31 March 2002
Satcoms
Casual Male Corp Signs with HNS for Broadband DirecWay
Services
HNS
Europe Provides DirecWay Services to MCC smart
Merlin Wins QinetiQ Defford
Contract
Orbital
Orders Boeing TWTAs for US$ 10 Million
Earth
Observation
Spot Image
and ImageOne Partnership Agreement
Military
Space
Boeing Team to
Pursue Multibillion-Dollar US Navy Satellite Contract
Stratos to Provide Global Services
to US Government Agencies
Launches
Shenzhou III
Astra 3A, JCSAT 8
Intelsat 903
Business
Intelsat Obtains Two Credit Facilities for Total US$ 1 Billion
Liberty Satellite
Announces 1-for-10 Reverse Stock Split
Xynergy to Acquire Corporate Space Power Industries &
Electric
Products and Services
Telespazio to Use Comsat Labs' LinkStar VSATs for Broadband IP
Services in Latin America
People
Gerton Lusink Joins Tachyon as European Sales
Director
Michael P Deblasio to Retire from Loral
Scopus Announces Management
Additions
Casual Male Corp Signs with HNS for Broadband DirecWay
Services
Hughes Network Systems (HNS) has signed a contract to
provide leading men's big and tall clothier Casual Male Corp with US-wide
broadband connectivity via DirecWay.
Under the terms of
the deal, HNS will serve 473 Casual Male Corp. retail locations across the
United States. As Casual Male Corp. adds new stores, those locations will be
added to the network.
Among the applications DirecWay will enable for
Casual Male Corp is the establishment of a high-speed corporate Intranet; the
ability to complete faster credit transactions and conduct online polling; and
multicast capability for file transfer, inventory and staffing information. In
addition, DirecWay's can support the rollout of value-added services such as
music and video delivery.
HNS Europe Provides DirecWay Services to MCC smart
Hughes
Network Systems Europe (HNSE) is providing new services to Micro Compact Car
smart GmbH (MCC smart), which is 100% owned by DaimlerChrysler AG.
The MCC smart IT department offers communication services to
approximately 200 dealerships throughout Europe and since 1998 has been using
an HNS satellite solution for the provision of various automotive applications,
such as the ordering of spare parts and managing car configurations. This
agreement covers additional new broadband services provided by
DirecWay.
Merlin Wins QinetiQ Defford Contract
Merlin Communications has
been awarded a five-year contract with QinetiQ for the operation and
maintenance of its satellite ground station in Defford, Worcestershire, UK. The
contract, which commences 1st August 2002, will see Merlin provide technical
operation and maintenance of the site, as well as supporting QinetiQ to
commercially develop the facility.
QinetiQ, formerly
DERA (the UK Government's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency) is one of
Europe's largest technology based solution providers, and delivers a vast range
of services including research, consultancy, assessment, test & evaluation
and access to intellectual property rights.
Orbital Orders Boeing TWTAs for US$ 10 Million
Boeing
Electron Dynamic Devices (EDD), a part of Boeing Space and Communications has
received a US$ 10 million order from Orbital Sciences Corporation for
amplifiers that enhance the transmission of very low-level radio frequency
signals from orbiting satellites back to Earth.
The
order marks the second contract for EDD's linearised travelling wave tube
amplifiers (LTWTA).
The contract brings the total amplifiers ordered
by Orbital to 96. In May, EDD was awarded a contract for 32 amplifiers, with an
option for an additional 64 with a total contract of more than US$ 15
million.
Boeing Electron Dynamic Devices is a world leader in the
design and manufacture of microwave travelling wave-tube amplifiers, passive
microwave devices, and ion thrusters for commercial and military applications
as well as satellite bus and payload electronics.
Spot Image and ImageOne Partnership Agreement
Spot
Image and ImageONE have signed a three-year channel partnership agreement that
gives ImageONE exclusive rights to sell SPOT satellite image products and
services to customers in the Japanese national security market.
