6 October 2002
Satcoms
HNS Supplies Rural Telephony Satellite Network Throughout
Dominican Republic
Intelsat Acquires US West Coast Teleport Facility
Loral
CyberStar to Provide Innovative Voice, Data and IP Solution to the University
of San Martin, Colombia
MIPS Technologies' Low-Power Core Delivers Performance Needed for
Thrane & Thrane Satellite Mobile Phone
NASA's TDRS-I Reaches
Geosynchronous Orbit
Satamatics Sets Production for Next-Generation Satellite
Telematics Terminals
Star One Orders Additional 2,000 SkyBlaster 360 VSAT Terminals
Teledesic Suspends
Work Under Satellite Contract
Training Systems Network Launches New Business Training
Channel with Educational Satellite Services as Exclusive
Broadcaster
Earth
Oservation
ITT Industries Wins US$ 113 Million Satellite Instrument
Contract
Navigation
Thales Navigation Launches New Brand Strategy for
Professional Products
Military
Space
Raytheon to
Upgrade US Navy's Space Tracking System
Technology
Boeing-Led Team Wins Contract to Advance Nuclear Electric Power
For Space
Business
Aerojet Completes Acquisition of General Dynamics Space
Propulsion
Products and Services
Immeon Announces Multicast Service for Low-Cost
Multimedia Transmission for Business Services
Maxwell's New Radiation-Hardened
Super Computer
Telenor Launches "Sealink" Suite of Communications Services for
Global Maritime Industry
Telenor Satellite
Services Announces Next Generation Inmarsat High-Speed Data Communications
Service
People
Connexion by Boeing Names Wyse Director of Deployment and
Installation
Michael E Wetmore Named Director, Shuttle Processing at
KSC
HNS
Supplies Rural
Telephony Satellite Network Throughout Dominican Republic
(1 October 2002) Hughes
Network Systems Inc (HNS) has announced that Compania Dominicana de Telefonos
(CODETEL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Verizon, has contracted for 500 TES
Quantum Direct remote satellite terminals to provide rural telephony service
throughout the Dominican Republic. This initiative was funded through the
Instituto Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones (INDOTEL), the Dominican
regulatory agency.
The TES Quantum family of very small
aperture terminals provides on-demand voice, fax and data services with mesh
connectivity through a single satellite hop as well as multi-gateway access
into the public switched telephony network (PSTN), virtual private networks and
international circuits.
The addition of TES Quantum Direct will
complement CODETEL's existing portfolio of local, long-distance and wireless
voice communications. They will now be able to extend their service offerings
to include "toll-quality" voice for rural locations nation-wide where
terrestrial solutions are difficult or not available.
Installation is
already underway and is expected to be completed by the end of the
year.
Intelsat
Acquires US West Coast
Teleport Facility
(2 October 2002) In its latest step to assemble a
world-wide terrestrial infrastructure to complement its global satellite fleet,
Intelsat has acquired PacAmTel teleport, located outside Los Angeles,
California.
The new teleport, now to be known as
Riverside Teleport, has terrestrial links to one of the US . West Coast's major
telecom point of presence (PoP) - the Meet Me Room (MMR) at One Wilshire in Los
Angeles, where a community of service providers interconnect. It also has
terrestrial links to a second PoP at 818 West 7th Street, Los Angeles that is
connected into Intelsat's global terrestrial fibre links. Intelsat's world-wide
end-to-end network now consists of teleports in California, Fuchsstadt, Germany
and Clarksburg, Maryland, as well as fibre interconnected PoPs in Los Angeles,
New York, Frankfurt and London.
Intelsat anticipates that Riverside
will be one of several key ground facilities utilised in Intelsat's
GlobalConnex Solutions, a new portfolio of hybrid services that combines
Intelsat's global satellite fleet with terrestrial capabilities - including
teleport services, fibre and PoPs at strategic exchange points. GlobalConnex
Solutions is already delivering end-to-end voice, data, Internet and video
solutions efficiently and reliably to customers around the world.
