28 May 2000

Satcoms

10,000 VSAT Network for Hughes
Hughes Network Systems (HNS) is to provide RxMarketplace.com, an Internet-based pharmacy sales and distribution service, with up to 10,000 very small aperture terminals (VSATs) to enable advanced satellite-based connectivity to pharmacies in the US.

The network will support e-commerce for ordering online directly from manufacturers through RxMarketplace.com, provide Internet access, and facilitate a number of other capabilities. According to the terms of the contract, an HNS executive will join RxMarketplace.com's board of directors. HNS has also purchased US$ 4.5 million of RxMarketplace Series A stock.

Akamai and Loral Cyberstar Team to Deliver Broadband Streaming Media
Akamai Technologies Inc and Loral CyberStar have entered into a two-pronged strategic agreement.

Under the terms of the agreement, Loral CyberStar will offer free Usenet newsfeeds to all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) within the Akamai Accelerated Network program. In addition, Loral CyberStar will provide transport on its global satellite network for broadband-rich content, including live audio and video streaming.

As a result of the agreement, ISPs can now off-load the high volumes of Usenet Web traffic to Akamai's global, fault-tolerant network, maximizing existing bandwidth and delivering popular Usenet content to customers with enhanced speed and reliability. In addition, both companies have agreed to grow the footprint of each other's networks by co-locating Web servers and satellite dishes in mutual ISP points-of-presence. Loral CyberStar will transport Akamai content to a minimum of 5,000 ISPs and educational networks around the world.

The two companies will facilitate the placement of Loral CyberStar's broadcast satellite dishes at ISP locations that have deployed Akamai s Web servers. The agreement between the two companies will allow Internet end users to experience a higher performance of Web site content delivery including streamed audio and video, as well as allow ISPs to save on bandwidth costs for delivering popular and engaging content. Loral CyberStar will place its satellite broadcast dishes across Akamai s distributed network of over 4,000 servers. Both companies will work together to include as part of their deployment plan the location of each other s equipment at each new location.

ISPs will benefit from this new arrangement by combining Akamai s server technology with Loral CyberStar s WorldCast high-speed Internet access service, which improves data speeds and efficiencies through an optimised combination of satellite and terrestrial transmission, tailored for each customer.

Doubling in size every year, Usenet is the world's largest network of electronic bulletin boards and discussion forums. There are currently more than 80,000 discussion categories available on the Usenet network, which enables users to post and receive information on virtually any subject. The huge demand for this service has forced ISPs to continually acquire more bandwidth to support Usenet usage. The new offering from Akamai, in conjunction with Loral CyberStar, will enable the delivery of all Usenet newsgroups at 12 Megabits per second in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia, resulting in faster and more reliable delivery of popular content at no extra charge to ISPs.

The Akamai Accelerated Network program consists of the deployment of Akamai servers within member ISPs networks at no charge. This greatly reduces ISPs bandwidth expenses while ensuring their customers receive the fast and reliable delivery of Akamaized content from today's popular Web properties.
Together with Loral CyberStar, the free satellite Usenet newsfeeds will enable ISPs to:

• Receive Usenet data at far less cost than that of traditional terrestrial delivery
• Offer value-added content that's available faster and more efficiently to subscribers
• Utilise more efficient use of bandwidth
• Provide cost savings
• Benefit from the Akamai infrastructure which is both easy and economical to integrate
• Differentiate themselves from competitors

AlphaStar Begins Deployment of Two-Way Residential Broadband Network
AlphaStar International has started the deployment and marketing of a two-way satellite broadband network for residential Internet users. The new network is being marketed under the name of TeleCrossing.

AlphaStar is one of the original four US Direct To Home (DTH) satellite Television broadcasting networks (including
Direct TV, Echo Star, PrimeStar and AlphaStar).

