21 April 2002
Satcoms
EMS Technologies Successfully Tests Aeronautical High-Speed Data
Terminal
Gilat to
Supply Indian VSAT Network
HNS Europe Signs EgyptSat as DirecWay Service Provider
Katelco Signs with
Intelsat for Kazakhstan DTH Services
Navigation
Lockheed Martin Navigation
Systems Awarded Contract to Assist USAF Develop Next Generation
GPS
Military
Space
TRW Named as Prime
Contractor to Lead Restructured SBIRS Low
Science
NASA Selects Explorer Mission Proposals For Feasibility
Studies
Launch
Services
Integral
Systems to Provide Epoch Software and Services to Honeywell
International
Business
XM Radio Closes on US$ 154 Million in New Financing
Products and Services
CSI Wireless Unveils Two New GPS Modules
Telesat Unveils High-Speed Internet
Service for US and Canada
Xytrans Releases Next-Generation Two-Way Satellite
Transceiver And Power Amplifier
EMS Technologies Successfully Tests Aeronautical
High-Speed Data Terminal
EMS Technologies Inc has extended the capabilities of
its HSD 128 satcom system to bring airborne connectivity in line with the
normal business office.
In independent flight testing,
the HSD-128 aeronautical satcom terminal was successfully interfaced with an
existing ARINC 741 Satcom System. The HSD-128 operating in selective mode now
allows users the choice between Standard Aero-H voice and two channels of
Swift64 high-speed data.
The HSD-128, first deployed on a US military
aircraft in late 2001, breaks the barrier of single-channel Inmarsat Swift64
systems and brings greater bandwidth to the aircraft. Dual 64 kb/s channels
provide two independent connections or can be combined to deliver 128 kb/s of
throughput. The HSD-128 fits into the HPA location of the existing satcom
system and shares the same antenna sub-assembly. In this configuration,
additional weight and space is not required to facilitate the addition of
high-speed data to the aircraft.
Gilat to Supply Indian VSAT Network
Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd
has been awarded a contract by Tata Teleservices of India to provide a
1,000-site VSAT network. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The network, which will be based on Gilat's DialAw@y IP VSAT
product, will be used to provide basic telecoms services to rural areas in the
southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It will serve public payphones and fax
kiosks and will help Tata Teleservices (TTL) fulfil its universal service
obligation to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for Andhra Pradesh.
The network may also be used to support high speed Internet access in the
future.
Installation of the network has started with completion
expected in the third quarter of 2002.
HNS Europe Signs EgyptSat as DirecWay Service
Provider
EgyptSat has signed with Hughes Network Systems Europe
(HNSE) to offer high-speed broadband access via DirecWay to customers
throughout the Middle East and Europe.
EgyptSat will be
an authorised agent and will offer high-speed Internet access to consumers,
SOHOs, and enterprises. In addition, EgyptSat will be developing distance
learning applications to be offered over DirecWay.
EgyptSat was
established in 1992 as an IT consulting house in the field of software design,
mechanical system automation, communication and networking. The company sells
high-speed Internet access via satellite, develops network software systems to
manage traffic on networks and provides turnkey technology solutions.
Headquartered in London, EgyptSat has facilities in Egypt and resellers
throughout the Middle East. Many of the company's clients are also based
throughout the Middle East, served by its branch offices as well as authorised
resellers.
Katelco Signs with Intelsat for Kazakhstan DTH Services
Intelsat has signed a10-year contract with Katelco,
the authorised provider of direct-to-home (DTH) services in Kazakhstan, to
deliver television and high-speed Internet services to households and
businesses throughout the country.
In addition to the
six channels of local video programming customers have been able to view
previously, the Intelsat capacity gives them new access to between 10 and 20
pay-TV channels, Internet, distance education, pay-per-view, corporate TV and
satellite cable stations.
These new DTH services are being provided on
the Intelsat 904 satellite at 60º E, which became operational on 27 March
of this year.
