12 January 2003
Satcoms
Eastsat Granted License for Orbital Slots
Globecomm Systems Awarded US$ 5.3
Million in Infrastructure Contracts
ITU Partnership to Provide Satellite Services for
Disaster Management
Kingston inmedia Secures New Playout Contract for Zone Vision
Nera Signs NOK 125
Million Broadband Satellite Contract
Sirius Conducts First-Ever Live Broadcast of Video Over
Satellite Radio System
STMicroelectronics Confirms Advantages of 8PSK Turbo Code
Technology
Technology
ISTAR
Programme Successfully Tests Full-Scale Hypersonic Engine
Thruster
Launch
Services
Arianespace
Flight 157 Inquiry Board Submits Findings
Launches
Coriolis
Launch Schedule
Business
American Tower Announces Verestar Initiatives and Sale of MTN
Andrew Corporation
Finalises Renewal of US$ 160 Million Credit Agreement
ATK Acquires Composite
Optics
Products and Services
Digital Angel Unveils Miniaturised GPS Systems
KVH Introduces Ultra-low Profile
Antenna
StarBand
to Launch Professional-Strength 480 Pro Satellite Modem
Eastsat Granted License for Orbital Slots
(7 January 2003)
Eastsat Services Inc (ESI), a satellite media entertainment company, has been
granted the 164° and 116° East orbital slots license by the
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the Korean Ministry of
Communications (MIC).
The Eastsat satellite orbital
slots will incorporate the usage of high power, C band, Ku band, Ka band and L
band frequency ranges. This next generation satellite occupying these slots
will be utilised for Direct-to-Home (DTH) ad-hoc video, broadband data,
on-demand services and Voice over IP communication. The location permits
coverage of land areas with 50% of the world's population in the Asia Pacific
rim vicinity and can also cover and be accessed from Hawaii and the west coast
of the United States.
Globecomm Systems Awarded US$ 5.3 Million in Infrastructure
Contracts
(6
January 2003) Globecomm Systems Inc has been awarded two satellite equipment
infrastructure contracts valued at US$ 5.3 million.
The
first contract, awarded from a customer in SE Asia is to provide equipment,
which will be installed at the customer's future state-of-the-art satellite
control facility and primarily used for control of and TV uplinking to the
customer's current and future satellite fleet. The second contract from a major
telecom provider in the United Kingdom is to provide equipment for Internet
infrastructure.
ITU Partnership to Provide Satellite Services for Disaster
Management
(6
January 2003) The s partnering with Inmarsat Limited to help promote rural
telecommunication and support emergency communications in least developed
countries (LDCs). Inmarsat will make a 105,000 Euros financial contribution
towards the purchase of 15 Global Area Network (GAN) satellite terminals in
beneficiary countries.
Inmarsat will participate in
ITU's inclusive, technology-neutral and technology-independent framework for
cost-effective and global deployment of technologies to benefit LDCs
world-wide. ITU will select the beneficiary countries and will contribute an
amount not less than the value of the donated Inmarsat GAN terminals. This
amount will be used to pay for airtime and for other expenses associated with
the execution of the project.
Inmarsat GAN terminals are powered by a
lithium-ion battery and includes a built-in base station that allows up to 12
cordless phones to be connected to form a cordless local phone network. In
addition to the external line, up to 5 handsets can be used simultaneously for
free-of-charge internal calling.
Kingston inmedia Secures New Playout Contract for Zone Vision
(8 January 2003)
Kingston inmedia has won a competitive tender to provide playout and
micro-scheduling services for Zone Vision, the London-based thematic channel
broadcaster and distributor.
As part of the deal, which
consolidates Zone Vision's channels at Kingston inmedia's digital media
facility, Kingston inmedia will provide playout and uplink services for two
additional channels:
Reality TV UK will be part of the Sky
digital platform and Romantica will be cable contribution feed for European
cable head-ends. Zone Vision will also micro-schedule its channels from
Kingston inmedia's digital media facility using Kingston inmedia's remote
scheduling tool, which allows late scheduling changes.
Kingston
inmedia's co-located uplink and playout facility negates the need for expensive
video circuits. From its UK base Kingston inmedia can deliver services to
European satellites, including the BSkyB platform, as well as providing
European cable head end distribution.
Zone Vision already uses
Kingston inmedia's digital media facility to provide playout and up-linking for
European distribution for five of its successful thematic channel brands -
bringing the total number of channels currently scheduled and distributed from
Kingston inmedia to seven.
