3 September 2000

Satcoms

BellSouth Selects Liberate for Interactive TV
BellSouth has selected the Liberate TV Platform software to deliver interactive TV services to its satellite TV customers in the south-eastern United States, with availability scheduled for the first half of 2001.

BellSouth selected Liberate based on the flexibility and scalability of the Liberate TV Platform software, as well as Liberate's commitment to open-standards.

Liberate software will be integrated with BellSouth Entertainment Inc's satellite TV service, an offering announced in May of this year. BellSouth has licensed the Liberate TV Platform software, which consists of Liberate client and server software, allowing customers to access an interactive program guide, order Pay-Per-View programming, and use advanced telephony features like caller ID over their television sets.

Based on open standards, Liberate software affords simple integration with a wide range of software and hardware solutions. BellSouth customers will have access to interactive TV features during the first-half of next year. Through advanced satellite technology, BellSouth will have the capability to deliver digital TV entertainment and interactive information to over 14 million households in its current telecommunications markets and potentially 50 million households in neighbouring states outside the south-eastern United States.

Broadband Internet for Nigeria
TeleCommunication Systems Inc will provide a wireless network delivering broadband Internet access to the Jigawa State Government, Nigeria, through its US agent Loop Capital Markets LLC, President Clinton announced during his state visit to Nigeria.

The Jigawa State network, which is expected to be available seven months from inception, will provide global Internet access, satellite communications connectivity, State-wide and local wireless Internet distribution and Internet protocol multimedia content to 26 cities within Jigawa.

The purchase will be financed in part via a five year, US$ 6 million loan by First International Bank, guaranteed by NAL Merchant Bank, a Nigerian financial institution, and the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

iPSTAR to Incorporate NettGain Technology
Shin Satellite Public Company Limited has signed a contract with Flash Networks Inc to incorporate its NettGain technology in the terminals used in the iPSTAR broadband Internet system.

The technology supplied by Flash Networks accelerates data transmission, reducing bandwidth requirements significantly. NettGain incorporates flow control, acceleration and real-time data compression algorithms that, in conjunction with the proprietary architecture of the iPSTAR system will enable the iPSTAR-1 satellite to operate at a nominal capacity of up to 40 Gb/s.

Shin Satellite recently announced it had chosen Space Systems/Loral to construct iPSTAR-1, its broadband Internet satellite. The company has developed a terminal that will be introduced in 2001 which will also significantly increase the bandwidth available on conventional satellites.

Sirius 4 Damaged During Manufacture
Sirius Satellite Radio has confirmed that its ground spare satellite, Sirius 4, was damaged during assembly by Space Systems/Loral.

Analysts have declared that the satellite will be delayed too much to be useful as a ground spare to guard against launch failure or satellite problems following launch. They conclude that the knock on effect is that lack of a ground spare will dramatically cut the chances of a successful satellite system deployment.

Further details will be available in about a months time when the investigation into the accident has been concluded. However, rumour is that the satellite fell from the Mechanical Ground Support Equipment (MGSE) that was holding it on to the floor of the clean room.

Sirius 1 was launched on 30 June this year. Sirius 2 and Sirius 3 are scheduled for launch in September and October. Sirius 4 was to be available by December 2000.

Solidaridad 1 Written Off After Failure
Satelites Mexicanos SA de CV (Satmex) has announced that its Solidaridad 1 satellite has ceased operation and is considered irretrievably lost.

The loss was caused by the failure of the back-up control processor on board the satellite. Solidaridad 1, which was built by Hughes Space and Communications and launched in 1994, experienced a failure of its primary control processor in April 1999, and the satellite had been operating on its back-up processor since that time.

Immediately following the failure of the back-up processor on Sunday, August 27, Satmex began migrating Solidaridad 1's customers to other Satmex satellites or to satellites operated by Loral Skynet, which, like Satmex, is a member of the Loral Global Alliance. These alternative satellites have sufficient capacity to provide for all Solidaridad 1 customers, and as of Wednesday, August 30, 86% of all utilised capacity and 95% of all users had already been successfully migrated or assigned to these other satellites.

One of the main users of the satellite was to provide educational television to some 12,000 rural schools, some of which depend almost entirely on the service for their teaching. Some schools will have to wait up to three weeks before their dishes can be re-pointed to the replacement satellite purely because of the logistical difficulties of re-pointing so many dishes.

The impact of the failure was lessened because many users had heeded the warning of the earlier SCP failure on the satellite and had already moved their services to other satellites. At the time of the failure on Sunday, only 45% of Solidaridad 1's capacity was in use.

Engineers from both Satmex and Hughes continued efforts to recover the spacecraft over the next 48 hours, but by Tuesday evening, the satellite's battery power supply was exhausted, and the satellite was declared a full loss.

Hughes has suffered a string of SCP failures on its HS 601 satellites. Galaxy IV, Galaxy VII and DBS-1 have experienced electrical shorts in the processors which have resulted in blown fuses. Galaxy VII, DBS-1 and PAS 4 are running on spare processors and are operating normally, albeit with reduced reliability. Galaxy IV has had two SCP failures (one in each half of the redundant unit) making the satellite useless.

