15 December 2002
Satcoms
American Farm Bureau Unit to Resell Spacenet's Connexstar
Broadband Service
GlobeCast Selects SkyStream’s Mediaplex Video Services
Router
Hollycroft Associates Wins DTI SMART Award to Develop Electronic
Media on the Move
Kingston inmedia Services BMW
Spacenet to Provide CLH with
Network to Link Weather Monitoring Stations
STMicroelectronics Ships
One-Millionth XM Satellite Radio Chipset to Radio Manufacturers
Twelve Fleets
Select Xata's Web Solutions in First Month Following Launch
Navigation
Harris Corporation Awarded $16 Million GPS
Contract
Science
Attempting to Contact Near Shoemaker and Contour
Technology
Honeywell
and Cypress to Co-Develop High Performance IC Technology for Space
Computers
NASA Develops New Design Process For Future Spacecraft
Traffic Jam
Hotspots Pinpointed in Advance
Launch
Services
Aerojet
Completes Final Qualification Test Firing of Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor
Ariane 5 Launch
Failure
Astra 1K
Safely De-Orbited, Failure Reviews Started
Launches
Adeos 2, Micro-Lab Sat, WEOSS, FedSat
Business
Hughes and EchoStar Terminate Proposed Merger
Agreement
Lockheed Martin Integrates Space Units Based in Denver and
Sunnyvale
Space Imaging Opens Federal Sales Office in Reston, Virginia
Space
Imaging Signs Regional Affiliate in Germany
Teleglobe Announces Interim
Management Agreement for Core Business
Products and Services
Cobra Electronics Announces Breakthrough Technology for Handheld
GPS
Eagle
Broadband Unveils New Product Line Based On LEO Satellite Communications
International
Rectifier's Santa Clara Facility Granted Class K Manufacturer
Certification
People
Advanced Digital Broadcast Appoints William Luehrs to Grow
Americas Markets
Jean-Jacques Dordain to be Director General of ESA
American Farm Bureau Unit to Resell Spacenet's Connexstar
Broadband Service
(12 December 2002) American Agricultural
Communications Systems Inc (AACS) has contracted with Spacenet Inc to become an
authorised reseller of the Spacenet's Connexstar business-grade satellite
broadband service.
AACS is a wholly owned subsidiary of
American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the USA's largest farm organisation and
a long-time Spacenet custom-network customer.
Until now, many Farm
Bureau companies have been forced to pay a premium for wireline broadband
technologies such as frame relay due to their largely rural locations. By
switching to Connexstar, the Farm Bureau estimates it will save some companies
as much as 70% on their current frame relay connectivity charges.
Connexstar, introduced in January, provides affordable, commercial-grade,
private-network broadband satellite connectivity to America's small and
mid-size multi-unit enterprises.
Powered by Gilat's Skystar 360E VSAT
platform, Connexstar provides commercial-grade, always-on high-speed Internet
connectivity anywhere in the continental United States - with the ability to
add high-speed credit authorisation, commercially licensed TV and music,
distance learning, content multicasting and secure private networking services
using the same remote site hardware. Connexstar services include business-grade
installation, integrated routing functionality, depot maintenance and
second-level help desk support. A variety of on-site field service options -
such as 24x7 help desk and same day, 7x12 on-site maintenance - are also
available to meet specific business requirements. Embedded TCP/IP
implementation coupled with Gilat's industry-leading Internet browsing
acceleration technologies provides high performance and enhanced user
experience.
GlobeCast Selects SkyStream’s Mediaplex Video Services
Router
(12 December
2002) GlobeCast has selected SkyStream Network's Mediaplex 20 Video Services
Router and Source Media Router (SMR) to provide an economical, more efficient
way to deliver new and existing video and data services to its business and
consumer customers.
The SkyStream solution does this by
enabling GlobeCast to increase the video encoding and digital turn-around
capacity of its new Ku band Atlantic Bird 3 gateway at the company’s
international teleport in New York.
Because SkyStream provides an
integrated solution, GlobeCast can deliver and monitor video and data services,
such as: TV channel distribution, business TV and secure satellite Internet
delivery from a single platform. GlobeCast will use SkyStream's system for
Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcast, cable headend distribution and IP content
delivery from the US to Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa.
Unlike earlier generations of routing equipment, SkyStream’s Mediaplex 20
allows service provider customers to deliver multiple services more easily and
cost-effectively from their existing infrastructure. Mediaplex enables service
providers to deliver existing video and IP services and more rapidly deploy new
services at little or no additional cost by providing high-speed video
aggregation and routing as well as IP encapsulation capabilities within the
SkyStream platform, without requiring re-cabling or equipment changes to the
network. With the flexibility and expansion capabilities inherent in this
product (Mediaplex has 20 chassis slots and 32 sub-module interfaces),
providers such as GlobeCast can expand services to include Video on Demand
(VOD) and interactive TV while future-proofing their network infrastructures
and enabling new revenue streams. In addition, the SMR provides standards-based
encryption of video and data and scrambling capabilities to prevent content
misuse.
