1 December 2002
Satcoms
New Irish Commission for Communications Regulation
Established
Science
Galileo Tape Failure After Amalthea Fly-by
Technology
Boeing to
Complete X-37 Development and Flight Test
Launches
Astra 1K
AlSat-1, Mozhaets, Rubin-3-DSI
Business
Intelsat Completes Acquisition of Lockheed Martin's World Systems
Business Unit
NASA
Awards JPL Contract
New Skies Implements Share Repurchase Programme
Products and Services
iDirect Introduces Latest Software
People
NASA Names Deputy Head of Aerospace Technology
New
Irish Commission for
Communications Regulation Established
(29 November 2002) A new Commission for Communications
Regulation (ComReg) has been formally established, taking over the functions of
the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation (ODTR).
The new three person commission is headed up by Chairperson
Etain Doyle, John Doherty, formerly Head of Market Operations, ODTR and Isolde
Goggin former Member of the Competition Authority.
ComReg, as the
Commission will be known, is the statutory body charged with the licensing and
regulation of the electronic communications industry in Ireland and also has
responsibility for regulating the postal sector.
Comreg will remain at
its present address in the Irish Life Centre and phone number and fax numbers
will remain the same. There will be a change to email and website addresses to
@comreg.ie.
Galileo Tape Failure After Amalthea Fly-by
(25 November 2002)
Flight controllers have returned NASA's Galileo spacecraft to normal operation
after the spacecraft put itself into a precautionary standby mode about 16
minutes after flying near Jupiter's inner moon Amalthea on November 5.
The veteran spacecraft is now functioning properly, except
for its tape recorder, which is used for storing data for later transmission to
Earth. The Galileo flight team is conducting tests to diagnose the problem with
the tape recorder and developing possible commands to get it working again.
During the Amalthea flyby, the orbiter sped through an environment of
intense natural radiation close to Jupiter. Hits by radiation triggered
Galileo's onboard computer to enter a "safe" mode, which causes the spacecraft
to suspend most activities until receiving further instructions. At least five
events occurred that each individually would have put the spacecraft into this
standby mode. The problems were diagnosed and a new sequence of commands was
sent to Galileo. Normal operations, including the real-time collection of
scientific data from the magnetometer instrument, resumed on November 13.
One possible cause for the tape recorder malfunction is radiation damage
to a light-emitting diode or an optical transistor in the circuitry that
controls the recorder's motor. Diagnostic tests indicate the situation is not
the same as previous times when tape in the recorder has become stuck.
In the hours before the Amalthea flyby and the minutes afterwards, Galileo's
scientific instruments gathered information about the energy fields and charged
particles of the magnetic environment close to Jupiter and about dust particles
that make up a "gossamer" ring around the planet. Most of that information is
recorded on the tape recorder, so getting the data into the hands of scientists
depends on reviving the tape recorder.
Information about Galileo's
path of movement during the flyby is already on the ground. Researchers are
analysing it to determine whether it will give a clear indication of how
Amalthea's gravity affected the spacecraft, which would provide an estimate of
that moon's density and a clue to its composition.
Galileo, launched
in 1989, has been orbiting Jupiter since 1995 - nearly five years longer than
planned for its original prime mission. Passes through Jupiter's radiation
belts have exposed the orbiter to more than four times the cumulative dose of
radiation it was designed to withstand.
The Amalthea encounter was
Galileo's final flyby. The spacecraft has nearly depleted its supply of the
propellant needed for pointing its antenna toward Earth and controlling its
flight path. While still controllable, it has been put on a course for impact
into Jupiter next September. The manoeuvre prevents the risk of Galileo
drifting to an unwanted impact with the moon Europa, where it discovered
evidence of a subsurface ocean that is of interest as a possible habitat for
extraterrestrial life.
Boeing to Complete X-37 Development and Flight Test
(25 November 2002)
Boeing has been awarded a NASA contract to continue development of the X-37
reusable spaceplane and conduct atmospheric and orbital flight tests.
Under this US$ 301 million Space Launch Initiative contract,
which includes options through 2006, Boeing Phantom Works will complete the
final assembly of the X-37 Approach and Landing Test Vehicle and conduct an
atmospheric flight test in April 2004. The contract also initiates a design for
an additional X-37 long-duration orbital vehicle, currently scheduled to be
inserted into low Earth orbit by a Delta II booster in July 2006.
All
Boeing X-37 activities are structured to mature technologies needed for a
future orbital space plane, and are designed to reduce risks for future
reusable space transportation systems.
Currently in final assembly at
the Boeing Phantom Works X-Vehicle Assembly Facility in Palmdale, California,
the X-37 is 8.4 in length and has a wingspan of 4.6 feet. During April 2004,
the X-37 Approach and Landing Test Vehicle will be dropped from a NASA B-52H at
13,700 m and perform an autonomous landing on an Edwards Air Force Base runway.
