8 December 2002
Satcoms
Connexion by Boeing Extends Relationship with Cable &
Wireless
ESA
Retires ECS-4 Communications Satellite
Kingston inmedia connects Hays to Sri Lanka
Pilot Travel Orders
XATA's Satellite Capabilities
RSCC Selects SkyStream Networks’ Equipment for IP
Multicasting Service
ViaSat LinkStar Broadband VSATs to Upgrade Canada's Largest VSAT
Network
Earth
Observation
Space Imaging Signs Agreement with the Nature
Conservancy
Navigation
Analytical Graphics and Overlook Systems Technologies to Develop
Satellite Navigation Tool
Science
NASA Selects Four Mars Scout Mission Concepts For
Study
Manned
Space
KSC Test Facility Aids Researchers in Pre-flight and Post-Flight
Astronaut Studies
Technology
Norwegian
Sensors for European Spacecraft
Launch
Services
NASA Picks
Delta II to Launch Medium-Class Payloads
ORC Offers Space Rescue for
Stranded Astra 1K
Business
New Skies Satellites Announces Expansion Plans for China
StarMD Files Suit
Against Globalstar USA
Products and Services
ATCi Introduces Next Generation Simulsat C/Ku Multibeam
Globalstar Expands
Product Line for Marine, Vehicle and Data Applications
Intelsat Launches Broadband
Service in Europe
KVH
Introduces Newest TracVision Antennas for RVs and Motorcoaches
People
Samer Salameh joins rStar Corporation
Connexion by Boeing Extends Relationship with Cable &
Wireless
(4
December 2002) Connexion by Boeing has extended its relationship with Cable and
Wireless, enlisting the company to provide professional services including
network and security architecture design support.
Working together with network and security consultants from Cable and Wireless,
the Connexion by Boeing team is augmenting its in-house expertise as the
company prepares to introduce airborne connectivity service to international
travellers in early 2003.
Both Lufthansa and British Airways will
offer a three-month service demonstration to trans-Atlantic passengers starting
in the first quarter of 2003. Japan Airlines, which serves the Asia-to-Europe
flight routes with one of the highest concentrations of technology-savvy
travellers, also will be offering the broadband service on 10 of their
long-range aircraft and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) also has announced
plans to introduce the service for its customers. As a result, international
business travellers will be able to choose from an array of real-time services,
including broadband Internet access, VPN access to corporate intranets, and the
real-time transmission and receipt of data, giving new meaning to the term
"telecommuter."
Leisure passengers also will be able to use their
laptops and web-enabled personal devices to surf the Internet while on board,
check destination weather and travel reports, and have broader access to audio
and video entertainment content. The Connexion by Boeing service also provides
airline operators with in-flight access to aircraft and crew data that can help
to streamline operational efficiencies.
ESA
Retires ECS-4
Communications Satellite
(5 December 2002) One of the first European
Communications Satellites (ECS) to cover the whole European continent is being
put into retirement after 15 years of dedicated service. The ECS-4/Eutelsat
I-F4, was launched in September 1987 and has far outlived its projected
life-span.
In the last 30 years, communications
satellites have revolutionised society, changed the way our economies work
and introduced new dimensions to television and entertainment. ESA pioneered
development of communications
satellites in 1968 and launched an Orbital
Test Satellite (OTS) 10 years later.
The OTS satellite was used for
more than 13 years by ESA and Eutelsat (Europe's organisation for satellite
telecommunications that was created to utilise these satellites) and by
European national telecommunications companies to demonstrate new services,
such as broadcasting to cable feeds and direct-to-home television. Its design
inspired the conception of many subsequent satellites in Europe.
As a
result, between 1983 and 1988 ESA developed and launched five European
Communications Satellites (ECS) for use by Eutelsat (though one of these
satellites, the ECS-3, suffered a launch failure and was destroyed in
1985).
