20 July 2003
Satcoms
Galaxy Chooses Tandberg TV and NDS
iDirect Helps Launch Broadband
Services in SW Ireland
Optus to Deliver Learning Services Using Skystar 360E Broadband
VSATs
Orbital Makes Final In-Orbit
Delivery of BSAT-2c Satellite
PanAmSat and Liberty
Foundation to Deliver Programming Across South Africa
Telefonica Data Signs
Expansion Contract With HNS Europe
Earth
Observation
Satellites Will Join Search For Source of Ebola
Virus
Navigation
STARS Flight Tests Space-Based Tracking Methods
Science
Actel's RTSX-S FPGAs Selected for Herschel and Planck Scientific
Space Missions
ESA to Build Deep Space Ground
Station At Cebreros, Spain
SOHO Resumes Full Operation
Manned
Space
NASA Extends Spacesuit Contract
Technology
ATK Thiokol Propulsion and IsoTruss Structures to Collaborate
Flight-Type Scramjet Completes Historic Test Series
HP iPAQ Pocket PCs to
be Onboard TransOrbital's First Commercial Moon Mission
SpaceDev to Develop Nanosatellite
Technology
Launch
Services
SpaceDev Wins
Small Launch Vehicle Contract
Launches
Rainbow 1
Launch Schedule
Business
Boeing Reassesses Launch and Satellite Businesses
Hughes, Boeing
Settle Disputes in Sale of Satellite Manufacturing Operations
Loral Files for Bankruptcy
NASA Announces
Independent Engineering And Safety Center
Products and Services
Secure Satellite Voice over IP and Internet Communication
Service
People
Andrew Appoints New Chief
Financial Officer
Geveden Named Marshall Deputy Director
Gilat Names Bill Gerety as New
Spacenet CEO
Satlynx Appoints President and CEO
Wetmore Named Launch Integration
Manager for Shuttle Program
Whitlow Named Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director
Galaxy
Chooses Tandberg TV and
NDS
(14 July 2003)
Tandberg Television has been awarded a key contract in Asia to provide a
complete transmission system for the region’s newest satellite
pay-television service, Galaxy Satellite Broadcasting Limited. NDS will provide
its VideoGuard conditional access security for Hong Kong pay-TV operations and
a full-functioned electronic program guide (EPG).
Tandberg Television will provide a complete compression and broadcast delivery
system, as well as deploy its professional services expertise to manage the
integration of third-party solutions such as conditional access, subscriber
management, middleware and set-top-boxes.
Tandberg Television will
provide a multi-channel transmission solution with built-in expandability based
on its evolution 5000 satellite delivery solutions including MPEG-2
compression, modulation, multiplexing and decoding. The company’s
engineering and systems integration teams will work closely with Galaxy’s
own technical experts to manage the integration of the entire system.
NDS solutions chosen by Galaxy Satellite Broadcasting Limited
include:
NDS Asia Pacific brings Galaxy Satellite
Broadcasting Limited the strength of its local operations and support
facilities. The NDS Asia Pacific operations in Hong Kong and Seoul will be
conducting systems integration for the set-top box and installing the NDS
end-to-end systems at the TVB Tsueng Kwan O digital broadcasting center. NDS
China operates a research and development facility in Beijing, which will be
actively involved with designing the Galaxy EPG.
Announced in February
this year, the all-digital, multi-channel Galaxy service is jointly owned by
Intelsat and Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) and will feature a range of
premium Cantonese and other Chinese language programming exclusively supplied
by TVB, including a 24-hour news channel. The high-quality Cantonese
programming is targeted at the more than 90 percent of the Hong Kong population
that speak the language. Galaxy subscribers will also receive a full spectrum
of international news, documentary, information, movie and other entertainment
channels. The Galaxy service will be uplinked from Galaxy's teleport in Hong
Kong over an Intelsat VII series satellite and downlinked to roof-top receiving
dishes. Existing in-building wiring will deliver the service to individual
subscriber apartments.
(source: Tandberg Television, NDS Asia
Pacific)
iDirect Helps Launch Broadband Services in SW Ireland
(18 July 2003) iDirect
Technologies has helped the South Western Region Authority (SWRA) of Ireland
launch broadband services to local communities and enterprises.
iDirect's NetModem II Plus terminal equipment was
incorporated by ilDana, an indigenous Irish broadband service provider, into a
network operated by Netdish, a telecommunications and data broadcasting
provider for digital content distribution and connectivity over Internet
Protocol (IP) networks.
