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ICYMI: SpaceX redeems itself with a showstopper rocket launch
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: SpaceX is back in launching mode after the FAA grounded the company following an unfortunate explosion last September. The rocket company successfully launched satellites from its revamped Falcon9, then the motor completed its landing on a SpaceX floating pad.
SpaceX wins its first military launch contract
Elon Musk has been fighting to be treated with the same level of respect as Lockheed Martin and Boeing, and it looks like his persistence has paid off. Reuters is reporting that the US Air Force has handed SpaceX a contract worth $83 million to launch the next GPS satellite into orbit. It's a big deal, because until now, only Lockheed and Boeing (through the United Launch Alliance) have been permitted to fling objects into the heavens on the Air Force's behalf. The launch will take place in May 2018 from Florida atop a Falcon 9 rocket, although while Musk has won the battle, he might also be well on the way to winning the war.
Live from Camp Pendleton with ViaSat SurfBeam 2 Pro Portable (video)
There's no power outlet, land-based internet connection or even a decent cell signal in sight, yet we're posting this live, at fast broadband speeds. We're miles deep into Camp Pendleton, connected to ViaSat's SurfBeam 2 Pro Portable mobile satellite transceiver and sending data to and from ViaSat-1 located more than 20,000 miles above our heads. SurfBeam 2 wasn't designed for us to kick back and surf the web in the middle of nowhere at speeds that we could barely achieve while tethered to a cable connection just a few years ago, but we're doing just that, with ViaSat's roughly $20,000 go-anywhere satellite broadband rig. We first heard about Pro Portable last month at CES, which the company is marketing towards military, emergency management personnel and even broadcasters -- that's right, the sat truck of the future fits inside a hand-carry suitcase, and sends HD video from the world's most remote locations right back to broadcast centers at record speed, nearly eliminating that lag that makes certain CNN reports painful to watch.Pro Portable really can go anywhere -- disassembled, it fits inside a fairly modest suitcase, but screw it together and you have a full-size dish. There's also a four-port Ethernet router and an optional battery pack, which provides up to four hours of juice. Think of it as Exede broadband for far-off-the-grid types. Sadly, Pro Portable isn't priced low enough to make its way into your on-the-go blogger kit, but it costs a small fraction of the million dollars you can spend on a sat truck, which rents for thousands of dollars a day. It's also far more transportable and discrete, offering consistent 12 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds nearly anywhere in North America. How can SurfBeam 2 hold up during a bandwidth-intensive HD upload? See for yourself just past the break -- our 230MB hands-on video made its way from the ground to space and back to Viddler in just shy of 13 minutes, and our Skype video call looked fantastic, without any noticeable lag.
ViaSat-1 scheduled to launch October 19th, spreading high-speed satellite service across North America
It's been delayed a few times already, but the high-capacity ViaSat-1 satellite is now in the process of being prepped for a new launch date: October 19th. Once in operation, it'll bring download speeds up to 10Mbps to satellite internet customers in both Canada and the US (including Hawaii) via Xplornet and WildBlue, respectively, and serve other partners like JetBlue. Those interested can keep an eye on the source link below for a live broadcast of the launch.
Dish Network successfully launches Echostar XIV while we remember a fallen soldier
Sure compressing existing channels is one way to add more HD, but sending another bird in the air to increase capacity, like Dish Network's new Echostar XIV (what happened to XV? Should we be expecting another launch this year?) is certainly a preferred option. It's probably not a coincidence that we didn't see a press release until after a successful launch was confirmed, but it's currently in "geosynchronous transfer orbit." SatelliteGuys indicates we can probably expect service around the end of May, so while we toast the new satellite (video of the launch is embedded after the break) and all the HDTV it will bring, don't forget to pour out a little liquor for AMC-14.
DirecTV raises a new satellite & its prices
With the successful launch of DirecTV 12 yesterday the satellite company has already announced it will expand to more than 200 HD channels. Of course, by the time it starts operating in Q2 of 2010, viewers will already be paying off that launch in the form of increased rates. Multichannel News points out the email currently going out. highlighting increases from $3 to $5 for programming while DVR fees rise from $5.99 to an even $7 beginning February 9. At the same time subscribers will lose access to XM Satellite Radio channels in lieu of audio from SonicTap. Check out the rate increases for yourself (warning: PDF link) and tell us, are more channels and the prospect of a new DirecTiVo and 3D enough to keep you around?
DirecTV 3D broadcasts coming in early 2010?
Finding itself with a wealth of a additional bandwidth thanks to a new satellite going up today, DirecTV may have already decided its first big addition will be 3D. Citing the always popular unnamed sources, HD Guru says we should prepare for a CES announcement that the bird will be up and running by March beaming down a collection of movies, sports and TV shows in 3D HD, requiring only a firmware upgrade on existing set-top boxes to tune into the new stations. UK satellite provider Sky has already tipped its hand about 2010 3D plans, with a newly freshened HDMI spec expected to ease things along and nearly every manufacturer either already producing compatible displays or planning to announce them in less than a week there's very little doubt remaining about whether broadcast 3D is coming home this year, only how and when.