Nera Signs NOK 125 Million Broadband Satellite Contract
(7 January 2003) Nera
Broadband Satellite has entered into an agreement with Shin Satellite to
deliver gateways for use in the iPSTAR system, offering broadband
communications via satellite. The contract has a value of approximately NOK 125
million (USD 16.6 million). The agreement was signed in December 2002 and is
registered as order intake in 2002.
Through the iPSTAR
system, Shin Sat will supply low cost broadband services in the Asia-Pacific
region. Nera has for several years co-operated with Shin Satellite on
development of this system.
Nera has already delivered many gateways
that are now in operation for Shin Satellite. These gateways are serving
broadband customers throughout the region, including those in Thailand,
Malaysia and India.
The new contract Nera has signed with Shin
Satellite covers 18 gateways. This year the iPSTAR deployment plan calls for
them to be installed in anticipation of the start of commercial operations by
the iPSTAR-1 satellite in early 2004, in target countries throughout Asia,
including Thailand, Vietnam, India, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Australia, New
Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Cambodia.
The
iPSTAR system will deliver high speed Internet services via satellite, at
speeds of 10 Mb/s and 4 Mb/s respectively to and from the user. The system is
unique when compared with similar systems. The second generation of this system
will consist of 92 Ku spot beams, exclusive of video beams. With a data
capacity of more than 35 Gb/s, millions of users in the area are able to use
the system with low priced terminals. Asia is the part of the world where the
number of Internet users is increasing the most, and satellites will be crucial
in the development of this service as ground-based technologies have yet to
make much headway.
The system that Nera is supplying will switch IP
based traffic between low priced satellite terminals and international and
national broadband networks. Delivery of gateways is scheduled for 2003, with
the system becoming operational in 2004.
Sirius Conducts First-Ever Live Broadcast of Video Over
Satellite Radio System
(8 January 2003) Sirius has demonstrated a live video
broadcast over its satellite radio system, becoming the first satellite radio
company to demonstrate video capability.
Sirius
demonstrated a unique application of its satellite technology that could enable
its subscribers to receive video transmissions, in addition to the company's
offering of music, news, sports and entertainment. Today's consumer options for
in-vehicle video are limited to built in VCRs or DVD players.
Currently, Sirius utilises its satellite broadcast technology to transmit 100
digital "streams" of entertainment that include 60 streams of 100%
commercial-free music, and 40 streams of news, sports and entertainment for US$
12.95 per month. Unlike today's radio channels, these digital streams from
Sirius can also carry video signals or other data.
STMicroelectronics Confirms Advantages of 8PSK Turbo Code Technology
(7 January 2003)
STMicroelectronics has successfully operated a live 8PSK turbo-coded satellite
digital TV broadcast during a satellite test in France Telecom Reseaux et
Services Internationaux premises in Rambouillet, France. The demonstration,
which took place on December 5, 2002, was based on ST's STV0499 8PSK Turbo
Coding technology, which increases throughput for advanced satellite broadcast
services up to 50% over today's commercial satellite links.
The demonstration, which featured an actual satellite
connection, highlights STMicroelectronics' collaboration with French satellite
pay-TV operator TPS and Eutelsat, which provided the satellite link (Eurobird 2
at 33° E on a 16.8 MHz bandwidth, using 1/2 transponder). Although
developed for data rates up to 45 Mbaud, the STV0499 used in the demonstration
system ran downstream at 12.2 Mbauds (useful bit rate of 25.2 Mb/s) input. The
system that has been demonstrated provides satellite broadcasters with an
efficient method of increasing throughput over existing satellite
infrastructures and providing new services for their customers.
Addressing all digital satellite TV markets, the STV0499 allows broadcasters to
obtain increased bandwidth through their existing transponders, thereby
allowing them to offer additional services (such as additional standard TV
channels, HDTV or Internet download) or to reduce the dish size by more than
33% with their existing satellite slots.
TPS is a French satellite Pay
TV operator strongly involved from its launch in new technologies like
downloading software in set-top boxes, deploying statistical encoding and
launching the first Hard Disk decoder in France. STMicroelectronics provides
TPS with chips for its subscribers' set-top boxes.
Manufactured in
0.18-micron CMOS technology, the STV0499 includes QPSK, 8PSK and 16QAM mapping
and an integrated Turbo coder/decoder. The 8PSK/16QAM Turbo coding system
increases the bandwidth of advanced satellite transmission by more than 35%
compared to standard commercial transmission with existing satellite
installations. It also supports an increase in bandwidth of up to 50% if 8PSK
transmission is used.
