13 April 2003
Satcoms
I-Spatial Selects SGI to Deliver Broadband Media Services Across
India
Level 3
Teams with PanAmSat to Enhance Global Delivery of Satellite Services
Second EMS DVB-RCS
Hub Delivered to Loral for SkyReach
State Wireless Orders
SkyFrames' Highly-Secure Satellite Broadband Connectivity System
Earth
Observation
Alcatel to Provide Eumetsat with New Weather Satellite
Harris to Upgrade
NOAA's Initial Joint Polar-Orbiting Operational System
Space Imaging Establishes New
Brazilian Sales Channel
Science
NASA Rovers to Examine Two Intriguing Sites on Mars
Swales Aerospace to
Build Five Explorer Mission Satellites
Manned
Space
First European Node for the International Space Station Passed
Acceptance Review
Northrop Grumman, Orbital Sciences Join Forces to Refine
Requirements For Orbital Space Plane
Technology
AS&T
Successfully Completes Compression Experiments In World's Largest Pulse Power
Machine
ESA
and NASDA Complete Successful Data Relay Tests Between Artemis and Adeos
II
Launch
Services
Arianespace
Wins Two Indian Launch Contracts
Astrotech Space Operations
Awarded New Contract
ILS Signs New Contract with Eutelsat for Proton
Launch
Launches
Milstar 2 F4
Galaxy XII, Insat
3A
AsiaSat
4
Launch
Schedule
Business
Elbit Systems and AeroAstro to Develop Space Systems and
Components
News Corporation to Acquire 34% Of Hughes Electronics
Norsat Completes US$ 2
Million Financing Agreement
Products and Services
Chelton
HGA-7000 Receives Inmarsat Approval
EMS Technologies Receives
First Type Approval For Inmarsat Swift-64 MPDS
Envivio Announces H.264 Live
Solution
Intelsat and SmartJog Team Up to Provide Digital Video Solutions
to Media Companies
Scalable Network Technologies Unveils QualNet 3.6 Software
Vyvx Launches New
Broadcast Customer Solution
I-Spatial Selects SGI to Deliver Broadband Media Services Across
India
(10 April
2003) I-Spatial Communications Pvt Ltd has selected SGI as the prime contractor
to set up the television head-end infrastructure for a convergence delivery
network (CDN) for about 50,000 subscribers in the first year. This project will
roll out in phases, over the next twelve months, beginning with six SGI Origin
300 servers scheduled to be installed by the end of July 2003, and will
eventually cover seven cities in India.
I-Spatial
Communications is a telecom and media solutions company based in Bangalore,
India, and in the process of setting up CDN services for the first time. The
company intends to provide broadband value-added services like video-on-demand,
near video-on-demand, Internet access, and satellite television
transmission.
For the first implementation phase of the project, the
solution architecture will be built around six SGI Origin 300 servers with
Kasenna MediaBase XMP for video delivery. Complete responsibility for
integration responsibility has been awarded to SGI. I-Spatial does not intend
to restrict itself to delivery capabilities over wire line only. Over and above
POTS (plain old telephone services), I-Spatial has the technology to adapt to
wireless-GSM, CDMA, CDMA 1.x and Wi-Fi. Every service-be it, video/audio
conferencing, surveillance services, IP VPN, global roaming Internet access,
digital video, or satellite radio-will be available in whatever device the
customer chooses.
Level
3 Teams with PanAmSat
to Enhance Global Delivery of Satellite Services
(8 April 2003) Level 3 Communications Inc and PanAmSat
Corporation have announced an agreement that will enable PanAmSat to optimise
the delivery of entertainment content and information to cable broadcasters,
network television affiliates, news agencies, ISPs and other customers around
the globe. This system leverages the power of both fibre and satellite and is
available through PanAmSat's global network.
As part of
the design of this hybrid network, PanAmSat is using (3)Packet ATM
(Asynchronous Transfer Mode), a data communications protocol, and (3)CrossRoads
Internet access services from Level 3 in several US markets. (3)Packet ATM is a
layer 2 wide-area networking (WAN) service that enables PanAmSat to securely
and reliably exchange video and data traffic with its customers over Level 3's
Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network. (3)CrossRoads is a wholesale
Internet access service that connects PanAmSat's network to Level 3 and to the
other networks that comprise the Internet.
This design allows PanAmSat
to transition to virtual teleports that will enable PanAmSat to connect and
consolidate its six existing US teleports. In addition, it allows PanAmSat's
customers to access these teleport hubs via Level 3's distance-insensitive
network with local points of presence (POPs) in over 70 cities in the US and
Europe. This new approach eliminates the need to use a satellite to gain access
to this new hybrid network.
(3)Packet is a data transport service that
offers Ethernet, ATM and Frame Relay access into Level 3's managed wide area
network with industry leading class and quality of service levels. Customers
can purchase (3)Packet in any of Level 3's markets in the US and Europe.