SkyStream's Mediaplex 20 is the first all-inclusive platform
for service providers to deliver advanced video services to consumers and
businesses over existing networks. Mediaplex 20 achieves this by capital cost
reduction, ease of integration and scalable architecture. The modular
architecture allows service providers to combine different modules to meet the
precise needs of their network and service architecture. Instead of the complex
multivendor systems of the past, service providers can build their expanded
offerings on a single, integrated, scalable platform, translating to
bottom-line cost savings. The platform’s wide range of video and data
processing capabilities and broadcast level security architecture, enable
service providers to bring broadcast, on demand and interactive television
services to market faster and more cost-effectively, with security, than
currently available solutions.
SkyStream's Source Media Routers
(SMRs), the company’s flagship product, are the market-leading IP
encapsulator (IPE), according to Northern Sky Research, enabling satellite,
cable and DTV service providers to reliably, scalably and cost-effectively
deliver data and video through their DVB- or ATSC-based networks to millions of
users.
Hollycroft Associates Wins DTI SMART Award to Develop Electronic
Media on the Move
(10 December 2002) Hollycroft Associates has won a
SMART Award from the United Kingdom Department of Trade and Industry (UK DTI)
to develop a new generation of satellite-delivered electronic media for the
mobile environment.
The new product will enable buses,
trains, taxis and other public transport vehicles to replace fixed poster
advertisements with electronic media showing video/multimedia information,
entertainment and advertising.
The product is scheduled for launch in
2003.
Kingston inmedia Services BMW
(9 December 2002) Kingston inmedia is providing an
advanced end-to-end solution to enable BMW (GB) Ltd to deliver interactive
Business Television (iBTV). The Kingston inmedia solution comprises: Virtual
Reality studio, managed Interactive services and satellite uplink for 60
programmes that are broadcast live from Kingston inmedia's Gerrards Cross
co-located facilities to BMW's 153 dealer sites across the UK. Kingston inmedia
are also providing remote site installation, service, support and maintenance
for each site.
Instrumental Media Group (Instrument),
responsible for the content and production of BMW's Business TV network,
selected Kingston inmedia because of its expertise and proven experience in
providing high quality Business TV services. The Kingston inmedia solution
effectively creates a classroom environment, providing interactive distance
learning that allows BMW's technicians and sales executives to train without
having to leave their dealerships. This method of distance learning is
efficient, convenient and allows sales teams to collectively and simultaneously
engage in a high quality training process, wherever they are based.
The added flexibility of using virtual reality means that special effects can
be incorporated that would be impossible or too expensive to implement in a
standard studio environment. This also allows for a broader range of topics to
be covered in each programme, which is particularly powerful when launching
brand new products such as the BMW 7 Series and Mini Cooper S where Kingston
inmedia's virtual reality set has allowed BMW to reflect the 'look and feel' of
the BMW brand and its dealerships.
The addition of an interactive
platform allows real-time communication between the programme presenters in the
studio and staff based in BMW's dealerships. Participants see and hear the
presenter and interact using a colour-coded touch pad allowing them to answer
multiple-choice questions. The touch pads also have built in microphones, and
by selecting one of the keys the participant can make direct contact with the
presenter allowing them to hold a conversation, which each participant can also
hear. The results to all questions and polls are then compiled and presented in
real time.
Kingston inmedia is working closely with Visage and Sense,
two divisions of the Instrumental Media Group to make sure that each programme
stays true to BMW's corporate identity. Instrument selected Kingston inmedia's
fully integrated facility because of the ease and security of managing the
whole process from one site.
Spacenet to Provide CLH with Network to Link Weather Monitoring
Stations
(12
December 2002) Spacenet Inc has been selected by CLH Incorporated to provide a
high-speed satellite communications network to link a minimum of 250 Automated
Weather Observation Systems (AWOS) USA-wide.
CLH
provides AWOS communications to more than 300 state and local government
agencies, which creates a nation-wide network bringing weather data to airports
and community forecasters. CLH installs and maintains the individual AWOS and
operates an AWOS communications link to the FAA at its network control centre
in Minneapolis.
Gilat's Skystar Advantage VSAT network will replace
older, competing VSAT equipment as well as land-based equipment at many sites.
Deployment of the new VSAT network has begun and is scheduled to be completed
by the end of next year.
STMicroelectronics Ships One-Millionth XM Satellite Radio Chipset to Radio
Manufacturers
(9
December 2002) STMicroelectronics has shipped its one millionth XM Satellite
Radio chipset to XM's radio manufacturers. These chipsets integrate the key
receiver functions into two custom-designed system-on-chip products.
The one million XM Radio chipsets have been delivered to
equipment manufacturers including Pioneer, Alpine, Delphi, Sony, Clarion, and
Audiovox for both vehicle and home receiver products that also include AM and
FM radio capability. The sole supplier of XM chipsets, STMicroelectronics
applied the company's core know-how in system-on-chip technology to condense
the complex functions of the XM receiver into just two custom chips, reducing
the size and cost of the radios.
ST began production shipments of the
XM chipset in July 2001. The two custom chips developed by ST for XM Satellite
Radio allow XM radios to receive and decode signals broadcast from XM's two
geostationary satellites - Rock and Roll - and city-based terrestrial
repeaters. Most content for the 101 channels of high quality stereo audio
transmitted by XM Radio is generated in-house at the company's own studio
complex in Washington DC.