Lockheed Martin Navigation Systems Awarded Contract to Assist
USAF Develop Next Generation GPS
Lockheed Martin Navigation
Systems has been awarded a US$ 2.8M extension to the System Architecture and
Requirements Definition study to assist the US Air Force GPS Joint Program
Office (JPO) in the development of the GPS III - the next generation of GPS
satellite systems. The study will be based in King of Prussia, PA and linked
with locations and contractors across the country.
The
JPO, in co-operation with the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) at Los
Angeles Air Force Base, is in the process of studying the requirements for
analysis and Concept of Operations (CONOPS) development on a narrowed set of
potential architectures.
Lockheed Martin is the provider of GPS IIR
satellites and is the largest provider of GPS enabled weapons as well as a
major participant on the GPS ground Operational Control Segment.
Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, Lockheed Martin Navigation Systems is
responsible for the GPS III architecture study and the GPS-IIR. In addition,
Navigation Systems covers the broader functional areas of system of systems
architecture and engineering, network architecture, and user
applications.
TRW Named as Prime Contractor to Lead Restructured
SBIRS Low
TRW has been named prime contractor of a combined team
for the US Department of Defense's missile tracking Space-Based Infrared System
Low (SBIRS Low) program, under a new agreement reached with the DoD's Missile
Defense Agency.
In the new combined team approach, TRW
subcontractor Spectrum Astro will play a key role developing spacecraft while
Raytheon and Northrop Grumman will develop sensor payloads under competitive
subcontracts to TRW. Prior to restructuring, TRW, with Raytheon as a principal
team member, and Spectrum Astro, with Northrop Grumman, led competing teams to
define requirements and complete conceptual designs for an operational SBIRS
Low system.
The Missile Defense Agency's budget requests for SBIRS Low
total US$ 3.63 billion for fiscal years 2003 through 2007, although the program
will continue beyond that five-year funding horizon. Program plans call for
launch of the first SBIRS Low satellites (Block 06) in 2006-2007, to be
followed by launches of upgraded satellites in subsequent blocks.
SBIRS Low is a key component of the United States' missile defence system,
providing global end-to-end infrared tracking of missiles throughout their
trajectories.
NASA Selects Explorer Mission Proposals For Feasibility
Studies
Mission proposals that would discover the brightest
galaxy in the universe, measure the chemical building blocks of life, track
magnetic storms in the Earth's magnetosphere and study massive explosions on
the Sun were recently selected by NASA as candidates for the next missions in
the agency's Explorer Program of lower cost, highly focused, rapid-development
scientific spacecraft.
NASA has also decided to fund as
a "Mission of Opportunity" US participation in a European Space Agency (ESA)
observatory on the International Space Station.
Following detailed
mission concept studies, NASA intends to select two of the mission proposals by
early 2003 for full development as Medium-class Explorer, or MIDEX, flights.
The two missions developed for flight will be launched in 2007 and 2008.
The selected proposals were judged to have the best science value among 42
proposals submitted to NASA in October 2001. Each will receive US$ 450,000 (US$
250,000 for the Mission of Opportunity) to conduct a four-month implementation
feasibility study. The selected MIDEX proposals are:
NASA also selected an
investigation to be flown on the International Space Station in partnership
with the European Space Agency. At the end of the study, NASA will make a final
decision on participating in the ESA-led mission. The Extreme Universe Space
Observatory (EUSO) would detect the highest-energy cosmic rays known by using
the entire Earth as a particle detector. As extremely energetic particles pass
through the Earth's atmosphere they emit a form of blue light that that would
be observed by EUSO's large telescope from its vantage point on the ISS. EUSO
is under study by ESA for flight on the Columbus module of the ISS, and NASA
would provide the large Fresnel lens for the telescope. NASA's contribution to
EUSO would be led by James H Adams Jr of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center at
a total mission cost to NASA of US$ 21 million.
NASA also selected a
proposed mission for technology-development funding of the proposed instrument.
Stephan S Meyer of the University of Chicago will develop a frequency-selective
bolometer to study dusty galaxies in the early universe from a balloon-borne
telescope over Antarctica. Meyer will receive US$ 500,000 over the next two
years for his study.