Loral
CyberStar to Provide
Innovative Voice, Data and IP Solution to the University of San Martin,
Colombia
(3 October
2002) Loral CyberStar has signed a three-year contract with one of Latin
America's leading educational institutions, the University of San Martin, in
Bogota, Colombia. CyberStar will provide the University with a flexible,
pan-regional network that integrates broadband Internet access,
videoconferencing, telephony and data transfer capabilities for campuses
throughout Colombia, Peru, Panama, Aruba and Brazil.
The
University of San Martin's network uses two integrated services: CyberStar's
Virtual Integrated Sky Network (VISN) - a fully meshed very small aperture
terminal (VSAT) system that will provide voice, data and video services - and
WorldCast, CyberStar's flexible one-way or two-way connection to the Internet
backbone.
To meet the diverse voice and data needs of the University's
21-site network, CyberStar has combined two of its VSAT services onto a single,
comprehensive platform. The VISN/WorldCast network will provide:
MIPS Technologies' Low-Power Core Delivers Performance Needed
for Thrane & Thrane Satellite Mobile Phone
(1 October 2002) MIPS Technologies Inc, a
leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for
digital consumer and business applications, has licensed its MIPS32 4KEm
processor core and new SOC-it system controller to Thrane & Thrane, one of
the world's leading manufacturers of terminals for global mobile satellite
communications.
Thrane & Thrane chose the MIPS
solution after a competitive analysis of other IP cores. All featured the low
power consumption required for a mobile application but not the requisite
performance. The company needed performance of at least 200 Dhrystone MIPS. The
highly configurable MIPS32 4KEm core and SOC-it system controller achieved 230
DMIPS.
Thrane & Thrane chose MIPS Technologies' system-level
solution to meet the demanding power and performance requirements of the new
services enabled by the next-generation Inmarsat Broadband Global Area Network
(B-GAN). Scheduled for launch in 2004, the B-GAN is intended to be compatible
with the UMTS protocol for 3G mobile phones. It will deliver standard voice as
well as high-speed packet services at up to 432 kb/s, which will provide
Internet access, mobile multimedia and other advanced applications to remote,
land-based mobile users such as those in international aid organisations,
government, the media, and the oil and gas industry. Thrane & Thrane
received US$ 15 million from Inmarsat to partly fund development of the
terminals, as well as a user terminal core module that will be marketed to
third-party manufacturers.
NASA's
TDRS-I Reaches
Geosynchronous Orbit
(2 October 2002) After a challenging seven-month
planning and recovery effort led by Boeing Satellite Systems the Tracking and
Data Relay Satellite-I (TDRS-I) reached geosynchronous orbit on September 30
early in the morning.
The recovery effort was prompted
when one of the two fuel tanks aboard the satellite did not properly pressurise
shortly after its March 8 launch.
Satellite controllers at Boeing
Satellite Systems re-routed fuel tank pressurant around a blocked valve and
conducted a series of engine burns over the past four months to raise TDRS-I's
orbit to 22,300 miles. The last burn was performed early Monday morning,
September 30.
The satellite will now deploy its antennas and undergo
at least eight weeks of in-orbit testing. Based on the remaining amount of
propellant, the satellite is expected to fulfil its contractually required
15-year service life.
TDRS-I is the second of three spacecraft BSS has
delivered for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The first satellite, TDRS-H,
was successfully launched in June 2000. The third satellite, TDRS-J, is
scheduled for launch in November 2002.
The TDRS fleet serves as the
primary means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the Space
Shuttle, the International Space Station and dozens of unmanned scientific
satellites in low earth orbit including the Hubble Space Telescope. The three
new TDRS satellites will add Ka band capability to the TDRS fleet, which will
boost flexibility and allow transmissions at higher data rates.
Satamatics Sets Production for Next-Generation Satellite Telematics
Terminals
(2
October 2002) Satamatics Ltd and part of the Richtec plc group of companies,
have established a strong working partnership with DDi Technologies for the
production design and volume manufacture of its next-generation intelligent
satellite data terminal.
Satamatics holds a unique
market position in satellite-delivered telematics services, and to meet the
rapid growth in market demand, the company required a manufacturing partner
capable of fast-track production for its new design of miniature mobile
terminal.