The ECS system anticipated the need for digital transmission
techniques for telephony, allowing for high-speed data traffic. Each ECS
enabled coverage of the whole European continent for cable television,
telephone communications, specialised services and Eurovision transmissions.
The ECS system has accumulated more than 3 million hours of operation.
They were the first telecom satellites for Europe before Eutelsat launched
their own satellites. Eutelsat was transformed in July 2001 from an
intergovernmental organisation into a private company, and is today one of the
world’s satellite operator leaders.
Three satellites of the ECS
family (ECS-1, ECS-2 and ECS-5) have already been decommissioned following over
13, 9 and 12 years of successful operation respectively. The last remaining was
ECS-4. The Control Centre at the Redu (Belgium) ground station has performed a
series of East re-orbiting manoeuvres which have put ECS-4 at an altitude of at
least 414 km above the useful geostationary orbit. All the remaining on board
usable fuel has been used for these operations. The first ECS-4 re-orbiting
manoeuvres took place as scheduled on 26 November and the final command for
graveyard configuration was uplinked at 17:22 UTC on 1st December 2002.
ECS-4 is now being replaced by Eurobird 2 (formerly Hot Bird
5).
Kingston inmedia connects Hays to Sri Lanka
(2 December 2002)
Kingston inmedia has won a contract to provide uplinking, space segment and
hosting services to Hays Commercial Services Ltd to facilitate satellite
connectivity between the UK and Hays' offshore electronic processing operation
in Sri Lanka.
The Kingston inmedia solution will allow
the secure and reliable transfer of confidential information from the UK to Sri
Lanka via satellite to support Hays' data capture services. Through this
expanded infrastructure, Hays will be able to grow the existing 1,000 Hays
staff currently operating business process activities in India, therefore
supporting its Asian business expansion plans.
Hays is a market leader
in records management and Business Process Outsourcing with services ranging
from data storage and on-line data retrieval systems, to scanning, data
processing, billing and Call Centre management. Kingston inmedia is providing
satellite connectivity through it's dual and diversely connected UK teleports,
remote site installation and support through local in-country partners between
Hays' operations in the UK and Sri Lanka.
Hays will also be joining
the Kingston inmedia team in a literal sense, as the contract will allow the
company to base staff at Kingston inmedia's 24 hour, fully supported Network
Operations Centre at Kingston inmedia's co-located Gerrards Cross site. The
Hays team will have access to Kingston inmedia's highly secure data storage
centre and Playout services, Centre K, providing high quality uplink and ground
segment facilities. By doing this Hays can avoid the capital and operational
costs of establishing and running their own teleport, and subsequently transfer
this efficiency and cost-effectiveness onto its customers.
Hays plc
provides a range of specialist and quality business-to-business services 24
hours a day to industrial, commercial and professional customers throughout
Europe. The Group in its four core activities of Commercial Mail Services,
Personnel and Logistics employs around 27,000 people and has a turnover in
excess of £2.4 billion, of which around 35% is outside the UK, mainly in
Continental Europe.
Pilot Travel Orders XATA's Satellite Capabilities
(3 December 2002) XATA
Corporation's new satellite capabilities have been ordered by Pilot Travel
Centers LLC a XATA customer since 1996. Pilot, the USA's largest interstate
travel centre operation, currently operates XATA's OpCenter fleet management
solution at over 60 distribution centres throughout 40 states.
OpCenter is XATA's client-server solution that features the
industry's most comprehensive fleet applications, empowering customers with the
tools necessary to increase productivity, decrease cost and enhance customer
service.
The new satellite offering will complement other wireless
communications while adding power to the applications Pilot already has in use,
including OpCenter's SmartCom and Position Plus-GPS capabilities. Additional
products and capabilities within OpCenter are: DOT driver logs, fuel tax
reporting, automated state line crossings, route planning and analysis, Learned
Standards, Smart Messaging, Smart Check, Yard Express, and more.
XATA's new satellite capabilities were announced in October and are planned for
release in January, at which time Pilot will begin their
implementation.
