16 February 2003
Satcoms
ND SatCom to Implement Intelsat East Coast Teleport
Old Satellites
May Gain New Voice
Manned
Space
Columbia Disaster Update
Launches
Intelsat 907
Launch Schedule
Business
DirecTV US to Raise Up to US$ 2.95 Billion in Debt
Products and Services
Chelton HGA-7000 Receives On-Air Testing Authorisation from
Inmarsat
KVH TracVision G8 Offers Extended Range and Advanced Design
L Band iP3 Gateway
Platform from Kromos Communications
New KVH Tracphone F55
Tandberg TV and Raytheon
Introduce Compact DSNG Technology
ND
SatCom to Implement
Intelsat East Coast Teleport
(11 February 2003) ND SatCom has been awarded a
contract by Intelsat for a turnkey delivery of five C Band Standard A antenna
systems, one Ku Band Standard C antenna system and all associated equipment for
the Intelsat East Coast Teleport in the US.
ND SatCom
was chosen as prime contractor with responsibility for the complete
installation, integration and testing of the antenna and the RF equipment. The
contract, worth several million Euros, also includes an option for additional
antenna systems for the site.
In July 2002 ND SatCom won a contract to
provide Intelsat with two C Band Standard A antenna systems and all associated
equipment for the Intelsat Earth Station at Fuchsstadt, Germany.
The
East Coast Teleport plays an important role in Intelsat's GlobalConnex
solution, a portfolio of bundled services that combines Intelsat's global
satellite fleet with terrestrial capabilities - including teleport services,
fibre and points of presence at strategic exchange sites.
Old
Satellites May Gain New
Voice
(6 February
2003) European Space Agency (ESA) engineers are proposing a technique to enable
a digital satellite radio service for European drivers - without the need to
launch a single new satellite into orbit. Commercial digital satellite radio is
already a reality in the United States, using a costly set of dedicated
satellites.
The rival American services allow
subscribing drivers to choose between numerous near-CD quality radio channels
without tune-out or static.
Two parallel ESA studies have examined a
lower-cost method of providing in-car Europe-wide satellite radio, along with
supplemental text, pictures and video data. ND Satcom (prime contractor), DLR,
IMST and SES Astra conducted one of the studies while Alcatel Space (prime
contractor), Frauenhofer Gesellschaft, Skygate and SES Astra performed the
other.
It promises to be much cheaper to set up than US satellite
radio, because it requires no new expensive satellite launches. Instead the
proposal is to reuse existing TV satellites nearing the end of their operating
life.
Once in position, 35,000 km away in space, TV satellites will
remain in orbit forever, but their useful life amounts to 15 years or less.
Onboard thrusters must keep each satellite pointed precisely in geostationary
orbit so they stay lined up with fixed-position Earth-based receivers.
However once the thrusters' propellant runs out the satellites drift out of
correct orbit, and are left useless for TV broadcast applications. But further
life can be squeezed from a low-propellant TV satellite switched over to mobile
digital radio broadcasting where precision position control is less
important.
Most thruster propellant is expended correcting satellite
attitude in the north-south direction. But if station-keeping is limited to the
east-west axis then satellite lifetime could be extended by some five
years.
The satellite's position would oscillate across the sky by a
few degrees. But vehicle-mounted digital radio antennas would keep track of the
satellite as it moves, just as they would maintain contact with it as the car
bearing the antenna moves across the landscape.
Satellite reception is
frequently shadowed by trees, rain, or cloud or blocked altogether by
mountains, tunnels or tall buildings. In urban areas the studies indicate that
the signal is blocked an average 30% of the time, maybe for several minutes at
a time.
These reception gaps make real-time broadcasting
impracticable. Instead the service would operate on a cache system – data
files are stored by the receiver for later playback. Sophisticated
interleaving, data coding and large signal margins should enable the useful
data to be reconstructed even when some of the signal has disappeared.
Interleaving is a method whereby the burst of erroneous data arising from
blockages and shadowing will be spread out in time and mixed with correctly
received data bits. And coding data will then enable the receiver to interpret
it in the correct context.
