ViaSat awarded $ 283 million in lawsuit against Space System Loral

ViaSat announced that it was awarded $ 283 million in damages in a lawsuit against Space System Loral (SSL) concerning patent infringement and loss of contract. Loral Space & Communications Inc. has expressed its intention to appeal the judgment.

Satellites to prevent aircraft from disappearing

The disappearance of flight MH 370, also in the light of the AF 440 accident in 2009, has sparked discussions on using satellites to enable continuous aircraft tracking. IATA has announced it will form a study group to study the problem and make recommendations by the end of the year.

Space conferences

A non-comprehensive list of space (law) conferences for 2014:

On traveling to Mars

NASA has released an infographic concerning its path to Mars. However, there has been increasing criticism to NASA’s strategy. At the same, studies suggest that a travel to Mars is an extremely dangerous endeavor, to the extent of being viewed as unethical under current astronaut health standards.

“Spaceport Body of Knowledge” released

The FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation has released the Body of Knowledge for Spaceport Operations, which is an evolving collection of documents and information aimed at supporting the development of space launch site interoperability and industry best practices. The information has been selected by members of the Body of Knowledge for Spaceport Operations research team, and the database is constructed and maintained by the New Mexico State University Library. 

The FAA Centers of Excellence are partnerships of academia, industry and government with the objective to address current and future challenges for air and space transportation. To learn more about the FAA Center of Excellence for Space Transportation click here.

Upcoming aviation law conferences

A non-exhaustive list of upcoming aviation law conferences:

EU Commission announces improvement of travel services websites after concerted enforcement action

The EU Commission announced that there has been increased compliance with EU law of the websites offering travel services, after a concerted action (“sweep”) of national enforcement bodies took place all over the EU in 2013.