As part of this agreement, Level 3 and PanAmSat have also signed a Market
Support Agreement to collaborate in the further development and promotion of
PanAmSat's hybrid network initiatives.
Second
EMS DVB-RCS Hub
Delivered to Loral for SkyReach
(8 April 2003) EMS Satellite Networks has delivered a
DVB-RCS hub to Loral Skynet. This is the second EMS DVB-RCS hub to be procured
by Skynet.
Skynet will be using both hubs to deliver
their new SkyReach services, an IP-based suite of products that offers global
service for secure private networks and high-speed Internet access. The two
hubs will be used over several transponders on its Telstar 6 and Telstar 12
satellites to provide SkyReach services to Europe, North America and South
America. These two hubs will be followed by several others in support of Loral
Skynet's world-wide deployment of the SkyReach service.
EMS's DVB-RCS
product and technology solutions enable two-way broadband access for a wide
range of networking applications. These applications range from Internet access
and simple web browsing, to more sophisticated virtual private networks,
videoconferencing and voice-over-IP, and for cable head-end solutions. EMS's
DVB-RCS solutions are the only multiple-access solutions capable of delivering
data transfer rates of up to 45 Mb/s for downloads and up to 2 Mb/s for uploads
at each remote terminal, which is enough bandwidth to support anything from a
small business to an entire community from a single remote terminal.
State
Wireless Orders
SkyFrames' Highly-Secure Satellite Broadband Connectivity System
(9 April 2003)
SkyFrames Inc has received a 15 site order from State Wireless to introduce and
provide high-speed, highly secured satellite Broadband connectivity to its
customers in the Iowa and Midwest region.
SkyFrames will
provide equipment to Value Added Resellers such as State Wireless and Channel
Partners that will expand product-offering availability to rural communities
and corporate customers. State Wireless and SkyFrames plan to help communities
across North America and globally that do not have adequate broadband access at
reasonable pricing.
The State Wireless commitment represents an
initial order of approximately a US$ 100,000, with an estimated ongoing revenue
of US$ 10,000 per month.
Alcatel to Provide Eumetsat with New Weather Satellite
(8 April 2003) Eumetsat has
chosen Alcatel Space to provide its fourth Meteosat Second Generation (MSG)
satellite, MSG-4. Alcatel Space will manufacture the MSG-4 satellite for 135
million Euros.
The program, which is worth 391 million Euros,
was kicked off on April 1st and the on-ground delivery is scheduled in
2007.
MSG-4 is the fourth new-generation satellite developed by
Alcatel Space, leading a consortium of European manufacturers. It will be
identical to its predecessors, including the first in the series, MSG-1,
launched on August 28, 2002. MSG-4 will ensure the long-term viability of
Europe's satellite weather forecasting system.
Harris to Upgrade NOAA's Initial Joint Polar-Orbiting
Operational System
(7 April 2003) Harris Corporation has been awarded a
US$ 3.2 million contract by Integral Systems Inc to support the design,
development, integration and testing of the Initial Joint Polar-orbiting
Operational System (IJPS).
Under terms of the contract,
Harris Technical Services Corporation's (HTSC) Omaha, Nebraska operation will
be responsible for the program. The program provides for the upgrade and
augmentation of the current National Environmental Satellite, Data, and
Information Service (NESDIS) Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite
(POES) ground system located at the Satellite Operations Control Center (SOCC)
in Suitland, Maryland, and at the Command and Data Acquisition Stations (CDAS)
in Fairbanks, Alaska, and Wallops Island, Virginia.
The purpose of the
IJPS CSU (CDA and SOCC Upgrade) program is to facilitate the NESDIS POES ground
system's support of future POES satellites, as well as the European
Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT)
Meteorological Operational (MetOp) series of satellites, which are scheduled to
be launched beginning in 2005. Under the IJPS agreement, NOAA and EUMETSAT will
share resources in a co-operative venture beneficial to both parties and to the
world's meteorological community.
Space
Imaging Establishes New
Brazilian Sales Channel
(9 April 2003) Space Imaging has restructured its
regional sales channel in Brazil, signing contracts with four Brazilian
companies - Engesat, GisPlan, Infostrata and Threetek. This is the first formal
step toward the establishment of a Space Imaging Regional Affiliate in Brazil
that will manage the collection and distribution of imagery and products from
Space Imaging's Ikonos satellite. By refocusing it sales and marketing efforts
on four strong distributors, Space Imaging will eliminate internal competition,
and communicate more clearly with its customers across Brazil.
Engesat (www.engesat.com.br) supplies Ikonos imagery to a
variety of clients, including state and municipal governments. GisPlan
(www.gisplan.com.br) is a highly skilled cartographic services company that
works closely with federal government and military customers. Infostrata
(www.vistaaerea.com.br) brings solid experience in imagery-based Internet and
Intranet application development, and has extensive knowledge in mining,
transportation, and infrastructure. Threetek (www.threetek.com.br) is Brazil's
leader in the development of imagery applications for the oil and gas
industry.
