3 February 2002
Satcoms
ADC International Wins US$ 3M DITCO Contract for SatCom Airtime
Services
Dow Jones Orders Paradise
SSPAs
Eutelsat Supplies Capacity for
Renault Formula One
Globecomm Systems Receives US$
2.5 Million Order from UAE
HNS Europe Provides Ufinet with
Satellite Networking System
Mitsui Awards DG Systems
Contract for Satellite Audio Set-Top Systems
STM Wireless Supplies Broadband Network for Czech
Republic
Stratos and ARINC Team to Provide
Satellite Air-To-Ground Communications
Teledesic Orders Satellites
Earth
Observation
RSI to Deliver
Digital Elevation Data to Jeppesen
Military
Space
Harris
Corporation to Study Development of Space-Based Radar Antenna
Technology
ITT Industries Wins US$ 519M Support
Contract
Science
Mars Odyssey Enters Mapping Orbit
NASA's EUVE Re-enters Earth's Atmosphere
Launch
Services
Andrews Space
& Technology to Support Vehicle Concept Development for NASA's Space Launch
Initiative
Boeing Rocketdyne Chooses
Design For Next-Generation Reusable Rocket Engine
Business
Com Dev Closes Sale of Wireless Division to Mitec
Orbital Imaging Plans Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Filing
Products and Services
Andrew 4.9 m Antenna Receives Intelsat Type
Approval
VBox Communications Acquires
BroadLogic's Satellite Express and DTV Product Lines
People
Former Lucent Technologies Vice President Joins Globecomm
Systems
ADC International Wins US$ 3M DITCO Contract for
SatCom Airtime Services
ADC International LLC, a provider of secure
mobile satellite communications equipment, airtime and maintenance services,
has been awarded a competitive one-year contract by the Defense Information
Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO) to provide Inmarsat-A satellite
airtime service with a potential value of US$ 3 Million. The award is
firm-fixed-price indefinite quantity/indefinite delivery (ID/IQ) contract.
ADC International (ADCI) has engaged global remote
communications provider Stratos, to provide immediate, reliable, and direct
worldwide connections for ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship analogue telephone,
voice and data communications to all US Government agencies. Stratos will
support the service with 24/7/365 availability and customer support.
Dow Jones Orders Paradise SSPAs
Paradise Datacom has received
a contract from Dow Jones & Company worth approximately US$ 1 million. Dow
Jones & Company publishes business and financial news and information
including The Wall Street Journal.
The order is for C
band 200-watt solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs) from Paradise Datacom's line
of rack-mounted amplifiers. The SSPAs will be supplied by Paradise Datacom in
redundant configuration and will replace older 400W travelling wave tube
amplifiers. Dow Jones will use the amplifiers at sites throughout the United
States for real-time electronic delivery of business and stock market news to
their network of newspaper printing facilities.
The first shipment of
amplifiers under this contract took place in January 2002, with further
shipments scheduled throughout 2002.
Eutelsat Supplies Capacity for Renault Formula One
Eutelsat has been selected by Renault F1 to provide
satellite communications services from this year, for the Formula One World
Championship.
Renault F1, which is to mark its return to
the Grand Prix race circuit in March this year, has signed a contract with
Eutelsat to utilise its D-SAT satellite transmission service. Renault F1 is to
use the service to transmit data direct from European Grand Prix sites back to
its technical centres in Viry Chatillon (France) and Enstone (UK).
Eutelsat's D-SAT service enables corporate users to transmit a broad range of
voice, data (such as telemetry), Internet and multimedia information via
satellite. Users of the service benefit from high transmission capacity and
real-time interactivity on demand with bandwidth assigned according to their
specific requirements. This provides users with scaleable and cost-effective
solutions for managing corporate networks.
After an absence of four
years from the World Championship, Renault F1 is to return to the prestigious
competition following the purchase of Benetton Formula Limited team in 2000.
The team has spent the last few years monitoring technology developments and is
set to return to the competition, which saw it win 11 World Championship titles
for Drivers and Constructors from 1992 to 1997.