Studies indicate a useful data rate of a
million bits per second per satellite transponder. With each satellite having
several transponders, this makes the system performance comparable or even
superior to US services.
Test reception measurements have been carried
out by both teams monitoring signals from SES Astra satellites.
The
next steps come this year, with plans to design a low-cost fully electronically
steerable antenna as well as develop a suitable gateway transmitter and user
receiver which will serve as a system demonstrator for extended field testing.
An optimised demonstration system will be complete in about two-and-a-half
years leading to a commercial prototype in about five years from
now.
Columbia Disaster Update
(15 February 2003) Two weeks since the Columbia
disaster the accident investigation continues to collect information and
debris, to correlate this and to begin some preliminary analyses which
hopefully will lead to an understanding of why the re-entering shuttle broke up
over Texas just 16 minutes before touch down.
Accident
investigators currently believe that a breach in the thermal protection on the
left wing allowed the plasma sheath that envelops the shuttle during re-entry
to enter the left wing causing damage. The 1700 degree Centigrade plume of
plasma inside the wing progressively disrupted telemetry sensors and may have
damaged the structural components inside the wing to such an extent that it
broke away from the body of the shuttle causing Columbia to tumble and
disintegrate.
Alternatively, although the interior of the wing was
damaged by plasma ingress, this may not have caused the shuttle's demise. The
increased drag on the left hand side of the shuttle resulting from a damaged
wing was causing the on-board flight control system to correct the attitude of
the shuttle as it re-entered. As the drag increased during the re-entry as
damage to the surface or leading edge of the left wing increased the flight
control system may not have been able to compensate, allowing Columbia to begin
twisting and then tumbling leading to an immediate disintegration.
Furthermore, it has been revealed that, one day into the mission on January 17,
a military radar identified a small object separating from the shuttle at about
5 m/s. Initial analysis indicates that no scheduled event during the flight,
for example a water dump, would have caused an object to leave the vicinity of
the shuttle raising concerns that Columbia was hit by a piece of orbital debris
or a small meteor.
Speculation still continues, however, that
Columbia's left wing was damaged by a piece of insulating foam which fell off
the External Tank eighty seconds after lift-off, striking the left wing and
possibly causing damage to the reinforced carbon-carbon insulating structures
on the leading edge of the wing or to the insulating tiles on the underside of
the wing.
Intelsat
907
Launched: 15 February 2003
Site: CSG Kourou, French Guiana
Launcher: Ariane 44L
Orbit: GEO,
27.5° W
International Number: 2003-007A
Name: Intelsat 907
Owner: Intelsat
Contractor: Space Systems/Loral
Intelsat 907 is a
commercial communications satellite owned and operated by Intelsat.
Intelsat 907 is based on Space Systems/Loral's FS 1300 platform. With a lift
off mass of 4768 kg it has a design lifetime of 13 years. Its solar arrays with
a span of 31 m generate 8600 W at end of life.
The Intelsat 907 will
provide capacity for telephony, corporate networks, Internet, video and hybrid
space/terrestrial solutions to customers on its 76 C band and 22 Ku band
transponders (measured in 36 MHz equivalent units). The satellite will provide
high power Ku band spot beam coverage for Western Europe and West Africa and
additional C band capacity to customers in the Americas, Europe and Africa.
The Intelsat 907 satellite will replace the Intelsat 605, which currently
holds the 27.5º W orbital slot but will be moved to a new location at
29.5º W to support additional customer demand also in the Americas, Europe
and Africa.
This was the last launch of the Ariane 4
vehicle.
DirecTV US to Raise Up to US$ 2.95 Billion in Debt
(10 February 2003)
DirecTV Holdings LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes Electronics
Corporation, intends to privately offer up to US$ 1.4 billion principal amount
of senior notes due 2013. DirecTV also intends to arrange US$ 1.55 billion of
new senior secured credit facilities. DirecTV expects to close the senior notes
offering and the new credit facilities by early March 2003.