RSCC Selects SkyStream Networks’ Equipment for IP
Multicasting Service
(2 December 2002) Russian Satellite Communications
Company and SkyStream Networks Inc, represented in Russia by Elogar Co Ltd,
have signed a contract to deploy a DVB datacasting solution and content
delivery platform, based on SkyStream’s networking equipment and content
delivery software.
RSCC’s IP Multicasting service,
based on SkyStream’s Source Media Router (SMR), will be installed at
Shabolovka Technical Center. The SMR offers high-performance, reliable point to
multi-point transmission of IP services over DVB-based satellite networks. The
SMR is designed to fit a broad range of delivery services over satellite such
as high-speed Internet access and multicast content distribution. In addition,
Elogar has installed SkyStream’s zBand Content Delivery Platform at RSCC.
zBand enables RSCC to provide secure and reliable content delivery and
management of any content (eg video on demand, training videos, distribution of
distance learning content, software upgrades or large data files) to their
customers. zBand also enables users to schedule content to be delivered at a
specific time, maximising bandwidth usage.
RSCC has been offering its
new IP Multicast content delivery service based on SkyStream’s products
since October 2002. The service is delivered along with digital video
broadcasting signals. The Express-A1R satellite will be utilised to transmit
programs in digital format to the European area of the Russian
Federation.
ViaSat
LinkStar Broadband
VSATs to Upgrade Canada's Largest VSAT Network
(2 December 2002) ViaSat Inc has been awarded
a contract in excess of US$ 5 million to install a new LinkStar VSAT system to
upgrade communications to more than 800 retail drug stores operated by Shoppers
Drug Mart and Pharmaprix (Quebec).
The contract includes
installation of the new LinkStar terminals, plus ongoing operation and
maintenance of the network by ViaSat's Worldwide Service group.
LinkStar, from the Comsat Laboratories division of ViaSat, will be used to
upgrade a network currently using ViaSat's SkyRelay VSATs. The network will add
the advanced technology of LinkStar, while leveraging the SkyRelay installation
by using existing DVB video broadcast and RF equipment at all network
locations.
LinkStar features the fastest 2-way networking data rate
among the leading TDMA VSAT systems, with return channel speeds from remote
sites of up to 1.1 Mb/s. In addition, the product's Dynamic Bandwidth
Allocation responds to network traffic changes by increasing or decreasing
information rates, ensuring fast data transfer, but also freeing bandwidth for
use by other network locations when less traffic is present. The new system
will upgrade retail operations by providing an efficient broadband IP satellite
network for corporate Internet access, VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) and
point-of-sale and pharmacy applications.
Space
Imaging Signs Agreement
with the Nature Conservancy
(3 December 2002) Space Imaging has signed an
agreement with The Nature Conservancy. Under the terms of the agreement, Space
Imaging will provide discounts on various Ikonos and Indian Remote Sensing
global satellite imagery product suites, taken both from archive and new
imagery collections.
Space Imaging will also provide a
limited number of selected images at no cost. This data will be used to inform
and enhance The Nature Conservancy's conservation plans for managing lands and
protecting biodiversity.
The Nature Conservancy is a leading
international, non-profit organisation that preserves plants, animals and
natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting
the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its
more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more
than 14 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than
83 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. The
Conservancy has 400 offices in 29 countries world-wide.
Analytical Graphics and Overlook Systems Technologies to Develop
Satellite Navigation Tool
(5 December 2002) Analytical Graphics Inc (AGI) and
Overlook Systems Technologies Inc have formed a partnership to develop software
for users of satellite navigation systems such as the Global Positioning System
(GPS). These systems, which provide space-based position, velocity, and time
information, are used by civil, military, commercial, and federal agencies to
determine an object's position on the ground, at sea, in the air, or in
space.