Space Imaging's Brazilian subsidiary, Space Imaging do
Brasil, is working to establish a Brazilian Regional Affiliate that will
operate a Regional Operations Center (ROC) that is capable of tasking the
Ikonos satellite, processing imagery, and distributing imagery products in
Brazil, via the existing sales channel.
In addition to Brazil, Space
Imaging's South American resellers are located in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile,
Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. Regional Affiliates are currently
located in Seoul, Korea (Space Imaging Asia), Tokyo, Japan (Japan Space
Imaging), Bangkok, Thailand (Space Imaging Southeast Asia), Munich, Germany
(European Space Imaging), Ankara, Turkey (Space Imaging Eurasia) and Dubai,
United Arab Emirates (Space Imaging Middle East).
NASA
Rovers to Examine Two
Intriguing Sites on Mars
(11 April 2003) NASA has chosen two scientifically
compelling landing sites for twin robotic rovers to explore on the surface of
Mars early next year. The two sites are a giant crater that appears to have
once held a lake, and a broad outcropping of a mineral that usually forms in
the presence of liquid water.
Each Mars Exploration
Rover (MER) will examine its landing site for geological evidence of past
liquid water activity and past environmental conditions hospitable to life.
The first rover, scheduled for launch May 30, will be targeted to land at
Gusev Crater, 15 degrees south of Mars' equator. The second, scheduled to
launch June 25, will be targeted to land at Meridiani Planum, an area with
deposits of an iron oxide mineral (gray hematite) about two degrees south of
the equator and halfway around the planet from Gusev.
Which rover is
targeted to a specific site is still considered tentative, while further
analyses and simulations are conducted. NASA can change the order as late as
approximately one month after the launch of the first rover. The first mission
will parachute to an airbag-cushioned landing on January 4, 2004, and the
second on Jananuary 25, 2004.
Images and measurements from two NASA
spacecraft orbiting Mars provided scientists and engineers, evaluating
potential landing sites, with details of candidate site topography,
composition, rockiness and geological context.
MER site selection
began with identifying all areas on Mars that fit a set of engineering-driven
requirements. To qualify, candidate sites had to be near the equator, low in
elevation, not too steep, not too rocky and not too dusty, among other
criteria; 155 potential sites were studied. A series of public meetings
evaluated the merits of potential landing sites. More than 100 Mars scientists
participated in the meetings.
Once they reach their landing sites,
each rover's prime mission will last at least 90 Martian days (92 Earth days).
The rovers are solar-powered, and in approximately 90 days, dust accumulating
on the solar arrays likely will be diminishing the power supply.
Swales Aerospace to Build Five Explorer Mission Satellites
(7 April 2003) Swales
Aerospace has been selected by the NASA to build five satellites in support of
its next Medium-Class Explorer Mission. Named THEMIS - for Time History of
Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms - the 2007 mission is
expected to provide answers to critical questions about the magnetosphere area
and related space weather.
The University of California,
Berkeley (UCB), will lead THEMIS at a total mission cost to NASA of US$ 173
million.
As prime contractor for the satellites and satellite
dispensers, Swales Aerospace will also perform mission integration, lead
satellite launch operations and satellite checkout. THEMIS design activity is
scheduled to begin next month with a Preliminary Design Review tentatively
scheduled for August of this year.
THEMIS consists of five small
satellites carrying identical suites of electric, magnetic, and particle
detectors which will be used to determine the cause of global reconfigurations
of the earth's magnetosphere, a region of the upper atmosphere that extends for
thousands of miles. Every four days the five satellites will be lined up along
the Earth's magnetic trail allowing them to track disturbances. This data will
be combined with observations of the aurora-a luminous phenomenon of streamers
or arches of lights in the upper atmosphere-with other data collected by a
network of observatories across the Arctic Circle.
Each of the five
THEMIS satellites will incorporate flight-proven instruments and subsystems
designed to lower cost and increase systems reliability. Launch of the THEMIS
mission is projected on aboard a Delta II rocket in the year 2007.
THEMIS is a complementary program to NASA's Magnetosphere Multistage program
and considered a technology pathfinder for future Solar Terrestrial Probe
missions, a Sun Earth Connection theme of NASA's Office of Space Science and
managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
First
European Node for the
International Space Station Passed Acceptance Review
(8 April 2003) Node 2 will be formally
delivered to the European Space Agency by ASI, the Italian Space Agency in
mid-May 2003. Last week the first activity related to that delivery, the
Acceptance Review, was successfully conducted at the Alenia Spazio facility in
Turin, with the participation of ESA, ASI and NASA.
The
nodes are elements interconnecting laboratory and habitation modules of the
International Space Station. When completed, the Station will have three nodes.
