16 March 2003
Satcoms
ATCi Awarded Distance Learning Teleport Contract
DirecWay Enables Virtual Music
Stores to Revolutionise Retail Music Industry
Intelsat Sharpens Focus on Three
Growing Customer Segments
Mobile Satellite Ventures
Offers New SpaceCom Antenna For Land Mobile, Marine Users
Qualcomm Successfully Tests High
Data Rate Service
Earth
Observation
GSA Selects 3D/I to Manage Construction of NOAA Control Centre
QuickBird Satellite
Imagery Allows Foresters to Discern Individual Trees
SSTL Supplies TerraSAR
Antennas
Manned
Space
Wyle
Laboratories Selected by NASA for Life Sciences Contract
Technology
Surrey
Satellite Achieves Remarkable 19 Years In-Orbit
Launches
DSCS III A3
Launch Schedule
Business
Spacehab Moves Forward After Columbia Disaster
Products and Services
Globalstar Introduces Data Monitoring Service in North America
Space Imaging
Introduces Standard Ortho Satellite Imagery Product Line
People
NASA Names Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Flight
New General
Manager to Head Norsat's OmniLink Business Unit
ATCi Awarded Distance Learning Teleport Contract
(11 March 2003) Antenna
Technology Communications Inc (ATCi) has been awarded a US$ 2.8 million
contract from the Mexican Ministry of Education, (Secretaria de Educacion
Publica (SEP) for Direccion General de Television Educativa), to install the
largest distance learning network in Latin America. ATCi will build a fully
redundant, state-of-the-art teleport in Mexico City for dispersing distance
learning programming to secondary education institutions throughout Latin
America.
The teleport project will be designed and
installed by ATCi to cover over 30,000 remote sites and reach more than 5
million students in the region. ATCi will handle the entire scope of the
project from turn-key design to installation, testing and integration. The
equipment requirements of this fully redundant 16-channel video uplink system
include two 7.3-meter antennas, one 7.6-meter antenna, encoders, as well as
conditional access and monitoring systems. ATCi will handle all equipment
testing and on-site training of personnel to ensure successful teleport
operations. The teleport will allow SEP to both send original programming and
provide universal coverage for video and audio distribution to audiences
throughout the region.
Prior to contracting its own teleport through
ATCi, SEP had outsourced all of its uplink capabilities. This new platform
affords SEP increased flexibility, allowing them to control and the ability to
specialise and handle programming on-site 24/7.
DirecWay Enables Virtual Music Stores to Revolutionise Retail
Music Industry
(12
March 2003) Hughes Network Systems Europe (HNSE) has signed a multi-year
contract with Virtual Music Stores (VMS) for DirecWay broadband satellite
services. VMS will utilise DirecWay to distribute music content to its "On
Demand" manufacturing kiosks situated in retail stores across Europe.
Customers can listen to a vast library of music, including
video samples, and instantly select either chart CDs, with original artwork and
full CD audio quality sound, or create their own CDs from individual tracks.
Custom CDs are made on demand within minutes.
The VMS system allows
retailers to offer a virtually unlimited choice of chart albums, artist
catalogue albums and chart singles, without having to invest in the expense of
fixed stock. Each CD is coded with a UPC label and individually priced, based
on negotiations between the individual retailers and their music supply
companies, and executed on a store-by-store basis.
Broadband, two-way
satellite terminals from HNSE are readily installed at VMS retail store
locations and provide the "always on" link to the DirecWay Network Management
Centre (NMC), where the extensive music library is hosted and from where
selections can be transmitted to any location virtually instantaneously.
DirecWay utilises cost-efficient transmission algorithms to simultaneously
multicast to many locations, or to unicast selectively, allowing stores to be
individually customised. Point-of-sale transaction data, including credit
verification and payment, is transmitted back from each store via the two-way
satellite terminal, providing a fully secure and auditable royalty payment
record for the copyright owners.
VMS has successfully conducted trials
of its unique offering in the UK over the past two years with leading music
retailers, WH Smith, Sainsburys and Tesco. It is currently negotiating
contracts with all the key music supply companies so that it can introduce the
world's first comprehensive digital distribution supply channel to retailers
across the UK.
Intelsat Sharpens Focus on Three Growing Customer Segments
(14 March 2003)
Intelsat has announced the creation of three business units to sharpen its
focus on the data/carrier/Internet, video and government customer segments.