DirecTV plans to distribute to Hughes the net proceeds from
the sale of the senior notes and the term loan portion of the new senior
secured credit facilities to enable Hughes to repay outstanding indebtedness
under its existing credit facilities, to fund Hughes' business plan through
projected cash flow breakeven and for Hughes' other corporate purposes. Hughes'
existing $1.8 billion senior secured credit facilities will terminate upon such
repayment.
The ten-year senior notes will be unsecured indebtedness
guaranteed on a senior basis by all of DirecTV's domestic subsidiaries. The
senior notes will be sold to qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule
144A, and outside the United States in compliance with Regulation S under the
Securities Act. The senior notes initially will not be registered under the
Securities Act of 1933 or state securities laws and may not be offered or sold
by holders thereof without registration unless an exemption from such
registration is available.
The new senior secured credit facilities
will have a term of five to seven years and will be secured by substantially
all of DirecTV's assets and guaranteed by all of DirecTV's domestic
subsidiaries. It is anticipated that up to US$ 500 million of the facilities
will be undrawn at closing.
Chelton HGA-7000 Receives On-Air Testing Authorisation from
Inmarsat
(12
February 2003) Chelton has received Inmarsat authorisation to immediately begin
controlled On-Air testing of the new HGA-7000 High Gain Satcom antenna. This
follows the evaluation of the interim results of the Aero-H antenna performance
analysis done in conjunction with DFL of Canada.
Testing
will take place at various Aero-H/H+ and Swift-64 HSD equipment manufacturers
around the world. Formal access approval by Inmarsat is expected in March
2003.
The Chelton HGA-7000 is the world’s smallest and lightest
fuselage-mount Aero-H/H+/HSD Satcom antenna. It’s advanced electronically
steered, phased array design incorporates some very novel and patented
techniques to achieve highly optimised performance in such a compact package.
Interface options allow integration across a wide range of aircraft
types.
KVH
TracVision G8 Offers
Extended Range and Advanced Design
(13 February 2003) KVH Industries has introduced the
newest member of its TracVision product line - the TracVision G8. Equipped with
an ultra-efficient 82 cm carbon fibre antenna, fibre optic gyro (FOG)
stabilisation, all housed in a dome more than 35% smaller than other competing
satellite TV antennas, TracVision G8 is the most advanced maritime satellite
television antenna available.
Its integrated Digital
Video Broadcasting (DVB) technology enables TracVision G8 to positively
identify and receive programming from all modern TV satellites. The antenna is
also fully compatible with KVH's TracNet 2.0 Mobile High-speed Internet System,
enabling mariners to enjoy the TV entertainment and Internet information they
desire whether at anchor or underway on open seas.
Thanks to its
unique mechanical architecture, the TracVision G8's powerful antenna is housed
in a dome that is 35% smaller than other systems of similar reception strength.
While compact, the system also has a wide range of motion, enabling the antenna
to track satellites continuously, even when the vessel is travelling in heavy
seas at far northern or southern latitudes where the satellites are very low on
the horizon. To extend the antenna's range, TracVision G8 uses a
next-generation carbon fibre reflector, an extremely efficient design that
results in higher signal strength and greater coverage area. As a result,
vessels can receive satellite TV further offshore and throughout the Caribbean,
which was previously beyond the range of 32" antennas. TracVision G8 can
provide access to programming from all modern satellite services, including the
DirecTV, DISH Network, ExpressVu and DirecTV Latin America services in North
and Latin America, and European services, such as Astra, Hotbird, Hispasat,
Nilesat, Arabsat, Sirius, Optus, and Thor. This combination of advanced
features ensures unsurpassed system performance from a state-of-the-art antenna
that is both lightweight and extremely robust.