ImageONE has already been a non-exclusive distributor of
SPOT products in Japan for the last two years.
Galileo Approved
European Union Transport Ministers, meeting
in Brussels, have given the official go ahead to Galileo, Europe's equivalent
to the GPS system.
Developed by ESA, in collaboration
with the European Union, and co-funded by the two organisations on a 50-50
basis, Galileo is a complete civil system. It is designed to be operational
from 2008 and to provide the world in general and Europeans in particular with
an accurate, secure and certified satellite positioning system.
The
Galileo system will consist of 30 satellites (27 in operation and 3 in
reserve), deployed in three circular Medium Earth Orbits at an altitude of
23,616 km and an inclination of 56° to the equator. Two Galileo Control
Centres will be set up in Europe to monitor the operation of the satellites and
manage the navigation system.
Boeing Team to Pursue Multibillion-Dollar US Navy Satellite
Contract
Boeing Space and Communications (S&C) is to lead a
team consisting of ViaSat, Hughes Network Systems (HNS), TRW, Harris Corp and
Science Applications International Corp (SAIC) to bid for a potential
multibillion-dollar contract for the US armed forces' next-generation
satellite-based mobile communications system.
The Mobile
User Objective System (MUOS) will provide global communications to all US
forces in such hard-to-reach places as thick jungle, urban canyons, mountainous
terrain or at sea. In Boeing's vision, MUOS would provide warfighters with a
key interoperable link to an "integrated battlespace" of networked terrestrial,
airborne and satellite communications systems.
MUOS will replace the
U.S. Navy's current narrowband communications satellite system known as UHF
Follow-On (UFO), which provides tactical global communications for all US
forces. The UFO fleet of satellites was built by Boeing Space and
Communications.
As team lead and prime contractor, Boeing would be
responsible for the entire MUOS system: a constellation of geosynchronous
satellites plus associated network management and ground infrastructure.
The Navy will select two teams to receive US$ 40 million, 14-month
Component Advanced Development contracts. One of those teams will be selected
for a multibillion-dollar production contract late next year. Initial
operational capability is expected in early 2008, with full capability by
2013.
Stratos to Provide Global Services to US Government Agencies
Stratos
has been selected by ADC International LLC, a provider of complete satellite
communications solutions, as a subcontractor for their Defense Information
Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO) contract.
Stratos has been engaged by ADC International (ADCI), to provide immediate,
reliable, and direct worldwide connections for ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship
Inmarsat A telephone, voice and data communications to all US Government
agencies.
In December 2001, Stratos announced it had won a competitive
bid to provide communication services to the United States Navy's Space and
Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) to provide global, full duplex, leased
satellite bandwidth for use with the Inmarsat B systems aboard US Navy ships.
The estimated value of the 5-year SPAWAR contract is estimated to be US$ 137
million.
Shenzhou III
Launched: 25 March 2002
Site:
Jiuquan, China
Launcher: Long March 2F
Orbit: LEO, apogee: 326 km,
perigee: 320 km: inclination: 42.4°
International Number: 2002-014A
Name: Shenzhou 3
Shenzhou 3 is the third unmanned test flight of
China's future manned orbital system.
If, as expected, the Shenzhou 3
mission follows the same format as Shenzhou 2, an orbital module will be
released in the next few days which will remain in orbit for a bout six months
whilst the main spacecraft will return to a soft landing in central Mongolia on
March 30.
Chinese press sources report that two more unmanned Shenzhou
flights are planned to be followed by a manned mission, Shenzhou 6 possibly in
September or October next year.
