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SPACESEGMENT: Orbital Sciences buys GD satellite unit
Orbital Sciences Corporation has acquired the satellite business of General Dynamics in a cash deal worth US$55m. Houlihan Lokey advised Orbital on the transaction....
OPERATORS: EchoStar swoops for Satmex
EchoStar Satellite Services is proposing to snap up struggling Mexican satellite operator Satmex in a deal worth approximately US$374m....
OPERATORS: SES takes full control of Sirius
SES has acquired the remaining 10% of SES Sirius that it did not already own. It took its previous 90% shareholding to 100% by acquiring the stake held in Sirius by the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC)....
LAUNCHPAD: Excalibur Almaz emerges as Sea Launch's main benefactor
SatelliteFinance has learned that, contrary to previous reports, Space Launch Services, the provider of US$25m of debtor-in-possession financing to Sea Launch, is not a dual consortium....
OPERATORS: SES places E650m bond
SES has placed an E650m ten year Eurobond. It was priced at E99.467 with a coupon of 4.625% (Mid-Swap + 135bps)....
SERVICES: Tivo wins new ruling in EchoStar court case
A federal appeals court has upheld a contempt of court verdict handed down to DISH Network and EchoStar during its ongoing legal battle with the digital video recording (DVR) company Tivo....
USA: Iridium closes in on export credit agreement
Iridium is in active discussions with and has made applications to both the French and US export credit agencies, Coface and the Export-Import Bank, to secure a financing package to partially fund its next generation constellation, Iridium NEXT....
GLOBAL: ICO to raise US$30m in rights issue
ICO Global is planning to raise US$30m through a rights issue of just under 42.9 million shares at a subscription price of US$0.70 per share. The offer price represents a discount of approximately 41.7% on ICO's average share price prior to the annou...
USA: SES reports robust figures, bolsters capacity with Ka-band
SES continues to show little impact from the global economic downturn, revealing a 4.4% rise in reported revenue to E1.7bn and a 12.1% increase in operating profit to E700.4m in its full year 2009 results....
EUROPE: Eutelsat restores services after satellite anomaly
Eutelsat's W2 satellite has been taken offline following a technical anomaly that occurred on the evening of January 27....
SKOREA: Globalstar forms Korean JV
Globalstar has formed a new joint venture with Korean maritime satellite services provider Arion Communication called Globalstar Asia Pacific....
NORWAY: Telenor planning new satellite for 2013
Telenor Satellite Broadcasting is preparing proposals for its next satellite, according to the division's CEO Cato Halsaa....
SAFRICA: South African government to take majority stake in SunSpace
The South African government has approved the state acquisition of a 55-60% stake in the country's small satellite manufacturer SunSpace....
AFRICA: Spacecom's African satellite goes live
The Israeli operator Spacecom has confirmed that its in-orbit purchased satellite Amos-5i has reached its new orbital slot at 17E and is now entered commercial service....
EUROPE: ESOA calls for EU to recognise key role for satellite broadband
The European Satellite Operators' Association has welcomed the appointment of Neelie Kroes as Commissioner of the European Union's newly created Digital Agenda portfolio, which will be responsible for plans to deliver high speed broadband access to 1...
MEXICO: Satmex suffers satellite setback
Beleaguered Mexican satellite operator Satmex announced at the end of January that the primary xenon ion propulsion system (XIPS) on its satellite Satmex 5 has experienced an unexpected shutdown....
USA: FCC gives further authorisation to Ka-Band
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has moved to recognise the growing proliferation and popularity of Ka-band services in the United States by issuing a declaratory order to establish procedures for issuing licenses to US-based earth station...
AMERICAS: SES and Andean Community reach agreement to fill orbital slot
SES World Skies has reached an agreement with the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) regarding the long-term use of the 67W orbital position....
BOLIVIA: Bolivia to create space agency for debut satellite
Bolivia is to establish a space agency in order to manage and operate its first communications satellite, Tupac Katari, which is due to be launched in 2013....
AUSTRALIA: Australia turns to satellite operators for rural broadband
The National Broadband Network Company (NBNCC), the institution mandated to bring universal broadband to Australia, has called on satellite operators to submit proposals for the provision of internet services in rural areas....