Globecomm Systems Receives US$ 2.5 Million Order from
UAE
Globecomm Systems Inc has been awarded an initial
Access Services Contract valued at US$ 2.5 million to provide the satellite
earth terminal, Internet Access, and related satellite services for Dubai
Internet City (DIC) in the United Arab Emirates.
The
contract also provides for expansion of services valued at US$ 4.5 million
should DIC opt to exercise all options. The services and equipment called for
in the contract will be provided through Globecomm's wholly owned subsidiary,
NetSat Express.
Under the contract, Globecomm Systems will install and
commission a satellite earth terminal which will complement two other satellite
earth terminals supplied by Globecomm Systems to DIC in October 2001 under a
previous contract for Quick Start Teleport Facility (QSTF). The QSTF enables
Dubai Internet City to offer the tenant companies the ability to broadcast
audio and video content regionally. The new Access Services Contract will
provide DIC's tenant companies with Internet access through the Internet via
NetSat Express' satellite services.
Dubai Internet City is the first
complete Information Technology and Telecommunications centre in the world to
have been built inside a free trade zone. Dubai Internet City offers modern,
ready-to-operate, fully serviced office space catering to the specific needs of
today's New Economy companies. These offices offer cutting edge technology and
provide both wired and wireless networks.
Dubai Internet City allows
100% foreign ownership of companies and laws relating to partnerships with
local sponsors have been relaxed. Sales, company earnings and private income
are exempt from any form of taxation. Companies can also take land on a
renewable lease of up to 50 years and build their own offices. Dubai Internet
City's infrastructure is second to none. Dubai Internet City is the biggest
IT-build in the Middle East, and has the largest Internet Protocol telephony
system in the world. Sets of intellectual property and cyber regulations have
been implemented to protect the integrity of e-business. A dedicated government
agency has been created to ensure enforcement of these regulations. Dubai
Internet City has issued licenses to a host of global information technology
companies. Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, EDS, EMC, GemPlus, Wipro,
and Satyam, have already identified their long-term objectives here. By
establishing these roadmaps early, forward-thinking businesses are working with
the industry to facilitate and ensure the smooth integration of tomorrow's
technologies.
HNS Europe Provides Ufinet with Satellite Networking
System
Hughes Network Systems Europe (HNSE) has signed a
contract to supply a comprehensive satellite network solution to Ufinet, Union
Fenosa's corporate telecommunications operator. The Union Fenosa Group is one
of Spain's leading owners and operators of power plants.
Union Fenosa will use the network to address its internal data communications
needs throughout Spain and Latin America, with the possibility of extending to
voice communications in the future. The network also allows Ufinet to open a
new line of business to supply surplus resources and telecommunications
services to other companies.
HNSE will deliver a hub earth station and
very small aperture terminals (VSAT) to support four hundred and fifty remote
sites, with potential for an additional five hundred. Installation begins
immediately with a hub in Spain and up to one hundred remote sites in Panama,
Columbia, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Bolivia to be operational by
the end of 2002. In Spain, one hundred sites will be up and running by the end
of the year, with remaining sites in Latin America to be installed from late
2002 to 2005.
Headquartered in Madrid, Spain, the Union Fenosa Group
is the third largest power company in Spain with a 19% market share. With
global market representation in more than 40 countries, Union Fenosa provides
energy consulting, engineering and construction services and engages in energy
generation and distribution to 4.8 million customers in Latin America. The
company also delivers electricity to more than three million customers in the
Spanish regions of Castilla y Leon, Castilla-La Mancha, Galicia, and Madrid.
The company's electricity generation arm has 5,500 MW capacity. Along with
Endesa and SCH, the company is part of the Auna joint venture, which controls
Retevision, Spain's second largest telephone company, and other Spanish telecom
properties.
Mitsui Awards DG Systems Contract for Satellite Audio Set-Top
Systems
DG Systems Inc has been awarded a contract by Mitsui
& Co Ltd to develop and license a Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) audio
receiver system for Usen Corp's customers in Japan.
The
set-top box will be offered to Usen's over 1 million consumer and enterprise
subscribers enabling them to receive 2,000 channels of digital, CD-quality
audio programming originating in the United States, Europe and Japan through
their existing stereo equipment. The receiver is also capable of receiving DVB
video and Internet data.
