Page 3 - Satellite

Japan launches defence satellite carried by new flagship H3 rocket

Japan launched a defence satellite designed for information-gathering and military operations on a new flagship H3 rocket on Monday, as the country seeks to build up its military capability amid growing tension in the region. The H3 No. 4 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a southwestern Japanese island. Everything went as planned and the satellite placed at the top of the rocket was successfully separated about half an hour after liftoff, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said in a livestream. JAXA will give further details about the launch later Monday. The rocket is carrying a Defense Ministry satellite, Kirameki No. 3, which uses X-band communication for military operations and reconnaissance, including information-gathering for signs of North Korean missile activity. X-band satellite is less affected by weather conditions and is capable of supporting stable communication. Kirameki No. 3 adds to two earlier X-band satellites already in ...

Companies may require fresh licence for providing satcom services in India

Existing licence-holding satcom players unsure whether new authorisation would be automatic

Nasa sat clicks stunning 'Sea Smoke' over Antarctic Glacier. What is it?

Nasa's Landsat 8 satellite captured ghostly plumes of "sea smoke" on October 10 that rose over Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier. Here's all you need to know about it

Why telcos fear trouble if Starlink gets spectrum at administrative prices

GSMA research reveals that only 1 per cent of India's population is unconnected or has no coverage. Domestic telcos say that is too small a market to make a business case

Satellite images show damage from Israeli attack at 2 Iranian army bases

An Israeli attack on Iran damaged facilities at a secretive military base southeast of the Iranian capital that experts in the past have linked to Tehran's onetime nuclear weapons programme and at another base tied to its ballistic missile programme, satellite photos analysed Sunday by The Associated Press show. Some of the buildings damaged sat in Iran's Parchin military base, where the International Atomic Energy Agency suspects Iran in the past conducted tests of high explosives that could trigger a nuclear weapon. Iran long has insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful, though the IAEA, Western intelligence agencies and others say Tehran had an active weapons programme up until 2003. The other damage could be seen at the nearby Khojir military base, which analysts believe hides an underground tunnel system and missile production sites. Iran's military has not acknowledged damage at either Khojir or Parchin from Israel's attack early Saturday, though it has said the assault kil

Protect key frequency bands used for satellite communications: Industry

The satellite-communication industry has urged the government to protect the key frequency bands used by them, particularly the Ka and Ku bands, from being allocated to terrestrial services. The Satcom Industry Association of India has also asked the government to reserve the 27.5-28.5 GHz band exclusively for satellite services, instead of transferring it to IMT (International Mobile Telecommunications) for flexible use, in line with global practices. "Any reduction in satellite bandwidth will not only double the gateway requirements but also increase operational costs for satellite operators, ultimately affecting end-users. We must prioritise the preservation of these frequency bands for satellite-communication services to avoid unnecessary financial burdens," Subba Rao Pavuluri, president, SIA-India, said in a statement. The industry body has also proposed specific frequency ranges in the Ku and Ka bands for the NGSO-based Fixed Satellite Services (FSS). SIA-India represents maj

Isro to launch electric propelled satellite in Dec: Chairman Somanath

India will test its home-grown electric thrusters to steer satellites to its desired orbit, a technology that promises to make spacecraft lighter and pack more punch, in December. Delivering the Sardar Patel Lecture at Akashvani, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath said the first Technology Demonstrator Satellite (TDS-01) using indigenously developed electric propulsion will be launched in December. The TDS-01 will also demonstrate indigenously built traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs) that are integral parts of various communication and microwave remote sensing payloads on satellites. A four-tonne communication satellite carries more than two tonnes of liquid fuel which is used to fire thrusters to steer it from the launch orbit to the desired geostationary orbit. These thrusters are also fired to keep the satellite in the desired orbit, if it strays due to atmospheric drag or as a result of a pull due to the gravity of the sun and the moon. "A four to

4,300 tonnes of space junk and rising: Satellite breakup adds to woes

The Intelsat 33e satellite provided broadband communication from a point some 35,000km above the Indian Ocean, in a geostationary orbit around the equator

Trai releases consultation paper on satellite gateway authorisations

In the latest paper, Trai has asked whether there is a need to review the eligibility conditions for the existing SESG authorisation, which was recommended in 2022