Node 1, called Unity, has already been developed and manufactured by US
industry under a NASA contract and was launched in December 1998. It connects
the Russian Zarya module with the American Laboratory Destiny. Nodes 2 and 3
are being made in Europe for NASA under a barter agreement using European
know-how and technology.
Node 2 will connect the US Laboratory
Destiny, the European Columbus Laboratory, the Centrifuge Accommodation Module,
and the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo. It also will be the attachment point
for the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), the Japanese H II Transfer
Vehicle and it will carry a docking adapter for the US Space Shuttle. It will
control and distribute resources throughout these Station elements and provide
support to the crew and experiments, and will also provide a working base point
for the Space Station Remote Manipulator System.
Nodes 2 and 3 are
being supplied under a barter agreement between ESA and NASA, signed on 8
October 1997 in Turin. According to this agreement ESA will provide two nodes,
additional high-technology laboratory equipment and services to NASA. In return
the US Space Shuttle will ferry the European Columbus Laboratory module to the
Space Station on a launch currently planned for October 2004.
Under
these arrangements ESA entrusted ASI with responsibility for management,
development and manufacture of the two nodes, which are being built under the
prime contractorship of Alenia Spazio in Turin, leading a consortium of
European industrial companies.
This enabled Europe to take full
advantage of the experience gained by Italian industry through the development
of the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) and synergies between the MPLM,
nodes 2 and 3, and the European Columbus Laboratory module, which all use the
same structural concept, developed by Alenia Spazio for all these
contracts.
The construction of Node 2 is presently under finalisation
in Turin. Following the Acceptance Review, a Transportation Readiness Review
will be held in May, as a result of the successful completion of that review,
the Node 2 will be flown to the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, USA, in an
Airbus Beluga heavy lift vehicle. Following post transportation inspection, the
Italian Space Agency will formally hand over Node 2 to ESA who in turn will
hand it over to NASA, which according to the terms of the barter agreement,
will then become the final owner of this ISS element.
Northrop
Grumman, Orbital
Sciences Join Forces to Refine Requirements For Orbital Space Plane
(8 April 2003) Northrop
Grumman Corporation's Integrated Systems sector and Orbital Sciences
Corporation have been awarded separate, 16-month study contracts by NASA's
Marshall Space Flight Center to help refine requirements and operational
concepts for NASA's proposed Orbital Space Plane (OSP). Totalling approximately
US$ 45 million, the contracts will allow the companies to address, in a
co-ordinated fashion, NASA requirements that the OSP provide a crew rescue
capability for the International Space Station (ISS) by 2010 and a two-way crew
transport capability by 2012.
Under the new contracts,
Northrop and Orbital will work together to help validate NASA's Level 1 OSP
requirements and prepare more in-depth cost and performance requirements for
the OSP space transportation system. Orbital will also focus on design options
for the OSP spacecraft, interfaces to the ISS and OSP flight operations.
Northrop Grumman, serving as the system integrator, will consider options for
the overall OSP space transportation architecture, with emphasis on the launch
vehicle and OSP ground support operations. NASA expects to launch the OSP
spacecraft initially on a heavy-lift version of an evolved expendable launch
vehicle (EELV) such as a Delta IV or Atlas V rocket.
The new contracts
call for Orbital and Northrop Grumman to collaborate with NASA in developing a
set of Level 2 requirements for the OSP. These requirements, which provide more
detailed cost, performance and reliability guidelines for the OSP, do not
specify or advocate a preferred OSP system concept. Rather, they become the
baseline OSP requirements for all contractors competing to develop and build
the OSP. A System Requirements Review to validate the Level 2 requirements is
scheduled for late 2003.
Northrop Grumman and Orbital will also define
detailed requirements for a specific, system-level OSP space transportation
concept. These so-called Level 3 requirements will be presented by the
contractors during an OSP System Design Review planned for early 2004. NASA
expects to hold a competition to select a contractor team to design, produce,
integrate and test the OSP space transportation system later in
2004.
AS&T Successfully Completes Compression Experiments In World's
Largest Pulse Power Machine
(24 March 2003) Andrews Space & Technology
(AS&T) has successfully demonstrated the fundamental operating principles
of a propulsion system that could dramatically affect interplanetary space
travel, shortening round trips to Mars from two years to six months and making
future trips to Jupiter and back a two-year affair.
AS&T tested the Company's Mini-Mag Orion propulsion concept by completing
two magnetic compression technology experiments in the world's largest pulse
power machine under a NASA Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR)
contract. In co-operation with Sandia National Laboratories and the University
of Washington's Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics, AS&T
successfully verified the process of compressing solid matter to high densities
in an electromagnetic field. A space propulsion system using the same processes
would have the same thrust as the Space Shuttle Main Engine, but be fifty (50)
times more efficient.
