providence Access. If Ku-band systems are "oceanfront properties," D'Uva said in an interview, V-band "is tomorrow’s river or bay-front real estate" -- requiring development but inevitably built on. He said Wyler's record in NGSO constellation concepts like O3b, being brought to operational fruition by subsequent investors, means any project in which he's involved "is likely to attract wide attention and interest." Boeing, OneWeb and O3b didn't comment.
The V-band satellite market, while speculative, could have 2.6 million installed sites by 2030, generating more than $25.8 billion in cumulative annual revenue, Northern Sky Research said Wednesday. NSR said those looking at V-band opportunities should consider launching programs that would support multiple terabits per second, and more than 5 Tbps could be generated 2023-30, not counting such segments as mobility. It said V-band deployment challenges include landing rights in key countries, hardware development and rain fade. Satellite operators are seeking FCC approval for the constellations (see 1703020036).
LeoSat signed a memorandum of understanding to explore a possible service agreement with enterprise connectivity company Globecomm Systems, the two said Wednesday. LeoSat said it's finalizing manufacturing plans for its planned low earth orbit constellation (see 1611160010) with Thales Alenia Space.
Hughes wants to permanently extend coverage of its EchoStar XIX satellite to encompass the U.S. Virgin Islands. In an FCC International Bureau filing Monday, it said the extension would let it provide broadband service for consumer applications, plus disaster recovery and emergency operations services. It's providing broadband services as part of Hurricane Maria recovery efforts under special temporary authority granted last month.
Commercial, civil and defense space stakeholders agree now is the time for the federal government to start deciding what space operations it will maintain and what can be done through the commercial sector or international partners, said the authors of a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies paper issued Tuesday. There's general concurrence on direction, but specifics are being debated, said Aerospace Corp. Senior Policy Analyst James Vedda: He and George Washington University Space Policy Institute faculty member Peter Hays found broad agreement all satellites should have either passive or active tracking capabilities, but no concurrence on whether that should be mandatory. There's debate over how big a role government should have in fostering and encouraging commercial space debris removal offerings, said Vedda. The paper, done in collaboration with Aerospace Corp., said most experts favor moving space situational awareness activity from the Defense Department to a civil agency such as the FAA. It said there's general agreement that the expected smallsat boom means the current compliance rate for existing debris mitigation and end-of-life disposal guidelines must be strengthened, with the 25-year rule for post-mission disposal "shortened dramatically." Many said the 1972 Convention on International Liability for Damage Cause by Space Objects needs clarification and better common understanding about issues like what defines dangerous interference and encroachment, maybe in the form of a variety of separate bilateral or multilateral agreements, according to the paper. It noted calls for better valuing and protecting spectrum used in space-based telecom, remote sensing and positioning, navigation and timing service as that spectrum is increasingly sought for terrestrial mobile networks. It said respondents suggested indemnification for systems that support national security. Hays said there have for years been calls for government to make decisions about what space capabilities it will keep in-house and what it will outsource, and the breadth of commercial offerings coming online creates opportunity and impetus.