7 April 2002
Satcoms
Eutelsat Signs Contract With Alcatel Space for W5 Satellite
SkyStream Networks
Awarded Null Packet Optimisation Patent
Verestar to Use Intelsat Satellite
for High-Speed Maritime Services
Earth
Observation
Boeing Joint
Venture Wins NASA Contract
Navigation
Real-Time GPS Monitoring of Civil Infrastructure
Trimble GPS Keeps
UTStarcom's Wireless Access Network in Sync
Military
Space
Satellite
Communication System Delivered To German Armed Forces
Science
SHOT Selected for Additional NASA Contracts
Manned
Space
Shenzhou 3
Lands Safely
Business
Hispasat and atrexx Sign Co-operation Agreement
Intelsat Ltd to Issue Senior
Notes
Norsat
Announces the Completion of New Financing Agreement
Products and Services
Actel Ships RT54SX72S Rad Hardened FPGA
Celeritek Announces 1 W,
Low-Cost, MMIC Power Amplifier for Ku-Band VSATs
People
Alexander Oudendijk Appointed Senior Vice President Sales
& Marketing of SES Astra
Orbimage Names Gary Adkins Senior Director of Federal and National
Security Sales
Eutelsat Signs Contract With Alcatel Space for W5 Satellite
Eutelsat has signed a contract with Alcatel Space for
the rapid delivery of a new telecommunications satellite to be called W5.
Ready for launch this summer, the new satellite will carry
24 wideband Ku band transponders capable of delivering a full portfolio of
services that include video distribution and contribution links, occasional-use
video and particularly Satellite News Gathering (SNG), as well as Internet
backbone connections. It will provide broad coverage and include two steerable
spotbeams, which can be steered over a broad range of different market zones.
W5 has a minimum lifespan of 12 years a launch mass of three tonnes and 6 watt
on-board power. Options for the satellite's orbital position are currently
being reviewed by Eutelsat.
With the acquisition of W5, Eutelsat's
programme of satellite launches in 2002 increases to five. Two Hot Bird
satellites (6 and 7) will be launched this summer to 13° E to bring
additional capacity to Eutelsat's orbital location for consumer television
broadcasting and raise sparing levels. The satellites they replace will be
repositioned to new locations where they will continue in full commercial
service. The e-Bird satellite will be used for offering capacity optimised for
two-way broadband access while Atlantic Bird 1 will support the recently
launched Atlantic Bird 2 in providing capacity for single-point access in and
between four continents.
SkyStream Networks Awarded Null Packet Optimisation
Patent
SkyStream Networks has announced a new US patent,
providing the company with complete ownership of all intellectual property
associated with its Null Packet Optimization (NPO) technology. The US patent
(6,351,471), entitled "Bandwidth optimization of video program bearing
transport streams," brings SkyStream's number of patents in the field of
high-performance media routing to eight.
NPO is a unique
solution for recovering bandwidth that is invariably wasted in MPEG-2 transport
streams, without affecting the quality of the video and audio content also
carried in those transport streams. This bandwidth, which can range from 2-10%
of the full transport stream rate, represents a bonanza for broadcasters who
can use it to deliver new services without impacting the bandwidth allocation
for their existing digital video and audio services. These services can range
from delivery of Internet based content (local news, weather, traffic,
financial reports), advertiser information, asset distribution and streaming
video to auxiliary data that is used to augment the video/audio programming
carried in the same transport stream. NPO can also be used to the broadcaster's
benefit for inserting other types of auxiliary data related to the video and
audio programs such as program guide and scrambling information, which also
take up additional bandwidth in the transport streams.
Verestar to Use Intelsat Satellite for High-Speed Maritime
Services
Intelsat has signed a three year contract with
Verestar Inc and its subsidiary, Maritime Telecommunications Network (MTN), to
provide high-speed mobile voice and data services to cruise ships.
Specifically, Intelsat's services will be used to support
telephone calls, fax, email, shipboard data operations, video and Internet
applications from ships to land, as well as to support communications between
ships. MTN is the largest supplier of C band capacity to cruise lines and
provides capacity to over 90 ships globally.
Intelsat will supply
high-power, C band capacity on the Intelsat 805 satellite for maritime voice
and data services between Verestar's teleport facility in Holmdel, New Jersey
and cruise ships, primarily sailing in the Caribbean.
Boeing Joint Venture Wins NASA Contract
Resource21 LLC, a Boeing-backed remote-sensing-based
information service venture, has been awarded US$ 5 million by NASA to develop
business and technical plans to support the Landsat Earth-observing missions
that provide significant scientific and agricultural data to government and
industry.