Fully compliant with DVB-S and DirecTV
specifications, the STV0499 is also able to encode and decode 8PSK and 16QAM
with backward compatibility to existing QPSK set-top boxes, smoothing the
transition to higher broadcasting performances. In addition, it offers seamless
connection to ST's industry standard STi55xx (OMEGA) set-top box decoders,
while reducing the system cost. In addition, the STV0499 supports the latest
DiSEqC 2.x technology, allowing bi-directional data transmission between the
set-top box in the house and the dish equipment outside.
ISTAR Programme Successfully Tests Full-Scale Hypersonic Engine
Thruster
(7 January
2003) NASA and the Rocket Based Combined Cycle Consortium, or RBCCC, have taken
an important step in developing a new engine that could revolutionise access to
space and air transportation in the next quarter century.
The consortium has successfully completed the first in a
series of tests of a full-scale rocket thruster - a crucial element of a rocket
based combined cycle engine system. The test, conducted at Aerojet facilities
in Sacramento, California, marked a key milestone in NASA's Integrated System
Test of an Air-breathing Rocket (ISTAR) program.
The ISTAR program
intends, by the end of the decade, to flight-test a self-powered hypersonic
flight vehicle to more than six times the speed of sound, demonstrating all
modes of engine operation. The small, high performance thrusters are intended
to power the engine system demonstrator during the early phase of powered
flight, accelerating the craft to hypersonic speed (approx. 6,040 km/hr). At
that point, the engine switches to pure air-breathing ramjet and scramjet modes
of operation.
The test demonstrated the first successful hot fire of a
thruster using a mix of decomposed peroxide, liquid peroxide and JP-7 jet fuel
to generate combustion. This 90% peroxide "tri-fluid" approach will allow the
thrusters to fit within the engine's extremely tight packaging restraints, yet
deliver high performance.
NASA's development of hypersonics
technologies, including the ISTAR program, is intended to support creation, by
2025, of flight vehicles that will offer safe, routine, affordable space access
and air transportation to any point on the globe in less than two hours.
The consortium team conducted two separate thruster test series on behalf
of the ISTAR program. The team successfully decomposed liquid peroxide in a
platelet catalyst bed to supply hot oxygen to the combustion chamber as an
ignition source.
Data gained from this test series - particularly
regarding reaching 90% efficiency of the catalyst beds - was the first step
needed to establish a start sequence for the full-scale thruster. The platelet
catalyst beds reached 90% efficiency in six-tenths of a second.
Secondly, the team demonstrated tri-fluid combustion, or the stable operation
of decomposed and liquid peroxide and JP-7. The goal of the test was to
establish an ignition start sequence and to characterise the use of liquid
hydrogen peroxide to cool the combustion chamber walls. A reliable start
sequence was established that minimised the start transient - the abrupt and
potentially risky physical motion of the thrusters during ignition - and
resulted in reaching full chamber pressure in less than one second.
The team will conduct longer-duration thruster tests in early 2003.
RBCCC combines the propulsion development skills of the Rocketdyne Propulsion
& Power business of The Boeing Company; the Pratt & Whitney Space
Propulsion business unit of United Technologies Corp; and the Aerojet missile
and space propulsion business unit of GenCorp Inc.
The team was tasked
by the Marshall Center in late 2001 to design and develop the new rocket based
combined cycle engine system.
Arianespace Flight 157 Inquiry Board Submits Findings
(7 January 2003) The
Inquiry Board appointed to investigate the failure of Flight 157 submitted its
report to Arianespace on January 6 2003. The board was named last December 13
to establish the causes of the anomaly during the flight of an Ariane 5 ECA on
the night of December 11-12 2002.
As requested, the
board established the most probable cause for the mission failure, examined
possible consequences for the baseline Ariane 5 launcher version, and
recommended actions to correct the problems that occurred during the Ariane 5
ECA flight.
Arianespace has accepted all the recommendations of the
board, and will prepare an action plan by January 20 to enable a return to
service of the Ariane 5 ECA during the second half of 2003.
A complete
analysis of all measurements recorded during Flight 157 was carried out, along
with a review of documentation concerning production, quality and technical
records for the Ariane 5 ECA, as well as for all Ariane 5 flights to date. Also
reviewed by the board was the work of production and development teams in
Europe.
The board's findings confirm that all preparatory and
countdown operations for Flight 157 went normally, as did the flight sequence
until the separation of the solid boosters.