The SWRA Broadband Initiative, co-funded by
the European Space Agency, is designed to evaluate, demonstrate and disseminate
information on the use of satellite broadband for business development,
government services, education and training and health and medical
applications. iDirect's IP-over satellite technology is optimised to deliver
these services to low-density areas. iDirect products are the first to be
designed from the ground up to deliver the most efficient IP connections for
two-way satellite communications. The technology consists of network equipment
and specially developed software to make the most efficient use of available
bandwidth, enabling more traffic and applications to be transmitted with
greater reliability than other satellite- based solutions.
(source:
iDirect Technologies)
Optus to Deliver Learning Services Using Skystar 360E Broadband
VSATs
(15 July
2003) The Australian government has finalised an agreement with Optus to
deliver learning services to small rural towns and isolated homesteads in New
South Wales (NSW) and across the Northern Territory (NT) using Gilat's Skystar
360E broadband VSAT platform.
Gilat has been selected by
Optus to provide a 310-site, two-way satellite communications network to
deliver broadband Internet services to these rural communities and 540 School
of The Air (SOTA) sites.
Gilat's Skystar 360E VSAT network is part of
a new satellite infrastructure being deployed by Optus as part of the NT and
NSW Interactive Distant Learning Initiative. The initiative was developed to
establish a shared, broadband interactive distance learning (IDL)
communications infrastructure for small rural communities and isolated
homesteads in areas of NSW and the NT. The initiative is led by Optus, the NSW
Department of Education and Training, the NT Department of Employment,
Education and Training and the Australian government.
The
satellite-based infrastructure will deliver education services to distance
education students, isolated indigenous communities and adults seeking
vocational education. Services will be delivered to approximately 3,700 users,
including 239 small, isolated schools. An IDL satellite hub is being installed
in Sydney with backbone links to teaching studios in several other locations,
in addition to the rollout of the VSAT network.
The network will
provide real-time streaming video, high-resolution graphics, full duplex audio,
two-way data interaction and application sharing capabilities. The courses
offered via the network will cover primary, secondary and vocational material,
including courses that are difficult or impossible to offer currently in remote
and rural settings.
(source: Gilat Satellite Networks)
Orbital
Makes Final In-Orbit
Delivery of BSAT-2c Satellite
(15 July 2003) Orbital Sciences Corporation has made
the final in-orbit delivery of the BSAT-2c satellite to its customer,
Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) of Japan.
Based on the company's STAR platform, BSAT-2c is the third
in a series of three geostationary (GEO) communications satellites that Orbital
built for B-SAT since 1999. The BSAT-2c satellite was launched into orbit
aboard an Ariane 5 rocket on June 11, 2003. Following the launch, a team of
Orbital engineers conducted a thorough evaluation of the satellite's operating
systems and its onboard communications payload and determined that it is
functioning as expected. Operational control of the satellite system was
transferred to B-SAT on July 15.
The BSAT-2c satellite will operate in
Ku band frequencies from its orbital location at 110° East longitude. The
spacecraft is optimised for a 10-year design life and will provide additional
capacity for B-SAT's satellite broadcasting service throughout Japan. BSAT-2c
is the third Orbital-built GEO communications satellite to be put in service by
customers in the past 12 months.
(source: Orbital Sciences)
PanAmSat and Liberty Foundation to Deliver Programming Across
South Africa
(17
July 2003) PanAmSat Corporation has teamed up with the Liberty Foundation, a
South Africa-based company that supports education and skills training, to
deliver healthcare and educational programming via satellite across all regions
of the country.
Hosted on PanAmSat's PAS-7 Indian Ocean
Region satellite, the Liberty Foundation is initially supporting two channels
with programming produced by Mindset Network. Set to launch in late 2003, the
Mindset Network's healthcare channel will focus primarily on the AIDS epidemic.
The goal is to educate patients and workers throughout the country's healthcare
system on the AIDS virus, as well as other diseases and possible treatments.
Individuals will be able to view the channel in thousands of the government's
primary healthcare clinics.