Depending on satellite location and signal
quality, the accuracy available to users changes over time, creating a need
among the navigation community for precise positioning information and
predictive analysis tools. To meet that need, the AGI-Overlook partnership will
build upon the analytical and visualisation capabilities of AGI's Satellite
Tool Kit (STK) to create a product that evaluates past, present, and future
accuracy and availability of GPS and other satellite navigation systems. It
will serve a wide range of needs from system-level analysis and performance
monitoring to tactical-level mission planning and real-time
operations.
NASA
Selects Four Mars Scout
Mission Concepts For Study
(6 December 2002) In the first step of a two-step
process, NASA has selected four proposals for detailed study as candidates for
the 2007 "Scout" mission in the agency's Mars Exploration Program.
NASA's Mars 2007 Scout selection process is the first fully
competed opportunity for scientific missions to the Red Planet.
Following detailed mission-concept studies, due for submission by July 2003,
NASA intends to select one of the mission proposals by August 2 2003, for full
development as the first Mars Scout mission. The mission developed for flight
will be launched in 2007.
The selected proposals were judged to have
the highest science value among 25 proposals submitted to NASA in August 2002
in response to the Mars Scout 2002 Announcement of Opportunity. Each will
receive up to US$ 500,000 to conduct a six-month implementation feasibility
study focused on cost, management and technical plans, including educational
outreach and small business involvement.
The selected mission
concepts, and the Principal Investigators, are:
The Mars Scout competition is designed to
augment or complement, but not duplicate, major missions being planned as part
of NASA's Mars Exploration Program or those under development by foreign space
agencies. The selected Scout science mission must be ready for launch before
December 31 2007, within a total mission cost cap of US$ 325 million.
The Mars Scout Program is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, for the
Office of Space Science, Washington.
KSC
Test Facility Aids
Researchers in Pre-flight and Post-Flight Astronaut Studies
(2 December 2002) Returning
Expedition Five crew members will take part in a series of experiments designed
to help scientists find ways to help astronauts counter the effects of
long-duration space flight on balance, mobility and eye co-ordination.
The studies - which will use an obstacle course, a treadmill and a Revolving
chair - could also lead to better testing methods and treatment for people on
Earth who suffer balance and co-ordination problems because of birth defects,
illness or ageing.
The astronauts who have volunteered for the
experiments will undergo their first post-flight tests in Kennedy Space
Center's Baseline Data Collection Facility (BDCF) before they return to NASA's
Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, where their testing will continue.
Although the human research program is managed at JSC, Kennedy provides
support with the BDCF, an example of the interdependence of NASA Centers and
the "One NASA" concept.
Expedition Five volunteers who spent months
living aboard the International Space Station will begin their testing soon
after Endeavour lands, completing mission STS-113.
Astronauts who
spend months on orbit typically take about 10 days to gradually regain their
balance and co-ordination. While those effects of weightlessness are
uncomfortable on Earth, the discomfort would be greater for longer-term
missions to Mars. It would hinder astronauts and leave them vulnerable after
their landing on Mars.
The BDCF, which is managed by Bionetics,
functions as part of the biological sciences area of KSC's Spaceport Technology
Center Directorate.
Norwegian Sensors for European Spacecraft
(6 December 2002) The Norwegian company
Presens AS has signed an agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) to
develop and qualify a combined pressure and temperature sensor for spacecraft
propulsion systems. This contract is strategically important to both ESA and
Presens as there are currently no European suppliers of high-accuracy pressure
sensors for spacecraft applications.
Today, practically
all pressure sensors found in European spacecraft are supplied by US
manufacturers. This co-operation between Presens and ESA helps ensure the
availability of European technology to the space industry in the future. The
product development project is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter
of 2003.
For Presens, this contract opens an exciting new market for
their unique sensor technology, which provides high-accuracy measurement of
extreme pressure under demanding and unstable environmental conditions. Their
patented sensor technology is, for example, installed in ultra-deep subsea oil
and gas fields world-wide.
