Jam On It!–Arabsat’s Ethiopian Space Jam Problem

What does a satellite operator do if someone jams its broadcast signal? Specifically, what does Arabsat do when someone jams its TV signals in Africa and the Middle East? According to this Satellite Today post, the company first finds out where this “intentional uplink interference” is coming from. Then it takes its case to the International […]

Why Space Matters: HEO Satellite Operations, Part 5–Spysats, IR, and MMS

The Molniya orbit, a type of highly elliptical orbit (HEO), was the focus of the last HEO post. And it was noted that the Molniya is an orbit perfectly suited to communication. But what other missions and satellites use the HEO? Believe it or not, the US has organizations that use the HEO for a […]

Dinner for the Space Technology Hall of Fame Nominees

The 30th Space Symposium is almost at an end. The whole event ends tonight with the Space Technology Hall of Fame Dinner at the Broadmoor. The dinner is all about recognizing nominee contributions and picking a winner. The nominees have developed products from satellite and space technology that help make life easier for folks here on Earth. One […]

Space, Transparency, and MH370

The Atlantic’s Ari Schulman has a terrific explanation regarding Inmarsat’s analysis of the “pings” their geostationary satellite received from Malaysian Airlines flight 370. Of more interest, the article also talks about why Inmarsat’s analysis may be incorrect. There are some puzzling problems with the data Inmarsat produced. The “ping” doppler values appear to be positive, […]

Why Space Matters: HEO Satellite Operations, Part 2–Those Pesky Overcharges

Satellite highly elliptical orbits (HEOs) are interesting orbits for space operators in any kind of mission, especially considering the challenges inherent in using such orbits. OK–so that statement’s a little nerdy, but if you’re reading this blog, there’s an inner nerd in you just waiting to be outed. In the last lesson, you were, perhaps […]