TeleCrossing technology is based on a hybrid two-way Internet broadband network integrating the global coverage of satellite with the local access of wireless hubs. The result is the first end to end all wireless residential broadband network. TeleCrossing offers point to multipoint, two-way high Speed Internet dedicated access up to 32 Mb/s in an increment or fraction of 2 Mb/s, symmetrical or asymmetrical, always on, reliable, fully interactive, and global.

Before the end of the year 2000, TeleCrossing is planning to connect, via satellite, 400 wireless hubs in several US markets and offer high-speed access to several hundred thousand of residential subscribers. The deployment will accelerate in the following years and will expand to global markets.

TeleCrossing has already negotiated several distribution agreements and seeks to enter into additional national and international relationships with Wireless Tower Operators, ISPs, wireless and hand held devices manufacturers, cable MSOs, Telecommunication companies and other strategic partners.

TeleCrossing hybrid technology combines satellite global coverage and wireless local access to meet a void created by the limitations of DSL and Cable modem. Unlike terrestrial backbone, satellites can reach everywhere regardless of geographical and regulatory boundaries. They can be deployed over-night and bypass the congested Internet terrestrial backbone. Satellites allow a dedicated and secure Internet and intranet access; they also use multicasting technology to deliver streaming media. Meanwhile, wireless local access offer local and public access content. Also wireless access offers mobility, flexibility, affordability, ease of installation and the ability to use handheld wireless devices. The dramatic advances of wireless technology within the last few months made it possible to develop TeleCrossing as a hybrid network taking advantage of wireless hubs as access to the last mile.

ECS-5 Satellite Decommissioned
After almost 12 years of successful operation, Eutelsat has decided to retire its ECS-5 satellite. ECS-5's design life was 7 years.

ESA, which was responsible for its procurement and subsequent in-orbit control, has initiated re-orbiting, end-of-life testing and decommissioning activities through its dedicated control centre at the ESA ground station in Redu (Belgium). The spacecraft is expected to be decommissioned and placed in its "graveyard" orbit of at least 150 km above geostationary altitude by the end of May 2000, ensuring that no debris remains in this valuable orbit.

The ECS series of spacecraft was the operational successor to ESA's successful Orbital Test Satellite (OTS) programme of the 1970's. Designed to promote pan-European telecommunications traffic, the four ECS spacecraft (a fifth one was lost because of a launcher failure) have provided services in digital telephony, international television distribution, cable television, trunk telephony, specialised services, Eurovision transmissions and mobile services. Some of these services have even been extended beyond Europe.

Globalstar Launches Commercial Services in China
Globalstar has started commercial service in China. China Spacecom, Globalstar's service provider partner in China, is initially providing mobile and fixed phone service, including voice, voice mail and short messaging services, throughout the northern half of China, from their gateway in Beijing.

Two additional gateways, to be built in Guangzhou and Lanzhou, will provide coverage across the entire nation, urban and rural, when they are completed early next year. Fax, Internet connectivity, and other services are also to be introduced over the next several months.

China Spacecom will also offer Globalstar fixed phones, including payphone models, which can provide telephone services to offices, government installations, and entire communities in remote areas where even hardwire telephony is limited or simply unavailable.

In anticipation of the demand for this new service, China Spacecom has already doubled its original order of Globalstar phones to 10,000 units, even before initiation of service, and is offering various promotional packages including telephone leasing and pre-paid plans, as well as free trade-in programs for Iridium customers.

China Spacecom is a partnership of China Telecom, Chinasat and China Space Technology Group. It has exclusive rights to provide mobile satellite telecommunications services in China. China Spacecom is the exclusive service provider for Globalstar in China and is responsible for gateway operations and customer development. As roaming agreements are concluded with China Mobile, it too will offer both cellular and satellite services, as well as supporting the sale of handsets.

Loral Skynet Buys C Band Payload on Echostar Satellite
Loral Skynet will expand its cable neighbourhood with the addition of 24 C band transponders at 121° W on the EchoStar IX satellite.