Satellite 'magic bullet', offers chance to cover areas left out: Mittal

Satellite communications is a "magic bullet" to cover dark unconnected areas, Bharti Chairman Sunil Mittal said on Monday, adding that players now have a great new opportunity to leverage satellite connectivity to cover remote areas that have so far been left out. Speaking at the NDTV World Summit, Mittal said that nearly two billion people in the world are still not connected to the internet, and in the Indian context too there are areas -- large swathes of desert, forests, coastlines -- where neither mobile networks, not fibre is feasible. "For those areas you need satellite communications, and that, to my mind, offers now a great source of new opportunities for us, mobile operators, or telecom operators, to put that in a mix and start to cover areas which are still left behind," Mittal said. About five per cent of India's population sans internet connectivity lives in 25 per cent of the area, he said, emphasising that satellite is the only solution for them. "India provides a ve

2 satellites part of space docking experiment handed over to Isro

Hyderabad-based Ananth Technologies on Friday handed over two 400 kg class satellites to ISRO, which will be part of the Space Docking Experiment planned by the space agency later this year. The satellites will be launched onboard the PSLV-C60 mission slated for a December launch and considered a stepping stone for future missions such as the Indian space station and Chandrayaan-4 mission that aims to bring lunar rock and soil samples back to earth. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket for the mission is also being built at a facility of Ananth Technologies Private Limited (ATL) in Thiruvananthapuram. The satellites were handed over at ATL's facility at KIADB Aerospace Park in Bengaluru in the presence of M Shankaran, director of ISRO's U R Rao Satellite Centre. "This achievement is a testament to ATL's vision and commitment towards India's space sector," said Dr. Subba Rao Pavuluri, chairman of ATL. Pavuluri said ATL has been manufacturing electronic subsystems for th

Musk's win on satellite spectrum raises prospect of price war with Ambani

The Indian government says its decision to allocate spectrum administratively to whoever applies for it is in line with global trends

BSNL, Viasat claim successful trial of direct-to-device satellite services

Satellite communications company Viasat, Inc has claimed to have demonstrated direct-to-device satellite connectivity in India for the first time in collaboration with state-owned telco BSNL. The direct-to-device connectivity allows commonly-used devices like mobile phones, smart watches, or cars; industrial machinery and transport operators to connect seamlessly to both terrestrial and satellite coverage without the need for dedicated hardware to connect to satellites. "In the trial, Viasat demonstrated two-way messaging and SoS messaging using a commercial Android smartphone enabled for non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity. The messages were sent roughly 36,000 km to one of Viasat's geostationary L-band satellites. The outcome proves satellite services to cell phone connectivity is technically feasible for Indian consumers and businesses using Viasat's satellite network," Viasat said in a statement. The company said working alongside partner BSNL, Viasat engineers successful

No auction for satellite spectrum; Trai tasked with pricing strategy

At a time when 5G and 6G telecom services are a critical discussion point for their use cases or lack of them, satellite communication has divided industry players

Satcom spectrum's admin allocation big step to connect remote areas: ISpA

Indian Space Association on Wednesday said the government's clear stance on the allocation of Satcom spectrum on an administrative basis is a major step in connecting remote and unserved areas and inclusion of all in digital India. Indian Space Association's (ISpA) Director General AK Bhatt said the satellite industry awaits the final decision based on telecom regulator Trai's consultation paper on spectrum costing. Bhatt noted that the regulator has proposed few methodologies, and added that the satellite industry is "aware" that it will pay a "cost" based on the best method. "We in ISpA welcome the Minister of Telecom for his very unequivocal and clear statement on the method of allocation of spectrum for satellite communication. The government's intent, which had been defined in the Telecom Act, 2023, and which clearly lays down that the assignment of spectrum should be by administrative method and (that) is the globally harmonised method followed all over for using the shared ..

Govt says no auction of satellite spectrum after Musk decries move

Telecoms Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said during a New Delhi event that the spectrum will be allocated administratively in line with Indian laws, and its pricing worked out by the telecom watchdog

Elon Musk takes on Ambani over satellite spectrum allocation in India

The disagreement centres around whether satellite broadband spectrum should be auctioned or administratively allocated in India

Satellite spectrum battle: Ambani calls for auction; Musk backs allocation

While Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper are batting for administrative allocation of satellite spectrum, Reliance Industries argues that auctions are necessary to ensure a fair playing field

India's space strategy: Harness data to capture market beyond SpaceX

Since February, India has opened its space sector to private players and created $119 million venture fund

Reliance Jio seeks govt intervention for fair spectrum allocation

How spectrum for satellite services in India will be given out has been a contentious issue since last year