The three new business units, reporting to Ramu Potarazu,
President & Chief Operating Officer, Intelsat Ltd, represent key
opportunities for growth in fixed satellite services and all are sectors in
which Intelsat has a solid market presence. The creation of these business
units will help sharpen the company's marketing and customer service focus on
these segments, and is in alignment with senior management appointments
announced last month.
As President of the Data, Carrier & Internet
business unit, John Stanton will concentrate on the strategic development of
these key Intelsat customers, who comprise the largest customer base. The
business unit will encompass Intelsat's regional sales teams and will focus on
the changing needs of telecommunications companies around the globe. Stanton
and his global team, operating from 12 office locations around the world, will
drive new solutions to current customers as well as those emerging in the
marketplace.
Intelsat Video Solutions, headed by Jon Romm, President,
will streamline all video operations at Intelsat, with the goals of
accelerating response times to broadcasters and other video customers while
continuing to provide them with high-quality customer service. The new Video
Solutions unit is identifying opportunities to grow Intelsat's video business
across all regions around the world and introduce the latest video products and
services to customers. A dedicated Video Operations Center has also been
created to manage all video customer bookings, inquiries and billing.
Intelsat Government Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intelsat USA Sales
Corp. will focus on maintaining and developing government customers located in
North America and Europe. Susan Miller will serve as President of this unit.
Intelsat, which has been providing communications services to governments
world-wide for decades, attributes approximately 10% of its total revenue to
this customer segment. Intelsat Government Solutions will continue to provide
specialised and complete satellite-based solutions - bandwidth, infrastructure
and networking - to government agencies.
As a support to the three new
business units, a centralised Strategy, Business Development and Global
Marketing group, led by Amer Khouri, Vice President of Strategy and Global
Marketing, has been created to drive Intelsat's corporate strategy. By
combining Intelsat's strategy, planning and marketing functions, the group will
drive growth by focusing on new business and product development and all other
elements comprising Intelsat's "go-to-market" strategies.
Mobile
Satellite Ventures
Offers New SpaceCom Antenna For Land Mobile, Marine Users
(12 March 2003) Mobile
Satellite Ventures (MSV) has announced that the 2 and 3 axis SpaceCom antennas
have been approved for use with mobile terminals on the MSV Satellite
Network.
The SpaceCom tracking system is based on a
patented beam-squint technology, which ensures rapid and accurate tracking. The
unit is completely self-contained, needing no input from outside sources to
acquire and track satellites.
SpaceCom, based in Denmark, designs,
develops and manufactures satellite tracking antenna systems for use on mobile
platforms. SpaceCom AS, headquartered in Hobro, Denmark, was founded 15 years
ago and today, is a leading developer of tracking satellite antenna systems
used in the maritime and trucking industries throughout the world. Since its
founding, SpaceCom has produced more than 15,000 maritime and land mobile
antennas for the L-band satellite frequency. The company also designs a variety
of microwave electronics, amplifiers and receiver systems.
Qualcomm Successfully Tests High Data Rate Service
(10 March 2003)
Qualcomm Inc has announced the successful testing of high data rate technology
over its satellite network allowing a peak data transmission rate at up to 200
times the existing rate that Qualcomm customers enjoy today.
Qualcomm's OmniTracs system is a satellite-based mobile
communications and tracking system that provides real-time messaging and
position reporting between fleets and their operations centres. Messages are
sent via satellite through Qualcomm's Network Management Center (NMC) to
dispatch centres throughout the United States. The OmniTracs system is an
interactive, fully integrated information management system that includes
two-way mobile communications, satellite tracking and fleet management
software.
GSA Selects 3D/I to Manage Construction of NOAA Control
Centre
(10 March
2003) The General Services Administration (GSA) has selected 3D/International
Inc (3D/I) to provide construction management services for a US$ 61,198,000
facility to control the world-wide satellite operations and house a
state-of-the-art computer centre for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
3D/I was awarded the contract through
GSA's "best value source selection process" which evaluates technical
qualification factors in addition to price and cost factors. Design was
provided by a joint venture, Morphosis/Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture and
Engineering.
On March 19, there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for
the 208,000-square-foot building. It will be a gateway to the Suitland Federal
Center in Suitland, Maryland. The facility will house the National
Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Services (NESDIS) Satellite
Operations and Data Processing. The building will provide a high-security
environment for US$ 50 million in computer equipment. The computer equipment
will be used to manage and control environmental satellites valued at more than
US$ 3 billion.