The new transponders comprise the entire C band payload of EchoStar IX, a hybrid C and Ku band LS 1300 spacecraft currently being built by Space Systems/Loral. Loral Skynet will own and operate the C band payload under the name Telstar 13, and the company will also provide all telemetry, tracking and control services for this satellite, which is scheduled for launch in 2002.

More Antennas at Kingston-TLI
UK based Kingston TLI is tripling its earth station capacity for its Intelsat Indian Ocean Region (IOR) platform.

Kingston TLI is currently building two new earth stations to complement its existing Standard A antenna on the Intelsat 602 satellite at 62° E, which carries traffic between the UK and the Indian Ocean Region, as well as to Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

The new Standard A and Standard B antennae are designed to operate on Intelsat VII, VIII and IX series satellites, and will serve PTTs, long distance carriers, emerging service providers, Internet Service Providers and systems integrators.

Customers of Kingston TLI's existing IOR platform include ATC subsidiary Maritime Telecommunications Network, which provides ship to shore communications for over 60 cruise liners, 20 US Navy ships and more than 30 offshore energy vessels. It is using Kingston TLI's complete transit package to provide cruise liner customers in the Indian Ocean with phone, fax and Internet facilities.

Orbcomm Launches Commercial Services in Mexico
Orbcomm de Mexico, has been licensed by the Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT) to provide full commercial service using the Orbcomm system in Mexico.

Orbcomm de Mexico, which is owned by Proeza SA de CV, has been an Orbcomm international licensee since 1998. The company owns the exclusive rights to market Orbcomm services to Central America -- including Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Belize -- and is currently seeking government approval in each country. Orbcomm de Mexico will rely on US- based Gateway Earth Stations to route messages from the satellites to their intended recipients.

Telenor Awarded Moroccan Licence
Telenor has been awarded one of three licences to establish VSAT networks in Morocco.

The Norwegian telco and satellite services provider will invest NKr 25 million during 2000 to develop the network, which will be used for international voice, data and Internet traffic. It will be connected to Norway by satellite.

Ten Telecentres for African Sky Communications
African Sky Communications Inc is to purchase up to 10 Telecentre 'structures' - customized cargo containers specifically for use as communication centres and will house its TeleTrade Centres.

The first TeleTrade Centre is currently being outfitted with equipment such as the VSAT terminal and computer terminals in accordance with a standardised layout that has been developed for all of the African Sky Communications' TeleTrade Centres.

African Sky Communications is currently implementing it's first TeleTrade Centre and expects to have it operational by the end of June. African Sky Communications intends to implement the TeleTrade Centre network throughout the South Africa in communities with little or no communications infrastructure with a population of 30,000 within a 10 mile radius.

The TeleTrade Centres will provide communication services such as Internet, email and video conferencing. Value added services such as Telemedicine, Distance Learning and TeleTrade/E-Commerce will be offered to the community to supplement and in most areas be the sole provider of medical, education and trade/commerce services. African Sky Communications aims at expanding this network outside of the border of South Africa to the countries of Eastern and Southern Africa.

African Sky Communications is also implementing a Wireless Private Subscriber Services (WPSS) network in communities where it's TeleTrade Centres are located to provide business, individuals and local organisations with their own private communications. The WPSS network utilises Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Radio communications.

US$ 3 Million of New Orders for Radyne Comstream
Radyne ComStream has received three major orders in the past two weeks for more than US$ 3 million of its satellite ground station equipment for Internet, data, telephone, and digital television transmission.

The first order is from a major international common carrier for high speed, broadband equipment to transport the Olympic programming from Sidney.

The second order is for communications equipment for the United States government, a continuation of an ongoing program.

The third order is for the first part of an IP based multicasting system to provide satellite-delivered financial information for a Chinese stock exchange. The company believes this is the first of more orders to come for this system.

These orders are significant not only for their size, but also because they substantiate the company's strategic direction as it continues to successfully seek out innovative, high-growth markets for the company's products.