NASA
Picks Delta II to
Launch Medium-Class Payloads
(6 December 2002) NASA has chosen the Delta II
expendable launch vehicle, provided by Boeing Launch Services Inc to launch 19
NASA and NASA-sponsored medium-class scientific payloads between 2006 and early
2009.
This is a firm fixed-price launch service task
order awarded under the terms of the current NASA Launch Services contract and
has a value of US$ 1.2 billion, if all options are exercised. The contract
calls for 12 firm launches with options for seven more.
This "19-Pack"
acquisition will maintain an important niche capability in the domestic launch
vehicle medium-performance class while assuring access to space for NASA's
highest priority planetary and earth science spacecraft.
Twelve
launches are planned from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, and
seven are planned from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Seven launches
are scheduled in calendar year 2006, six in calendar year 2007, two in calendar
year 2008, and four in calendar year 2009.
Boeing Launch Services is
one of two NASA Launch services providers.
ORC
Offers Space Rescue for
Stranded Astra 1K
(5 December 2002) Orbital Recovery Corporation has
proposed an ambitious rescue plan for Astra 1K - one of the world's largest
telecommunications satellites - that was stranded in low Earth orbit last week
after its launch vehicle malfunctioned.
The salvage
mission would use Orbital Recovery Corp's new "space tug" - called the Geosynch
Spacecraft Life Extension System (SLESTM) - to boost Astra 1K from its current
290 km. circular orbit to the desired 35,000 km. operational altitude for
telecom satellites.
Orbital Recovery Corp has been in significant
discussions with the stakeholders concerned with the future of the Astra 1K
spacecraft, who have indicated a significant interest in the company's proposed
solution to recover this massive satellite for normal operation.
The
SLES would be launched in approximately 20 months for a rendezvous and docking
with Astra 1K. Once firmly attached to the stranded telecommunications
satellite, the space tug will use its own propulsion system to raise Astra 1K's
altitude and reduce its inclination to the Clarke Belt orbital plane - allowing
the spacecraft to function for up to its original 13-year expected mission
lifetime in geostationary orbit.
Definition work on the SLES has been
completed by Orbital Recovery Corp, which is now creating its industrial team
by seeking competitive bids for spacecraft hardware and systems from
international suppliers. Earlier this month, the company announced its
selection of the DLR German Aerospace Center's robotic technology for the SLES
docking and linkup with telecom satellites in orbit. In October, Aon Space
joined the Orbital Recovery Corp team to provide insurance brokering and risk
management services.
The SLES is a modular spacecraft that can be
adapted to operate with a full range of three-axis telecommunications
satellites - from the small relay platforms to massive 5-metric ton spacecraft
such as Astra 1K. Proven, off-the-shelf hardware will be used in production of
the SLES to keep costs down and ensure high reliability. It will be built
around a main bus that contains the spacecraft control/management systems and
the primary ion propulsion system.
In addition to the rescue of
stranded satellites, the SLES is designed to extend the operating lifetimes of
telecommunications satellites in geostationary orbit that routinely are junked
when their on-board fuel supply runs out. Orbital Recovery Corp has identified
more than 40 spacecraft currently in orbit that are candidates for life
extension using the SLES.
The first SLES mission is targeted for 2004
on the Astra 1K rescue flight, with two more deployments the following year and
three annually beginning in 2006.
MEPSI
Launched: 23 November 2002 (released 2 December 2002)
Site: Kennedy Space
Center, Florida
Launcher: Shuttle Endeavour (STS-113)
Orbit: LEO,
apogee: 226 km, perigee: 226 km: inclination: 51.6°
International
Number: 2002-052B
Name: MEPSI
Owner: DARPA
The MEMS-based
PICOSAT Inspector (MEPSI) is an experimental double satellite with the two
halves attached together by a tether. The satellite pair was released by the
shuttle crew after the shuttle had left the International Space Station to
return to Earth. The MEPSI satellites will remain in space for three days as a
technology demonstration of the launcher assembly and use of micro-and
nano-technolgoies in space systems.