Twelve
Fleets Select Xata's
Web Solutions in First Month Following Launch
(9 December 2002) Xata Corporation is seeing
significant demand for its Xatanet Web-based fleet management system only one
month after announcing its 2.0 release. Twelve companies have agreed to
purchase and/or pilot the new system, including new customers Abernaqui and
International Cold Storage. Xatanet is an open and scalable Web solution that
provides trucking operations with an easy-to-use interface to gain complete
visibility and control over their mobile assets - drivers, vehicles and
trailers - while working to enhance their fleet's productivity and customer
service. The power of Xatanet is further enhanced through low-cost satellite
communication that provides anytime, anywhere mobile access.
Xatanet supports a comprehensive suite of fleet management
capabilities via the Web, including streamlined fuel tax reporting, DOT driver
logs, vehicle location tracking, route mapping, vehicle diagnostics and alerts,
two- way driver messaging, accident analysis, and the most detailed operational
profile report available today.
The newest release of Xatanet also
supports dynamic enterprise environments through a highly flexible and
simplified Web interface. A new Xatanet Portal and on-line notifications have
also been added to empower users with new ways to leverage their operational
data in real-time, resulting in faster, better and more informed decisions.
Xata is offering introductory pricing for new orders of its Xatanet
products for delivery in the first quarter of 2003.
Harris Corporation Awarded $16 Million GPS Contract
(11 December 2002)
Harris Corporation has been awarded a two-year, US$ 16 million contract by The
Boeing Company to support the development and integration of the Launch Anomaly
Disposal Operations (LADO) segment of the US Air Force Global Positioning
System (GPS) IIF satellite program.
LADO is a COTS,
PC-based telemetry command and control system and simulator. It is designed to
track Air Force GPS satellites after launch, position them in low orbit, check
out and verify their operating parameters, and then propel them into high
orbit. Once control of the satellites is transferred from LADO to Mission
Control, LADO continues to monitor the health and status of the satellites. If
an anomaly is detected that cannot be resolved by mission control, LADO uses a
high-fidelity simulator to locate and repair the problem. If repair is not
feasible, LADO disposes of the satellite.
Boeing Integrated Defense
Systems recently received approval from the US Air Force to begin production of
the first three satellites for the GPS IIF program, which will provide new
capabilities, including new signals for civilian users and critical, secure
Operational Military codes for the warfighter. GPS IIF also is compatible with
the US Air Force's Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) and will provide 20% more
on-orbit life than previous GPS spacecraft.
The Boeing-led Control
Segment team, which includes Harris and Lockheed Martin, also will play a key
role in the modernisation of the entire GPS ground system architecture. In
addition, Harris, through its Harris Technical Services Corporation subsidiary,
is providing operations, maintenance and support services to the US Air Force
Satellite Control Network (AFSCN) and GPS ground network. Harris also supplies
Boeing with satellite communications terminal development and integration work
for the Family of Beyond Line-Of-Site Terminals (FAB-T) program and Ka-band
Spot Beam antennas for Wideband Gapfiller System (WGS) satellites.
Attempting to Contact Near Shoemaker and Contour
(12 December 2002)
Mission controllers are trying to check up on two probes which have been silent
for several months. Asteroid probe NEAR Shoemaker had been out of contact since
February 2001 when it landed on asteroid Eros and comet probe Contour has not
been heard from since August when a booster motor apparently malfunctioned and
damaged the spacecraft.
The attempt to contact NEAR
Shoemaker was initiated on December 10, by the NEAR mission operations team at
the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, which managed the
mission and built the spacecraft, and the Deep Space Network team, which
supported the effort through their 70 m Goldstone antenna. With asteroid Eros
only about 138 million km) from Earth - less than half the distance it was when
NEAR Shoemaker landed on it in February 2001 - and NEAR Shoemaker's solar
panels basking in sunlight for the past three months, the timing was ideal.
First, operators listened passively for a carrier signal from the
spacecraft. Then they sent commands asking NEAR Shoemaker to transmit data
indicating it had survived the last 22 months on the asteroid's surface,
despite temperatures that dipped as low as minus 170 degrees C and long periods
of total darkness.
Not knowing which of NEAR Shoemaker's two computers
had access to its transmitter, mission operators tried sending commands to one,
then the other. Then they waited - in vain - to receive data.
The
first in NASA's Discovery Program of low-cost, scientifically focused planetary
missions, NEAR conducted a year-long orbit study of asteroid 433 Eros far
exceeding the original project goals. It then soft landed on the surface of the
asteroid - even though the probe was not designed to be a lander - where it now
remains.
On December 17 and December 20 the Contour team at the Johns
Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) will send commands through
NASA's largest Deep Space Network antennas toward Contour's assumed location 67
million km from Earth, instructing the probe to transmit through its
multidirectional antenna.