Earth Observation

L-3 Communications to Distribute Core's Satellite Imagery
L-3 Communications has entered into an agreement with Core Software to become the exclusive provider of high-speed broadband communications and technology products to be used for the electronic distribution of Core Software's commercial satellite images.

Core Software has the worldwide e-commerce rights for the sale of West Indian Space (WIS) imagery. WIS plans to launch the first of its eight high-resolution remote sensing satellites this summer. Core Software has also announced that the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) will participate in the company's North American ground station network for collecting and processing WIS imagery. As part of the CCRS agreement, Canadian federal and provincial government agencies will have access to the data.

L-3 Communications' Satellite Transmission Systems division will provide the technological infrastructure necessary for Core to collect transmissions from WIS satellites and distribute data between ground stations by way of a secure communications network. With the partnership, L-3 will also acquire a minority equity interest in Core Software.

Military Space

DMSP Sensor Contract for Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation's Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector (ES3) has been awarded a US$ 99 million contract from the US Air Force Space and Missile System Center to provide consolidated support and services for 13 mission sensors for the Defense Meteorological Satellite programme (DMSP).

The DMSP satellites monitors the meteorological, oceanographic and solar-geophysical environment of the earth for both military and civilian purposes. The contract began on 1 May and runs through November 2004.

ES3 will provide a wide range of hardware and software support and services for the program, including visible and infrared cloud imagers, a microwave imager, an ultraviolet imager and space environment monitors.

The principal tasks covered under the contract include maintenance of the sensors on the ground and in orbit; provision of the sensors to the spacecraft integrator; integration and test; launch and early orbit checkout support; enhancement and improvement studies; and support for improvement of ground-based sensor processing functions.

Science

Lockheed Martin Awarded Gamma Ray Contract
Lockheed Martin Space Systems has been awarded one of three design contracts by the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) for NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) which is planned for launch in 2005.

The Lockheed Martin Space Systems design will incorporate the LM 900 bus, used on the IKONOS commercial remote sensing spacecraft built for Space Imaging EOSAT of Thornton, Colorado. The LM 900 is well suited for meeting the data, power distribution, and stability requirements for GLAST.

Using the most powerful particle accelerators in the universe as cosmic laboratories, GLAST will explore the extreme environments of supermassive black holes, neutron stars, and gamma-ray bursts. On cosmological scales, GLAST will explore the era of star formation in the universe, the physics of dark matter and the creation and evolution of galaxies.

GLAST is designed to operate in the energy range from 20 MeV to 300 GeV. It will provide a factor of better than 30 times the sensitivity of the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) onboard the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO).

GLAST will observe at least ten times as many active galactic nuclei and stellar-mass black holes as previously detected in the gamma-ray band. It will study pulsars and supernova remnants, gamma-ray bursts, the diffuse Galactic and extragalactic high-energy gamma-ray backgrounds, and solar flares. Since its source location accuracy will be more than an order of magnitude better than that of EGRET, it will be able to associate unidentified EGRET sources with known celestial objects. GLAST will also search for annihilation-line radiation from weakly interacting massive particles, known as WIMPs, which may account for the dark matter.

The mission's scientific objectives require a high-energy gamma-ray telescope with angular resolution sufficient to identify point sources with objects at other wavelengths, a wide field-of-view that will permit the study of sources that exhibit extreme intensity variations on timescales from seconds to months or longer, and a large effective area to detect a large sample of sources and determine their energy spectra. New detector technologies that offer significant improvements over existing hardware (a factor of between 10 and 100 improvement in source sensitivity, depending on energy) will allow these requirements to be met well within the cost constraints of an intermediate class astrophysics mission. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center will manage the GLAST mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, in Washington.

NASA's Plans for Compton Re-entry
On Sunday, June 4, the successful nine-year mission of the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) will end when NASA redirects the spacecraft into Earth's atmosphere. Debris from the controlled re-entry is expected to fall in a remote area of the Pacific Ocean, approximately 4,000 km southeast of Hawaii.

