3 December 2000

Satcoms

Broadcast Technology Ltd to Market Norsat's SpectraWorks in Asia
Norsat International Inc has signed a reseller agreement with Hong Kong's Broadcast Technology Limited (BTL) Group to accelerate the deployment of its SpectraWorks DVB Data Hub and other products into China and throughout the Asia Pacific Region.

Norsat also announced that BTL has placed an initial order for a data hub that will be used to demonstrate SpectaWorks' capabilities.

The BTL Group is a system integrator and a leading developer, marketer and distributor of state of the art digital communication applications. The Group's key target markets are broadcasting, Internet and telecommunications in China and throughout the Asia Pacific Region. The SpectraWorks DVB Data Hub enables broadcasters, satellite operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and private intranet operators to offer, two-way, high speed Internet access, virtual private networking, distance learning, video conferencing, multicast video streaming, Internet telephony, large volume data transfer and other services across both terrestrial and satellite networks.

DigiPlex Announces Agreement With Cidera
Pan European operator of carrier-neutral co-location facilities DigiPlex SA has reached an agreement with Cidera, an international leader in the satellite delivery of broadband content to the edge of the Internet.

Under the terms of the agreement, DigiPlex will host Cidera's content broadcast equipment in its MegaPlex facilities, enabling Cidera to provide DigiPlex's Internet customers with a fast, effective and reliable alternative method for broadband content delivery that avoids the congestion of the land-based Internet.

Globalstar's New Caribbean Gateway
Vodafone Group Plc subsidiaries, Globalstar USA and Globalstar Caribbean, have opened a new gateway in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.

The new facility improves access to satellite communications services throughout most of the Caribbean region. Globalstar USA subscribers can now make calls throughout the Caribbean region without incurring international roaming charges. For those customers calling to the United States from the Caribbean, long distance charges are included in their current service pricing plan. Additionally, service is available through this gateway to customers of all Globalstar service providers who have roaming agreements in place with Globalstar USA. The Caribbean region previously received roaming coverage through beam overreach from the Globalstar gateway in Los Velasquez, Venezuela, provided by TE.SA.M. (Télécommunications par Satellites Mobiles).

The multi-million dollar Cabo Rojo gateway is the 24th gateway in the Globalstar system and took nearly two years to complete.

Globecomm Systems Receives Contract from HNS to Provide Telecom Anywhere Services
Globecomm Systems Inc, a leading global provider of end-to-end satellite-based communications solutions, has been awarded a contract by Hughes Network Systems (HNS) to provide its Telecom Anywhere services to support the operations of an international network between the United States and the Caribbean/Latin America regions.

Telecom Anywhere is a suite of services launched by Globecomm in May 2000, designed to provide end-to-end, satellite-based solutions for most communications problems.

Under the terms of the five-year, US$ 3.5 million contract, Globecomm Systems will provide Single Channel Per Carrier (SCPC) and HNS' PES(TM) circuits and telecommunications services through its Long Island International Teleport via Satmex 5, NSS-803, and Intelsat 805 satellites.

ICTI Awarded US$ 1.735 Million Contract by Star Digital
Innovative Communications Technologies Inc (ICTI), a subsidiary of Advanced Remote Communication Solutions Inc (ARCOMS), has been awarded a US$ 1.735 million contract by Star Digital, a Turkish Direct-to-Home (DTH) television operator.

Under this contract, ICTI will provide a turnkey Integrated RF Front End System operating in the DBS band, based on integration of commercial off-the-shelf equipment and ICTI-proprietary software. The resulting service will allow Star Digital to offer to its subscribers a wide variety of digital broadcast television channels throughout Turkey and the surrounding area. Other contractual details were not disclosed.

Sinopec Contracts With NeTrue Communications to Expand Satellite Network
NeTrue Communications Inc has announced an agreement, valued at more than US$ 1.4 million with China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) to extend Sinopec's corporate VSAT network to all of its 64 primary operating centres in China.

The agreement is for the sale by NeTrue's Vipersat Networks Division of satellite technology, including equipment, software and integration services.

NeTrue's Vipersat Networks originally contracted in 1999 with Sinopec to build their corporate VSAT network, a complex network that simultaneously supports video, data and voice. The entire project to link all major enterprise centres of Sinopec in China was valued at more than US$ 5 million and was to be completed in several phases. The most recent agreement follows on the successful completion of three prior phases and will result in the linkage of all remaining major project sites during the first quarter of 2001.

The Vipersat Multimedia Solution provides IP Ethernet routing via satellite utilising the SDMS II (Star Data Management System II) platform. Vipersat provides low cost satellite communications networks, that allow the delivery of quality voice, data and video communications.