To ensure uninterrupted
reception of the satellite TV signal and provide the best possible picture and
sound quality, TracVision G8 uses a state-of- the-art tracking system that
employs KVH FOGs and a built-in GPS tracking subsystem. KVH's FOGs, which have
been used extensively in military satellite communication systems, enable the
TracVision G8 to track to within 0.1 degrees in azimuth and elevation, as well
as provide fully automatic skew control for European linearly polarised
satellites. The TracVision G8 uses its built-in GPS to calculate the precise
azimuth and elevation to the satellite from the vessel's current location,
ensuring the shortest possible satellite acquisition time. TracVision G8 is
also easy to use, with satellite selection carried out via the plain language
Master Control Unit (MCU). The MCU also monitors satellite codes and
frequencies, automatically updating the antenna's satellite library as
needed.
Adding to TracVision G8's versatility is its compatibility
with KVH's TracNet 2.0 Mobile High-speed Internet System. As a result, vessels
equipped with TracVision G8 and TracNet 2.0 can stay connected to the World
Wide Web and e-mail via broadband Internet-via-Satellite services in both
Europe and North America. Users can access news, financial information,
up-to-date weather and nautical charts, corporate networks, and e-mail at
speeds reaching 400 kb/s in North America and 512 kb/s in European
waters.
L
Band iP3 Gateway
Platform from Kromos Communications
(13 February 2003) Kromos Communications Inc has
announced the availability of L band iP3 Gateway platform for shipment. The L
band is the latest iP3 platform developed by Kromos.
This new platform provides many new features over previously introduced 70 MHz
iP3 platform. The company is already shipping 70 MHz iP3 gateway systems. The
iP3 gateway is a two-way satellite IP transport solution for IP data, voice
(VoIP) and video traffic. The iP3 gateway offers unique combination of hardware
and software features to provide highly efficient satellite based
point-to-point, star-hub and hub-less mesh networks.
The L band iP3
Gateway is carrier-grade integrated terminal capable of providing data rates
from 64 kb/s to 15 Mb/s in symmetric as well as asymmetric mode. The L band
system supports IF frequency from 950 to 1700 MHz enabling transmission over
multiple transponders. The pure carrier feature allows easy configuration and
alignment of carriers remotely. Reed Solomon coding has been added to the
system for additional robustness. The product also allows much finer adjustment
of data rates for efficient bandwidth use. Additional plug-in modules such as
loss-less combiners, dividers and a highly stable 10 MHz reference are
available inside the chassis for ease of installation and operation. In
addition, the L band platform supports all 70 MHz features like Routing, IPMax
- TCP acceleration, bandwidth aggregation to aggregate multiple channels into
one large channel, modular architecture for scalability and user friendly
remote monitoring & control functions through SNMP, Web or dial up modem
making iP3 gateway ideal for small or large satellite IP networks.
New
KVH Tracphone F55
(12 February 2003) KVH
Industries has introduced its newest high-powered satellite communications
system: the Tracphone F55. The compact Tracphone F55 uses the new Inmarsat
Fleet service to offer leisure and small commercial vessels outstanding voice
connections world-wide and high-speed data and Internet connections over 90% of
marine cruising routes, shipping lanes, and all of the most popular maritime
regions around the globe.
Tracphone F55 is fully
compatible with the new Fleet service, which was launched with the larger, more
powerful Fleet F77 product in early 2002. High-quality voice and fax
connections are made possible via Fleet's global service coverage. In addition,
Tracphone F55 can switch between two other channels - Mobile Packet Data
Service (MPDS) and mobile Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) - to meet
a variety of communication needs while providing the most cost-effective
options available. These services are provided using Inmarsat's powerful spot
beam technology, which covers all of the most popular maritime areas and 90% of
the world's cruising lanes. Tracphone F55 will also be fully compatible with
Inmarsat's next generation satellites scheduled for launch in 2005.
Designed for short-burst data transmissions, MPDS is perfect for receiving
e-mail, logging onto and working within a company intranet, or browsing the
web. And with its "pay per bit" pricing, users are charged only for the amount
of the data sent and received, not by connection time. As a result, a vessel
can remain connected via e-mail or the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
at no additional cost, making maritime Internet access a far more relaxing
experience. The high-capacity mobile ISDN channel provides a constant data
stream at speeds as fast as 64 kb/s, making it ideal for phone and fax service,
video conferencing, and transmitting large files and images. ISDN usage is
charged on a per-minute basis. Fleet F55, along with Inmarsat's other satellite
communications services, is available directly from KVH Industries.