NASA controllers will fire Compton's thrusters four times to lower the satellite's orbit. After each burn, mission trackers at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, will determine the satellite's exact position and, if necessary, adjust the descent. The engine burns will occur at:

Re-entry Burn #1: 9:54 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, May 30
Re-entry Burn #2: 10:41 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, May 31
Re-entry Burn #3: 1:37 a.m. EDT Sunday, June 4
Re-entry Burn #4: 3:05 a.m. EDT, Sunday, June 4

Unlike most satellites, Compton is too large to burn up entirely in the atmosphere during re-entry. More than 5,600 kg of metal debris is expected to fall to the Earth's surface. The debris fragments will range in size from the size of a small stone to several hundred.

To ensure the safety of aircraft and surface vessels in or near the target impact area, Debris Hazard Warning Areas were established well away from land. Shipping and air traffic in the area have been notified to ensure that craft will not be in the vicinity of the impact area.

NASA decided before Compton was launched that, due to the observatory's size, it would be returned to Earth by controlled re-entry when the mission was over. Extensive research showed that it was significantly safer to perform a controlled re-entry than any other method of dealing with the satellite.

Manned Space

More Flights to Mir
Mircorp is planning two more manned visits to Mir, assuming of course that the finance can be raised. The next trip is scheduled for this autumn with a further trip in the first quarter of 2001.

The current crew on Mir have done a great deal of work on bringing the space station up to a useable condition. All necessary systems have been repaired, batteries have been replaced and a slow air leak has been sealed. The cosmonauts, during a five hour spacewalk, have also identified a short circuit on the external wiring of a solar panel which failed in March, retrieved experimental packages that were left by a previous mission and tested a new glue designed to seal leaks. Mircorp reports that it is close to having the finance for the next manned trip which will modernise some systems on the station and will supply equipment necessary for getting access to the Internet.

Possible commercial customers include companies promoting a new clothing line and high tech sunglasses. Italy based Mir leasing agent, Itali-Mir is negotiating for these uses as well as for a demonstration of computer technology for the disabled. Itali-Mir could become Mircorp's first commercial customer if a flight planned for November and lasting for two months goes ahead. The mission would be crewed by two Russian cosmonauts and and an Itali-Mir payload specialist, Carlo Viberti. Itali-Mir needs to make a 15% down payment on the US$ 20 million mission cost by the end on June to reserve the mission.

Mircorp has raised approximately US$ 40 million and intends to add a further US$ 100 million before a public stock offering next year. It hopes to raise US$ 300 to US$ 500 million by going public, some of which would be used to upgrade the Mir space station, possibly by adding a new central module which, at 14 years old, is the oldest part of the station. Such an approach would allow Mir to continue being used commercially for a several further years.

Technology

ESA Demonstrates How Satellites Help Fight Forest Fires
A demonstration of REMSAT (Real Time Emergency Management via Satellite), a project initiated and funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), has showed how the integrated use of three key space technologies could help bring a forest fire under control in British Columbia, Canada.

ESA, under its applications programme, placed a contract for REMSAT with Mac Donald Dettwiler, a company with extensive expertise in space based operations and in transportable equipment, who teamed with the British Columbia Forest Service (BCFS) Protection Program.

The demonstration close to the small town of Squamish deep in the heart of British Columbia's forests, was the first of two involving a scripted sequence of events resembling a real fire. The second will be in Lillooet, on 27-28 May. In July/August, during the forest fire season, REMSAT will be tested for the first time in a real fire.

The intention is to develop REMSAT into a generic system that could be used anywhere else in the world to manage the response to any type of major incident, such as earthquakes, floods, fires or release of hazardous materials.

REMSAT integrates the use of telecommunications, earth observation and navigation satellites to provide a valuable tool for the forest fire fighting services.