Contour, a NASA Discovery mission designed
to provide the closest, most detailed look yet at a comet's nucleus, launched
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on July 3. On August 15, after six weeks
in a parking orbit around Earth, Contour's STAR 30BP solid-propellant rocket
motor was programmed to ignite and boost the probe on a path toward Comet
Encke. At the time, Contour was about 225 km above the Indian Ocean and out of
radio contact with controllers. Mission operators expected to regain contact
approximately 45 minutes later to confirm the burn, but Deep Space Network
(DSN) antennas did not acquire a signal. Several attempts to contact Contour in
the weeks after the burn were unsuccessful.
Images from ground-based
telescopes taken August 16-21 showed three objects very close to Contour's
expected path, leading team members to surmise that the spacecraft had broken
apart near the end of the scheduled 50-second rocket burn. Though no direct
observations of Contour were made since, mission designers at APL and
navigators at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory used the August images to
calculate the spacecraft's trajectory and estimate sizes of two of the three
sections.
Next week the team will aim for the largest section, which
they believe is Contour's main body. Divided over both days the sessions should
total about 16 hours, using the 34-meter and 70-meter antennas at DSN stations
in Goldstone, California, and Madrid, Spain. Contour is moving away from Earth
at nearly 37,000 km/hr.
Honeywell and Cypress to Co-Develop High Performance IC Technology
for Space Computers
(12 December 2002) Honeywell International has signed
an agreement with Cypress Semiconductor Corp to jointly develop a new
technology for integrated circuits (ICs) used in satellites, strategic missiles
and other space vehicles.
The two companies will jointly
develop new ICs that will compute information faster, or at higher capacities,
while withstanding the severe radiation environment in space. An IC, also
called a microchip, is a single piece of silicon that can house millions of
transistors.
The new microchips will use Honeywell's patented
radiation-hardened Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) technology, which employs an
insulating layer to protect computer chips from radiation damage in space.
Cypress will contribute technology that will reduce the size of individual
transistors on the microchips to 0.15 microns.
This will enable
placing nearly four times the quantity of transistors on each chip compared to
existing capability. With the new process, 90 million to 100 million
transistors can be installed on a microchip the size of a fingernail,
increasing data computing volume and speed.
The new microchips will
process information in satellites for a wide variety of communications needs,
including telephone, television, weather imaging and military applications.
They will also be used in the systems that operate satellites.
NASA
Develops New Design
Process For Future Spacecraft
(11 December 2002) An efficient, timely, revolutionary
process, developed by NASA, may help design the next generation of space
vehicles.
Engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center, in
collaboration with astronauts from NASA's Johnson Space Center, are using the
Virtual Flight Rapid Integration Test Environment (VF-RITE) to develop and
evaluate vehicle designs that may eventually ferry astronauts to and from the
International Space Station. The new process quickly and efficiently
incorporates virtual test-flight data into the design process creating a
continuous dialogue between test pilots and vehicle designers.
The
objective of the VF-RITE project is to produce systems and infrastructure to
facilitate the use of aerodynamic data from CFD (computational fluid dynamics)
technology in real-time, piloted flight simulation. CFD uses high-speed
computers to solve basic equations to predict complex fluid flow patterns
across the surface of an object. The flight simulation data and input from the
astronaut test pilots allow the design team to apply "return knowledge" to
improve vehicle performance.
The VF-RITE process begins with the
development of a mathematical model of the concept vehicle using the latest in
wind tunnel and CFD technologies. The mathematical model is programmed into the
extensive VMS vehicle database. The VMS is one of NASA's most capable vehicle
simulators with 60 feet of vertical and 40 feet of horizontal travel, giving
pilots a realistic sensation of gravity forces. Once the vehicle is in the
database, the design can be modified, based on input from astronaut test
pilots, engineers and designers.
With VF-RITE, radically new designs,
using the latest materials, can be evaluated and refined. One design using
Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics (UHTCs) departs from the traditional lifting
body design of the Space Shuttle. Developed at Ames, UHTCs are thinner, lighter
and more durable than current shuttle heat-resistant exterior tiles. This new
material can be used at the vehicle's leading edges, allowing for more
aerodynamic and manoeuvrable designs.
For off-site researchers and
managers, the VMS has a virtual counterpart called the Virtual Laboratory
(VLAB). The virtual environment allows off-site participants access to all
displays in the VMS control room, the ability to interact with the VMS crew and
the test pilots in real time. In addition to VMS displays, high-speed data
links allow viewing of the pilot's actions and out-of-the-window displays, as
well as participation in videoconferences.
The VF-RITE is the fourth
generation in the development of the RITE process. Since 1999, nearly a dozen
astronauts have participated in the design process and have been impressed with
the capabilities of the VMS and the VF-RITE software.
Traffic
Jam Hotspots Pinpointed
in Advance
(11
December 2002) Road Traffic Monitoring by Satellite (RTMS) is an innovative
trial system that uses a fleet of "tracer" vehicles to detect congestion.
Using GPS position, an in-car computer and the ESA developed
PRODAT mobile communication system, traffic data is reported via satellite to a
central facility. Compared to conventional detection methods, a satellite-based
in-car system offers better coverage and better data at potentially competitive
costs.
Congestion of public road networks is an increasing problem in
many countries. As any traffic management strategy is only as good as the
information it relies on, authorities need traffic data that is accurate,
reliable, timely and comprehensive. Road users also need good quality traffic
information in order to plan and adjust their routes.