TDRS-J
Launched: 5 December 2002
Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,
Florida
Launcher: Atlas 2AS
Orbit: GEO, 150° W
International
Number: 2002-055A
Name: TDRS J
Owner: NASA
Contractor: Boeing Space
and Communications
TDRS J is a NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite
used to relay data from the International Space Station, NASA's shuttle fleet
and several science satellites.
TDRS J is based on the Boeing 601
platform. It is the third of three satellites being manufactured by Boeing
Space and Communications for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The first
satellite of the latest generation, TDRS-H, was successfully launched on 30
June 2000. The second satellite, TDRS-I, was successfully launched on 8 March
2002.
TDRS-J has a launch mass of 3189 kg and an on-station mass of
1514 kg. Its solar arrays generate 2200 W of electrical power. It has the
following capabilities:
S band Single Access: Two 4.6 m diameter
steerable antennas, used at the 2.0 to 2.3 GHz band, supply robust
communications to user satellites with smaller antennas and receive telemetry
from expendable launch vehicles during launch.
Ku band Single Access:
The same two antennas, operating from 13.7 to 15.0 GHz, provide higher
bandwidth for user satellites, provide high-resolution digital television for
Space Shuttle video communications and can quickly transfer large volumes of
data from tape or solid-state data recorders aboard NASA scientific
spacecraft.
Ka band Single Access: This new higher-frequency service,
operating from 22.5 to 27.5 GHz, increases data rate capabilities to 800 Mb/s
to provide communications with future missions requiring high bandwidths, such
as multi-spectral instruments for Earth science applications.
Multiple
Access: Using a phased-array antenna, operating in the 2.0 to 2.3 GHz range,
the system can receive and relay data simultaneously from five lower data-rate
users, while transmitting commands to a single user.
Upon successful
completion of on-orbit testing, NASA will formally accept ownership of the
spacecraft, renaming it TDRS-10.
New
Skies Satellites
Announces Expansion Plans for China
(3 December 2002) New Skies Satellites NV has opened
an office in Beijing and made senior sales appointments in Beijing and Hong
Kong as part of its expansion strategy for China.
New
Skies has officially opened its first China office in Beijing and announced the
appointment of YangYingmei as chief representative and sales director for
Greater China. May joins New Skies from Cisco Systems where she was a senior
project manager for the China Unicom Operations. May has more than 12 years of
satellite experience, having worked for both Hughes Network Systems and
ChinaSat. During her time at ChinaSat, May worked on the Spacenet 1/ChinaSat 5
project and the Intelsat 805 project. She has a strong background in VSAT
systems having worked on projects throughout China. At Cisco, May's focus was
on large Voice over IP projects.
New Skies also announced the
appointment of Maurice Liu, who will head up New Skies' new office in Hong Kong
as senior sales director for the Asia Pacific region. Maurice joins New Skies
from PanAmSat, where he was a senior sales director for the Greater China and
Southeast Asia territories.
StarMD Files Suit Against Globalstar USA
(6 December 2002)
StarMD LLC has filed a suit in the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas against
Globalstar USA, the San Jose based provider of global satellite
telecommunications services, for breach of contract and wrongful interference
with contractual relations.
StarMD, previously an agent
for Globalstar's global satellite systems, seeks US$ 47 million dollars in
damages.
The complaint alleges Globalstar USA repeatedly refused to
ship hundreds of satellite telephones for which StarMD had found
purchasers.
Jim Carney, StarMD's counsel said: "StarMD was generating
substantial revenue and on track with a program targeted to sell over 10,000
Globalstar phones and service plans in 2003 when Globalstar abruptly stopped
shipping phones to StarMD. All attempts by StarMD principals to reach
Globalstar's president, Tony Navarra, for an explanation have been
unsuccessful."
In a second count, StarMD claims Globalstar USA further
interfered with an agreement between Globalstar LP and StarMD to co-market the
StarMD StarReach System that allows Globalstar customers a low cost way to use
their satellite telephones inside boats, automobiles and buildings.