The fight against a forest fire takes place at three levels: from the headquarters, from a mobile command centre set up near the fire and from fire fighters on the ground. With REMSAT, the position of all fire fighters and all resources and equipment is determined by navigation satellites and relayed automatically via telecommunications satellites to the Intermediate Mobile Terminal (IMT) at the mobile command centre and the Control Centre Terminal (CCT) at headquarters. Fire fighters will have hand-held user terminals from which they can send and receive data messages to and from the IMT and CCT via telecommunications satellites.

The Intermediate Mobile Terminal receives a message instantaneously together with the precise location of the person sending it. The nearest supplies can be located easily from the navigation satellite data. The data messaging system also makes it easier to send messages from the Intermediate Mobile Terminal to the fire fighters, for example, about a weather report or change in wind direction.

British Columbia Fire Services headquarters in Victoria, British Columbia has been downloading images of forested areas from earth observation satellites in preparation for the demos over the summer. When a fire occurs, the latest Earth Observation image augmented with geographical data, showing features such as transportation and power lines, watercourses, and topographic contour data of the relevant area can be relayed to the Intermediate Mobile Terminal. As the images are digital, different features, such as tree type, can be extracted, making them much more useful than a conventional contour map. Earth Observation images can be taken before, during and after a major fire and can even be helpful for reforestation and ecosystem management afterwards.

Exigent Awarded Satellite Simulator Patent
Exigent International has been awarded a patent by the US Patent and Trademark office for its satellite simulator.

The patented simulator, called SIM/Tool, is a software tool kit that will aid in the rapid test and development of spacecraft command and telemetry applications.

The satellite simulator allows TT&C applications to be implemented effectively and with less cost than has traditionally been possible with customised systems.

The innovation provided by this patent allows system developers to grow their simulations throughout the development cycle thus saving early time and costs. It offers an inexpensive risk mitigation that relieves applications developers from total dependency on the satellite simulation development schedule.

Launch Vehicles

Hughes Cancels Japanese Launches
Hughes Space and Communications International has cancelled orders with Japan's Rocket System Corp (RSC) to have satellites launched on H-2A rockets. Orders for ten rockets and a number of launch options worth as much as US$ 1 billion were placed in 1996.

The launch contract reportedly enables Hughes to cancel the order after two launch failures of the H-2. Furthermore the H-2A is not yet operational with its first flight delayed until January or February 2001.

In 1996 the cost of an H-2A launch was estimated to be US$ 50 million to US$ 60 million, currently it is reported to be US$ 79 million to US$ 83 million.

SSTL Signs Launch Service Agreements for Tsinghua-1 and SNAP-1
Two new Launch Service Agreements have been signed by SSTL: one between SSTL and China Great Wall Industry Corporation, Beijing; the other between SSTL and Rosvoorouzhenie, Moscow.

The first agreement enables SSTL to procure the launch of the Tsinghua-1 microsatellite, whilst the agreement with Rosvoorouzhenie is to procure a launch for both Tsinghua-1 and the Surrey SNAP-1 nanosatellite on a COSMOS launch vehicle.

Scheduled on 28th June 2000 from the Plesetsk cosmodrome, Tsinghua-1 and SNAP-1 will be launched into a 650km sun synchronous orbit with the Russian military Nadezhda COSPAS-SARSAT satellite.

Tsinghua-1, a microsatellite built for Tsinghua University in Beijing under a Know-How Transfer and Training contract with SSTL, is the first international microsatellite project for PR China. The spacecraft will form the first demonstrator for a constellation of five microsatellites to provide daily world-wide high resolution imaging for disaster monitoring and mitigation. Tsinghua-1 will also carry out communications research in low Earth orbit.

Surrey's first nanosatellite, SNAP-1, weighing just 6kg, and will carry advanced micro-miniature GPS navigation, computing, propulsion and attitude control technologies. The spacecraft's primary payload is a machine vision system capable of inspecting other spacecraft in orbit.