Resource21 provides information products and
services from satellites and other imagery sources. Government and commercial
markets, including the agriculture industry, use the data it provides for such
applications as municipal planning, management of land and natural resources,
and crop evaluation.
The Boeing Co through its business unit Boeing
Space and Communications (S&C) is a major owner of Resource21, with members
BAE Systems, Farmland Industries and the Institute for Technology Development.
In addition, Ball Aerospace (BATC), which is developing the Resource21
satellite, is planning to join the venture.
Resource21 is one of two
companies that will receive US$ 5 million each from NASA to further develop
their proposals over the next nine months of the contract's formulation phase.
After completion of the formulation phase, one company will be selected to
execute the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) implementation phase early
next year, which will include requirements to provide five years of satellite
imagery data.
Working in partnership with NASA and the US Geological
Survey, the Resource21/government team will develop applications for
information products, as well as a new information collection system. In
addition to traditional users of Landsat data.
Real-Time GPS Monitoring of Civil Infrastructure
Trimble
and Condor Earth Technologies Inc will work together to provide real-time
Global Positioning System (GPS)-based systems for monitoring large engineered
structures and natural hazards. The systems are used for monitoring the
structural integrity of dams, bridges, buildings, oil platforms and power
facilities as well as the movement of landslides, volcanoes and other natural
hazards.
Real-time GPS 3D monitoring technology provides
scientists, engineers, facility managers, as well as others tasked with
monitoring structural integrity or natural hazard movement, valuable lead-time
to mitigate potentially hazardous situations. The technology also eliminates
the need for costly, time-intensive data postprocessing.
Condor's 3D
Tracker is a state-of-the-art software package that will use Trimble's survey
grade GPS receivers to compute real-time millimetre-level 3D positions. Data
from GPS receivers located on the target structure is transferred via modem,
wireless radio or network connection to a personal computer which processes the
data in real-time. The 3D positions are reported through an easy-to-understand
graphical-user-interface (GUI) at an office location. The GUI consists of a
series of maps, charts and numerical outputs that provide comprehensive
information for each site monitored.
The Condor system has been
specifically designed for robust performance and continuous operation. Once
configured, the monitoring system runs unattended and requires little
maintenance. The software provides immediate notification by pager, e-mail or
cell phone when motion thresholds are exceeded. Operators can have full remote
control over the system from anywhere in the world. The result is a
cost-effective 3D monitoring solution for a wide range of applications.
Condor's 3D Tracker system has been quickly adopted by some of the largest
utilities, private industry and government agencies in North
America.
Trimble GPS Keeps UTStarcom's Wireless Access Network in Sync
UTStarcom Inc, a leading provider of wireless,
wireline and broadband access equipment, is using Trimble's Global Positioning
System (GPS) timing products in their wireless access network system.
UTStarcom is integrating Trimble's Acutime 2000 GPS smart
antenna in its Personal Access System (PAS) wireless access network to
precisely and economically synchronise voice and data transmissions, and
provide accurate system usage information.
Focused on the exploding
Chinese telecommunications market, UTStarcom has rapidly become a leading
network equipment manufacturer. Implementing a wireless local loop such as the
PAS access network is often more cost effective than extending wirelines to
every business and residence location. Currently, more than 3.0 million
subscribers in Mainland China use UTStarcom's PAS technology to make voice and
data connections every day.
The Acutime 2000 GPS smart antenna is
connected to the system's GPS/Sync/Generator (GSG) to time sync the Radio Port
Controller. The GPS smart antenna decodes the system's time and health messages
for integrity and accuracy. Time synchronisation is critical in order to
provide minimal transmission errors, call duration billing, and network time
usage information.
Trimble's Acutime 2000 GPS smart antenna includes a
receiver, antenna, and power supply, all contained within the unit. Once the
unit is powered up, the Acutime 2000 automatically tracks satellites and
surveys its position to within meters. It then switches to overdetermined time
mode and can generate a pulse-per-second-second (PPS) synchronised to UTC
within 50 nanoseconds (one sigma). The unit outputs a timing packet for each
pulse.
Satellite Communication System Delivered To German Armed
Forces
ND SatCom has begun series production of phase 1 of
the SATCOMBw programme. Following extensive testing by the German Armed Forces
in 2001, the company has delivered the first ground stations due under the
phase. Production is due to be completed by the end of 2002.
In addition to a total of 14 multi-channel and 26
single-channel ground stations, the order includes other services required to
ensure the systems can be deployed successfully. In particular, NDSatCom will
provide training facilities for the Armed Forces' schools, and train operators
on all components.