The current MIDEX missions are the Imager for
Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE), launched in March 2000, and
the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP), launched in June 2001. The third MIDEX
mission is the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer which will be launched in
September 2003.
The Explorer Program is designed to provide frequent,
low-cost access to space for physics and astronomy missions with small to
mid-sized spacecraft.
Integral Systems to Provide Epoch Software and Services to
Honeywell International
Integral Systems Inc will be providing Epoch
software and engineering services to Honeywell International in support of
Honeywell's prime contract to replace the existing communications technologies
that make up the Air Force's Satellite Control Network command and control
systems.
The network, which provides communication
services between the Air Force's satellite ground control assets and their
satellites, has two communications and control centres and multiple antennas
located at each of nine sites throughout the world.
Integral's Epoch
software will be tailored to provide antenna automation and equipment monitor
and control functionality for the antennas and related ground equipment.
Integral will also provide engineering services to support integration,
testing, and system sustainment.
NSS-7
Launched: 16 April 2002
Site: CSG Kourou, French
Guiana
Launcher: Ariane 44L
Orbit: GEO, 21.5° W
International
Number: 2002-019A
Name: NSS-7
Owner: New Skies Satellite NV
Contractor: Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems
NSS-7 is a
commercial communications satellite which is based on an enhanced version of
Lockheed Martin's A2100AX bus. It will be located over the Atlantic Ocean,
providing coverage to Europe, Africa and the Americas where it will replace the
NSS-K and NSS-803 satellites.
NSS-7 carries 36 C band and 36 Ku band
transponders and has 11 high powered coverage beams.
Once NSS-7 is
operation at 21.5° W, New Skies will relocate NSS-803 to 177° W to
replace the ageing NSS-513 spacecraft. NSS-K will be retired.
XM Radio Closes on US$ 154 Million in New Financing
XM
Satellite Radio Holdings Inc has closed its public offering of 13.4 million
common shares at a price of US$ 11.50 per share resulting in gross proceeds of
US$ 154 million.
The underwriters of the deal were
Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch & C., Credit Suisse First Boston, and
Deutsche Bank Securities.
XM's programming lineup features 100 digital
channels: 71 music channels, more than 30 of them commercial-free, from hip hop
to opera, classical to country, bluegrass to blues; and 29 channels of sports,
talk, children's and entertainment.
General Motors in November rolled
out factory-installed Delphi-Delco XM radios in Cadillac DeVille and Seville
models, and will expand to a total of 25 Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Olds
and Pontiac models this year. XM will be available as an option this coming
autumn on select Infiniti and Nissan 2003 models and to Volkswagen and Audi
customers in the coming years.
CSI Wireless Unveils Two New GPS Modules
CSI
Wireless Inc, a provider of advanced wireless and GPS technologies for the
automotive, commercial and consumer markets, has begun marketing two new
additions to the company's line of high-accuracy GPS modules for Original
Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
The new Evolution, a
printed circuit board (PCB) module that is accurate to within two or three
metres when differentially corrected (or accuracy-enhanced), is ideal for
various applications including marine. The SX-1, a PCB module that is accurate
to less than one metre, is ideal for commercial and professional applications
such as precision agriculture, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) &
Mapping. Both the Evolution and SX-1 are smaller than standard business
cards.
The Evolution is capable of receiving differentially corrected
data from land-based beacon stations and from Space Based Augmentation Systems
(SBAS) - the US's Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European GPS
Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS), and Japan's MTSAT Satellite Augmentation
System (MSAS).
The higher-performance SX-1, besides being capable of
receiving differentially corrected data from WAAS, EGNOS and MSAS, features CSI
Wireless' unique COAST and e-Dif technology. COAST enables old differentially
corrected data to be used for up to 40 minutes, when obstacles such as
buildings and trees make it impossible to lock onto new data signals, without
significantly degrading accuracy. e-Dif performs a similar role, but does not
require old differentially corrected data to do so. No competing products offer
this flexibility.