Satamatics elected to develop its own terminals in order to
tap into the market potential of hundreds of thousands of units. The company's
new terminal was designed specifically to address that market potential, using
the latest technology combined with increased features and rugged reliability.
The terminal's 18-month development programme will culminate in test trials
during November, with full-scale production in February 2003. The first
production-run features will include:
With this most advanced mobile satellite terminal and four state of the art satellite gateways located around the world, Satamatics' Telematics Services offer real-time access to the remotest locations anywhere and any time.
Star
One Orders Additional
2,000 SkyBlaster 360 VSAT Terminals
(4 October 2002) Brazilian service provider, Star One,
has expanded its broadband satellite network by adding 2,000 of Gilat's
SkyBlaster 360 VSAT terminals to its existing network of 3,700 VSAT
terminals.
The additional VSATs will allow Star One to
expand its services of broadband Internet access for consumers and small
businesses throughout Brazil. The delivery of the new VSAT units is
immediate.
In May of 2001, Gilat and Star One entered into an
agreement to provide Brazil's first consumer, two-way satellite broadband
Internet service. The service offers always-on, high-speed Internet access to
selected consumer markets and small office/home office (SOHO) users in Brazil.
Star One is a partnership of Embratel, Brazil's largest telecommunications
company and satellite operator SES Global.
SkyBlaster is an
interactive satellite networking solution designed for IP applications. It
combines industry-standard Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) technology with
Gilat's inbound satellite access technology to provide high-performance,
cost-effective, two-way connectivity for a wide array of content delivery and
other multicast and interactive applications. SkyBlaster's broadband satellite
platform provides content delivery speeds capable of scaling up to 52.5 Mb/s,
with a high-speed, always-on 153 kb/s satellite return channel.
Teledesic Suspends Work Under Satellite Contract
(30 September 2002)
Teledesic LLC has suspended work under its satellite construction contract with
Italian satellite manufacturer Alenia Spazio SpA and will significantly reduce
its staff as it evaluates possible alternative approaches to its business.
Early this year, Teledesic engaged Alenia to build the first
two satellites of its planned 30-satellite constellation of mid-earth orbiting
satellites designed to provide broadband communications to any part of the
globe. However, after continually reviewing the foreseeable financial markets
and the commercial prospects for satellite point-to-point communications, the
company does not believe that it is prudent, purely on speculation, to continue
the substantial capital expenditures required to construct and launch the
satellites consistent with the timing required to meet FCC and ITU regulatory
milestones. Over the past ten years, Teledesic has spent hundreds of millions
of dollars on design and development of global broadband satellite system
concepts.
Training
Systems Network
Launches New Business Training Channel with Educational Satellite Services as
Exclusive Broadcaster
(2 October 2002) Training Systems Network LLC and
Educational Satellite Services Inc launched The Professional Development
Channel on October 1 2002 to provide business and professional development
programming targeted at the needs of government organisations and corporations
throughout the United States and Canada.
The
Professional Development Channel is a private, digital, satellite channel
broadcast exclusively by Educational Satellite Services Inc. TSN is in the
process of acquiring the Professional Development Channel from its current
owners, National Technological University (NTU) and Sylvan Ventures, the
investment arm of Sylvan Learning Systems Inc.
TSN will feature over
100 hours of broadcasting on professional development topics such as
Leadership, Change Management, Customer Service, Communications, Wellness in
the Workplace, Diversity, Stress Management, and Safety just to name a few.
Each week TSN will feature a different theme to enhance the learning
experience. In its inaugural year, TSN will provide 24 new programs to its
growing customer base. In addition, TSN will feature its weekly premier talk
show called Success @ Work, a two-hour, interactive broadcast that will
highlight "real life heroes" on the job.
Training Systems Network LLC
(TSN) designs, produces, and delivers high-quality satellite programming. The
management team has over 20 years of combined experience in satellite
programming, and more than 30 years combined experience in designing and
delivering professional development programs.
Educational Satellite
Services Inc (ESS) is a leading broadcaster of educational content to
corporations and government organisations. For the past 17 years, ESS'
satellite technology has provided managed satellite services for National
Technological University, the largest and most sophisticated distance learning
network in the United States. ESS was spun off from NTU in February 2002. Both
ESS and NTU are in the process of being acquired by Sylvan Ventures, the
investment arm of Sylvan Learning Systems Inc.