ND SatCom has been developing phase 1 of the
SATCOMBw satellite communications system for the German Armed Forces since
1999. The new system will offer a complete communications network to link
German forces abroad to the telecommunications system in Germany. The network
comprises mobile and fixed ground stations as well as the network management
facilities needed to control and monitor all system components.
SHOT Selected for Additional NASA Contracts
NASA
has selected Space Hardware Optimization Technology Inc (SHOT), for four Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts - totaling more than US$ 1.3
million - for further development of the company's latest biotechnology
research devices.
NASA's SBIR program office, which
competitively selects proposals for funding, awarded SHOT Phase One contracts
to establish the feasibility and technical merit of two of the company's recent
biotechnology innovations. The contracts are valued at approximately US$ 70,000
each.
This first, an automated (robotic) optical monitor for
high-throughput crystal growth experiments, is expected to have applications in
pharmaceutical research. The other is a system for robotically conducting
multiple simultaneous cell-culturing experiments. Both are ultimately intended
to function within a cassette about the size of a lunchbox which, in its
spaceflight configuration, is then inserted into SHOT's on-orbit bioproccesing
facility. Cell culturing is important to cancer, immunodeficiency and diabetes
research as well as the development of new treatments for neurological diseases
like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Huntington's.
Awards for Phase Two
are based upon the results of Phase One and the scientific and technical merit
of the Phase Two proposal. Approximately 40% of Phase Ones go on to Phase Two -
the principal research & development effort. A greater emphasis also is
placed on evidence of the development of commercial applications for the
technology. The SHOT innovations recently earning Phase Two contracts are known
as Dynacult and Dynascope. Contract values are approximately US$ 600,000
each.
Also intended for use in space in SHOT's on-orbit bioprocessing
facility, Dynacult is a robotic cell-culture bioreactor system.
Tissue
engineering is emerging as one of the most feasible applications of
microgravity in the development of space biomedical products. Research focused
on growth of individual cells into functional three-dimensional aggregates
similar to human tissues requires special culture devices. Using Dynacult in
space, scientists will be able to grow cells and tissues without them falling
to the "bottom" of a vessel. This enables the differentiation of tissues, such
as those needed in transplants, to be developed and observed. Both the
biomedical research community and NASA are actively engaged in maturing this
technology as an eventual alternative source of transplantable tissue.
The second Phase Two contract is for a product called Dynascope - a modular
microscopic observation chamber system for studying specific biological
components in, or interactions between fluids. Ideally suited are materials
like blood, emulsions of liquids that do not mix, suspensions of particles used
in drug delivery and solutions used in making thin films like filter
membranes.
SHOT's system employs a single microscopic slide that can
be observed under a variety of conditions. Rather than maintaining a large
inventory of slides and culturing dishes, researchers can work with a modular
system of components that can be assembled to perform a multitude of
experiments and a variety of applied field research involving motion under a
microscope.
Dynascope will meet requirements of automated microscopy
on the International Space Station. And on Earth, companies and research
laboratories pursuing cell therapy and gene therapy are expected to be most
interested, as are diagnostic firms. Improved techniques for observation of
moving cells, cellular particles, proteins, microcapsules, and fluids in
general, also are commercially important to scientific research areas such as
immunology, physiology, biochemistry and microbiology, as well as medical areas
such as haematology, endocrinology, oncology, infectious diseases and
biotechnology.
Shenzhou 3 Lands Safely
China's Shenzhou 3 unmanned
test capsule landed safely on open grassland in central Inner Mongolia on April
1st. The spacecraft was launched 7 days earlier on March 25th.
With each Shenzhou test flight the Chinese are moving closer
to their goal of manned spaceflight. Shenzhou 3 tested the safety and backup
systems necessary for a safe manned flight, particularly the escape and
emergency life support systems.
More technical details of the Shenzhou
spacecraft have also been released via the Chinese media. Each Shenzhou
spacecraft consists of three modules: an Orbital Module, a Descent Module, and
a Propulsion Module.
The Orbital Module consists of a cabin for the
crew to live and work in and a payload storage area. It is 2.8 m long and has a
diameter of 2.25 m. An access hatch is installed at each end of the module.
Several ancillary systems are installed on the exterior of the module
including: deployable solar arrays, sun sensors, communications antenna and a
docking port.
The Descent Module forms the mid section of the
spacecraft and is where up to three astronauts sit during ascent and re-entry.