The Mini-Mag Orion system, short for Miniature
Magnetic Orion, is a scaled down but more efficient version of the 1958 Orion
interplanetary propulsion concept. The original Orion concept proposed the use
of nuclear explosives ejected behind a spacecraft to propel it to other
planets. The Mini-Mag Orion design compresses small pellets containing a few
grams of simulated fissile material to beyond their supercritical point using a
magnetic field. The explosion, equivalent to five tons of TNT (several orders
of magnitude smaller than a traditional nuclear bomb), creates plasma that is
directed by a magnetic nozzle to generate vehicle thrust. This highly efficient
form of nuclear propulsion can produce enough thrust at high efficiency
(specific impulse) to dramatically reduce the time required to travel between
planets.
Two experiments were conducted using Sandia National
Laboratories' Z-Pinch Machine, which is the world's largest operational pulse
power machine, to demonstrate the process of compressing a simulated fissile
material in a magnetic field.
The experiment validated the physical
process behind the MMO concept, substantiating MMO's potential of enabling
shorter interplanetary trip time for near-term space travel.
ESA and
NASDA Complete
Successful Data Relay Tests Between Artemis and Adeos II
(7 April 2003) ESA and
NASDA, the Japanese space agency, have agreed to co-operate on a data relay
service between ESA's Artemis geostationary spacecraft and Nasda's Adeos II in
low earth orbit, using ESA's ground station in Redu, Belgium.
In this framework, ESA and NASDA performed a series of tests
from 27 to 29 March to demonstrate the system's performance and the operational
links between the Adeos II team in Tsukuba, Japan, and the Artemis Mission
Control Facility in Redu, Belgium.
Two types of test have been carried
out:
ESA and NASDA concluded that the tests had
been successful. Full compatibility and interoperability between Artemis and
Adeos II had been demonstrated. The system is now ready to provide the S and Ka
band data relay service.
Prior to these tests ESA and NASDA had
performed a series of experiments independently: NASDA has confirmed the good
performance of data relay links between Adeos II and the Japanese Data Relay
satellite DRTS and ESA had demonstrated the data relay link between Artemis and
Envisat.
Arianespace Wins Two Indian Launch Contracts
(9 April 2003)
Following this weeks successful Ariane 5 mission that placed Insat 3A into
orbit, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Arianespace have
signed launch contracts for two more payloads: the Insat 4A and 4B
spacecraft.
Designed, built and integrated by ISRO, the
Insat 4A and Insat 4B satellites will each weigh about 3,200 kg at lift-off.
Insat 4A and Insat 4B are dedicated to telecommunications, with 12 Ku band and
12 C band transponders each. Their coverage zone is the Indian
sub-continent.
Astrotech Space Operations Awarded New Contract
(10 April 2003)
Spacehab's Astrotech Space Operations subsidiary has been awarded a new
contract by NASA/Kennedy Space Center to provide payload processing support
services at its Titusville, Florida facility for two NASA-scientific payloads
scheduled for launch in 2004.
Previously serving
primarily the commercial space sector, Astrotech will be supporting NASA in the
processing of the NASA MESSENGER and Deep Impact spacecraft. These four-meter
class spacecraft will be processed in Astrotech's Florida facility. The
missions are scheduled for launch in March 2004 and December 2004 onboard
Boeing Delta II launch vehicles from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
(CCAFS).
Launch processing preparations have just been completed for
the Asiasat-4 spacecraft, built by Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS), and launched
this week (on April 11) on an Atlas IIIB launch vehicle from CCAFS. After
reaching its final orbit, the spacecraft will provide broadcast,
telecommunications, and broadband multimedia services to the Asia Pacific
region and direct-to-home broadcast services to Hong Kong.
Astrotech
is also supporting the processing of the HellasSat spacecraft, built by
Astrium. Owned by the HellasSat Consortium, a joint Greek-Cypriot venture, this
spacecraft is the first commercial satellite owned by a Greek company. One of
the primary missions of the new satellite is to provide broadcast coverage for
the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. The spacecraft will be launched on the
second Atlas V in early May 2003.
Astrotech recently completed
processing support for two missions at its Vandenberg Air Force Base facilities
in California, the tandem ICESat/CHIPSat mission for NASA, and the US Air Force
Coriolis spacecraft under contract to Spectrum Astro. Astrotech has already
secured one contract for satellite processing support at Vandenberg during the
next twelve months, with active contract opportunities for at least two
additional government missions during this period.
ILS Signs New Contract with Eutelsat for Proton Launch
(10 April 2003)
International Launch Services (ILS) and Eutelsat have signed a contract for
launching the W3A satellite on a Proton rocket.
The W3A
launch is planned for late 2003 using the powerful Proton M/Breeze M
configuration. The satellite is an Astrium Eurostar 3000 model, similar to
several already scheduled for launch on Proton vehicles.
Milstar 2
F4
Launched: 7 April 2003
Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Launcher: Titan 4B
Orbit: GEO
International Number: 2003-012A
Name: Milstar 2 F4
Owner: US Air Force
Contractor: Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Missiles
& Space Operations
Milstar 2 F4 is a US military communications
satellite. It is the last Milstar 2 satellite.