Spectrum Signal Processing Awarded Satellite Base Station Contract By HNS
Spectrum Signal Processing Inc has been selected by Hughes Network Systems (HNS) to supply the signal processing technology in HNS' next generation of satellite base stations for both its Enterprise and Consumer divisions.

HNS will integrate Spectrum's flexComm CompactPCI signal processing engine and Motorola Computer Group's high-availability, CompactPCI-based CPX8216 series system into satellite base stations that will provide high bandwidth, bi-directional satellite transmission service for enterprise and consumer customers.

Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed. However, the rapid, global expansion of HNS' enterprise and consumer services suggests that this opportunity could generate substantial revenue opportunities for Spectrum going forward. The number of flexComm signal processing engines required for each base station will vary from under 20 to 100 or more based on the population density that each base station serves. Volume shipments to HNS are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2001.

Third Gateway for Satyam Infoway Opened in Hyderabad
Satyam Infoway Limited has opened an international satellite gateway in Hyderabad, India. This is the third satellite gateway to be opened by the company within a span of one month.

The previous two satellite gateways in Mumbai and Ahmedabad were launched in the first week of November 2000.

Satyam Infoway is currently building 17 gateways in 13 cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Calcutta, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Chandigarh, Jamshedpur, Lucknow and Bhopal.

Wegener Receives US$ 1.4 Million Order From Mega Hertz
Wegener Corporation has received orders from Mega Hertz totalling US$ 1.4 million dollars. The order includes Unity 4000 digital integrated receiver decoders (IRDs) and ad insertion equipment that Wegener supplies to the cable television industry.

Mega Hertz distributes Wegener Communications' Unity 4000 IRD and ad insertion equipment to the cable television operators in the US and around the world. Cable operators receiving Fox's digital television programming use the Unity 4000 IRD to receive programming such as Fox's SportsNet regional sports network. Ad insertion equipment is used to enable cable operators to add local advertising to nationally delivered, commercial based programming services. Cable programmers use Wegener Communications' equipment to insert the signalling necessary to generate the local advertising segment. At the cable headend, Wegener Communications' 1600 and 1700 series product family converts this signalling into control commands for local advertising playout.

Earth Observation

Raytheon Awarded US$ 152.8 Million Contract for Imaging Sensors
Raytheon has won a US$ 152.8 million contract to provide the imaging sensor instruments for a polar-orbiting satellite system that will provide accurate weather forecasts for civilian science and US defence requirements.

The system, called the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), will replace the Department of Commerce's Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites.

Under this contract, Raytheon will perform the detailed design, development and testing of the VIIRS instrument. The company will deliver three flight units, plus provide options for five additional units. The VIIRS will provide data for production of Environmental Data Records (EDRs), including imagery, sea surface temperature, low light imaging and ocean colour. EDRs will be produced on the ground from the data provided by the VIIRS using algorithms also developed by Raytheon. Design of the instrument is based on risk reduction studies performed by the company under a US$ 36.8 million contract awarded in July, 1997.

Manned Space

Spacehab Receives US$ 10.5 Million Follow-on Contract for Space Cargo Services
Spacehab Inc has been awarded a follow-on contract with The Boeing Company that expands the companies' existing collaboration in commercial space development. Under this agreement, Spacehab is providing Boeing with US$ 10.5 million in additional payload accommodation services for an upcoming mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

Boeing is NASA's prime contractor for the ISS. Spacehab's new service agreement with the company is a follow-on to an existing US$ 5.1 million contract with Boeing covering the provision of similar services for Shuttle mission STS-102 (ISS assembly flight 5A.1), scheduled to launch in 2001. This contract was the first signed under a memorandum of understanding between the two companies to jointly define ISS-related commercial initiatives that could yield greater flexibility and lower costs for NASA.

To fulfil this new service agreement, Spacehab is providing a new External Stowage Platform. Known as ESP2, this platform will be launched on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Space Shuttle and deployed from the Shuttle's cargo bay to the ISS. ESP2 will be transported to orbit on Shuttle mission STS-114 (ISS utilisation and logistics flight 1), scheduled to launch in June 2002. This mission will mark Spacehab's first flight of a deployable cargo carrier. It also will mark the first-ever deployment of an external cargo carrier from the Shuttle's cargo bay to the ISS, according to NASA's current Shuttle launch plans.

The ESP2 will carry a complement of critical spare parts (termed orbital replacement units, or ORUs, by NASA) to the ISS. ESP2 will be deployed from the Space Shuttle by the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (robotic arm) and attached to the air lock of the ISS as a permanent spare-parts stowage facility - a sort of depot in space.