Astra 3A, JCSAT 8
Launched: 29 March 2002
Site: CSG Kourou, French
Guiana
Launcher: Ariane 44L
International Number: 2002-015A
Name: JCSAT 8
Orbit: GEO, 154° E
Owner: JSAT Corp
Contractor:
Boeing Satellite Systems
International Number: 2002-015B
Name:
Astra 3A
Orbit: GEO, 23.5° E
Owner: SES Astra
Contractor:
Boeing Satellite Systems
JCSAT 8 is a commercial communications
satellite. It is based on the Boeing 601 platform and will provide coverage
ofapan, East Asia, Australia and Hawaii. JCSAT-8 weighed about 2,600 kg at
liftoff and is equipped with 16 C band transponders and 16 Ku band
transponders. Its orbital design life is 11 years.
Astra 3A is a
commercial communications satellite. It is based on the Boeing 376 platform,
weighed about 1,500 kg at launch and carries 20 Ku band transponders. Astra 3A
will provide follow-on capacity to Deutsche Telekom's Kopernikus satellite at
23.5° E. The spacecraft will carry cable feeds for networks in Germany,
Austria and Switzerland as well as broadband and Internet services. It has a
design life of 10 years.
Intelsat 903
Launched: 30 March 2002
Site:
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Launcher: Proton K/Block DM
Orbit: GEO,
34.5° W
International Number: 2002-016A
Name: Intelsat 903
Owner: Intelsat
Contractor: Space Systems/Loral
Intelsat 903 is a
commercial communications satellite. It is based on the Loral 1300 platform and
weighed 4726 kg at lift-off. It carries 76 transponders at C band (36 MHz
equivalent units) and 24 transponders at Ku band (36 MHz equivalent units). It
has an anticipated service life of 13 years.
The satellite will
provide high power Ku band spot beam coverage for Western Europe and much of
North America and additional C band capacity to customers in Europe, the Middle
East, North America, Africa and South America.
Intelsat 601 currently
holds the 34.5º W orbital slot but will be moved to occupy one of
Intelsat's new roles at 178º E.
Intelsat Obtains Two Credit Facilities for Total US$ 1 Billion
Intelsat Ltd has obtained credit facilities for a
total of US$ 1 billion, from a syndicate of lenders arranged by Salomon Smith
Barney. The financings represent significant initial funding for Intelsat, the
first since its privatisation in July 2001.
The credit
arrangements include a 364-day facility in the amount of US$ 500 million and a
three-year facility in the same amount. The facilities are intended to provide
liquidity support for general corporate purposes and to support Intelsat Ltd's
commercial paper program.
These facilities replace an expiring US$ 1
billion, 364-day credit facility that Intelsat obtained in March
2001.
Liberty Satellite Announces 1-for-10 Reverse Stock Split
Liberty
Satellite & Technology Inc has announced that its board of directors has
approved a 1-for-10 reverse stock split, effective after the close of trading
on April 1, 2002. Post-split shares of the company's Series A Common Stock will
trade under the new OTC Bulletin Board symbol "LSTTA". Post-split shares of the
company's Series B Common Stock will trade on the OTC Bulletin Board under the
new symbol "LSTTB".
The reverse stock split has also
been approved by a majority of the stockholders of the company, subject to a
final recording of the vote on April 1, 2002.
Liberty Satellite &
Technology Inc, known as LSAT, pursues strategic opportunities worldwide in the
distribution of Internet data and other content via satellite and related
businesses.
Xynergy to Acquire Corporate Space Power Industries &
Electric
Xynergy Corporation has signed a letter of intent to
acquire Corporate Space Power Industries & Electric Inc (CSPIE). CSPIE has
developed an innovative method of tapping solar power through space satellite
laser transmission.
CSPIE's intention is to orbit
satellites which will collect solar power 24 hours a day, providing an
environmentally safe and economical source of energy. Ultimately, CSPIE will
create the first multi-billion watt space power generation system, emitting
energy through a blue coloured laser, to an earth-based receiver. CSPIE has
contracted NASA/JPL engineers to assist in testing the satellite space power
system. The construction of the system will take place at the Marshall Space
Flight Center.
In a letter of intent from the director of the
Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
has agreed to purchase a power plant system of its own upon completion of the
CSPIE's first successful demonstration. China has a special interest due to its
environmental problems.