Launches

Eutelsat W4

Launched: 24 May 2000
Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Launcher: Atlas 3A
Orbit: GEO 36° E
International Number: 2000-028A
Name: Eutelsat W4
Owner: W4
Contractor: Alcatel Space Industries

Eutelsat W4 is a communications satellite carrying a 31 transponder Ku band payload. 19 transponders on the satellite will be switched into a high-power fixed beam over Russia. Sixteen of these transponders, corresponding to the frequencies held by the Russian Federation (the RST-1/RITM network), will be used for direct-to-home digital television broadcasting by the Russian media group Media Most. One fixed and one steerable beam, each with six transponders, will be pointed over sub-Saharan Africa where they will be used for a range of services; most particularly digital pay television and broadband Internet access for a major African client (believed to be Multichoice).

Eutelsat W4 had a launch mass of 3190 kg and generates 6 kW of electrical power.

It will go into service in July and has a design life of 12 years.

This launch was the inaugural flight of Boeing's Atlas 3 and was the first US rocket to use a Russian designed and manufactured rocket motor (the RD-180). It also featured a new, single engine configuration of the Centaur upper stage.

The new RD-180 is marketed and sold by RD AMROSS, LLC, a joint venture formed by Pratt & Whitney, an operating unit of United Technologies Corporation based in West Palm Beach, Florida, and NPO Energomash of Khimky, Russia.

The Atlas III launch vehicles provide a major increase in performance capability through the use of the RD-180 engine. The RD-180 burns liquid oxygen and RP-1 propellant and can be throttled up or down throughout the boost phase of flight, replacing the stage-and-a-half booster and four solid rocket boosters used by the Atlas IIAS. The increased performance that is gained through use of the superior RD-180 engine in the Atlas IIIA booster allows for the two Centaur upper stage engines to be replaced with a single engine Centaur. This streamlined propulsion approach is designed to increase reliability and reduce staging events and operational complexities.

Business

Delays Threatened for Boeing Purchase of Hughes Satellite Business
Boeing's US$ 3.75 billion purchase of satellite manufacturer Hughes Space and Communications could be delayed for at least two months because of increasing antitrust scrutiny in both the United States and Europe.

The European Commission announced that it will perform an in-depth antitrust review, a process may take up to four months to complete, delaying the acquisition until the September or October.

In parallel, the Federal Trade Commission has requested further information from the two companies.

Boeing's position is that the transaction does not violate anti-trust regulations and that approval is still expected by August. Originally Boeing had hoped to close the deal by June.

Lockheed Martin, Arianespace, and Loral Space and Communications have called for additional scrutiny of the deal which, they claim, could reduce competition in the launch industry.

Eurosport Shares Shuffle
French broadcasters TF1 and Canal+ have acquired, on an equal basis, ESPN's share of the sports channels Eurosport International and Eurosport France.

ESPN owned 33% of the shares in Europsort International and 10% in Eurosport France. The acquisition price for the stakes was US$ 155 million.

Eurosport International's equity is now split between TF1 (50.5%) and Canal+ (49.5%). Eurosport France' equity is now split between Canal+ (39%), TF1 (36%) and Havas Images (25%).

NDS Opens Spanish Office
NDS Group plc, a News Corporation company, has opened an office in Spain in recognition of Spain's position at the forefront of the developing European broadband market.

NDS offers open conditional access software and interactive applications to digital pay-TV broadcasters and manufacturers of set-top boxes. NDS' open and flexible software solutions offer secure information and entertainment content transmission for television sets and PCs through satellite, cable or terrestrial connections. NDS' customers include large and small broadcasters and content providers, as well as telecommunications companies involved in services such as pay-TV or business TV.

NDS customers provide services to over 50% of the world's digital satellite subscriber base, and more than 16.8 million viewers of pay television currently use NDS technologies.

Products and Services

Analytical Graphics Extends Satellite Tool Kit
Analytical Graphics Inc (AGI) has announced the expansion of its core product, Satellite Tool Kit (STK), to enable MATLAB users in the aerospace industry to incorporate a high-powered astrodynamic engine and advanced 3-D output into their analyses.