The RTMS field
trial, undertaken by ARS Traffic and Transport Technology (NL) and TU Dresden
(D) with support from ESA Telecom’s User Segment Programme line, started
in March 1999 and was successfully completed in November 2002.
The
trial took place in the busy Rotterdam and Den Haag districts of the
Netherlands, and consisted of a pilot system installed in a fleet of 15 postal
service and delivery vehicles. No interaction was necessary between the driver
and the system during the trial.
The large amount of usable data
gathered from the vehicles demonstrated that the coverage of the satellite
system is viable for collecting valuable real-time traffic data, even in
densely urbanised areas.
Floating car data, the concept behind RTMS,
works by using a relatively small percentage of the vehicle population to
produce real-time traffic information, just by driving around. This allows for
the collection of traffic data over the whole road network - not just
bottlenecks - including towns, cities, rural roads and motorways not covered by
GSM, GPRS or UMTS systems.
The floating car data principle also gives
information of better quality: "tracer" vehicles are able to produce travel
times over a series of road segments, while traditional systems measure the
traffic only at one point.
A satellite-based in-car system can provide
many services in addition to traffic monitoring, such as fleet management,
logistics support, emergency and breakdown service and theft protection. If
integrated with other systems, it can provide real time route guidance and
navigation information and location dependent services (such as locating the
nearest bank at a given point during a journey).
Aerojet Completes Final Qualification Test Firing of Atlas V
Solid Rocket Motor
(11 December 2002) Aerojet has successfully completed
the final qualification test firing of the full-scale, 67-foot Atlas V solid
rocket motor for 95 seconds at thrust levels ranging from 285,000 to 390,000
lbf. The motor, strapped horizontally to a massive test stand, burned according
to design in this assessment of the performance, quality and processing of the
solid rocket motor assembly. Preliminary review of post-test data indicates the
motor achieved all performance objectives that were specified for the test.
The test conducted today marked the last of three
qualification tests firings for application on Lockheed Martin's Atlas V.
Completion of the qualification phase is expected by February 2003 and
production of flight motors is underway to support a planned first flight in
2003.
Ariane
5 Launch Failure
(12 December 2002)
Arianespace's Flight 157 - the first flight of the "10-ton" Ariane 5 launcher,
failed three minutes after lift-off, destroying the two communications
satellites it was to have carried to orbit.
Initial data
analysis from the flight showed that the countdown, engine ignition and initial
phase of flight were normal. A first anomaly occurred 96 seconds into the
mission, involving the cooling circuit for the Vulcain 2 engine that powers the
main cryogenic stage.
From T + 178 sec to T + 186 sec, the engine
speed changed and a significant flight control perturbation occurred.
At T + 187 sec, the Ariane 5's payload fairing was jettisoned as planned, but
the launcher's attitude was not correct. The launcher subsequently demonstrated
erratic behaviour.
In compliance with range safety procedures, the
launcher was destroyed at approximately 456 sec into the mission. The Ariane 5
was at an altitude of about 69 kilometers and a distance of 800 kilometers off
the coast of French Guiana.
Flight 157 was carrying two satellites:
the Hot Bird 7 communications satellite for Eutelsat and Stentor, a space
telecommunications and technology demonstrator satellite for the French space
agency CNES.
An independent inquiry board is being set up, with
members to be named within a few days. The board will have two main
objectives:
Preparations for Arianespace's next two launches, New Skies Satellites' NSS-6 communications satellite on an Ariane 4 and ESA's Rosetta scientific satellite on a basic Ariane 5, are continuing on schedule and are not expected to be affected by the failure of flight 157.
Astra
1K Safely De-Orbited,
Failure Reviews Started
(10 December 2002) After extensive expert analysis of
the technical status of the Astra 1K satellite following its failed launch on a
Proton booster on November 26th, the engineering teams of SES Astra, following
detailed consultations with its partners, have come to the conclusion that due
to the rapid degradation of the satellite, coupled to the technical
difficulties and risks associated with such a mission, a commercial in orbit
recovery is not a viable option for the spacecraft which was stranded in a
low-Earth orbit.
As a consequence, the satellite was
safely de-orbited on the morning of the 10th December over the Pacific Ocean
with the assistance of satellite manufacturer Alcatel Space and the French
Space Agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales), which was
providing a world-wide tracking network for the Astra 1K mission. The
spacecraft re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere at 02.00 GMT and was
completely destroyed. Debris fell in a polygon bounded by 27° South to
54° South and 133° West to 174° West. Airways and sea lanes were
cleared by the New Zealand authorities, no damage was reported.
A
Russian State Failure Commission has been formed to investigate the anomaly
that occurred during the launch of the Proton K/Block DM rocket carrying the
Astra 1K satellite.
The commission has exonerated the three-stage
Proton K launch vehicle, and is focusing its investigation on the Block DM
fourth stage. Initial flight data indicate that the Block DM performed
successfully during its first main engine firing. The anomaly occurred at the
start of the second Block DM main engine burn, and the satellite was placed in
a much lower orbit than intended.