It is 2.059 m long with a maximum diameter of 2.5 m. The surface of the Descent
Module is covered by a heat shield made of ablative material. During the
Shenzhou 3 flight, the places of the astronauts were taken by dummies which
were used to measure the physiological effects of the launch and flight on
future astronauts. The Descent Module is designed for a maximum mission
duration of 20 days.
The Propulsion Module carries several rocket
engines as well as storing propellant. It is 2.94 m long with a diameter of 2.8
m. A deployable solar array is mounted on the outside of the module.
The flight also tested the Long March 2F launcher (Changzheng-2F, CZ-2F), a
man-rated upgrade to the Long March 2E. Upgrades include a fault monitoring
system and an escape system. The launch escape system, which consists of an
escape tower and the upper section of the payload fairing, allows astronauts to
escape at any time between fifteen minutes before launch to just before the
payload fairing is jettisoned 160 seconds into flight.
Cosmos 2388
Launched: 1 April 2002
Site: Plesetsk
Cosmodrome, Russia
Launcher: Molnya-M
International Number:
2002-017A
Name: Cosmos 2388
Believed to be a missile early warning
satellite.
Hispasat and atrexx Sign Co-operation Agreement
Spanish
satellite operator Hispasat and telecommunications exchange and consulting
agency atrexx have signed a contract for the marketing of Hispasat's satellite
capacity.
Under the terms of the agreement, Hispasat
co-operates with atrexx to promote the use of Hispasat's space segment
throughout its coverage, in particular the use of "Occasional Use Capacity" -
capacity that is used for hours or days. Such capacity is marketed, sold and
booked directly by atrexx. For any type of other Hispasat capacity atrexx
performs as an agent between Hispasat and the customer.
Intelsat
Ltd to Issue Senior Notes
Intelsat Ltd has announced its intent to issue and
sell its Senior Notes in a private placement under Rule 144A in the United
States and in accordance with Regulation S outside the United States.
The Senior Notes will be senior unsecured obligations of
Intelsat Ltd and will rank equally with any of its other senior unsecured
indebtedness.
It is intended that the net proceeds from the issuance
and sale will be used to repay borrowings under Intelsat Ltd's commercial paper
program and for general corporate purposes.
The notes will not be
registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered
or sold in the United States unless they are registered or unless such sale is
exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act.
Norsat Announces the Completion of New Financing Agreement
Norsat
International Inc has completed a financing agreement worth Cdn$ 3.2 million.
The financing consists of 8% unsecured convertible notes maturing March 31,
2007.
The notes are convertible into common shares at a
price of US$ 1.70. The Company is authorised to force the conversion of the
notes into Norsat common shares if the shares trade above US$ 3.40 for two
consecutive days.5% of the proceeds as well as 50,000 share purchase warrants.
The warrants expire after three years and entitle the holder to purchase
1.70.
Actel Ships RT54SX72S Rad Hardened FPGA
Actel
Corporation has announced qualification and shipment of its single-chip,
"live-at-power-up" 72,000-gate RT54SX72S antifuse field-programmable gate array
(FPGA). Actel also announced the Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSSC) approval
of the RT54SX72S FPGAs.
The company's RTSX-S family is
the industry's first FPGA solution built on a foundation of hardened latches,
which eliminates the need for software-based triple module redundancy (TMR) and
thus maximises the total number of logic gates available to the designer.
Additionally, the RTSX-S devices offer total ionising dose (TID) performance in
excess of 100 Krad; inherent single-event latchup (SEL) immunity;
>63MeV-cm2/mg single-event upset (SEU) performance; and hot-swap compliant
I/Os and cold-sparing capabilities. The RTSX-S family is well suited to
radiation-intensive applications, such as low-Earth orbiting satellites and
deep space probes.
The new device joins Actel's RT54SX32S, shipped in
July 2001, rounding out the RTSX-S family of radiation-tolerant FPGAs
specifically architected to address SEUs in space. Actel's product portfolio
now offers designers a broad range of radiation-tolerant solutions with
densities up to 72,000 typical gates, or 36,000 application-specific integrated
circuit (ASIC) gates.
The RT54SX72S has been fully characterised for
the effects of TID, SEL and SEU. The RTSX-S family's SEU-hardened latch proved
to be impervious to heavy ion upset far beyond the linear energy transfer (LET)
threshold goal of >37MeV-cm2/mg; TID performance tested in excess of 100
Krad; and, consistent with all of Actel's radiation-hardened and
radiation-tolerant devices, the RT54SX72S has tested immune to destructive
heavy ion-induced SEL effects.