With its fully stabilised 55 cm antenna and high-impact 66 cm dome, Tracphone
F55 is ideal for smaller vessels and a perfect match for KVH's TracVision G6/6
line of satellite TV systems. The Tracphone F55 package includes the antenna, a
transceiver, and a telephone handset and cradle. The system's transceiver
serves as the hub for all on-line communication via the ship's telephone
networks and fax machines. Connected to an IP router, Tracphone F55 can link
all shipboard computers to on-shore web- based systems, including e-mail and
Internet services.
Tandberg
TV and Raytheon
Introduce Compact DSNG Technology
(13 February 2003) Tandberg Television is to introduce
a state-of-the-art digital satellite newsgathering (DSNG) technology developed
in co-operation with Raytheon and Vocality International, during the NAB
(National Association of Broadcasters) 2003 convention.
The new system is a fully integrated 2U digital flyaway, capable of
bi-directional transmission of audio, video and data feed from a remote
transmission site. It also provides two-way phone, data and IP communications
between the satellite downlink and remote transmit site. Because of the unit's
size and ease of operation, set up is quick and simple, permitting broadcasters
to get on the air faster. NBC News assisted during the development of this
system and is an early adopter, deploying several of the units for its coverage
from the Middle East.
Employing a Tandberg Television E5740 Voyager
DSNG encoder, miniaturised antenna technology from Raytheon, and V100 versatile
multiplexer from Vocality International, the mobile transmission system is
extremely compact and provides real-time broadcast of remote news coverage with
easy integration to uplink terminals. The system supports a bi-directional link
using conventional satellites. Due to recent improvements in video encoding
algorithms and modulators ability to work at low symbol rates, the new DSNG
system can work with smaller satellite dishes and low power amplifiers.
Currently, similar flyaway applications either utilise satellite phones or
IP technology. Transmitting via satellite phone or over IP results in lesser
quality video in a non-real-time transfer - over expensive transmission media.
Tandberg Television's E5740 is a proven MPEG-2 video encoder offering superior
picture quality and low data rate modulation in a compact package.
News crews typically use an MPEG-based system for the main uplink and a
separate transmission chain for the communications channels. The new system
from Tandberg Television, Raytheon and Vocality integrates the majority of
field newsgathering requirements into one unit.
For Raytheon, this
expands the use of its MVSAT (Mobile Very Small Aperture Terminal) product,
which focuses on world-wide coverage with a portable, easy-to-use, broadband,
voice, data, and video capability for the broadcast newsgathering industry.
The digital flyaway system features a patented, miniaturised antenna
technology. Raytheon's MVSAT is the first broadband communications unit that
can be deployed quickly and easily anywhere in the world. Using a fold-up 1.2
meter antenna and a telecom centre the size of a small suitcase, Raytheon's
MVSAT can handle voice, video and data simultaneously at speeds beyond 4 Mb/s.
The 1.2 meter antenna assembles in less than 30 minutes and can transfer
extremely high data rates. The system is transportable and can be easily
carried by one person.
Tandberg Television's E5740 Voyager encoder
combines quality low bit-rate encoding performance with totally flexible
satellite modulation in a fully expandable and upgradable package. It supports
symbol rate modulation and demodulation below 1Msymbol/s.
Vocality
International's V100 range of multiplexers can combine secure telephony
circuits with TCP/IP, ISDN, data and high-quality MPEG audio. The V100 is one
rack unit high and incorporates a link and data port. A compact, two rack unit,
field deployable flyaway package has been made possible by the integration of
V100 functionality, as an option module, within the Tandberg Television E5740
Voyager encoder. This module will debut at NAB2003. The V100 and integrated
module will soon include an integrated IP router.