The test will verify the X-37's flight dynamics and also extend the flight
envelope beyond the low speed/low altitude tests carried out successfully by
the sub-scale X-40A Space Maneuver Vehicle during 2001.
When fielded,
the unpiloted and autonomously operated X-37 will be the only X-vehicle capable
of conducting continuous on-orbit operations for up to 21 days. In addition,
the vehicle will serve as a test bed for approximately 30 airframe, propulsion
and operation technologies and gather test data in the Mach 25 (re-entry)
region of flight.
Within the airframe itself, a variety of experiments
and technologies will be tested, including a highly durable high-temperature
thermal protection system and important new aerodynamic features. Its modular
design also includes a 2.1 m by 1.2 m bay for other experiments.
The
X-37 government team is led by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and also
includes NASA's Ames Research Center, Kennedy Space Center, Goddard Space
Flight Center, Langley Research Center, Dryden Flight Research Center and the
US Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base.
Astra
1K
Launched: 25 November 2002
Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launcher: Proton
Orbit: LEO,
apogee: 300 km, perigee: 300 km: inclination: 51.6°
International
Number: 2002-00A
Name: Astra 1K
Owner: SES Astra
Contractor:
Alcatel Space
This commercial communications satellite was to have
been placed in geostationary orbit, however, having fired successfully to place
the satellite in low Earth orbit in a circular parking orbit (175.5 km altitude
inclined at 51.6°), the Block DM upper stage failed to fire twice to place
Astra 1K in a geostationary transfer orbit.
The Block DM stage then
separated from the spacecraft making a complete recovery of the mission
impossible.
The Block DM was commanded to jettison its 15 tonne load
of fuel in preparation for an uncontrolled re-entry into the atmosphere. The
Block DM has now burnt up on re-entry over North America.
Astra 1K was
to have been the world's largest communications satellite and was to have been
placed at 19.2° E. It carries 52 Ku and 2 Ka band transponders and was
intended to replace three satellites: Astra 1B, Astra 1C and Astra 1D and would
have been used as an in-orbit spare for four others. Astra 1K is based on
Alcatel's Spacebus 4000 platform and had a mass at lift off of 5,250 kg, a
height of 6.6 m and an array span, when deployed, of 37 m.
SES Astra
has full insurance coverage (reported to be more than US$ 217 million) for
Astra 1K and the launch failure will not affect existing services at 19.2°
E. Astra 2C, already operational at 19.2° E, offers comprehensive back-up
for the Astra low-bands at this slot and will remain there until further
notice. Interactive Ka band services will continue to be provided by the
existing Ka band payload on Astra 1H.
SES Astra satellite controllers
have now raised the altitude of the satellite to some 300 km to prevent the
satellite succumbing to atmospheric drag and re-entering the atmosphere whilst
rescue plans are made. Unfortunately, recovery will probably be impossible and
the satellite will most likely be declared a total loss.
AlSat-1, Mozhaets, Rubin-3-DSI
Launched: 28 November 2002
Site: Plesetsk Cosmodrome,
Russia
Launcher: Kosmos 3M
International Number: 2002-054A
Orbit: LEO, apogee: 700 km, perigee: 700 km
Name: AlSat-1
Owner:
Algerian Centre National des Techniques Spatiales (CNTS)
Contractor: Surrey
Satellite Technology Ltd
International Number: 2002-054B
Orbit:
LEO
Name: Mozhaets
Owner: Mozhaisky military academy, St. Petersburg,
Russia
Contractor: Mozhaisky military academy, St. Petersburg, Russia
International Number: 2002-054C
Orbit: LEO
Name: Rubin-3-DSI
AlSat-1 is the first satellite in the 5 satellite Disaster Monitoring
Constellation which will supply imagery for disaster relief agencies. It is
also Algeria's first satellite. AlSat-1 carries specially-designed Earth
imaging cameras which provide 32-m resolution imaging in 3 spectral bands (NIR,
red, green) with an extremely wide imaging swath of 600 km on the ground that
enables a revisit of the same area anywhere in the world at least every 4 days
with just a single satellite. It has a mass of 95 kg.
Mozhaets is an
amateur radio satellite which also carries a GPS receiver which will be used
for research into developing navigation equipment for the Glonass and Navstart
navigation systems. It was designed and constructed by students from the
Mozhaisky Military Academy, St Petersburg, Russia. It has a mass of 90 kg.
Rubin-3-DSI collects launch vehicle environmental and performance data.
Having performed its task, the 45 kg satellite remains attached to the body of
the Kosmos 3M in orbit.
Intelsat Completes Acquisition of Lockheed Martin's World Systems
Business Unit
(25
November 2002) Intelsat has announced the closing of the acquisition by
Intelsat Global Service Corporation and its affiliates of the World Systems
business unit of Lockheed Martin. The companies have recently received
regulatory, FCC and other approvals.