Telespazio to Use Comsat Labs' LinkStar VSATs for Broadband
IP Services in Latin America
Telespazio is offering new broadband IP services in
Latin America using LinkStar broadband Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs)
from the Comsat Laboratories division of ViaSat Inc. Network hubs in Buenos
Aires, Argentina and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil are already installed and
operating. Telespazio will first market the service in Argentina and Brazil
with a goal of 3,000 VSAT remote site installations by the end of calendar
2002.
LinkStar will enable Telespazio to provide
networking for either low-rate services or bandwidth-intensive applications,
such as digital media streaming, video, multicasting over IP and high-speed
file transfer. The LinkStar terminal receives a broadband digital video
broadcasting (DVB) outbound channel up to 60 Mb/s and provides a DVB RCS-ready
TDMA satellite return-channel with speeds up to 1.1 Mb/s. Telespazio plans to
offer services beginning at 6 Mb/s for the DVB outbound and 64 kb/s to 1 Mb/s
return channel rates. The services will be passed over Ku band transponders on
a variety of regional satellites.
Gerton Lusink Joins Tachyon as European Sales Director
Tachyon
Inc has announced the appointment of a new European sales director, Gerton
Lusink, who has joined Tachyon Europe BV at its European headquarters office in
Amsterdam.
Lusink joined Tachyon in February and is
responsible for all commercial sales in Europe. Prior to joining Tachyon, he
was with Gilat Satellite Networks (Holland) BV for five years. For three of
those years he served as managing director and sales director. His experience
also includes sales positions with Getronics NV, where he was responsible for
reselling the satellite services of Loral (at the time called Orion Atlantic
Network Services Inc.).
Michael P Deblasio to Retire from Loral
Loral
Space and Communications has announced that Michael P DeBlasio, first senior
vice president, retired from the company on March 29.
Mr
DeBlasio, 65, previously was senior vice president and CFO of Loral. He held
the position of senior vice president, finance with Loral Corporation prior to
the sale of Loral's defence electronics and systems integration businesses in
1996.
Mr DeBlasio was also senior vice president, chief financial
officer and director of Globalstar Telecommunications Limited and a director of
Space Systems/Loral and is currently a director of Loral Orion, Inc. Prior to
joining Loral Corporation in 1973, Mr DeBlasio was vice president and treasurer
of Elgin National Industries Inc, New York. He joined Elgin in 1969 following
nine years as audit manager for Touche Ross and Company.
Scopus Announces Management Additions
Scopus Network Technologies
has added two new members to its executive management team: Mr Isaac Ben-Bassat
who joined Scopus as a new Vice President of R&D and Mr Tamir Galili,
Scopus new Vice President of Sales. Their appointments are effective
immediately.
The Company's Board of Directors has also
approved the split of sales and marketing into two separate units and has
appointed Mr Tamir Galili to lead the new sales team while Mr Ovadia Cohen
heads the marketing department.
Galili, who holds an MBA and is an
engineer by training, served as Vice President of Sales at M-Systems, a
developer of Flash memory solutions. There he was responsible for the corporate
marketing and sales division overseeing teams in the US, Europe, Asia and
Israel. Galili also has management experience in multi-million dollar
aeronautics and semiconductors projects.
Ben Bassat has nine years
experience in leading and managing R&D groups and activities. He joins
Scopus following seven years at Gilat Satellite Networks the last three of
which were spent as Senior Director, Satellite IP product line. Ben Bassat
earned a BSc in electrical engineering and holds three registered patents. Mr
Ben Bassat is responsible for the company's research and development
department.
In addition to these new appointments, Scopus has
re-structured its Professional Services Department to provide end-to-end
systems' design and integration services. These include the design and
integration of compression systems, conditional access systems, subscriber
management systems and set-top boxes approval. The department is headed by Mr
Yehiel Keren, Vice President for Professional Services and System
Integration.