The report of the Inquiry
Board did identify the occurrence of a leak in the Vulcain 2 nozzle's cooling
circuit during this first flight phase, followed by a critical overheating of
the nozzle - which led to a loss of its integrity.
This resulted in a
major imbalance in the thrust of the Vulcain 2 engine due to the nozzle's
deterioration, leading to a loss of control over the launcher's trajectory.
In conclusion, the most probable cause of the failure of Flight 157 was
the simultaneous occurrence of two aggravating factors:
The board also noted that it would be
difficult to simulate these additional loads during ground tests.
Consequences for the Ariane 5 Baseline:
The designs of nozzles on the
Ariane 5 Baseline's Vulcain 1 engine and the Vulcain 2 engine for Ariane 5 ECA
differ in two main ways:
After reviewing operating data from the
Vulcain 1 engine's 12 successful flights, the Inquiry Board did not identify
any weaknesses concerning the functioning and resistance of its nozzle. The
Inquiry Board nevertheless requested an exhaustive examination of the behaviour
of the Vulcain 1 engine nozzle, including precise modelling to demonstrate the
component's correct behaviour during the flight. These verifications currently
are in progress.
Consequences for Ariane 5 ECA:
The Inquiry Board requested that the following actions be
taken:
Consequences for Rosetta launch:
In view of the specific factors involved in this flight,
Arianespace has decided to create a Review Board to make a decision on Tuesday,
January 14 regarding the mission's launch date.
Coriolis
Launched: 6 January 2003
Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Launcher: Titan 2
Orbit: LEO, apogee: 830 km, perigee: 830 km sun
synchronous
International Number: 2003-001A
Name: Coriolis
Owner:
US Department of Defense and Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Contractor:
Spectrum Astro
Coriolis is a Department of Defense Space Test Program
(SMC/Det12) and Office of Naval Research (ONR) mission to demonstrate remote
sensing of global wind vectors using the Microwave Polarimetric Radiometry
technique, plus risk reduction for the Conical Microwave Imager Sounder (CMIS)
element of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite
System (NPOESS), and to demonstrate more rapid and accurate prediction of
geomagnetic disturbances to orbiting satellites through continuous observation
of solar coronal mass ejections.
Coriolis has a three year design
lifetime.
American Tower Announces Verestar Initiatives and Sale of MTN
(6 January 2003)
American Tower Corporation (ATC) has announced its intention to divest its
wholly-owned subsidiary, Verestar Inc, during 2003, beginning with the sale of
a Verestar subsidiary.
ATC announced the signing of a
letter of intent to sell Maritime Telecommunications Network (MTN), a
subsidiary of Verestar, to MTN's management group and financial partners for
approximately US$ 30 million in cash. The sale of MTN is expected to close by
the end of the first quarter 2003, subject to the completion of definitive
agreements and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The proceeds
from the sale will be used to repay loans as required under the Company's
secured credit facilities. As a result of these activities, the Company has
designated Verestar Inc as discontinued operations for the fourth quarter 2002
and full year 2002, in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles.
During 2003, the Company intends to divest the remaining
portion of Verestar, the financial impact of which, at a minimum, will be the
elimination of approximately US$ 120 million of capital lease obligations.
Pending the terms of the final disposition, American Tower may have additional
financial guarantees of up to US$ 12 million for Verestar contractual
obligations. As of September 30 2002, Verestar had net assets of approximately
US$ 50 million. This amount includes assets of US$ 216 million and liabilities
of US$ 166 million, including the capital lease obligations, which previously
were classified as long term obligations. Throughout the divestiture process,
the Company will have a nominal, if any, commitment to invest additional funds
in Verestar.
Andrew Corporation Finalises Renewal of US$ 160 Million Credit
Agreement
(8
January 2003) Andrew Corporation has completed the renewal of its unsecured
bank credit agreement. The three-year agreement with nine lenders was
oversubscribed and therefore increased by US$ 10 million to the final US$ 160
million level.
The group of lenders is comprised of Bank
of America, N.A. as the Lead Arranger and Administrative Agent; LaSalle Bank
National Association as the Syndication Agent; U.S. Bank National Association
as the Documentation Agent; Harris Trust and Savings Bank, National City Bank,
The Northern Trust Company, Fifth Third Bank, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Ltd.,
and Morgan Stanley Bank.
ATK Acquires Composite Optics
(9 January 2003) ATK (Alliant Techsystems)
has acquired Composite Optics Inc (COI), a leading supplier of advanced
composite products for the space and aerospace markets. Terms of the
transaction were not disclosed.