The building design consists of a slender, three-story
tower, festooned with futuristic antennae, to house the satellite operations
and computer centre. Beneath the tower is high-tech office space that is topped
with a domed roof. The roof supports a park-like setting of living plants and
is pierced by numerous skylights.
QuickBird Satellite Imagery Allows Foresters to Discern Individual
Trees
(13 March
2003) DigitalGlobe's QuickBird satellite imagery is being used by Canada's
CLC-Camint Inc to identify individual tree crowns in forest areas. With the
ability to delineate and classify tree crowns, forestry professionals will have
a better methodology for generating forest inventories and managing forestry
practices, potentially saving the forestry industry millions of dollars.
Over the past few years, CLC-Camint has validated and is
bringing to the market the Individual Tree Crown (ITC) methodology using
high-resolution space photos. This unique methodology was developed by Dr
Francois A Gougeon, from the Canadian Forest Service (CFS), a well-known
researcher in the international scientific community. Gougeon and CLC-Camint
have worked closely over the past three years to get the most pertinent forest
information out of high-resolution imagery using the ITC methodology.
CLC-Camint uses QuickBird imagery to develop a geographic information system
(GIS)-based, ready-to-use information product called the ITC Forest Cover Map.
Using 60 cm panchromatic and 2.44 m multispectral QuickBird imagery, CLC-Camint
creates a digital information layer depicting each tree crown as a unique
entity, which is further classified by species type, such as fir, white pine,
aspen, birch, spruce, cedar or maple. Yielding a highly precise portrait of the
forest cover, these maps help forestry professionals create accurate
inventories and could be useful for environmental stress assessments, change
detection and wildlife habitat management.
Several forest management
applications will benefit from the ITC Forest Cover Maps, including:
The ITC Forest Cover Map will be valuable to
the forest industry because it will help reduce forest planning costs and
eliminate the need for the costly aerial surveys traditionally used for map
updating.
CLC-Camint purchased its QuickBird imagery through Radarsat
International, DigitalGlobe's sole Canadian reseller of DigitalGlobe
products.
SSTL
Supplies TerraSAR
Antennas
(13 March
2003) SSTL has won a contract from Astrium GmbH to supply two S-band patch
antennas for the TerraSAR mission - these antennas have previously flown on the
GRACE and CHAMP missions.
The contract, valued at just
over 40,000 Euros, has a delivery date of January 2004. TerraSAR is a joint
venture by Astrium and DLR to develop an X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar
observation spacecraft. Weighing 1,023kg, with a ground resolution of
approximately 1.5 metres, the project is being financed by the German
government and will be built by Astrium and operated mainly for commercial
purposes. The spacecraft will be launched on Dnepr in mid-2005.
Wyle Laboratories Selected by NASA for Life Sciences
Contract
(12 March
2003) Wyle Laboratories Inc has been awarded a prime contract by NASA to
provide astronaut-related medical support and operations, flight hardware
development and research services for the Space Shuttle and International Space
Station programs. The award has a potential value of US$ 1 billion and is
expected to last 10 years.
Wyle and its principal
Bioastronautics subcontractor, Lockheed Martin Space Operations, both have
existing contracts supporting NASA's Johnson Space Center. This new award will
combine contracts currently held by Wyle, Lockheed and others.
The
purpose of the Bioastronautics procurement is to establish a long term,
integrated contract for support of the broad range of NASA activities in the
Office of Bioastronautics in the Space and Life Sciences organisation at the
Johnson Space Center.
The Office of Bioastronautics is responsible for
the health and productivity of crews living and working in space, for the
overall excellence of science on human space missions and for the transfer of
new knowledge to practical applications on Earth.
The work includes
fundamental and applied biomedical research; biotechnology development;
operational space medicine; clinical laboratories; behavioural sciences; human
factors engineering; spacecraft environment monitoring and management; space
food laboratory; biomedical engineering; biomedical flight hardware
requirements, design, fabrication, and testing; payload and hardware
integration with Shuttle and the International Space Station; and space flight
operations.
Other members of the successful Wyle-Lockheed team include
Barrios Technology, Inc., Enterprise Advisory Services, Inc. (EASI), Bastion
Technologies, Futron Corporation, the University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston and Muniz Engineering.