The launch was carried out under the
auspices of International Launch Services (ILS), a joint venture of Lockheed
Martin Corp and two Russian companies, Khrunichev State Research and Production
Space Center and RSC Energia.
The commission is led by Anatoli
Koroteev, general director of the Thermal Processes Institute of the Keldish
Center, and includes representatives of all organisations involved in the
design, manufacture, operation and support of the Proton K/Block DM launch
vehicle.
The commission is expected to release a preliminary
assessment of its findings by mid-December. This will be followed by a complete
statement of findings and corrective actions in late December/early January.
Data on all vehicle systems and operations will be examined during the early
phases of the investigation, with a narrowing of the investigative focus as the
commission continues its work.
Independently of the Russian
commission, ILS is forming a Failure Review Oversight Board. ILS has secured a
technical assistance agreement from the US Department of State, which provides
authority to engage in discussions with Khrunichev regarding the mission.
The board will be chaired by Eric Laursen, ILS vice president and chief
engineer. Other members are being confirmed, and will include senior space
experts, an insurance industry representative, and representatives from the
customer for the failed mission (SES-Astra), the satellite manufacturer
(Alcatel Space) and the owner of the next satellite scheduled for Proton
(Telesat Canada).
The oversight board will meet with the
representatives of the Russian State Failure Commission in Moscow upon
completion of the commission's investigation, probably in late December or
early January. The board is chartered to independently review the methods,
conclusions and corrective action recommendations of the Russian commission
investigation and to report on the findings.
Adeos
2, Micro-Lab Sat,
WEOSS, FedSat
Launched: 14
December 2002
Site: Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
Launcher: H-2A
International Number: 2002-056A
Orbit: LEO, apogee: 820 km, perigee:
803 km: inclination: 98.7°
Name: Advanced Earth Observing Satellite-II
(Adeos 2)
Owner: NASDA
International Number: 2002-056?
Orbit:
LEO
Name: FedSat
International Number: 2002-056?
Orbit:
LEO
Name: Micro-Lab Sat
Owner: NASDA
International Number:
2002-056?
Orbit: LEO
Name: Whale Ecology Observation Satellite
(WEOSS)
Hughes and EchoStar Terminate Proposed Merger Agreement
(10 December 2002)
Hughes Electronics Corporation and EchoStar Communications Corporation have
announced that the companies have reached a settlement to terminate the
proposed merger of Hughes and EchoStar, effective immediately.
Under terms of the settlement, EchoStar has paid to Hughes
US$ 600 million in cash, and Hughes will retain its 81 percent ownership
position in PanAmSat.
The companies reached this settlement because
the proposed merger could not be completed within the time allowed by the
merger agreement. This was due to action taken by the Department of Justice, 23
states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to block the merger as well as
the Federal Communications Commission's decision to send the merger application
to a hearing.
As a result of the merger termination, EchoStar will
take an approximate US$ 700 million write off in the fourth quarter for the
merger break-up fee and other related merger expenses.
Lockheed Martin Integrates Space Units Based in Denver and
Sunnyvale
(9
December 2002) Effective January 3 2003, Lockheed Martin Space Systems' former
Astronautics and Missiles & Space organisations and their operations
throughout the United States will be combined into a single business with one
common senior management team and a unified focus.
The
new entity, to be known as Space & Strategic Missiles, will be led by G
Thomas Marsh, president and general manager. Marsh will be based in Denver,
reporting to Albert E Smith, executive vice president, Space Systems. Serving
as deputies to Marsh will be Michael C Gass in Denver, as vice president of
Space Launch, and Leonard F Kwiatkowski in Sunnyvale, as vice president of
Military Space. This streamlined management structure will enable Space &
Strategic Missiles to optimise its business portfolio and capitalise on the
synergies within the combined organisation.
This integration caps a
process begun in 1999 to closely align the Sunnyvale- and Denver-based
organisations. Earlier efforts included linking the two organisations' cost
structure, implementing a successful asset reduction initiative and introducing
standard processes and tools in several areas. The final phase of this effort
will link the general management and line-of-business accountability, and
expand work sharing within the combined organisation.
Marsh brings
exceptional credentials to his new position, having led both the Sunnyvale- and
Denver-based organisations, and having served as president of what is now the
company's Michoud Operations. Marsh also has served as president of Space
Systems' Special Programs organisation. Since joining the Corporation in 1969,
Marsh has risen through a series of increasingly responsible positions for both
military and civil programs, including launch vehicles and spacecraft.
Leonard F Kwiatkowski, currently serving as executive vice president of
programs for Missiles & Space, will call upon his 30-plus years in senior
Air Force and Lockheed Martin positions in his new role as vice president,
Military Space and deputy to Marsh. Kwiatkowski has extensive military and
industry background in intelligence systems, communications, military space and
systems acquisition.
Michael C Gass brings more than 20 years of
successful launch vehicle experience to his new position as vice president of
Space Launch and deputy to Marsh. Currently serving as vice president,
Atlas/EELV Programs, Gass has been directly involved with the Atlas space
launch vehicle program for the past 14 years in significant operational and
management positions and has considerable launch vehicle, spacecraft and
production expertise.