AGI has developed the STK/MATLAB Interface - integrating the cutting-edge astrodynamic, geometry, and visualisation capabilities of STK with the world- renowned computational power of The MathWorks' MATLAB. The STK/MATLAB Interface is available with the new release of STK version 4.1.1.

The STK/MATLAB Interface allows STK and MATLAB users to mutually extend and leverage each software package's extensive capabilities via this two-way communication bridge. Through native MATLAB-formatted commands, MATLAB users have access to STK's validated propagators, fields-of-view, and visibility analysis capabilities. In addition, MATLAB-generated position, velocity, and attitude data can be viewed in STK's dynamic 3-D environment. By taking advantage of MATLAB's scripting capabilities along with the STK/Connect interface, STK users are empowered to perform an unlimited number of parametric and optimisation studies.

AGI currently works with The MathWorks through its MATLAB Connections Program. The MathWorks provides the leading software computing environment and solutions for engineers, scientists, and technical professionals. An extensive family of products, based on MATLAB and Simulink, offers tools for numeric computation, visualisation, modelling, and simulation to academic institutions, companies, and government agencies across a wide range of disciplines.

Telia's Digital TV/Multimedia Platform
Telia is launching a digital solution for television and multimedia services, for major corporations and broadcasting companies, which can be used for delivering digital television, data broadcasting, business television, streaming services and for establishing broadband communication in corporate networks.

The new digital platform for television and multimedia services will use capacity on Eutelsat's W3 satellite at 7° E.

The new platform will deliver digital television to satellite and cable homes, and will also be able to distribute streaming services, business television and other broadband services with digital multimedia content. European broadcasting companies and major corporations with a wide geographical distribution will be able to use the digital platform in Stockholm for TV and data broadcasting services.

The platform operates using the DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) standard that allows multimedia content (TV, data etc.) to be received by small antennas used for digital satellite TV. The coverage provided by Eutelsat's W3 satellite enables services on the platform to be received from Iceland and the Azores in the West, to the Middle East and Russia in the East.

People

New Board Member at eSat
eSAT Inc, a broadband Internet Service Provider (ISP) with wireless and satellite data delivery capability, has appointed Edward (Ed) Raymund to the company's board of directors.

Raymund replaces former Congressman Bill Sarpalius who resigned earlier this month to focus his attention on other pursuits.

New Regional Manager at NDS
NDS Group plc, a News Corporation company, has appointmented Philip Waterman as Regional Sales Manager of NDS Spain and Portugal.

Philip Waterman joined NDS in 1997, and ran the NDS business operation in France.

NDS is a leading supplier of open conditional access software and interactive systems for the secure delivery of entertainment and information to digital TVs, set-top boxes, personal computers and mobile devices. The company also develops e-security solutions for broadband Internet multicasting applications. NDS systems enable broadcasters, content providers and enterprises on the leading edge of the convergence of TV and the Internet to profit from digital TV and interactive services, including integrating and delivering Internet and TV content, data broadcasting and e-commerce transactions.

SES Promotes Martin Halliwell
Société Européenne des Satellites SA (SES) has appointmented Martin Halliwell to the position of Director of Communications Technology and Member of the Management Committee.

He will be responsible for SES' global broadband satellite technology developments (ASTRA-NET and BBI - Broadband Interactive System) as well as for the engineering and operational activities of SES' existing analogue and digital networks in Europe.

ASTRA-NET is SES' pioneering satellite multimedia platform, which, based on open standards, offers high-speed Internet and multimedia transmissions to PC's. ASTRA-NET platforms are currently operational in Europe and the Asia/Pacific region, with a number under construction to achieve global coverage. SES will launch the Broadband Interactive System (BBI), its two-way satellite communications system, later this year. The BBI system is now being tested before its commercial introduction as the world's first commercial Ka-band satellite return channel system.

Martin Halliwell reports directly to Romain Bausch, Director General and Chairman of the Management Committee of SES.

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