Wyle's Life Sciences business unit
has provided life sciences services and flight-related hardware to NASA at
Johnson Space Center since the late 1960s, and the Wyle corporation has
supported the US space program since its inception in the late 1950s.
The company has worked on every significant US space program in the past 40
years. It currently operates under long-term NASA contracts at Kennedy Space
Center in Cape Canaveral, NASA-Ames and at NASA-Langley, as well as Johnson
Space Center in Houston.
Surrey Satellite Achieves Remarkable 19 Years In-Orbit
(13 March 2003)
Surrey's UoSAT-2 microsatellite has clocked up 19 years operating in Earth
orbit. Designed and built by Surrey engineers in just 6 months in response to a
launch opportunity offered by NASA, UoSAT-2 was launched on a Delta rocket from
Vandenberg USA on 01 March 1984.
Weighing 65kg, UoSAT-2
was the first microsatellite to provide modern digital store-and-forward
(email) communications with the use of advanced onboard re-programmable
microprocessors and solid-state memories. The satellite remains operational and
is used by the amateur satellite and educational communities world-wide.
SSTL specialises in the design, manufacture and operation of
high-performance yet low-cost small satellites provided on rapid timescales to
meet both civil & military Earth observation, communications and space
science applications. During 22 years SSTL have launched 21 small satellite
missions into low Earth orbit for international customers, pioneering use of
'commercial-of-the-shelf' (COTS) technologies and resulting in an experience
and heritage of missions and in-orbit operations unmatched by any other
commercial satellite manufacturer.
Four spacecraft are currently under
construction at the SSTL’s purpose-built facilities at the Surrey Space
Centre in England: three satellites for the international disaster monitoring
constellation (DMC), plus an enhanced, agile microsatellite to demonstrate
2.5-metre resolution Earth imaging for the UK MoD.
DSCS III
A3
Launched: 10 March 2003
Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Launcher: Delta 4
Medium
Orbit: GEO
International Number: 2003-008A
Name: DSCS III
A3
Owner: US Air Force
Contractor: Lockheed Martin Space Systems -
Missiles & Space Operations
Defense Satellite Communications
System (DSCS) III A3 is a US military communications satellite. It has a design
life of 10 years.
Spacehab Moves Forward After Columbia Disaster
(14 March 2003)
Spacehab, which derives much of its revenue from supporting NASA's Shuttle
fleet, is adjusting the its business plan after the Columbia disaster. With
over US$ 173 million in business backlog and a strengthened balance sheet,
Spacehab continues to focus on the utilisation of its existing asset base and
the delivery of strong financial and operating results going forward.
In support of NASA, Spacehab continues with day-to-day
operations under the Research and Logistics Mission Support (ReALMS) contract
for the STS-116 and STS-118 missions, important contributions to the completion
of International Space Station (ISS) assembly. Spacehab is providing a
Logistics Single Module and an Integrated Cargo Carrier to support resupply
requirements for the orbiting space station. Once NASA announces new launch
dates for these flights, the Company will negotiate adjustments to the contract
to compensate for expenses incurred from launch delays.
For the
upcoming STS-114 mission Spacehab is providing a unique cargo carrier, known as
the External Stowage Platform 2, or ESP2, that will be deployed and mounted to
the space station. This platform will be attached to the ISS airlock and used
by the astronaut crews as a permanent spare parts stowage facility. Under
contract to The Boeing Company for these services, Spacehab also anticipates
receiving compensation for expenses resulting from launch delays.
Spacehab remains committed to the ISS Program in support of NASA's initiatives
and is able to provide logistics, research, or a combination of both services
within a single mission. By fully utilising the Company's pressurised modules
and unpressurised carriers, Spacehab is equipped to support NASA in its
transition from ISS assembly to operations. Spacehab is further prepared to add
existing functionality to its fleet of assets to enhance the capabilities
already vital to the human spaceflight mission.
Building on 18 years
of service to the launch industry, Spacehab's Astrotech subsidiary is
projecting an increase in payload processing activity at all three of its
operating locations during the coming fiscal year. Long- term contracts are in
place with Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and United States Sea Launch in support of
the Atlas, Delta, and Sea Launch programs respectively. Additionally, active
negotiations are underway to secure processing contracts in support of
government customers thereby expanding Astrotech's existing business base. Two
missions are currently in the processing queue, the Astrium-built HellasSat
spacecraft and the Boeing-built AsiaSat-4 spacecraft, both projected for
lift-off on Atlas launch vehicles later this spring. Astrotech's sales have
more than doubled over the past two years and are expected to continue growing
going forward.