Cold sparing allows the designer to
have the device I/Os in a powered state on the system bus while the core of the
device is powered down to conserve power. This functionality is crucial for
flight-critical applications, such as command and data subsystems, where device
failure is not an option. Similarly, hot swapping allows system boards to be
exchanged while systems are running, or "hot." For systems that run
continually, this functionality is beneficial because it allows a board to be
inserted or removed without cumbersome power-down/power-up procedures.
The RTSX-S family ranges in density from 32,000 to 72,000 typical gates (16,000
to 36,000 ASIC gates) and offers system performance in excess of 250 MHz.
Actel's RTSX-S family is the industry's first FPGA solution built on a
foundation of hardened latches, which eliminates the need for TMR. Traditional
FPGAs, which do not use hardened latches, force the user to implement TMR using
software or a large portion of the device's programmable logic. This process of
majority voting, or redundancy, means that two-thirds of the density, or
available logic, is consumed for redundancy and isn't available for the user's
design.
Fully qualified RT54SX72S, MIL-STD 883 Class B and Class
S-equivalent "E flow" production quantities are available now in CQ208 and
CQ256 packages. Software support for the RTSX-S family is provided by Actel's
Libero integrated design environment.
Celeritek Announces 1 W, Low-Cost, MMIC Power Amplifier
for Ku-Band VSATs
Celeritek Inc has announced the availability of a 1 W
power amplifier for transmit subsystem functions in Ku band VSAT applications.
This new power amplifier, model CMM1430-KU, complements the Company's current
MMIC amplifier offerings for applications requiring unconditional stability and
internal matching, providing simple and low-cost VSAT transmit solutions.
The amplifier operates from 13.75 to 14.50 GHz and offers
34.5 dB of linear gain, 32 dBm saturated output power and 50 ohm internal
matching. With Celeritek's own in-house pHEMT high volume foundry, performance
guarantees are offered through on-wafer RF testing and 100% DC testing of the
final assembly. Consistency, quality and low-cost solutions are now available
to design engineers who often have had to deal with inconsistent performance
and high prices of products currently on the market.
The CMM1430-KU is
packaged in a space-efficient flange package designed with a base material of
gold-plated copper/moly composite which offers excellent thermal dissipation.
As an additional benefit to designers and manufacturers alike, reduced circuit
board space and cost is further achieved through minimal external circuitry for
bias and matching offering simplicity in production assembly.
Samples
of the CMM1430-KU and evaluation test fixtures are available from stock.
Celeritek's complete in-house manufacturing capability guarantees quality and
reliability in each step of the production process. Volume quantities of
1,000/month are priced at US$ 35.00 per unit and are available in plastic
trays.
Alexander Oudendijk Appointed Senior Vice President
Sales & Marketing of SES Astra
Alexander Oudendijk has been appointed Senior
Vice President Sales & Marketing of SES Astra, the SES Global company that
operates the Astra satellite system. The appointment takes effect on May 6th,
2002. Alexander Oudendijk will report to Ferdinand Kayser, President and CEO of
SES Astra, and will be a member of the Management Committee of SES Astra.
Alexander Oudendijk joins SES ASTRA from Hughes, where he
held a number of positions since 1995, including European Sales and Marketing
Director for Hughes Olivetti Telecom Ltd, Managing Director of HOT
Telecommunications (Deutschland) GmbH, formally Hughes Olivetti Telekom
Deutschland GmbH (Darmstadt, Germany), and Vice President, Satellite Services
Sales for Hughes Network Systems Europe (HNSE).
Prior to joining
Hughes, Alexander Oudendijk gained extensive professional experience as an
independent Satellite Consultant in Guildford (England) as well as in Senior
Management positions with SPAR/Comstream (Canada), Ericsson-GE Mobile
Communications (Canada), as well as Siemens (both in Germany and in the
Netherlands). Alexander started his professional career as an Associate Expert
with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in Geneva.
Alexander Oudendijk, a Dutch citizen aged 48, holds a BSc and an MSc in
Telecommunications from the University of Delft (Netherlands).
Orbimage Names Gary Adkins Senior Director of Federal and National
Security Sales
An experienced veteran in the remote sensing industry
with a proven track record in federal sales, Mr Adkins has joined Orbimage's
senior marketing staff to lead the company's business development and marketing
pursuits for the sale of its satellite imagery products and value-added
services to the Federal and National Security government sectors.
Prior to joining Orbimage, Mr Adkins held a similar position
as Director of Federal Sales for Space Imaging Corporation. He also held senior
sales and business development positions at Laser-Scan Inc and Geodynamics
Corporation after completing a distinguished 20-year career with the United
States Air Force (USAF) where he held several technical and management
positions related to the use of remote sensing.