Milstar 2 F4 is the
fourth to carry the Medium Data Rate (MDR) payload. Built by Boeing Satellite
Systems the MDR payload has 32 channels, which can process data at speeds up to
1.5 Mb/s. Increased data rates can be used for applications such as
distribution of air tasking orders and targeting updates to the military
forces.
The spacecraft also features the Low Data Rate (LDR) payload,
built by Northrop Grumman Space Technology (formerly TRW Space and
Electronics). Northrop Grumman also supplies MDR antennas and the MDR digital
processor to Boeing. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company is the prime
contractor and lead systems integrator for Milstar and the Titan IVB/Centaur
launch vehicle.
Of the four operational Milstar satellites encircling
the Earth, two are of the first-generation Block I design, launched in 1994 and
1995. In the post-Cold War era, the system graduated to a new Block II design
and the Air Force transitioned to the Block II configuration with the first
successful launch of the Milstar II satellite in February 2001. The Block II
system offers a variety of enhanced communications features for the US
military, including added security through the use of specially designed
antennas and faster data-rate transmissions for all users.
Galaxy XII, Insat 3A
Launched: 9 April 2003
Site: CSG Kourou, French Guiana
Launcher: Ariane
5G
International Number: 2003-013A
Orbit: GEO 93.5° E
Name: Insat 3A
Owner: ISRO
Contractor: ISRO
International
Number: 2003-013A
Orbit: GEO 74° W
Name: Galaxy XII
Owner:
PanAmSat
Contractor: Orbital Sciences Corporation
Insat 3A is a
multipurpose satellite. Weighing 2950 kg at launch, it carries:
Galaxy XII is a commercial communications satellite. It is based on Orbital's Star-2 bus. It has a launch mass of 1760 kg and a design life of 15 years.
AsiaSat
4
Launched: 11 April 2003
Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Launcher: Atlas 3B
Orbit: GEO, 122° E
International Number: 2003-014A
Name: AsiaSat
4
Owner: Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co Ltd (AsiaSat)
Contractor:
Boeing Satellite Systems
AsiaSat 4 is a commercial communications
satellite. It is based on the Boeing 601HP bus and had a separation mass of
4,042 kg, It carries 28 C band and 20 Ku band transponders and has a 15 year
design life. AsiaSat 4's pan-Asian C band footprint will cover more than 40
countries and regions spanning from New Zealand to the Middle East. Its Ku band
coverage will consist of two high-power focused beams for East Asia and
Australasia, as well as a new BSS (Broadcast Satellite Service) payload for
Direct-to-Home (DTH) services in Hong Kong and the adjacent South China
region.
AsiaSat 4 is designed to provide advanced satellite services
including DTH television, broadband and IP solutions, and telecommunications
services such as private networks for business and rural telephony in the Asia
Pacific.
Elbit
Systems and AeroAstro
to Develop Space Systems and Components
(8 April 2003) Elbit Systems Ltd's
subsidiary, Elop Electro-Optics Industries Ltd has entered into a teaming
agreement with AeroAstro Inc for the development of advanced micro and nano
space systems and components, with a special focus on remote sensing and
optical systems.
With the teaming agreement between the
two companies in place, an equity investment by Elbit Systems for a minority
share of AeroAstro is anticipated to be concluded as soon as regulatory
authority is obtained.
News
Corporation to Acquire
34% Of Hughes Electronics
(9 April 2003) News Corporation, General Motors and
Hughes Electronics have reached a definitive agreement in which News Corp.
would acquire GM's 19.9% stake in Hughes and a further 14.1% of Hughes from
public shareholders and GM's pension and other benefit plans. At closing, News
Corp.'s 34% ownership interest will be transferred to Fox Entertainment Group
Inc, an 80.6%-owned News Corp subsidiary, in exchange for a US$ 4.5 billion
promissory note and approximately 74.2 million shares in Fox at US$ 27.99 per
share, increasing News Corp's equity interest in FEG to approximately 82%.
Following completion of the acquisition, which is subject to
regulatory approvals, a tax ruling, and GM stockholder approval, News Corp
Chairman and Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch will become Chairman of Hughes,
while News Corp's former Co-Chief Operating Officer, Chase Carey, will be
President and Chief Executive Officer of Hughes. Hughes' Corporate Senior
Executive Vice President Eddy Hartenstein will be Vice Chairman and report to
Mr Carey.
The businesses contained in Hughes include leading satellite
broadcaster DirecTV, which has more than 11 million subscribers in the United
States; an 81% equity holding in satellite operator PanAmSat; and Hughes
Network Systems, the world's leading provider of broadband satellite network
solutions.
Presently, the public shareholders as well as GM's pension
and other benefit plans own all of General Motors' Class H Common Stock (GMH),
representing 80.1% of the economic interest in Hughes Electronics. GM retains
19.9% of the economic interest in Hughes. Under the proposed transaction, a
"split-off" will occur in which shareholders exchange GMH tracking stock for
shares of Hughes.
