Arianespace will launch the Hylas 4 satellite and the Koreasat 7 satellite. Avanti’s Hylas 4 is scheduled to launch in 2017, and KTsat’s Koreasat 7 in 2016, Arianespace said Monday in news releases (http://bit.ly/1lR09UP; http://bit.ly/WypW81). Hylas 4 will provide direct TV broadcast and data transmission services to Africa, Latin America and Europe, it said. Koreasat 7’s coverage zone will include Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and India, it said.
Dish Network added an ESPN Fantasy Football app that delivers fantasy stats directly to customers’ TV screens. It lets customers follow their fantasy players’ performances and other features “all while watching live or recorded TV,” Dish said Friday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1CyRTxw). The L-shaped layout automatically resizes the viewing screen to display fantasy league stats without obstructing the live game, it said. The app became available on the Hopper Whole Home HD DVR beginning NFL opening weekend.
Globalstar unveiled Globalstar 9600, a satellite data hot spot that lets users connect smartphones and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices when off the grid. Customers can use an app to pair their existing satellite phones and smartphones to send and receive email over Globalstar’s satellite network, the company said Thursday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1lCHBXY). The hot spot is ideal for remote workforces, and marine customers “will also benefit from the ease of use and the ability to affordably use data from beyond cellular,” it said. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $149.99, it said.
The Office of Management and Budget approved the comprehensive changes adopted for FCC rules on licensing and operation of satellites and earth stations. The changes are approved for a three-year period, the FCC said Wednesday in a Federal Register notice (http://1.usa.gov/1vOcTia). The changes pertain to the Part 25 rules, which the FCC streamlined in an order last year (CD Aug 12/13 p1).
The O3b Networks constellation is fully operational, the company said. The company can launch services on a global basis, O3b said in a news release (http://bit.ly/Y9vBmu). In-orbit testing of its latest satellites has been completed and the satellites have been commissioned, it said.
The European Commission requested full details from Arianespace and the European Space Agency about two satellites that were launched into the wrong orbit. A Soyuz launch vehicle launched the two satellites as part of the Galileo constellation Friday (CD Aug 20 p13). The EC also requested a schedule and plan of action to rectify the problem, it said Monday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1p876RL). The commission said it’s participating in the inquiry board to identify the causes of the problem, “which is expected to present preliminary results in the first half of September.” The inquiry board will start its work Thursday, and submit initial conclusions as early as Sept. 8, Arianespace said in a news release (http://bit.ly/1rvesAE). An anomaly “is thought to have occurred during the flight phase involving the Fregat upper stage, causing the satellites to be injected into a noncompliant orbit,” Arianespace said.
ViaSat is offering Exede satellite Internet plans in Hawaii that provide virtually unlimited data usage for communications, Web browsing and streaming media. Hawaiian communities will have access to at least 150 gigabytes of monthly data without a strict data allowance as part of the Freedom plan, ViaSat said Wednesday in a news release (http://prn.to/1ABDbE6). Hawaiian communities are among a limited number of markets in the U.S. selected for the plan, ViaSat said.
O3b requested special temporary authority to operate an earth station to be located in Houston for the period Oct. 24-Nov. 23, it said in its application to the FCC International Bureau (http://bit.ly/1pODMym).
Arianespace’s Soyuz launch vehicle is in the launch zone for a Thursday mission to launch satellites for Europe’s Galileo space-based navigation system. Arianespace will launch two satellites from French Guiana, it said Monday in a news release. The Galileo program will create a European-operated navigation system “providing highly accurate global positioning services through a constellation of 27 operational satellites and three reserves,” it said (http://bit.ly/1AsZHPp).
Dish Network accepted its first bitcoin payment, it said Thursday in a news release (http://bit.ly/XkQR8F). The bitcoin payment option is now available for Dish customers through www.mydish.com, it said. Customers will still have the option to make any payment online with a credit card, debit card or from a bank account, it said.