The SX-1 is the core of CSI's new SERES - a combined
GPS-SBAS receiver and antenna. Both the SX-1 and Evolution are closely
patterned after CSI Wireless' SLX-2 GPS module. The SLX-2, when equipped with
CSI's SBX module, is capable of receiving data from radio beacons, from WAAS,
EGNOS and MTSAT, and from subscription-based GPS satellite services such as
OmniSTAR, while also featuring COAST and optional e-Dif(TM) technology.
The SLX-2 is the core of CSI's DGPS MAX, SLX-g3 and SLXg3 Combo receivers.
The SLXg3 products are recognized - in markets such as air-based precision
agriculture, and increasingly in markets such as land-based precision
agriculture - as the best radio beacon or differential GPS receivers available.
They are widely sold by CSI, by CSI's Satloc subsidiary, and by several other
companies that integrate SLXg3's into their products.
Telesat Unveils High-Speed Internet Service for US and Canada
Telesat
has launched the first high-speed business Internet service that's available
everywhere in the United States and Canada. The new Telesat High Speed Internet
service, offered in partnership with Spacenet Inc enables two-way high-speed
Internet access for users across all 50 U.S. states and all 13 Canadian
provinces and territories.
The typical customer for the
new service is a business that requires Internet access at ADSL-type speeds at
locations that are outside served areas. This market could include large
enterprises, the resource sector, franchise businesses and government
institutions. Unlike other two-way satellite Internet offerings, which have
been adapted from consumer services, Telesat High Speed Internet is based on
Gilat's 360E VSAT platform, designed expressly for commercial applications. Its
benefits include highly optimised Internet application support, direct Ethernet
connectivity, robust system reliability and advanced quality-of-service
features.
The 360E VSAT provides an always-on connection for instant
access to the Internet and corporate intranet. With outbound data rates of up
to 52.5 Mb/s (on a shared basis) and inbound rates of up to 307.2 kb/s, users
can enjoy high-speed connectivity. Embedded TCP/IP implementation coupled with
Gilat's Internet browsing acceleration technologies provides high performance
and an enhanced user experience. The 360E offers superb capability and
performance for supporting two-way, satellite-based Internet connectivity. It
is ideally suited to any type of IP-based application that requires rapid
response time, high levels of interaction or high throughput.
Telesat's service offering provides comprehensive coverage of both Canada and
the United States and incorporates operations, maintenance and service support.
An added benefit of this service is the migration to Telesat's future Ka band
platform.
The system will operate from Telesat's Toronto Teleport on
the company's Anik E2 satellite, which provides ubiquitous coverage at antenna
sizes starting at 0.75 m. Telesat's distribution strategy includes both direct
sales to large corporate or institutional users and a reseller model for small-
and medium-sized businesses. Telesat's resellers include Infosat Communications
of Burnaby, BC, and RamTelecom of Ottawa.
Xytrans Releases Next-Generation Two-Way Satellite Transceiver
And Power Amplifier
Xytrans Inc has released its two-way satellite
transceiver product line that will help bring high-speed data and Internet
access to sparsely populated rural areas.
Xytrans'
latest product offering includes Ka and Ku band transceivers and Ka band power
boosters for satellite ground terminals.
The two-way VSAT transceiver
operates in the satellite bands between 10 and 30 GHz and features both Ka band
receive/transmit and hybrid Ku band receive/Ka band transmit options. The
solid-state power booster can be easily integrated with the VSAT transceiver or
existing driver amplifier to increase power output up to 12 watts for improved
link availability, data rate and range.
All of Xytrans' products are
offered in extremely small package sizes that are up to five times smaller than
anything available on the market today.
Xytrans Inc, headquartered in
Orlando, Florida, is a MMW transmitter and receiver design and manufacturing
company. Xytrans is addressing the wireless broadband network market's demand
for high-performance, low-cost, high-quality transmitters and receivers in the
high-frequency range, for use in satellite data communications and terrestrial
point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, LMDS and mesh networks. Founded in 2000 by
a team of former Lockheed Martin employees, the company has obtained a license
from Lockheed Martin for its MMW high-power transmitter and receiver
technology.