ESS provides a
comprehensive line of products and services including private satellite network
engineering/design, space segment, uplink services, network management, studio
services, videotaping, and hardware sales/service.
ITT
Industries Wins US$ 113
Million Satellite Instrument Contract
(3 October 2002) ITT Industries Inc has been awarded a
US$ 113 million contract by TRW to produce three high technology, space-based
measurement instruments to improve weather forecasting world-wide. The
instrument, known as the Cross Track Infrared Sounders (CrIS) provides improved
measurements of temperature and moisture in the earth's atmosphere. Forecasters
use this data to help improve both global and regional predictions of weather
patterns and storm tracks.
ITT Industries has been
developing technology for space-based sensors and payloads for more than a
quarter century. Its Imagers and Sounders form the backbone of the US weather
forecasting system and its navigation payloads are at the heart of GPS. The
CrIS has several new advanced technology applications ITT has developed for
existing and future programs. It includes one of the first space applications
of a Michelson Interferometer. This scientific tool is used to split light into
hundreds of spectral channels and allows for more precise measurements of the
earth's atmosphere at various altitudes. Current technology permits measurement
in only a few channels while CrIS will measure 1300. This provides a major
improvement in the quality of data used by forecasters to predict the
weather.
The NPOESS Integrated Program Office recently named TRW as
the prime contractor with Shared System Performance Responsibility (SSPR) for
developing the new National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite
System (NPOESS). As SSPR, TRW has end-to-end responsibility for providing
complete packages of data to support mission requirements of both the
Departments of Commerce and Defense.
CrIS is scheduled to begin flying
on-board NASA's NPOESS Preparatory Project spacecraft beginning in 2006. The
mission will aid in the merging of missions of the current civil Polar-orbiting
Operational Environmental Satellites with those of the military's Defense
Meteorological Satellite System.
Thales
Navigation Launches New
Brand Strategy for Professional Products
(30 September 2002) Thales Navigation is to
consolidate all its professional GPS products, including its well-known Ashtech
brand, under the Thales Navigation brand name.
The
re-branding, which will be phased in beginning this month, is designed to unify
Thales Navigation's professional product offerings and help streamline the
company's marketing communications efforts. The move will also allow Thales
Navigation to leverage the strength of its corporate parent, Thales, a US$ 10
billion global company, in the marketplace.
Thales acquired Magellan
Corporation in 2001, along with its Ashtech brand, and combined it with
France-based Thales Navigation SA to form Thales Navigation. The company
restructured its organisation to create two distinct business units, one for
professional products and one for consumer products; appointed industry veteran
Neil Vancans as general manager of the Professional Products Business Unit; and
brought on Stig Pedersen, a leading product development and positioning expert,
to drive the company's GIS efforts.
To enhance its marketing
efficiency, the company recognised that consolidation under one professional
brand would be advantageous. It has now reached that milestone as well by
bringing all professional products under a brand well recognised on a
world-wide basis - Thales Navigation.
With this brand change, Thales
Navigation will begin a renewed and focused marketing effort. It will support
its dealers and customers during the transition through a variety of marketing
activities, including advertising beginning in November, a comprehensive web
site update, and other key communication programs.
Raytheon to Upgrade US Navy's Space Tracking System
(2 October 2002)
Raytheon Company has been awarded an initial US$ 17 million contract to upgrade
the US Navy's low-earth orbit space object tracking system. With options, the
award has a potential value of US$ 396 million through 2010.
The US Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command of San
Diego awarded the contract to Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems business.
The Naval Space Surveillance System (NSSS) supports multiple space-related
missions aimed at protecting the Navy's surface fleet from space threats. NSSS
produces and maintains a space object catalogue using data collected from its
space tracking system. To upgrade the 40-year-old system, Raytheon will replace
the current VHF sensors across the southern United States with more sensitive S
band radars. This upgrade will dramatically improve the system's capability for
tracking and cataloguing smaller space objects.
Raytheon won the
contract in competition with teams from ITT, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed
Martin. Work on the contract will be performed in Andover and Sudbury,
Massachusetts.