The acquired assets
include existing service contracts with World Systems' customers for Intelsat
capacity, earth stations in Clarksburg, Maryland and Paumalu, Hawaii used for
satellite fleet management, and the teleport facilities and related assets of
Comsat Digital Teleport Inc in Clarksburg, Maryland.
The addition of
the earth station and teleport assets to Intelsat's network brings Intelsat
closer to completing assembly of a ground-based infrastructure to complement
its existing global satellite fleet. GlobalConnex Solutions, a portfolio of
services offered over Intelsat's satellite/terrestrial end-to-end network, is
already serving customers around the world.
NASA Awards JPL Contract
(26 November 2002) NASA completed negotiation of a new
cost-plus award fee contract to the California Institute of Technology
(Caltech) for the operation of the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
The contract will run five years and have a value of approximately US$ 8
billion.
The contract extends the JPL agreement beyond
the current expiration date of September 30, 2003. The contract includes a new
award-term provision that, based on performance reviews, may extend the
contract period of performance for up to an additional five years.
Consistent with the agency's "One NASA" initiative, the new contract will more
closely align JPL's policies and procedures with those of other NASA
centres.
JPL, NASA's only federally funded research and development
centre, conducts research expanding human understanding of the Earth, the Sun,
solar system, stars, planetary systems, galaxies and the formation and
evolution of the Universe. JPL also manages NASA's Mars Exploration Program,
which is operating two spacecraft orbiting the red planet and planning a series
of ambitious missions over the next decade, including twin rovers scheduled for
launch next year. JPL's other responsibilities include support to NASA's
applications, space science, Earth science and other high-value science
programs.
JPL uses instrument observations from space vehicles as the
primary tools for planetary exploration, investigations and science programs.
These missions are supported by ground-based research and laboratory
experiments. Earth sciences include research into interactions of our planet's
oceans, atmosphere, continents and the effects of solar energy in order to gain
an integrated understanding of the total Earth system.
The new
contract provides JPL and Caltech with greater clarity in their relationship
with NASA and other government agencies. It focuses JPL on its core mission
with incentives for performance and returns full management to JPL of the Deep
Space Network, which communicates with interplanetary spacecraft. The
management change will assure greater reliability for the network and more
management clarity. In addition, JPL now has the ability to review and comment
directly on NASA policies that affect their performance thus improving JPL's
ability to accomplish its missions and providing NASA with advice on the
impacts of new policies.
New
Skies Implements Share
Repurchase Programme
(25 November 2002) New Skies Satellites NV has begun
implementing a share buyback program. New Skies management plans to hold the
repurchased shares as treasury stock.
Subject to
prevailing market and trading conditions and, as and when appropriate, the
renewal of authorisations from New Skies' shareholders, New Skies expects to
repurchase up to 10% of its issued share capital, or approximately 13 million
shares.
Goldman Sachs International and ABN AMRO Rothschild will be
advisors to New Skies on the share repurchase program, with Goldman Sachs
acting as sole broker for the company. The program will be available to all New
Skies shareholders, including those holding ordinary shares in registered or
bearer form, as well as those holding American Depository Shares
(ADSs).
iDirect
Introduces Latest Software
(25 November 2002) iDirect Inc, a privately held
company that develops broadband IP hardware and software that enables fast,
reliable bi-directional Internet connections via satellite, has unveiled its
newest software, version 3.1.
iGuard allows critical
business communications to be securely transmitted in IP (Internet Protocol)
format over the satellite segment, allowing secure RF transmission while
enabling iDirect's industry-best TCP acceleration layer to work unimpeded.
The NMS, completely re-designed for version 3.1, provides state-of-the-art
monitor and control over iDirect networks. Features such as multicast firmware
download, simultaneous configuration change activation, QoS profiling, and
early-warning problem detection give network operators the fine grain control
and visibility required for world-class customer support. Two new components of
the NMS, the iReporter, a web-based reporting tool, and the SNMP proxy
interface, give Network Operators even more power and scalability as networks
grow.
NASA
Names Deputy Head of
Aerospace Technology
(26 November 2002) Dr J Victor Lebacqz, Associate
Director for Aerospace Programs at NASA's Ames Research Center has been named
Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Aerospace Technology at NASA
Headquarters in Washington.
In his new position as
Deputy Associate Administrator, Lebacqz will assist Dr Jeremiah Creedon,
Associate Administrator for Aerospace Technology, in developing integrated,
long-term, innovative agency-level technology for aeronautics and space.
Lebacqz will also assist in developing new commercial partnerships that exploit
technology breakthroughs.
Lebacqz began his federal career in 1978 as
an aerospace engineer conducting flight and simulation research at Ames. Since
then, he has held a variety of Ames management positions including Chief of
Flight Dynamics and Controls Branch; Chief of Flight Management and Human
Factors Division; and Director of Aviation System Capacity Program and the
Aerospace Operations Systems Programs. He received bachelor, master and
doctoral degrees in aeronautical engineering from Princeton
University.