The ESP2 is a modified version of Spacehab's "generic" Integrated Cargo Carrier (ICC), which has carried equipment and supplies on three Space Shuttle missions to the ISS to date. The ICC's two primary components are an unpressurised cargo pallet and a keel-yoke assembly that supports the pallet in the Shuttle's cargo bay. Spacehab's strategic partner Astrium GmbH is the maker of the keel-yoke assembly and serves as Spacehab's ICC mission integration contractor. The ESP2 includes a cargo pallet specially outfitted with release mechanisms to permit ORU removal and replacement and cable systems to provide power directly from the ISS to individual payloads.

Technology

Hitachi Cameras Document Cape Launches
Three companies within the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station capture all launch pad activity with a wide range of Hitachi digital cameras.

Computer Sciences Raytheon, Boeing and Bionetics Photo Services all recently purchased additional cameras for analysing, surveying and tracking launches from various launch pads on the base.

Computer Sciences Raytheon (CSR), the range technical services contractor under the Space Command's 45th Space Wing, provides operation and maintenance of launch facilities and processing systems that support Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and tracking sites downrange. CSR purchased four Hitachi Z-3000W 16:9/4:3 switchable, digital cameras to be mounted atop vans to document launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CSR uses up to three vans simultaneously to document and track missions of all land-based and air-dropped missiles.

The Boeing Company supports several government and commercial contracts at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, including NASA's expendable launch vehicle program and payload ground operations contract. Since 1961, the Boeing-built Delta rocket has been NASA's vehicle of choice flying 82 missions. The company recently purchased six Hitachi HVD-15 cameras with remote pan and tilt operation. The cameras are used to film unmanned launches for the Air Force, NASA, and for commercial customers. Boeing also has three Hitachi Z-3000W's and one Z-One-B cameras among its equipment roster.

Bionetics Photo Services, a commercial imaging services company that performs launch imaging of rockets for Boeing and Lockheed Martin, has purchased over 30 Hitachi cameras that are in use at several Lockheed Martin launch pads. The cameras are mounted on towers and ground mounts, and are used for technical surveillance. During a rocket launch, images are captured, then recorded and analysed. Among the cameras purchased by Bionetics are the Hitachi HV-D3, HVC-20, and HVC-10F's.

Launch Services

Aerojet Awarded US$ 7.9 Million Extension to Reusable Launch Vehicle Contract
The Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center have awarded Aerojet US$ 7.9 million in added in-scope work on the Integrated Powerhead Program, which is demonstrating propulsion technologies that will be applied to the main engine for a military space launch vehicle or a shuttle replacement.

Aerojet has been working on the program since 1994 under a US$ 15 million contract to demonstrate advanced technology combustion devices on experimental liquid hydrogen-oxygen engines. The contract modification extends the contract to December 2003 and increases the total value to US$ 23 million. Aerojet will now be updating designs for combustion device hardware to demonstrate critical technologies for the next generation main engine, including:

• Delivering long life formed platelet liner combustion chambers.
• Designing and delivering hydrogen cooled, milled channel nozzles.
• Designing and delivering oxidiser and fuel rich preburners.
• Supporting the test and evaluation of the technology demonstrator engine.

Testing of Aerojet's products in the technology demonstrator engine will be conducted at the NASA Stennis Space Center in 2003.

Lockheed Martin's CSOC to Offer Commercial Ground Network Services
Lockheed Martin's Consolidated Space Operations Contract (CSOC) will, for the first time, begin providing commercial telemetry, tracking and commanding (TT & C) services to augment its current data acquisition capacity and improve the reliability of NASA's Ground Network.

Use of these commercial TT&C services will allow CSOC to enhance the existing set of tracking and communications resources available to NASA without new capital investment by the US government. This fully supports NASA's intention to reduce operations costs by outsourcing operations services.

CSOC's recent completion of Operational Readiness Reviews with Kongsberg Spacetec-Lockheed Martin Space Data Services (KLM-SDS) and DataLynx (Honeywell TSI) on November 15-16 paved the way for the start of these commercial network services.

The purpose of the reviews was to demonstrate the readiness of KLM and DataLynx to provide commercial data services as fully operational elements of NASA's Ground Network, by augmenting the TT & C services CSOC currently provides.

KLM's antenna and tracking station is located on Svalbard Island, Norway, with a Network Operation Center based in Seabrook, Maryland, USA. KLM demonstrated mission support readiness for the QuikScat and SAC-C satellites and provided successful testing for Landsat-7 (S-Band) and Terra (S-Band). KLM services will include S band Telemetry, Tracking and Command; X band Telemetry; temporary storage of downlink data (up to 72 hours); and voice/scheduling support.