Globalstar was formed as a partnership between Qualcomm, Loral, Vodaphone and
other major telecommunications companies. Their forty-seven satellites costing
an estimated US$ 4 billion dollars failed to attract sufficient customers and
Globalstar's general partners took the company into voluntary bankruptcy in
February 2002.
Insiders have formulated a plan to re-capitalise
Globalstar which is currently under consideration by creditors and new
investors under the supervision of the Delaware Bankruptcy Court.
StarMD, based in Middleburg, Virginia distributes telecommunications services
to the marine and adventure travel market including satellite telephone sales
and rentals.
ATCi Introduces Next Generation Simulsat C/Ku Multibeam
(4 December 2002)
Antenna Technology Communications Inc (ATCi) has released the Simulsat C/Ku
Precision Series Multibeam, its most modern and technologically advanced
satellite antenna to date. The enhanced version takes the same
parabolic-spherical shape of the legacy Simulsat to the next level with
precision surface accuracy and tolerances that result in improved Ku band and C
band gain, and lower noise levels. Shippability has also been improved.
Simulsat is the world's only true-arc multiple satellite
antenna that is capable of receiving satellite transmissions from 35 or more
satellites concurrently, without adjustment or degradation in performance from
one satellite to the next. For the last 20 years, ATCi has been the world
leader in multibeam technology, and the ATCi proprietary Simulsat multibeam has
provided programming to more than 30 million cable subscribers in the US
market.
Globalstar Expands Product Line for Marine, Vehicle and Data
Applications
(3
December 2002) Globalstar has announced a suite of new products and accessories
aimed principally at users who live, work or travel in extreme environmental
conditions on both land and sea.
The new products, now
available in the US and Canada, are:
Globalstar GSP-2900 ST Fixed
Unit, an updated version of the GSP-2900 that provides use of a Globalstar
phone indoors by incorporating a fixed, weatherproof rod antenna mounted
outside of a maritime vessel or on the exterior of a building, connected to the
indoor phone unit through the use of a 20, 30 or 55-foot cable. The outdoor
antenna can function in harsh environments from -40° C to 80° C.
Globalstar GSP-2900 LP Fixed Unit incorporates the same features as the
GSP-2900 ST, but uses a smaller, much lower-profile antenna, roughly the size
and shape of an inverted teacup. Ideal for installation in tight spaces or in
environments where wind loading is a factor.
Globalstar GCK-1410-M
Vehicle Kit includes a remote vehicle antenna, cabling, and a handset cradle
for use in cars, trucks, ships, and other vehicles. Users simply slip the
Globalstar handset into the cradle and have instant hands-free phone service
without the cost and inconvenience of a second phone unit. This new kit is a
modified version of the GCK-1410 kit, but with a longer 30-, 45- or 80-foot
cable for installation in even the largest vehicles.
Globalstar
GPDK-110 Portable Docking Kit offers users a "vehicle kit in a bag" that goes
anywhere and sets up in minutes to provide convenient use while inside cars,
boats or other vehicles. The kit includes a battery charger, handset cradle,
magnetic antenna (which can be attached, for example, to a metal roof),
hands-free microphone and speaker, and a separate traditional phone handset for
privacy. An optional data serial port connector is also available. Simply slide
a Globalstar handset into the cradle, and the docking station provides complete
communications flexibility. And the kit quickly packs up into a small padded
case for "fixed" communications that is also completely portable.
Globalstar GDC-2100 Fixed Data Cable connects Globalstar fixed units directly
to standard RS-232 modem connectors on PCs and PDAs. Fixed unit users can now
easily access the Internet and private data networks, as well as send e-mail,
over the Globalstar network in either asynchronous or packet data mode.
In addition, Globalstar has introduced several new data adapter kits,
allowing users of mobile Globalstar Qualcomm GSP-1600 phones to connect
directly to USB ports on PCs and Apple computers, as well as to data
synchronising connectors on several popular Palm models.