NASA is in the process of consolidating 26 current
contracts into seven in an effort to optimise synergies within the ISS Program,
competitive sourcing, and program accountability. Of the seven procurement
opportunities outlined by NASA, the Company is poised to effectively compete on
at least three of the ISS Program Management contracts classified as 'A'
through 'G'. Contracts targeted by Spacehab include Program Integration and
Control, ISS Mission Integration, and ISS Cargo Missions.
Configuration management is a critical element of the ISS Program Integration
and Control, or 'A' contract, and Spacehab is vying to capture US$ 30 million
of this US$ 155 million effort as a subcontractor to the ARES Corporation Team
that includes Booz Allen Hamilton. Given the strong core competencies of
Spacehab and this Team, the Company is confident that it will win this
five-year contract and continue to provide configuration management services to
the ISS Program.
As an incumbent prime contractor in crew station
operations providing ISS stowage integration services, Spacehab is also
proposing to be NASA's prime contractor for ISS Mission Integration under the
'B' contract. As prime contractor, supported by major subcontractor and
team-mate United Space Alliance, the Company will propose to perform program
management, ISS stowage integration, Russian Language and Logistics Services
(RL&LS), and other portions of the Statement of Work depending on
additional teaming arrangements currently in discussion. This contract is
valued at approximately US$ 140 million over a five-year period.
For
Cargo Mission, the ISS 'C' contract, Spacehab plans to compete as a
subcontractor in one or more of the following areas: stowage integration,
International Partner integration, sustaining engineering of pressurised
payload accommodations for the MPLM, and program integration support. The
Company is currently in negotiations with potential prime contractors in
support of this solicitation valued at approximately US$ 200 million over a
five- year period.
The competition schedule timeline is the same for
all three solicitations with draft Requests For Proposals (RFPs) released in
February, final RFPs due out in May, and proposals due from prospective bidders
in June of 2003. NASA tentatively expects to announce contract awards in
October 2003 with all contract starts anticipated in January 2004.
NASA's Space Launch Initiative includes an investigation of an Alternate Access
to Station system. Spacehab holds key subcontractor roles on two of the four
prime contractor teams. The Company's responsibility is to apply its core
competencies in logistics integration and operations. Through Spacehab's
participation in this study, the Company has developed strategic partnerships
to support NASA's Orbital Space Plane concept development activities set to
begin in April.
Spacehab's unique capability and existing relationship
with RSC Energia in Russia has resulted in a request for the Company's
expertise. With the temporary grounding of the Space Shuttle, Spacehab
anticipates providing NASA with valuable re-supply services in order to ensure
the orbiting ISS crew receives the provisions necessary to sustain operations.
Food, scientific equipment, and critical supplies will be shipped by Spacehab
for transport to the ISS on upcoming Soyuz and Progress missions.
Globalstar Introduces Data Monitoring Service in North America
(12 March 2003)
Globalstar has introduced a new, very-low-cost data monitoring and acquisition
service for asset tracking and sensory telemetry monitoring.
The new service, which uses palm-size simplex modems
developed in co-operation with AeroAstro Inc, is now available across eastern
regions of the US and Canada, and will be introduced across virtually all
continental regions in these two countries by the end of March. Globalstar is
also already working to extend this service to other areas of the world,
beginning with parts of Europe and the North Atlantic Ocean, where service is
expected to begin by mid-year.
Over 400 simplex modems are now being
placed into active service with a first group of customers in two important
industrial applications:
The Globalstar simplex modem unit is now available through the company's network of value-added resellers, who package the modems with housings and sensors specifically designed for a wide range of industrial applications, including:
Additionally, an integrated asset tracking
product, which comprises a Globalstar AeroAstro simplex modem unit along with
batteries and antenna in a single package, is available from Axonn LLC for use
in customised solutions.
Globalstar expects to continue expanding its
network of resellers in the near future to serve a wide range of industries
such as pipeline monitoring, oil and gas pumping stations, and utility meter
reading.