Solidaridad 1 was insured for US$ 250 million, and Satmex intends to apply the insurance proceeds towards the construction and launch of a replacement satellite as well as for debt service.

Satmex is a joint venture between Loral Space & Communications, Principia (Mexico's leading telecom company), and the Mexican Federal Government. Satmex currently operates two satellites, Solidaridad 2 and Satmex 5, delivering voice, data and video services to the Latin American market. Satmex is also a member of the Loral Global Alliance.

Earth Observation

More Time for EarthWatch
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given EarthWatch Inc further time to construct its commercial earth observation satellites, QuickBird 1 and 2.

QuickBird 1 will now be launched in April 2001 and QuickBird 2 in December 2001.

The delay has been caused by unforeseen problems with a laser gyroscope. The type of laser gyroscope to be provided by L3 Navigation Systems has experiencing degraded on-orbit performance for several recently launched commercial and governmental spacecraft. EarthWatch has ordered new gyros from another manufacturer and has paid a premium to expedite delivery.

The FCC has ruled that "EarthWatch has shown convincingly that its original gyroscope is not likely to work as planned and this component failure would seriously impact its proposed service. In addition, EarthWatch has more than commenced construction of QuickBird-1 and QuickBird-2. Construction well underway and is progressing."

Navigation

TransOrbital's Lunar GPS Experiment
TransOrbital Inc and the Foundation for the International Non-government Development of Space (FINDS) have agreed to test the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) constellation at lunar distances to learn if it is possible to utilise GPS for navigation during a lunar trajectory or in lunar orbit.

FINDS, a not-for-profit private endowment that funds leading edge space research, is pre-paying for rights to license patents or processes that may ensue from TransOrbital's GPS experiment. FINDS, whose goal is to prove the viability of data purchase as a means of facilitating the participation of commercial firms in space exploration, intends to release the data to the public domain, enabling others to review and test the experiment team's conclusions.

TransOrbital's 2001 TrailBlazer spacecraft will be equipped to detect the weak GPS signals while in lunar orbit. The team will test the GPS constellation while enroute to the moon and while in lunar orbit. TransOrbital will then analyse the experimental data for the suitability of GPS navigation for future lunar missions. If GPS can be proved to be usable at distances as far away as the moon, it will enable a low cost solution for spacecraft navigation to the Moon and in lunar orbit. The 2001 TrailBlazer spacecraft will not rely upon GPS data for its navigation at the moon, but instead will use established means of navigation.

TransOrbital's private, robotic 2001 TrailBlazer's prime mission is to return HDTV video from lunar orbit for use as commercial products. The privately held company is conducting the 2001 TrailBlazer Project as a for-profit Space Venture and will produce various video and other products.

Technology

Lockheed Martin to Establish Propulsion, Thermal and Metrology Centre
Lockheed Martin Corporation has announced a plan to establish an advanced Propulsion, Thermal, and Metrology Center at the John C Stennis Space Center, Mississippi.

The plan represents a partnership between Lockheed Martin's Space Systems and Technology Services companies, the State of Mississippi, Hancock County, and NASA. Lockheed Martin Space Systems will operate the Propulsion and Thermal functions of the Center. Lockheed Martin Technology Services will be responsible for the Metrology portion of the Center. Both will be housed in the same facility, with construction to start soon and operations expected to begin in the autumn of 2001. Approximately 270 jobs will be created at the centre.

Activities performed in centre will include the production of propulsion systems, such as thrusters, used for satellites and other spacecraft produced by Lockheed Martin Space Systems. The thermal control systems produced at the facility will protect space vehicles from the extreme temperatures of the space environment. These systems include thermal "blankets," heat pipes, radiators, and engine heat shields. Metrology refers to the science of measurement, and this centre will be responsible for the highest level of "primary standards" in the extremely precise calibration of test equipment and tools. The Metrology Center, located within the same facility, will be operated by Lockheed Martin Technical Operations, an operating unit of Lockheed Martin Technology Services.

NASA Awards Space Technology Research and Development Contracts
NASA has awarded three space technology research and development contracts which will provide for technology and mission concept development, advanced prototype development, and technology/systems development and demonstration in support of NASA space flight and science missions.

The contracts will be managed by NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia.

NASA selected:

• Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation, Boulder, Colorado
• Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Denver, Colorado
• Swales Aerospace, Beltsville, Maryland

Each company was awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract. Services will be provided by individual task orders. The companies will compete for each order.

Total maximum value of the three 5-year contracts is US$ 45 million. There is a US$ 10,000 award minimum for each project.

Launches

Cosmos 2372

Launched: 28 August 2000
Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launcher: Proton K/Block-DM2
Orbit: apogee: 36390 km, perigee: 227 km: inclination: 48.7°
International Number: 2000-049A
Name: Cosmos (also known as Globus-1 and Raduga-1 05)

Military communications satellite.