Intelsat Launches Broadband Service in Europe
(3 December 2002)
Intelsat is now able to provide high-speed, high-quality Internet connections
via satellite in Europe, with its launch of the Intelsat Broadband Service.
Intelsat Broadband Service provides direct Internet access via satellite that
is up to 10 times faster than dial-up, and supports e-mail, web browsing,
e-commerce and e-learning.
The service utilises the
Intelsat 901 satellite located at 342º E, the company's teleport in
Fuchsstadt, Germany and Gilat's SkyStar 360E platform.
Intelsat has
also commissioned and is operating a SkyStar 360E hub in Fuchsstadt. Intelsat
Broadband Service is a turnkey solution, equipping service providers with
network operations centre service, technical and marketing support in addition
to providing the space segment, hub and teleport. Other than standard web based
applications, with supplementary equipment and software, the platform also
supports multicasting, streaming, distance learning, corporate training and VPN
services.
Intelsat Broadband Service is targeted to business users,
including small-office-home-office users (SOHOs), small- and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs), corporations, institutions and organisations. It is offered
to service providers on a wholesale basis, and is then distributed through
in-country and regional service providers to end-users.
Intelsat
expects to expand the service, which is now currently offered in Latin America
and Europe, to other key regions world-wide.
KVH Introduces Newest TracVision Antennas for RVs and
Motorcoaches
(3
December 2002) KVH Industries has introduced the newest members of its
TracVision product line - the in-motion TracVision L2 and the stationary
automatic TracVision S2. These new systems expand on the capabilities of KVH's
TracVision LM and SA systems, offering an enhanced design for easy installation
as well as access to not only DirecTV services but also complete compatibility
with DISH Network, ExpressVu, and multi-satellite services like DISH 500.
TracVision L2 and S2 are vehicle-mounted, low-profile
antennas that deliver satellite television and audio from DirecTV, DISH
Network, and ExpressVu. These satellite services provide hundreds of stations
of high-quality digital programming, including news, sports, weather, and
movies, throughout the continental United States and Canada. In addition, there
are dozens of channels of commercial-free, CD-quality music catering to almost
every taste. TracVision L2 offers full in-motion satellite tracking while
TracVision S2 will automatically find and lock onto the selected satellite when
the vehicle is parked.
The most significant enhancements in the
TracVision L2 and S2 are the antennas' ability to switch from satellite to
satellite as necessary as well as receive signals from both DirecTV and
DVB-compatible satellites. Thanks to their satellite switching ability, the
TracVision L2 and S2 are capable of supporting multi-satellite programming,
such as the popular DISH 500 service, unlike competing antennas, which can only
track a single satellite and require a data connection to the satellite TV
receiver. Users simply push a button to shift the antenna among the available
satellites, providing a level of control and versatility previously unavailable
among baseline satellite TV antennas. In addition to the system capabilities,
TracVision L2 and S2 are equipped with new, more convenient rooftop mounting
hardware and fully connectorised cables for easier, faster
installation.
Samer Salameh joins rStar Corporation
(2 December 2002) rStar Corporation has
announced that Samer Salameh has joined the company as Chief Executive
Officer.
Salameh, 38, most recently served as President
and CEO of Telmex North America Ventures, where he managed a portfolio of
companies. From 1997-2000, he served as Chairman and CEO of Prodigy
Communications Corp. where he led efforts to take the company public in 1999,
grew revenues from US$ 20 million to over US$ 300 million in two years, and
transformed the company into one of the nation's largest consumer DSL Internet
service providers.
The StarBand Latin America business acquired by
rStar currently operates satellite-based rural telephony networks in certain
Latin American countries, as well as high-speed consumer Internet access pilot
networks in certain other countries. rStar expects to work on a wholesale basis
with Latin American ISPs, PTTs and other providers to offer high-speed Internet
access via satellite. Its target customer is the small office/home office and
select consumer market segment in Latin America.