Boeing-Led Team Wins Contract to Advance Nuclear Electric Power For
Space
(3 October
2002) A team of government, industry and academia, under the leadership of The
Boeing Company, has been awarded a NASA contract to meet the challenge of
developing nuclear electric power for deep space exploration.
Boeing and a team consisting of NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory and Glenn Research Center, Honeywell, Swales Aerospace, Auburn
University and Texas A&M will develop power conversion technologies that
enable future reactor electric propulsion missions.
The focus of the
Boeing team's approach is on the Brayton Power Conversion System (BPCS)
technology as the baseline concept solution. Critical features of the BPCS have
been proven in jet aircraft and terrestrial power plants, and integrated system
testing, on a reduced scale, has been performed under separate NASA
programs.
The contract calls for an initial study to define a
conceptual design and development plan. This will be followed by two one-year
options. The result will be minimal development risk and high-yield technology
advancement toward operational reactor electric power for space.
Aerojet Completes Acquisition of General Dynamics Space
Propulsion
(2
October 2002) Aerojet-General Corporation (Aerojet), has completed the
acquisition of the assets of General Dynamics' Ordnance and Tactical Systems
Space Propulsion and Fire Suppression business.
At the
request of the parties, the Federal Trade Commission granted an early
termination of its pre-merger review of the transaction under the
Hart-Scott-Rodino statute on Friday September 26 2002. The companies have now
completed the transaction. Deutsche Bank Securities served as financial advisor
to GenCorp in connection with the transaction.
The acquisition
strengthens Aerojet's position in spacecraft propulsion and emerging missile
defence applications, expands the company's role on the NASA Space Shuttle
Program, and enables expansion into new growth areas such as electric
propulsion.
Located in Redmond, Washington, the acquired business
employs about 300 people. It will continue to operate in Redmond as an
integrated component of Aerojet's operations.
Immeon
Announces Multicast
Service for Low-Cost Multimedia Transmission for Business Services
(1 October 2002) Immeon
Networks LLC is adding Immeon Content Delivery Service to its line of wireless,
bandwidth-on-demand communication services. Immeon Content Delivery Service is
a reliable, managed multicast service that delivers multimedia content from a
single point to multiple, targeted remote locations simultaneously. The new
Immeon service will use the zBand Content Delivery platform from SkyStream
Networks.
The Immeon service will be able to transmit
audio, video, graphics, and large data files to any number of locations at a
fraction of the cost of terrestrial networks. Customers using the service can
send data equivalent to a full CD-ROM in minutes, with available rates of 3, 6,
9, 12, 15, 18, and 20 Mb/s.
SkyStream's zBand is a content delivery
software platform built on open standards and a secure server-client
architecture. zBand will provide an integrated platform for the Immeon Network
Operations Center to manage content, bandwidth, and network resources for
Content Delivery Service customers. The open API architecture of zBand provides
easy integration with other systems, and the software platform's flexibility
and innovative features scale with network infrastructure as requirements
grow.
Maxwell's New Radiation-Hardened Super Computer
(3 October 2002)
Maxwell Technologies Inc has introduced a family of radiation-hardened single
board computers (SBC) for the space and military markets that guarantee
extremely high reliability in radiation-intense environments while delivering
10 to 1,000 times the usable processing power of currently available
space-qualified SBCs.
The new Super Computer for Space
(SCS) 750 SBC family incorporates the latest IBM PowerPC 750FX
silicon-on-insulator (SOI) processors in a unique triple redundancy
configuration, combined with error-corrected and radiation-shielded memory and
additional advanced radiation mitigation design methods.
The SCS750
has been engineered to perform complex data processing, digital imaging and
broadband transmission functions aboard satellites and military aircraft.
According to industry sources, the current market for rad-hard SBCs targeting
space and military applications is estimated to be approximately US$ 150
million annually.
Telenor
Launches "Sealink"
Suite of Communications Services for Global Maritime Industry
(3 October 2002)
Telenor Satellite Services has announced the global availability of "Sealink,"
the company's suite of digital high-speed communications solutions that extend
corporate networks and make other broadband communications available on a
leased basis to ships at sea.