News Corp will simultaneously acquire GM's 19.9%
interest for US$ 3.8 billion, or US$ 14 a share. At News Corp's election, US$
768 million of the consideration may be paid to GM in News Corp preferred
limited voting ordinary ADRs (NWS.A). News Corp will acquire through a merger
an additional 14.1% of Hughes from other shareholders for US$ 14 a share
payable, at News Corp's election, in cash or News Corp preferred ADRs. At a
value of US$ 22.40 per ADR, News Corp would issue 34.3 million News Corp
preferred ADRs to GM and 122.2 million News Corp preferred ADRs to the public
shareholders and the GM pension and other benefit plans.
The number of
News Corp preferred ADRs payable to GM and Hughes shareholders will adjust
within a collar range of 20% above or below the News Corp preferred ADR price
of US$ 22.40. The number of Fox shares payable to News Corp will not be subject
to adjustment based on the Fox or News Corp share price.
As part of
the acquisition, News Corp and DirecTV have agreed to abide by FCC program
access regulations, for as long as those regulations are in place and for as
long as News Corp and Fox hold an interest in DirecTV, as if News Corp and its
subsidiaries were vertically integrated programming vendors. Specifically, News
Corp will continue to make all of its national and regional programming
available to all multi-channel distributors on a non-exclusive basis and on
non-discriminatory prices, terms and conditions. Neither News Corp nor DirecTV
will discriminate against unaffiliated programming services with respect to the
price, terms or conditions of carriage on the DirecTV platform.
The
transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including approval by a
majority of each class of GM shareholders - GM US$ 1-2/3 and GM Class H -
voting both separately as distinct classes, and also together as a single
class. The proposed transaction is also subject to regulatory clearance under
the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and approval by the Federal Communications
Commission. The transaction is also contingent upon the receipt of a favourable
ruling from the Internal Revenue Service that the separation of Hughes from GM
will qualify as a tax-free spin-off for US Federal Income Tax purposes. The
transaction is expected to close by the end of calendar 2003, or at the latest
during the first quarter of calendar 2004.
Hughes' 11-member board
will consist of Mr Murdoch, Mr Carey, News Corp and Fox Entertainment Group
President and Chief Operating Officer Peter Chernin, News Corp and Fox
Entertainment Group Chief Financial Officer David DeVoe, Mr Hartenstein and six
independent directors, including Neil Austrian, former President and COO of the
National Football League; James Cornelius, Chairman of Guidant Corp; Charles
Lee, Chairman of Verizon Communications Inc; Peter Lund, former President and
CEO of CBS; and John Thornton, Co-President of Goldman Sachs.
Today's
agreement further stipulates that News Corp and Fox may not acquire additional
Hughes shares for one year after the transaction closes. In addition, News Corp
and Fox cannot exceed 50% ownership unless they gain the approval of a majority
of the Hughes' board of directors, tender for 100% of Hughes, or a third party
tenders for 25% or more of the shares.
The agreement terminates if the
transaction is not consummated within one year. A termination fee of up to US$
300 million will be payable to News Corp if the transaction fails to close
under certain circumstances. GM is entitled to a US$ 150 million termination
fee if the agreement terminates due to a significant decline in the price of
News Corp's preferred ADRs.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc and JP Morgan
Securities Inc have acted as financial advisers to News Corporation in
connection with this transaction.
Norsat Completes US$ 2 Million Financing Agreement
(8 April 2003) Norsat
International Inc has completed a financing agreement worth US$ 2,000,000. The
Company issued 2,000,000 units at a price of US$ 1.00. Each unit consisted of
one common share and one share purchase warrant. The warrants expire after
three years, and entitle the holder to purchase one common share for US$
1.00.
Proceeds from the financing will be used to
support the Norsat OmniLink business.
Chelton HGA-7000 Receives Inmarsat Approval
(7 April 2003) Chelton
has announced that the HGA-7000 High Gain Satcom Antenna system received Full
Access Approval from Inmarsat. This follows Inmarsat’s prior approval for
On-Air Testing. The Inmarsat approval covers all satcom services requiring a
High Gain Antenna, including classic Aero-H/H+ and the new Swift64 High-Speed
Data service.
The HGA-7000 uses next-generation
phased-array technology and sophisticated electronic steering to minimise size
and weight, while eliminating any moving parts for increased reliability.
The Chelton HGA-7000 High Gain Antenna System consists of a number of
standard and optional subsystem components. The standard system consists of the
HGA-7000 High Gain Antenna, DAU-7050 Diplexer/Low Noise Amplifier, and the
BSU-7100 Beam Steering Unit. The standard system fully supports ARINC 741
compatible Aero-H/H+ and Swift64 HSD Satcom systems.
Installation of
the optional SRU-7200 Satcom Reference provides for full-stand alone operation
of the satcom system. The HGA-7000 is the only High Gain Antenna system to
offer this feature, increasing installation and operational flexibility and
allowing integration across a wider range of aircraft types.