Production of the new set-top DVB receiver is
scheduled for August 2002, with distribution planned for the third quarter of
2002. This contract follows a limited license agreement signed in October, 2001
to Mitsui for DG's CoolCast Technology in Japan.
DG Systems and the
Company's StarGuide division provide Digital Media Exchange services for the
advertising and broadcast industries, featuring satellite and Internet
transmission technology solutions and a suite of digital media asset management
tools. DG's extensive industry network is the largest in the advertising and
broadcasting industries, reaching more than 5,000 advertisers and agencies,
7,500 radio stations, and 850 television broadcast facilities with delivery and
management solutions for short- and long-form audio and video
content.
STM Wireless Supplies Broadband Network for
Czech Republic
STM Wireless Inc has supplied a broadband network to
INTV, spol. s.r.o. (INTV), the leading satellite service provider in the Czech
Republic. The network will be used as an Intranet by the Czech Army, which has
been a long standing customer of INTV.
INTV, which
specialises in a variety of satellite services, will be using STM's broadband
VSAT system to build and operate a private IP-based network to allow the Czech
Army to exchange externally encrypted messages among many of the army's
locations. STM has been gradually expanding its European sales among service
providers and will showcase INTV's application for possible use in other NATO
countries.
Stratos and ARINC Team to Provide Satellite Air-To-Ground
Communications
Stratos, through its wholly owned subsidiary Stratos
VSAT, has begun a long-term relationship with ARINC, a provider of
communications and information technology for the transportation industry.
Utilising the satellite services of Stratos VSAT, ARINC will
improve upon its long-standing service of providing critical, digitally
transmitted messages for thousands of aircraft across the continental United
States. This system accommodates both aeronautical operational control and air
traffic control communications via a satellite air-to-ground link enabling
real-time, highly reliable communications among aircraft, aviation authorities
and airline host computer systems located anywhere in the United States.
The initial thrust of this effort will upgrade the service at 39 major
metropolitan airports, such as Boston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles,
impacting the US-based portion of the ARINC "Critical Airports
Network".
Teledesic Orders Satellites
Teledesic LLC has signed an
agreement with the Italian satellite manufacturer Alenia Spazio SpA to build
satellites for Teledesic's global, broadband Internet-in-the-Sky satellite
communications network.
Alenia Spazio has extensive
experience building satellite constellations. Alenia Spazio was responsible for
the assembly, integration and testing of the 72 satellites built for Globalstar
at a dedicated factory - the Integration Satellite Center - with a peak rate of
one satellite per week. The company also is a leader in designing and
manufacturing Ka band satellites. Alenia Spazio was the first satellite
manufacturer to build and launch, in 1991, a geostationary Ka band satellite:
Italsat F1.
The agreement covers construction of Teledesic's first two
satellites. Teledesic is negotiating with Alenia Spazio and other leading
satellite manufacturers for the remainder of its satellites.
Teledesic
has developed an improved satellite network design that allows the company to
provide commercial service with fewer satellites at a significantly reduced
cost. The new constellation design features 30 medium-Earth-orbit satellites.
The first 12 satellites are expected to cost under US$ 1 billion, substantially
less than previous system designs, and will allow the company to begin
continuous commercial service in several areas of the world. The next 18
satellites will enable full global coverage capability. This innovative design
will facilitate spectrum sharing between Teledesic and other future
non-geostationary Ka band satellites.
RSI to Deliver Digital Elevation Data to
Jeppesen
Radarsat International (RSI) of British Columbia,
Canada, and Jeppesen of Englewood, Colorado, USA, have signed an agreement
whereby RSI will deliver digital elevation data that Jeppesen will use in
building a worldwide terrain database. Jeppesen, in turn, will provide highly
specialised subsets of the terrain data to its customers who will use the data
in Terrain Avoidance and Warning Systems (TAWS) and other advanced avionics
systems providing increased situational awareness to pilots.
The capabilities of RSI and its partners to meet the strict
time deadlines, accuracy requirements and rigorous quality assurance standards
required by Jeppesen were demonstrated with the delivery of the first digital
elevation data set for the challenging terrain around the La Paz, Bolivia
airport. The elevation data is created using stereo radar data collected by the
Canadian Radarsat-1 satellite.