Headquartered in San
Diego, California, COI has annual sales of approximately US$ 70 million and
approximately 450 employees. The business will remain in San Diego, and will be
integrated with ATK's existing composite structures operations.
COI
composite products include telescope structures, optical benches, mirrors,
instrument housings, satellite structures, and antenna reflectors. They serve
as integral parts on a number of spacecraft, including:
Digital Angel Unveils Miniaturised GPS Systems
(9 January 2003)
Digital Angel Corporation has unveiled the first in a series of new
miniaturised GPS locator products for mobile connectivity to people, pets and
assets.
The new unit is considered an important
development in the emerging market for small, portable devices that provide
wireless, mobile connectivity between people, or between people and their pets
or assets. The device also offers emergency and medical alert features. The
device enables the location of a person, pet or asset to be tracked by
authorised people via GPS mapping software over dial-up or high-speed Internet
connections at a special website, or by simply calling the Digital Angel
AlertCall Center.
The lightweight wearable unit combines a GPS chip
set, modem and antenna in a single device weighing less than 100 g, making it
substantially smaller than the company's current two-piece product. The company
said it is expected to retail for under US$ 300.
The unit incorporates
the GSM/GPRS cellular platform using Wavecom Inc's new WISMO high performance
modem. GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) is the cellular platform
employed by roughly 80 percent of the world's wireless phone carriers including
AT&T Wireless, Cingular wireless and T-Mobile (formerly VoiceStream). Up to
now, the company's GPS systems operated only over the CDMA protocol used by
Verizon and Sprint. Digital Angel Corp distinguishes itself in the field of GPS
technology developers by also providing around-the-clock alert monitoring
backed by the industry's most experienced 24/7 physician-manned response
unit.
The new lightweight units will offer three alert modes
initially: Emergency Alert (subscriber sends alert); WanderAlert (signals when
subscriber has violated pre-set geographical boundaries for use with parole
monitoring or Alzheimer's patients, for example) and Low BatteryAlert (signals
when less 30 minutes of power are left).
KVH Introduces Ultra-low Profile Antenna
(9 January 2003) KVH
Industries has introduced a revolutionary new, ultra-low profile TracVision A5
in-motion satellite TV antenna. The 11.4 cm high TracVision uses phased array
antenna technology to make satellite TV a reality for SUVs, mini-vans, and
luxury automobiles equipped with passenger video entertainment systems.
TracVision will also be expandable in the future to provide access to mobile,
high-speed Internet access via satellite.
TracVision
uses a phased-array design that integrates hundreds of small antenna elements
across a flat surface. By turning this phased array on its azimuth (like a CD
in a CD player) and tilting it slightly, the antenna remains pointed at the
satellite in the southern sky, regardless of vehicle motion. At the same time,
an electronic "lens" bends the satellite signal so that more of the broadcast
energy strikes each individual element. The separate signals from each small
antenna element are then recombined to create a single data stream that
supports multiple receivers and video screens. The system uses an innovative
mechanical structure and a streamlined, rugged external design to create an
eye-catching, appealing look onboard any vehicle. KVH has multiple patents
pending on the next-generation technological and design features incorporated
into this new TracVision system.
KVH anticipates that initial
shipments of the TracVision A5 antenna will begin during the second quarter of
2003.
StarBand to Launch Professional-Strength 480 Pro Satellite
Modem
(9 January
2003) StarBand, America's first consumer high-speed, two-way satellite Internet
provider, has announced the launch of the StarBand 480 Pro, a
professional-strength, network-ready, business-grade satellite modem delivering
faster speeds, instant networking capability and enhanced software embedded on
the modem allowing greater connectivity and software options.
The StarBand 480 Pro provides high performance service with
peak download speeds of more than 1 Mb/s and upload speeds two to three times
faster than current StarBand service.
The StarBand 480 Pro satellite
modem, developed for StarBand by Gilat Satellite Networks, integrates a
four-port Ethernet router enabling instant networking of multiple personal
computers to provide maximum flexibility for networked environments.
With the product software and intelligence now embedded on the satellite modem,
business customers enjoy networked high-speed access over such local area
network (LAN) solutions as - Windows, UNIX, Linux, Macintosh and other Ethernet
platforms.
The StarBand 480 Pro will have a limited roll out to
several hundred customers in the First Quarter of 2003. Full product roll out
will begin in the Second Quarter and will be offered through the StarBand
network of more than 2,300 Direct Dealers located throughout the US, Puerto
Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