ZY-2

Launched: 1 September 2000
Site: Taiyuan Launch Center, Shanxi province, China
Launcher: Long March 4-B
Orbit: LEO
International Number: 2000-050A
Name: ZY-2

ZY-2 is a multipurpose observation satellite.

Business

BT Sells Satellite Units to Stratos
Canadian remote telecommunications services provider, Stratos Global Corp is acquire British Telecom's Inmarsat, VSAT and aeronautical businesses for Cdn$ 340 million. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

BT A&M is a leading provider of remote communications solutions to customers around the world. The company provides a full range of Inmarsat, VSAT and terrestrial solutions to customers in a variety of industries including Maritime, Oil & Gas, Banking and Aeronautical. BT A&M operates four teleports including two Inmarsat earth stations located at Goonhilly in the southwest of England and Netley in New Zealand.

The proposed transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to close later this year. Stratos will initially fund the acquisition using borrowings from a committed long-term credit facility underwritten by Royal Bank of Canada, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and Bank of Nova Scotia.

Shaw Communications Buys Cancom
Shaw and its wholly-owned subsidiary 605634 BC Ltd have taken up and paid for the 16,810,069 Canadian Satellite Communications Inc (Cancom) shares deposited in response Shaw's offer to acquire any and all of Cancom's common shares.

As a result, Shaw directly and indirectly owns approximately 94.5% of the outstanding Cancom shares.

Shaw Communications Inc. is a diversified Canadian communications company whose core business is providing broadband cable television and Internet services to approximately 1.8 million customers. Shaw also has significant interests in direct-to-home satellite and in Internet, interactive television, e-commerce and telecommunications companies.

Titan Files Lawsuit to Stop Short Sellers' Scheme
The Titan Corporation has filed a lawsuit today to stop a scheme by unscrupulous short sellers to drive down the price of Titan stock from US$ 44 -3/4 a share on May 1, 2000 to US$ 21 a share on August 22, 2000.

Titan claims in the lawsuit that short sellers are posting anonymous messages on Internet bulletin boards, issuing anonymous false reports, and are using the media to spread false statements and rumours about the company that caused Titan stock to dramatically plunge. The recent case of Emulex losing over US$ 2 billion in market value within 15 minutes of the distribution of a false press release is another example of the ongoing abuse of rapid distribution of disinformation through technology for illegal gain. The suit seeks damages and an injunction against further securities manipulation.

Titan has retained Los Angeles attorneys Marshall B. Grossman and Michael A. Sherman of the Los Angeles law firm Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan LLP to prosecute the lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit: on May 1, 2000, Titan shares closed at 44 a share. During the first half of May, the short sellers schemed to drive the price of Titan shares down. By May 25, the price of Titan shares dropped precipitously and closed below US$ 28 a share. By June 20, the shares rebounded and closed above US$ 44 a share. The defendants then conspired to drive the price of the shares down once again. On August 7, 2000, the share price closed below US$ 29 a share and continued its slide to trade below US$ 21 a share on August 22, 2000. The market loss to shareholders between June 20, 2000 and August 22, 2000 was a staggering 50% or US$ 1.3 Billion.

As a result of its own investigation, Titan has identified some three dozen screen names used by apparent short sellers to spread false information over the Internet. Upon the filing of the lawsuit, the court took the unusual step of issuing a subpoena to require Yahoo to turn over its records showing the identity of those who posted those bogus messages.

Products and Services

New International Rectifier Hermetically Sealed Power Devices
International Rectifier has introduced 24 new hermetically sealed, high-reliability (hi-rel) HEXFET power MOSFETs for "step-down" DC-DC power conversion systems in satellite launch vehicles, missiles, down-hole oil drilling, and undersea broadband communications equipment.

These hermetically sealed power devices are specially made for applications operating in harsh conditions, such as high humidity or moisture, temperature or vacuum. Step-down DC-DC power conversion decreases a single, high-voltage main power supply line to lower voltages used by various sub-systems.

The new product line includes 30-, 55-, 100- and 150-volt devices. The 30V devices are targeted for 1.8-volt and lower output DC-DC converters, the 55V devices are used in 3.3- and 5-volt DC-DC converters, and the 100V and 150V products are used for 28- to 100-volt output sub-systems.

The new hi-rel MOSFETs are housed in industry standard TO-257, TO-254, SMD-0.5, SMD-1, D2, and D3 packages. D2 and D3 packages are tabless, surface-mountable metal packages. These hermetic packages are flight-worthy and have a proven track record in many high reliability defence and space programs.

People

David Trachtenberg Joins Gilat-To-Home
Gilat-To-Home Inc has announced that David Trachtenberg has joined the company as President and Chief Marketing Officer.

In this capacity, Trachtenberg will oversee the day-to-day operations of sales, marketing, product marketing, business development and content.

Gilat-To-Home Inc, a joint venture of Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd, Microsoft Corp, EchoStar Communications Corp, and ING Furman Selz Investments, is America's first consumer two-way satellite broadband Internet service provider.

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