Jeppesen, the world's leading supplier
of flight information is building an advanced worldwide database of terrain and
obstacle data. From this data repository, Jeppesen will extract individual data
sets that meet the requirements of the specific target system. Jeppesen's
customers are typically avionics manufacturers who will use the data in a
variety of advanced avionics systems such as Terrain Avoidance and Warning
Systems (TAWS) or other in-aircraft avionics systems designed to provide flight
crews with increased situational awareness of the terrain outside the
aircraft.
The terrain data provided by RSI and its partners will allow
Jeppesen to meet the stringent regulatory requirements established by the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for TAWS and similar systems. Although
many of these systems are just entering service, Jeppesen believes terrain data
will soon be a standard component of the majority of new avionics.
The
in-cockpit use of terrain information is usually associated with avionics that
warns the crew of threatening terrain, or in some cases provides a moving-map
display showing the aircraft's position in relation to the environment outside
the aircraft. These systems have the objective of reducing the risk of
Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) accidents and may also contribute to a
reduction in runway incursions, both of which are major safety concerns to the
aviation community.
The Federal Aviation Association (FAA) has set a
March 29, 2005 deadline requiring that all US-registered jets and turboprop
aircraft with six or more seats be equipped with TAWS. Similar requirements are
expected to be enacted by regulatory agencies outside the US.
Harris Corporation to Study Development of Space-Based Radar
Antenna Technology
Harris Corporation has been awarded a one-year, US$
2.5 million contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Special Projects Office and the Air Force Research Lab's (AFRL) Sensors
Directorate to study the development of an advanced spaceborne antenna system
for the Innovative Space-Based Radar Antenna Technology (ISAT) Study.
Under terms of the contract, Harris will lead the effort to
investigate and study an innovative concept for a lightweight, space-based,
extremely large deployable radar antenna designed to address tactical tracking
of moving targets on the ground. Ultimately, ISAT will help provide a solution
to the challenge of integrating Space Based Radar (SBR) and a Moving Target
Indication from Space (MTIS).
Harris GCSD conducts advanced research
studies, develops prototypes, and produces and supports state-of-the-art,
highly reliable communications and information systems that solve the
mission-critical communications challenges of its military and government
customers, as well as provides the technology base for the company's diverse
commercial businesses.
ITT Industries Wins US$ 519M Support Contract
ITT
Industries Inc has been awarded a US$ 519 million cost-plus-award fee contract,
with a potential value of US$ 959 million if all options are exercised. The
period of performance is up to 18 years, including options.
As the System Engineering and Sustainment Integrator
(SENSOR) contractor, ITT will provide critical support for major national
defence systems. In particular, ITT will provide system engineering,
sustainment, and modernisation support for a global array of ground-based
radars and optical sensors that perform missile warning, missile defence, and
spacetrack mission support to both the Air Force Space Command and the US Space
Command. The contract was awarded by the Air Force's Electronic Systems Center
(ESC), Strategic and Nuclear Deterrence Command System Program Office, located
at Hanscom AFB and in Colorado Springs. Contract work will be carried out by
ITT's Systems Division.
Program headquarters will be located in
Colorado Springs, Colorado near ITT's ESC and Space Command customer and users.
Work on this contract will begin immediately.
Mars Odyssey Enters Mapping Orbit
NASA's
Mars Odyssey spacecraft is now in its mapping orbit after completing two
manoeuvres this week to fine-tune its nearly circular orbit and prepare it for
the start of the science mission.
Engineers are
continuing to check out the spacecraft systems and science instruments in
preparation for the science mapping mission that will begin in February. Two of
the science instruments, both neutron spectrometers that are part of the gamma
ray spectrometer suite, are currently operating and collecting science data
about the composition of the Mars surface.
NASA's EUVE Re-enters Earth's Atmosphere
NASA's
Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) science satellite entered the Earth's
atmosphere on 30th January, burning up over north Africa.
EUVE was launched on 7th June 1992 and operated continuously
until last year when it was finally decommissioned after performing virtually
flawlessly throughout its nine year operational life. Originally designed for a
three year mission, NASA extended the spacecraft's life twice.