Sealink provides turn-key
managed communications solutions for a wide variety of maritime industries
including ferry and cruise lines, drilling, energy exploration, and scientific
research projects, as well as ocean-going transportation and supply
operations.
Sealink provides totally integrated system solutions where
Telenor takes responsibility of all elements including equipment, space segment
for C and Ku band, gateway functions, installation, and operation and
maintenance of each system. All communications are delivered through Telenor's
gateways and earth stations in Europe and the United States.
Sealink
combines Telenor's former Norsat Sealink service with the C band services of
Telenor's US-based business that together provide essential communications at
sea to more than 230 vessels globally. By using resources of both the Intelsat
and Thor satellite systems, Sealink provides complete data, video, Internet,
and voice shipboard communications that are always available at a fixed price.
Sealink communications solution via satellite are based on proven technology
that has been developed for more than 10 years to satisfy today's maritime
requirements for modern and reliable business communications.
Sealink's "always on" and "always available" ship-to-shore satellite services
offer simultaneous multiple phone, fax, and data access at speeds up to 2 Mb/s.
Sealink provides two satellite communications technologies, C band and Ku band.
Both are ideally suited for a myriad of business and entertainment
communications including TV and radio reception; Internet access; video
conferencing; large volume data communications; and crew, client, and passenger
telephone calls.
Telenor
Satellite Services
Announces Next Generation Inmarsat High-Speed Data Communications Service
(2 October 2002)
Telenor Satellite Services has announced that it will be among the first to
offer Inmarsat's new Regional Broadband Global Area Network (Regional BGAN),
due for launch by the end of this year.
Regional BGAN
offers reliable, 24-hour a day Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity at data
speeds of up to 144 kb/s via a secure channel. The service will be available in
Europe, Asia, and northern and central Africa.
The service will afford
enterprise customers, governments, global and regional businesses, as well as
educational facilities the ability to securely extend their corporate networks
and access the Internet, via satellite, regardless of the local communications
infrastructure.
Unlike other services that charge a per minute
connection fee, Telenor's Regional BGAN requires the user to pay for only the
data sent and received. Regional BGAN offers the additional benefit of using
notebook-sized, highly portable satellite IP modems.
Connexion by Boeing Names Wyse Director of Deployment and
Installation
(3
October 2002) Connexion by Boeing has announced that Beverly Wyse, 40, has been
named director of the newly formed Deployment and Installation organisation. In
her new role Wyse will lead a team responsible for the planning and
implementation of the Connexion by Boeing service on aircraft, production
incorporation and installation design procurement decisions.
Wyse previously served as the director of Program Management
for the Boeing 757 aircraft program within Boeing Commercial Airplanes, to
which she was appointed in 2000. In that capacity, she was responsible for all
aspects of business operations, program and project management and delivery of
customer commitments. Previously she served as senior manager for the Boeing
twin-aisle aircraft programs.
Wyse received a Bachelor of Science
degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington.
Michael E Wetmore Named Director, Shuttle Processing at KSC
(30 September 2002)
Michael E Wetmore has been appointed director of the Shuttle Processing
organisation at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), effective Nov 3, 2002.
In this position, Wetmore will be responsible for the
management and oversight of Space Shuttle processing and launch operations at
KSC. He has been the deputy director of Shuttle Processing since 1999.
Wetmore earned a bachelor degree in mechanical engineering from the US Naval
Academy, Annapolis in 1980. He served seven years in the United States Navy as
a nuclear trained submarine officer, including six strategic deterrent
patrols.
In 1987, he began his career at NASA as a Shuttle
environmental control and life support system engineer. Wetmore has excelled in
a variety of positions which include Shuttle fuel cells/power reactant storage
and distribution engineer, resources management lead for the Space Shuttle
Launch and Landing Projects Office, manager, Space Shuttle Launch and Landing
Projects Office, and deputy to the director, Process Integration. He has also
served one year at NASA headquarters as the chief of the Space Shuttle
Resources and Program Evaluation Branch, responsible for the administration of
the budgets for the Space Shuttle, Expendable Launch Vehicle, and Payload
Carriers programs.
Wetmore received a master’s degree in business
administration from Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne in
1989.