DataLynx, located in Poker Flat, Alaska, and operated out of Columbia, Maryland,USA, has demonstrated mission support readiness for QuikScat and Landsat-7 and provided successful testing for Terra (S band). DataLynx services will include S-Band Telemetry, Tracking and Command; X band Telemetry; X band Data recording for Landsat-7 and EO-1; temporary storage of downlink data (up to 72 hours); and voice/scheduling support.

CSOC has entered into these services agreements on a "per pass" basis with the two companies and will make these services available to its customer base through its product and services catalogue. CSOC does not own the companies providing services or equipment, nor is it involved in their management or operations. Both tracking stations have been built using private investment.

While providing services to CSOC efforts, the two tracking stations are fully capable of providing similar services to other government agencies, international customers and other commercial spacecraft interests.

CSOC is a US$ 3-billion-plus contract awarded by NASA to Lockheed Martin, who serves as the prime contractor to provide end-to-end space operations Mission and Data Services to both NASA and non-NASA customers. CSOC manages NASA's data collection, telemetry and communications operations that support Earth-orbiting satellites, planetary exploration, and human space flight activities. Services include data acquisition from spacecraft, data transmission to end-users, data processing and storage, ground and space communications, and mission control centre operations.

NASDA Delays H-2A Launch
NASDA has decided to postpone the maiden flight of its H-IIA launch vehicle from February 2001 to the summer.

Engineers are reported to have found cracked pipes and plating that had peeled off the rocket during a ground test in November.

H-2A's first flight will put a dummy satellite into orbit. Originally it was intended to launch a satellite for the European Space Agency for free in return for transmission capacity on the satellite, but this deal was cancelled last September. In May, Hughes Space and Communications cancelled ten planned H-2A flights after a string of failures affecting the rocket's predecessor, the H-2.

Launches

Sirius 3

Launched: 30 November 2000
Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launcher: Proton K/Block-DM
Orbit: highly inclined
International Number: 2000-077A
Name: Sirius 3
Owner: Sirius Satellite Radio
Contractor: Space Systems/Loral

Sirius 3 is a commercial communications satellite dedicated to radio broadcast.

Using three orbiting satellites, Sirius will broadcast up to 100 channels of digital-quality radio to motorists throughout the continental United States for a monthly subscription fee of US$ 9.95. Sirius will also deliver 50 channels of commercial-free music in virtually every genre, and up to 50 channels of news, sports, talk, comedy and children's programming.

STS 97 - PV Module P6

Launched: 1 December 2000
Site: Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Launcher: Shuttle Endeavour (STS-97)
Orbit: LEO, apogee: 320 km, perigee: 320 km: inclination: 51.6°
International Number: 2000-078A
Name: Shuttle Endeavour (STS-97)
Owner: NASA

This assembly mission to the International Space Station brings additional equipment which will be integrated with the ISS during the flight. Endeavour docked with the ISS on Saturday. The crew for this mission are as follows:

• Brent Jett, commander
• Michael Bloomfield, pilot
• Joe Tanner, mission specialist
• Carlos Noriega, mission specialist
• Marc Garneau, mission specialist

Mission duration is to be just under 11 days.

Equipment to be installed on the ISS during the flight includes solar arrays and batteries, electronics and cooling equipment. When deployed the arrays will have a span of 73 m. Three further sets of arrays will be added during future flights in 2002, 2003, and 2006. Each of the eight wings consists of a mast assembly and two solar array blankets. Each blanket has 84 panels, of which 82 are populated with solar cells. Each panel contains 200 solar cells. The eight photovoltaic arrays thus accommodate a total of 262,400 solar cells. When fully deployed in space, the active area of the eight wings, each 32.6 by 11.6 m, will encompass an area of 3,026 sq m, and will provide power to the ISS for 15 years.

Business

Aether Systems Acquires Motient's Transportation Division
Aether Systems Inc has completed the acquisition of Motient Corporation's transportation business unit. This transaction will bring Motient's 200 transportation customers to Aether's Enterprise business.

The acquisition of Motient's transportation division increases Aether's presence in the transportation industry, providing the company with a significant client base in the long-haul and less-than-truckload market and a leading, multi-mode wireless product that provides vehicle information via both land-based and satellite communications.

Under terms of the agreement, Aether acquired Motient's transportation business unit for US$ 45 million in cash, of which US$ 10 million was placed in escrow. The agreement also provides for potential future payments of up to US$ 22.5 million based on revenue and other incentive targets for the acquired business in 2001.

