Aireon and the Federal Aviation Administration collaborated on a test flight of a satellite-based automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast system, using an FAA aircraft with three Aireon payloads receiving ADS-B data, the company said in a news release Wednesday. The test flight March 30 was used to validate Aireon capabilities, it said. It also said the FAA will compare Aireon space-based ADS-B data to existing ADS-B ground station data. Aireon said it expects its satellite-based ADS-B system to be operational in 2018, after the completion of the Iridium Next constellation (see 1602250048).

Satellites will enjoy direct-to-home (DTH) and video distribution work for a long time, but capacity growth will be limited by cable TV and IPTV platforms using HEVC to cut costs, said Northern Sky Research (NSR) analyst Alan Crisp in a blog post Monday. Satellite operators thus need to account for accelerating video compression levels in their long-term strategic planning, and the biggest growth opportunities will be emerging markets, NSR said. HEVC generally has been talked about for Ultra HD content, but SD and HD channels likely will move to HEVC compression, which could cut capacity requirements by more than 40 percent, it said, noting only some platforms will likely make that switch in the next decade, with DTH unlikely to get into HEVC much because of the cost of upgrading set-top boxes to handle HEVC compression.

The FCC adopted new rules to mitigate ground path interference between 17/24 GHz Broadcasting Satellite Service (BSS) and direct broadcast satellite. In an order released Tuesday in docket 06-123, it said it won't subject existing DBS feeder-link stations to new interference mitigation requirements, grandfathering them from the rules adopted in the order. It also opted not to set up protection zones around existing DBS feeder-link earth stations that transmit in the 17.3-17.7 GHz band, saying it preferred BSS operators determine optimal separation distance between their earth stations and the feeder-link stations on an ad hoc basis. And it adopted a two-part test for letting existing feeder-link operators modify their networks or add antennas if aggregate power flux density from the additions doesn't surpass the aggregate PFD from the existing station and if any new antenna is within a kilometer of existing authorized feeder-link station antennas.

The FCC International Bureau wants further explanation of why Spectrum Five turned down U.S. market access only to seek it again days later. In a letter Tuesday to Spectrum Five President David Wilson, Satellite Division Chief Jose Albuquerque set a May 2 deadline for the company to explain why it declined on April 3 its grant of market access for a 17/24 GHz broadcast satellite service satellite at 95.15 degrees west, and what changed by April 11, when it re-petitioned for that same access (see 1704120013). The FCC also asked Spectrum Five to confirm that whatever prevented it from posting bond after receiving its market access grant in March has been resolved and that the company will be able to accept the grant of market access if that petition is granted within the next six months.

Citing the "extraordinarily complex and unprecedented engineering feat" of replacing its 66-satellite constellation with its next-generation Next constellation, Iridium is asking to park as many as 16 first-gen satellites in temporary storage orbit as spares. In a pair of International Bureau applications Friday (see here and here), Iridium asked for special temporary authority to supplement the one first-gen satellite the agency already approved for storage orbit. Iridium said while the first-gen constellation is being replaced, it will need to put some of them in storage orbit "to ensure that the most robust satellites are in operation at all times." It said the need to put first-gen satellites in storage orbits will end when the Next constellation, including spares, is fully launched and operational.

Citing "an anomaly" in EchoStar 8 operations, EchoStar plans to deorbit the satellite. In an International Bureau filing Friday, it said it previously informed the bureau's satellite division staff of an anomaly that happened April 16, and that despite attempts at resolving it the company experienced difficulties in keeping the satellite within its station-keeping box. Deorbit could come as soon as Monday, it said.

The Senate should confirm the Trump administration's two nominations to the board of the Export-Import Bank, since those confirmations would give the board a quorum again and let the bank provide credit support to projects $10 million and larger, the Satellite Industry Association (SIA) said in a statement Friday. SIA said Ex-Im "has been virtually closed" for more than a year to the satellite industry due to the vacant board seats. The White House earlier this month said it was nominating former Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., as Ex-Im president, and Spencer Bachus of Bachus & Brom as board member.

Intelsat and Starz renewed their distribution agreement for Intelsat to provide broadcast and satellite distribution forStarz, Intelsat said in a news release Friday.

Malaysia Airlines is the inaugural customer of a flight tracking system involving connected aircraft services firm SITAOnAir, flight tracking company FlightAware and Aireon, which is deploying a satellite-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system. According to a media release Tuesday, the system adds Aireon's ADS-B data to FlightAware's information from multiple global sources. It said the Aireon system is expected to be operational in 2018 with the completion of Iridium's Next satellite constellation.

Operation of a OneWeb low earth orbit (LEO) constellation is years off, but Intelsat is contemplating numerous applications for government and civil agency customers, said Intelsat General President Skot Butler in a blog post Tuesday. The OneWeb/Intelsat planned merger is aimed at making Intelsat General "a one-stop" geostationary/LEO service provider, with applications including provision of tactical Wi-Fi service for military operations in the field and support of unmanned aircraft systems operations over the Arctic.