It is
not known if any of the 3,200 kg satellite survived re-entry, though NASA
engineers believed that as many as nine components, weighing between 2 and 46
kg, may have been dense enough to survive the trip through the
atmosphere.
Andrews Space & Technology to Support Vehicle Concept
Development for NASA's Space Launch Initiative
Andrews Space &
Technology (AS&T) has been awarded a contract from Northrop Grumman
Corporation's Integrated Systems sector to perform market analysis, business
planning, systems engineering, and launch vehicle design services in support of
Northrop Grumman's second-generation Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) program. The
US$ 15.7 million contract was awarded to Northrop Grumman in December 2001 to
conduct vehicle architecture design studies as part of NASA's Space Launch
Initiative (SLI).
The RLV research and development
effort will hone the technologies needed to build a second-generation reusable
launch vehicle, as well as design vehicle architectures for 21st century
missions. In this capacity, AS&T will provide market analysis, financial
modeling, and business planning for Northrop Grumman in the vehicle concept
development effort. Andrews Space & Technology will also support the
systems engineering and vehicle design development activities for Northrop
Grumman.
To lead this effort, AS&T appointed Livingston L Holder
Jr as Vice President of Space Systems. Also, Mr Holder will supervise the
company's "Alchemist" Air Collection and Enrichment System (ACES) development
initiative being conducted under NASA's second-generation RLV program. In
addition, Mr Holder will manage the day-to-day operations of AS&T's Space
Systems activities, including service contracts, and multiple research and
development efforts.
Mr Holder joins AS&T after ten years of
service with the United States Air Force and fourteen years of service with The
Boeing Company. Mr Holder is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy.
He served as a Titan III Launch Officer at Vandenberg AFB, supported the
development of a major classified satellite program for the Secretary of the
Air Force Special Projects organisation, and served as a Manned Spaceflight
Engineer. During his tenure at Boeing, Mr Holder led the company's
International Integration efforts on the International Space Station, as well
as served as Program Manager of Sea Launch during its early development, and
later served as the Chief Engineer then Program Manager of Boeing's Aviation
Information Services (the predecessor to Connexion by Boeing).
The
total value of Andrews Space & Technology portion in the Northrop Grumman
contract with options is approximately US$ 1,750,000.
Boeing Rocketdyne Chooses Design For
Next-Generation Reusable Rocket Engine
Engineers at Canoga Park,
California-based Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power unit of The Boeing Company
are developing the RS-83 engine for NASA's Space Launch Initiative (SLI)
program for future reusable space transportation. In May 2001, NASA awarded
Boeing Rocketdyne US$ 65 million to develop concepts and technologies for the
main and upper stage propulsion systems for the next-generation launch
vehicle.
The new RS-83 engine system will be
staged-combustion, liquid hydrogen/oxygen, providing improved controllability
and increased reliability that even surpasses the mission success of the only
current reusable engine for human spaceflight, Boeing Rocketdyne's Space
Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). It will be rated for a 100-mission life cycle,
twice the planned mission life for the SSME.
To support the SLI
initiative, Rocketdyne drew on the expertise of engineers fresh from two engine
development efforts, the RS-68 for the Boeing Delta IV expendable launch
system, and the Aerospike engine for NASA's X-33 advanced technology
demonstrator. The RS-68 - recently certified by the Air Force for first flight
in 2002 - was the first large liquid-fuelled engine developed in the United
States since Rocketdyne developed the SSME more than two decades ago.
Other RS-83 design features include turbopumps with easy access. The RS-83
design also taps into state-of-the-art fabrication techniques, including
selectively net-shaped components made through the technology of powder
metallurgy. The next milestone for the development effort is a System Design
Review in March. This could lead to the detailed design of a full-scale
prototype that would be worked for another year.
Com Dev Closes Sale of Wireless Division to Mitec
Com Dev
International has closed the sale of certain assets of its Wireless Division
that makes RF conditioning and satellite ground station components to Mitec
Telecom Inc of Montreal, Quebec.