Other Space Systems business units are not
directly affected by this integration, but will continue to be included in
company-wide streamlining and standardisation initiatives.
Lockheed
Martin Space Systems Company is one of the core operating units of Lockheed
Martin Corporation. Space Systems designs, develops, tests, manufactures and
operates a variety of advanced technology systems for military, civil and
commercial customers. Chief products include a full-range of space launch
systems, including heavy-lift capability, ground systems, remote sensing and
communications satellites for commercial and government customers, advanced
space observatories and interplanetary spacecraft, fleet ballistic missiles and
missile defence systems.
Space
Imaging Opens Federal
Sales Office in Reston, Virginia
(10 December 2002) Space Imaging has opened a
federal sales office in Reston, Virginia. The office is located at 12355
Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 690, near the National Imagery and Mapping Agency
and the US Geological Survey.
Space Imaging creates
mapping products from a variety of satellite and aerial platforms and has
extensive expertise in all security applications of imagery, including decision
support tools for national and global security; military training; mission
planning, 3-D modelling and simulation; disaster assessment and risk
management; public diplomacy, humanitarian relief and emergency response; and
facilities and environmental management.
Space
Imaging Signs Regional
Affiliate in Germany
(9 December 2002) Space Imaging has announced the
establishment of European Space Imaging, the company's newest commercial
Regional Affiliate. As a Regional Affiliate, European Space Imaging will have
the ability to collect and sell Earth imagery and related products from the
Ikonos satellite. The headquarters as well as the receiving antenna and
processing facility will be located in Munich, Germany. The contract was signed
Oct. 16, 2002.
Other Regional Affiliates include Space
Imaging Middle East (Dubai), Space Imaging Eurasia (Ankara), Japan Space
Imaging (Tokyo), Space Imaging Asia (Seoul), and Space Imaging Southeast Asia
(Bangkok).
Teleglobe Announces Interim Management Agreement for Core
Business
(9
December 2002) Teleglobe Inc has entered into an Interim Management Agreement
for its core voice and data business with TLGB Acquisition LLC, an affiliate of
Cerberus Capital Management LP and TenX Capital Partners LLC. Under terms of
the agreement, TLGB assumed day-to-day management responsibility for the
operations of the business on December 1, 2002.
This
agreement represents another key step in TLGB's proposed acquisition of
Teleglobe's core business. It follows the approval of the proposed acquisition
by the Canadian and United States courts, as well as the assumption of
debtor-in-possession lender status by an affiliate of Cerberus, replacing an
affiliate of BCE Inc in that role. Final closing of the transaction is expected
in the first half of 2003, subject to obtaining regulatory approvals and
satisfaction of contractual closing conditions.
Teleglobe is a
provider of international voice, wireless roaming, data and Internet services.
Today, Teleglobe owns and operates an extensive global telecommunications
network built over a combination of wavelength IRUs, ownership or participation
in 90 fibre optic submarine cable systems, satellite capacity, and leased
transmission capacity. This provides Teleglobe with reach to over 240 countries
and territories with advanced data capabilities. Teleglobe currently has 275
direct and bilateral relations with large incumbent and alternative carriers.
Teleglobe also provides data and IP access from numerous points of presence on
its network and today has private and public peering arrangements with 70
connections, including Tier 1 providers in North America, Europe and
Asia.
Cobra Electronics Announces Breakthrough Technology for
Handheld GPS
(10
December 2002) Cobra Electronics Corp has announced that its new line of
handheld GPS products will feature its exclusive Accelerated Satellite
Acquisition Protocol (ASAP) technology enabling users to identify their
location up to twice as fast as with any current consumer technology on the
market.
The ASAP technology is one of a number of
breakthrough features that make Cobra's new GPS products the most user-friendly
line available, addressing what has traditionally been the primary barrier to
consumer acceptance.
The GPS 100, GPS 500 and the GPS 1000 models
include Cobra's exclusive ASAP technology that accesses 18 channels, as opposed
to the category standard of 12, to more quickly match satellite co-ordinates
and identify the user's location.
In addition to the ASAP technology,
Cobra's GPS 500 and GPS 1000 models will feature software from Rand McNally,
the premier provider of mapping, routing and travel solutions. All of Cobra's
GPS units also incorporate a unique easy-to-use interface that enables users to
input information and change screens much the way they do when using personal
computers.
Cobra's handheld GPS units will be available at retailers
USA-wide in 2003.
Eagle Broadband Unveils New Product Line Based On LEO Satellite
Communications
(9
December 2002) Eagle Broadband Inc has announced today that the company's new
proprietary product line based on low-Earth-orbit satellite communications has
successfully completed required field testing, passed its initial production
design review and is now ready for release to production.
The system will be marketed under the name Orb'Phone
"Exchange" for both aeronautical applications and land-based operations. The
"total" global communications coverage of the Orb'Phone "Exchange" is possible
because the system uses the Iridium Satellite LLC voice and data network - a
constellation of 66 operational low-Earth-orbit satellites deployed on six
polar planes. Commercial aviation benefits include a passenger's ability to
place air-to-ground telephone calls and receive ground-to-air telephone calls
from virtually anywhere in the world, including over the oceans and the
poles.