Cambridge Industries Ltd Becomes Channel Master Ltd
Following its recent acquisition by Channel Master, Cambridge Industries is been renamed. The company's official name is now Channel Master Ltd.

As Channel Master Ltd, the company will continue to be headquartered at Theale, England, where its more than 40 employees have built its reputation as the pre-eminent supplier of LNBs and related microwave products to the European market.

In addition to its traditional role as a leading LNB designer and developer, Channel Master Ltd will also be the European base for marketing and logistics support for the company's extensive line of Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) antenna systems and related products.

European Commission OKs Eutelsat Restructuring
The European Commission has given its approval to Eutelsat's restructuring proposals - all the assets and operational activities will be transferred on July 2, 2001 into a company headquartered in Paris, France.

Eutelsat is currently an intergovernmental treaty organisation. The restructuring will transform the operating parts of Eutelsat into a company incorporated in France. As part of its restructuring proposals, Eutelsat will carry out a public offering (IPO) of 30% of the shares within two years of the privatisation (i.e. by July 2003).

Eutelsat has 48 member countries. Each country has a signatory (normally the incumbent national telecom provider) which owns a share in the organisation proportional to its usage of the Eutelsat system. The signatories also act as distributors of Eutelsat services to users or to sub-distributors. Following the restructuring, Eutelsat will be constituted as a company under French law and the signatories will become shareholders in the new company. The IPO will dilute the shareholdings of the signatories and will reduce the possible conflict of interest between their role as shareholders and as distributors of Eutelsat's services respectively. It will also unambiguously permit the direct distribution of services by Eutelsat rather than requiring customers to approach Eutelsat's current distributors (primarily their Signatories).

Saab Ericsson Acquires Majority Interest in Fokker Space
Saab Ericsson Space will acquire 65% of the leading Dutch space company Fokker Space. Stork, the major aerospace company in the Netherlands, will acquire the remaining shares.

Fokker Space is a prime supplier of solar arrays, is also a specialist in advanced robotics technology and is prime contractor of the European Robotic Arm. The company's expertise in "light-rigid" and strong structural components has led to close involvement in the Ariane launcher development and production program. Fokker Space has 400 employees and Euro 100 million in annual sales.

Products and Services

Peregrine Semiconductor Introduces Rad Hard Prescaler
Peregrine Semiconductor has introduced the PE9301 - the world's first space-qualified Prescaler (Divide By 2) integrated circuit.

Peregrine Semiconductor is sampling the product and will have mass production available in June 2001 following full qualification.

The PE9301 is a high performance monolithic CMOS prescaler with a fixed divide ratio of two. Its operating frequency range is 2.0 to 3.5 GHz, it is designed for low power operation (11.5mA @ 3V across frequency), and operates from a single supply. The PE9301 is the first in a family of space-qualified RF prescalers to be offered by Peregrine.

Built using Peregrine Semiconductor's Ultra Thin Silicon (UTSi(R)) Silicon-On-Sapphire (SOS) process, the PE9301 is expected to easily attain 300 Krad(Si) total dose tolerance, is immune to any latch-up (well known for Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) technologies) and will show impressive Single Event Upset (SEU) tolerances (SEU<10-9/bit-day).

TRW and JPL Develop High Frequency Indium Phosphide Chips
A new family of high-frequency, indium phosphide (InP) integrated circuits, developed by TRW and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), promises to increase data rates, shrink the size and increase the overall performance capabilities of next-generation satellite communications and remote sensing payloads.

The low-noise amplifier (LNA) millimetre wave monolithic integrated circuits (MMICs) were fabricated using TRW's 0.07-micron gate high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) process. They offer state-of-the-art gain and noise figures at operating frequencies ranging from 100 GHz to 215 GHz. The 215 GHz InP LNA is the highest frequency integrated circuit ever reported.

TRW's family of high-frequency InP MMICs includes a three-stage, single-ended 112-120 GHz LNA providing 15 dB of gain and a noise figure of 4-5 dB; a three-stage single-ended 165-190 GHz LNA with a demonstrated 14 dB of gain and a noise figure of 7 dB; and a six-stage, single-ended 160-215 GHz LNA with 15-27 dB of gain with a measured module noise figure of 8 dB at 170 GHz. Gain is a measure of a chip's ability to amplify a signal, while noise figure is a measure of a chip's ability to amplify a signal without distortion.

Last month, TRW completed a high-volume InP production facility, which will produce TRW's advanced InP for rapidly growing telecommunications market applications, including fibre optic transmission systems, mobile wireless communications and broadband wireless services. Fabrication equipment is being installed, with initial production scheduled for early 2001.

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