The sale as closed is
for US$ 20.7 million cash. The Board of Directors of each company has approved
the transaction. Com Dev's new 1xEV-DO standard, high-speed, wireless Internet
access system is not part of this divestiture. It is part of the Company's new
Broadband Division.
Orbital Imaging Plans Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Filing
Orbital
Imaging Corp's Chief Financial Officer, Armand A Mancini, has announced that
the company will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy court protection from its
creditors in early March at the latest. Orbital Imaging (Orbimage) expects to
emerge from bankruptcy two to three months later after reorganisation.
Orbimage was expected to file for bankruptcy late last year
but an insurance payment of US$ 13 million for the loss of its Orbview 4
satellite during launch allowed the company to pay bondholders who would have
initiated bankruptcy proceedings is Orbimage had defaulted on its payments.
Orbimage operates two imaging satellites: Orbview 1, launched in 1995 and
Orbview 2, launched in 1997.
Andrew 4.9 m Antenna Receives Intelsat Type Approval
Andrew
Corporation has received F-1 Intelsat type approval for the 4-port C band
version of its 4.9-meter Earth Station Antenna. This antenna is suitable for
use in multinational private networks, broadcast news reporting, and
public-switched services.
The benefits of selecting an
Intelsat type-approved antenna are: guaranteed acceptance for operation on the
Intelsat systems, lower commissioning costs, an assurance of superior
performance, and faster and cheaper implementation by eliminating the
requirement for field-verification testing.
The Intelsat type-approved
4-port C-band Earth Station Antenna, is offered with a manual or motorisable
mount. The feed system includes a 4-port circularly polarised combiner. This
enables systems integrators and designers to bring their antenna systems on
line faster and more economically. The type approved 4-port 4.9-meter earth
station antenna joins the already type-approved 2-port version of the same
antenna.
VBox Communications Acquires BroadLogic's Satellite Express
and DTV Product Lines
VBox Communications Ltd, a market leader in multimedia
set-top boxes, has acquired the Satellite Express and DTV product lines of
BroadLogic Network Technologies Inc.
Over the past three
years, BroadLogic, a privately held company based in Milpitas, California, has
been a recognised leader in PCI and router solutions for broadband satellite
and terrestrial applications with customers and partners in over 60 countries.
Going forward, BroadLogic will focus its business to become a fabless
semiconductor company with silicon products targeted at satellite, cable and
terrestrial markets.
The products which have been transferred frrom
BroadLogic to VBox are:
Adding DVB core technologies
to VBox's existing portfolio of integrated IP multimedia set-top boxes enhances
the company's offering by providing a complete solution for diverse broadband
services. The acquisition complements VBox's VB110 and VB200 IP-based
multimedia set-top boxes by enabling the integration of a DVB-S receiver PCI
board for IP and DVB convergence. The acquisition also grants VBox access to
BroadLogic's BIC2000 and BIC951 silicon technologies.
Alongside the
addition of BroadLogic's technological expertise in DVB and conditional access,
VBox will also augment its existing customer and fortify its relations with
BroadLogic's strategic partners. VBox intends to fully integrate BroadLogic's
Satellite Express and DTV solutions into its product portfolio and pursue
ongoing R&D and sales efforts.
Former Lucent Technologies Vice President Joins Globecomm
Systems
G Patrick Flemming, former Vice President of Latin
American Operations/Worldwide Services Division of Lucent Technologies, has
joined Globecomm Systems as Corporate Vice President of Sales and
Marketing.
Mr Flemming brings over 20 years of sales and
operations experience in the telecommunications industry to Globecomm. As
Lucent's Vice President of Latin American Operations/Worldwide Services
Division, he integrated and managed a workforce of over 2,600 people in 16
countries. Prior to joining the Latin American Operation, Mr Flemming was Vice
President of Sales in Lucent's Netcare Services Division where he was
responsible for building and managing a worldwide team that sold the company's
services capabilities to enterprise customers and service providers in 52
countries.
Prior to joining Lucent, Mr Flemming was with the AT&T
Corporation for 18 years. Initially based in Dallas, then in Atlanta, Mr
Flemming was a founding member of the Business Systems Division-Outsourcing
Services Group and served as Vice President of US sales.