The Orb'Phone "Exchange" is of particular interest to the
commercial and military aviation industry since it provides true
"all-passenger," gate-to-gate communications capabilities from inside aircraft,
without the possibility of interference to aviation navigation equipment - a
problem believed to be inherent in typical ground-based, cellular-type
equipment.
The military also has a special interest in the
capabilities of the Orb'Phone "Exchange" because it can produce the equivalent
of a domestic communications environment in non-line-of-sight situations in any
remotely deployed communications centre - anywhere in the world. More
importantly, it can be deployed within minutes of arrival without exposing
military communications personnel to the external local conditions and in a
totally secure mode. The US military is already a major user of Iridium
capacity and the Orb'Phone "Exchange" could provide much more effective and
widespread usage.
The Orb'Phone "Exchange" is the combined effort of
Eagle Broadband and Belgium-based Euro-GSM Ltd. Eagle Broadband will maintain
the intellectual property and manufacturing rights, while Euro-GSM Ltd. will
have exclusive non-US marketing rights based on a minimum volume of annual
sales. Euro-GSM Ltd. has extensive experience in marketing communications
products world-wide both to the commercial aviation industry as well as to the
military. The company is currently marketing the Orb'Phone "Exchange"
world-wide as well as a related two-channel product under the Orb'Phone brand.
Within the US, the Orb'Phone "Exchange" is being marketed by a US-based
marketing organisation that includes both Eagle Broadband and Euro-GSM Ltd.
Additional details regarding the Orb'Phone family of products will be provided
in subsequent press releases.
International Rectifier's Santa Clara Facility Granted Class K
Manufacturer Certification
(9 December 2002) The Defense Logistics Agency,
Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC) has certified the International
Rectifier's Advanced Analog facility in Santa Clara, California for compliance
with the requirements of MIL-PRF-38534, DSCC's Class K manufacturer
certification for hybrid microcircuits.
International
Rectifier's Santa Clara facility specialises in radiation-hardened and standard
DC-DC converters with an extensive flight heritage. Compliance means that the
facility is certified to produce hybrid microcircuits that have been designed
and manufactured in compliance with the Class K requirements of MIL-PRF-38534
for use in mission critical and high-reliability applications. Devices
manufactured as Class K and qualified to QML (Qualified Manufacturers List)
limits will bear an identifying mark on the case signifying
compliance.
Advanced Digital Broadcast Appoints William Luehrs to Grow
Americas Markets
(9
December 2002) Advanced Digital Broadcast has announced the appointment of
William “Bill” Luehrs as president of ADB Americas. In this role
Luehrs will direct the development of ADB’s expansion in the US, Canada
and Latin American digital TV markets.
Before joining
ADB, Luehrs was president of the Network System Division at Zenith Electronics.
Luehrs drove the transition to digital technology at Zenith, landing and
executing on a billion dollar contract to deliver digital set-top boxes to the
Americast RBOC consortium. He also developed a successful satellite receiver
product line that established leading market share in Latin America and in
several other emerging markets.
He later organized the sale of the
Zenith Networks Systems business to GI/Motorola, and provided merger
integration services to help Motorola consolidate this business into their
Broadband Communications Group.
Luehrs is a veteran top executive in
the US cable and satellite TV industry. He developed his strategic marketing
and general management skills during 17 years at General Electric. He has also
held several vice presidential and general management positions at Scientific
Atlanta, including the subscriber set-top box business, and the digital audio
product line.
Luehrs is establishing ADB-Americas corporate
headquarters in Chicago.
Advanced Digital Broadcast is a major
supplier of digital set-top boxes and software solutions for digital
interactive television. Since releasing its first unit in the summer of 1997,
ADB has shipped over two million set-tops to customers in 15
countries.
Jean-Jacques Dordain to be Director General of ESA
(11 December 2002) The
Council of the European Space Agency has announced the appointment of Mr
Jean-Jacques Dordain as the next Director General of ESA, for a period of four
years. He will succeed Mr Antonio Rodotà, whose term of office ends on
30 June next year.
Mr Jean-Jacques Dordain obtained an
engineering degree from the Ecole Centrale in 1968. Before joining ESA in 1986,
he held several positions at the Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches
Aérospatiales (ONERA): first, from 1970 to 1976, as researcher in the
field of propulsion and launch vehicles; then, from 1976 to 1986, as
co-ordinator of space activities; and finally, from 1983 to 1986, as Director
of Fundamental Physics. In 1977 he was selected by CNES among the first French
astronaut candidates.
When he joined ESA in May 1986, he was appointed
Head of the newly created Space Station and Platforms Promotion and Utilisation
Department. He then became Head of the Microgravity and Columbus Utilisation
Department, managing about 80 staff and overseeing numerous industrial
activities. In 1993 he was appointed Associate Director for Strategy, Planning
and International Policy. In May 1999 he was appointed Director of the newly
created Directorate of Strategy and Technical Assessment. On 15 February 2001
he took up the post of Director of Launchers.
Jean-Jacques Dordain is
a member of the International Academy of Astronautics and the Académie
des Technologies. He has also held professorships at the Ecole Polytechnique
and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Techniques
Avancées.