The new modem allows data to be sent at regular pre-set
intervals and/or whenever a specific event, such as a rise in temperature or
the opening of a lock, triggers an external sensor. The data is sent by the
modem over the Globalstar satellite network and then transmitted to the
customer's data collection facility via the Internet.
For example, the
new Globalstar AeroAstro simplex modem makes it possible to economically
monitor pipeline conditions such as pressure and throughput, at regular
intervals and in real-time across a field or across a continent, allowing
extremely rapid notification of a pipeline break or other anomaly. For
shippers, the modems can provide the location of their containers, affording
immediate notification of any emergency situations.
With these
features, assets may be tracked even in very remote locations, and, if
co-ordinated with customs officials and electronic locks to create a bonded
security environment, these modems can also be used to streamline freight
traffic at international border crossings.
Space
Imaging Introduces
Standard Ortho Satellite Imagery Product Line
(12 March 2003) Space Imaging has released
its new Ikonos Standard Ortho product line derived from its Ikonos satellite.
Standard Ortho is a cost-effective mapping product that can be produced and
delivered quickly. Designed for GIS professionals performing basic mapping
projects or image classification and analysis, Standard Ortho is
ortho-corrected with a horizontal accuracy of 50 metres (CE90) and obtains a
1:100,000 NMAS. As with all Ikonos imagery products, it is available in
1-metre, 4-metre or 1- and 4-metre bundles, with options of black-and-white,
colour or multispectral. Prices start at US$ 22 per square kilometre.
Standard Ortho is also available with the same geographic
and radiometric options as other Ikonos data products and can be quickly
delivered. To produce Standard Ortho, Space Imaging's orthorectifying process
utilises an enhanced version of the most accurate, publicly available, global
Digital Elevation Model (DEM). This results in the ability to rapidly produce
and deliver a consistent product to the end user. Since Standard Ortho is
orthorectified, it is ready for immediate use in mapping projects, further
reducing valuable project time.
NASA
Names Deputy Associate
Administrator for Space Flight
(12 March 2003) NASA has announced the appointment of
Lynn F H Cline as Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Space
Flight. Cline previously served as NASA's Deputy Assistant Administrator for
External Relations.
As the Deputy Associate
Administrator for Space Flight, Cline will be involved in planning, directing,
implementing policies and allocating resources to enable a broad variety of
capabilities across the NASA spectrum of mission areas.
Cline has
served as Deputy Assistant Administrator for External Relations since June
1997. She was responsible for NASA's interaction with Executive Branch offices
and agencies; international relations; administration of export
control/international technology transfer functions; and the NASA history
office.
An experienced spaceflight policy professional, Cline was the
NASA lead negotiator with Canada, Europe, Japan and Russia for the
International Space Station agreements signed in 1998. She was also responsible
for NASA's relations with Russia and other Eurasian States and has held a
series of International Relations Specialist and management positions in NASA's
International Office since September 1975.
Cline received her BA from
East Carolina University in 1976 and her MA from the University of California
at Santa Barbara in 1979 in French language and culture.
New
General Manager to Head
Norsat's OmniLink Business Unit
(13 March 2003) Norsat International has announced the
appointment of Mr Chris McCormack to the position of General Manager, Norsat
OmniLink Business Unit. He replaces Mr Michael Heaven, who has resigned from
the Company.
Mr McCormack, who joined the Company in
2002 as the Director of New Product Development for the Norsat OmniLink
program, brings to the new role extensive experience managing technology
projects, as well as a wealth of strategic planning and project management
expertise. At Norsat, he has been working with Mr Heaven and has been
responsible for the development of a comprehensive business plan and marketing
program for the Norsat NewsLink product. He has spearheaded the execution of
the marketing plan, making the first sales to early adopters. In the new role,
he will be responsible for overall management and profitability of the OmniLink
business unit, including the product development and marketing of all
applications for the technology, including the Norsat SecureLink, developed for
military and security-related functions.
The Norsat OmniLink
technology allows the transmission of broadcast quality MPEG-2 video via DVB-S
over satellite and is ideally suited for the transmission of video, voice, and
IP data in remote or hostile environments. It allows users to communicate from
anywhere in the world where there is no infrastructure or it has been damaged -
from mountaintops, the desert, mid-ocean, or from the middle of nowhere. The
compact and specially designed Norsat NewsLink terminal is carried in two
suitcases and deployed easily in the field in several minutes without special
tools.