EMS
Technologies Receives
First Type Approval For Inmarsat Swift-64 MPDS
(9 April 2003) EMS Technologies has received
Inmarsat Type Approval of its HSD-128 High Speed Data Terminal for Inmarsat's
Swift-64 Mobile Packet Data Services (MPDS). This is the first MPDS Type
Approval of any aeronautical high-speed data terminal granted by Inmarsat.
As part of the approval process, the HSD-128 system was
installed on a Challenger CL-604 aircraft with an existing ARINC 741 satcom
system, and interfaced to the onboard server. The MPDS connection was
successfully maintained from taxiing to landing during the course of the
one-hour test flight.
Envivio Announces H.264 Live Solution
(7 April 2003) Envivio Inc has announced its
H.264 live solution to cost-effectively deliver live broadcast-quality video
over satellite, cable, and telecommunications networks. The Envivio solution
offers a significant improvement in coding efficiency compared to other
compression standards such as MPEG-2.
H.264 Advanced
Video Coding (AVC) is the new codec developed by the MPEG ISO and ITU-T groups.
Envivio has been instrumental in developing the H.264 standard to improve
compression efficiency, and will deliver H.264 throughout its product line.
In independent lab tests, H.264 showed a 50 to 60 percent improvement in
bit rate reduction, making it much more cost effective to deliver live
broadcast quality over satellite, cable, and telecommunications networks.
To transition customers into the H.264 standard, Envivio is offering a
'Getting Started' H.264 Preview Program for its VOD version of the H.264
solution. As part of the program, customers receive an Envivio H.264 encoding
station appliance, a 90-day evaluation license of Envivio Encoding Station, and
an unlimited license of EnvivioTV that supports AVC decode. In addition,
customers get free upgrades to the final released product. Envivio also
provides a transition program for customers deployed with MPEG-4 Advanced
Simple Profile to H.264.
Intelsat and SmartJog Team Up to Provide Digital Video Solutions
to Media Companies
(7 April 2003) Intelsat is working with SmartJog, a
global content distribution service provider, to provide digital
store-and-forward delivery of video content over satellite to customers.
Broadcasters and content owners in North America and Asia are able to use this
service to distribute content to broadcasters and pay-TV platforms in the
Asia-Pacific Region.
By combining SmartJog's digitised
content with capacity on the Intelsat 701 satellite located at 180º E, the
companies will offer a solution capable of replacing manual content delivery,
saving broadcasters and distributors a significant amount of time and money by
eliminating the need to ship video tapes through the mail.
This "click
and deliver" solution utilises a secure network to preclude tape piracy while
ensuring file integrity and allowing customers to track the digital delivery of
their content in real time. Sending the content digitally also allows
broadcasters and distributors to access rights availability and meta-data
(electronic tags that specify and identify content), significantly reducing
time spent on content searches and editing.
Scalable
Network Technologies
Unveils QualNet 3.6 Software
(11 April 2003) Scalable Network Technologies (SNT),
the developers of QualNet software, announced today that version 3.6 is now
available for download. QualNet Developer 3.6 is the latest release of SNT's
fast simulation software for communication networks. There are three
significant additions to the model library: Cellular GSM, Detailed Satellite,
and IEEE 802.11a.
In addition to nine new models added
to the QualNet library, QualNet Developer 3.6 includes a number of functional
improvements. QualNet Developer's code editor and assisted code development
tools have been greatly enhanced, and threaded traffic file formats are now
supported.
Founded in 1999 and based in Los Angeles, California,
Scalable Network Technologies is a developer of high-speed, high fidelity
network simulation software for the predictive management of wired, wireless,
and mixed network technologies. SNT's QualNet software brings new levels of
detail, productivity and accuracy to network modelling. QualNet accommodates
large-scale networks, produces results in real-time, and executes on parallel
processors.
Vyvx Launches New Broadcast Customer Solution
(7 April 2003)Vyvx is
to launch a new broadcast transport solution for its customers and expanding
its digital advertising delivery network.
Responding to
its customers' needs, Vyvx is expanding its teleport capabilities via the Vyvx
Virtual Teleport Service to eight key markets. Virtual Teleport
points-of-presence in Baltimore, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Houston, Kansas City,
San Francisco, and Washington DC, will give broadcasters and station groups in
those cities connectivity for uplink and downlink services at Vyvx's physical
teleports with the added benefit of no additional occasional fibre-optic
transmission fees.
Vyvx continues to expand its advertising
distribution network to connect nearly 800 television stations and more than 50
post-production houses to the US WilTel fibre-optic network, as well as
satellite capacity. This hybrid network provides customers with superior speed,
quality, and reliability and enables Vyvx to remain an industry leader in
advertising distribution, with more than 3 million spot advertisements, movie
trailers and other non-live media distributions annually.