Activate, which debuted in February 2003,
focuses on educating students in the country's senior high school system. The
initial curriculum includes instructional lessons and tutorials in Math,
Science and English. Initially, it is being broadcast through Mindset's
subscriber network, with plans to eventually make it available to South African
schools free of charge. The program is supported with weekly 'textbooks' in the
national Sunday paper, as well as a website, a call centre and training for
schools. Currently, a pilot program is being tested in over 300 schools in
South Africa. Expected to be fully deployed in over 1,000 schools by the end of
2004, the network will air seven days a week and 12 hours a day.
In
addition to these two channels, future offerings will include a business
channel that will focus on entrepreneurship and creating future business
leaders.
(source: PanAmSat)
Telefonica
Data Signs Expansion
Contract With HNS Europe
(17 July 2003) Hughes Network Systems Europe (HNSE)
has signed a contract with Telefonica Data, a leading Spanish
telecommunications services provider, to expand its existing HNS Very Small
Aperture Terminal (VSAT) network with a new PES 5000 operations hub and 200
remote satellite terminals.
Since 1992, Telefonica has
been providing satellite communication services to Compania Logistica de
Hidrocarburos (CLH), the leading petroleum transportation and storage company
in Spain, utilising a shared hub and remote terminals supplied by HNS. The
expansion contract calls for the supply of a dedicated operations hub and the
latest version of PES terminals, which will increase overall network
performance and service quality levels. CLH relies on the network to monitor
its remote pipelines using SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)
applications.
Installation was completed at the end of June 2003.
(source: Hughes Network Systems Europe)
Satellites
Will Join Search For
Source of Ebola Virus
(16 July 2003) Microscopes are not the only tools
available to study disease. A new ESA project employs satellites to predict and
help combat epidemic outbreaks, as well as join the hunt for the origin of the
deadly Ebola virus.
Ebola haemorrhagic fever kills many
people in Central Africa each year. It can cause runaway internal and external
bleeding in humans and also apes. What remains unidentified is the jungle-based
organism serving as the virus’s host.
To assist search efforts,
from next year detailed vegetation maps of Congo and Gabon will be created with
satellite images as part of a new ESA Data User Element project called
Epidemio, developing Earth Observation (EO) services for epidemiologists.
The Gabon-based International Centre for Medical Research (CIRMF) will
combine EO data with field results within a geographical information system
(GIS). They hope to spot particular environmental characteristics associated
with infected sites where either dead animals are found or local people have
acquired Ebola antibodies.
EO images will also be provided to the
World Health Organisation (WHO) Public Health Mapping Programme, for import
into WHO’s HealthMapper GIS software used by public health officials in
more than 70 countries.
Combating malaria - which affects 300 million
people world-wide and kills up to 1.5 million people annually - is a particular
focus of several different Epidemio users. Acquiring satellite-gathered
meteorological data is of great interest. High humidity and rainfall levels
often presage malaria outbreaks due to increased mosquito numbers.
(source: ESA)
STARS Flight Tests Space-Based Tracking Methods
(15 July 2003) The
recent Space-based Telemetry And Range Safety (STARS) flight demonstration is
one in a series of eight tests comprising Flight Demonstration 1. The tests
demonstrate the capability to utilise existing space-based platforms such as
the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) and Global Positioning
System (GPS) to provide reliable communication, telemetry and tracking for
Range Safety and Range Users.
Range Safety support
includes flight termination processing from both space and ground assets and
vehicle tracking. Range User support includes high return-link data rates for
voice, video and vehicle/payload data.
STARS' methods surpass existing
ground-based systems for maintaining tracking and communication with space
launch vehicles. Current practices are outdated, and very expensive to operate
and maintain, and estimates show that using these new methods could reduce
costs by up to US$ 40 million per year.
While the hour-plus flights
occur at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC), STARS work, which supports
Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT), is managed by Kennedy Space Center.
DFRC provides the aircraft, the range, the control room and the Range User
hardware. Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Flight Facility and White Sands
Complex also share STARS responsibilities along with other NASA centres.
(source: NASA KSC)
Actel's RTSX-S FPGAs Selected for Herschel and Planck Scientific
Space Missions
(14
July 2003) Actel Corporation's RTSX-S radiation-tolerant field-programmable
gate arrays (FPGAs) have been selected for extensive use on the Herschel and
Planck space probes, which are scheduled for launch by the European Space
Agency (ESA) in 2007. The Herschel and Planck probes will study infrared
radiation and cosmic background radiation, respectively. The RT54SX32S and
RT54SX72S parts will be used for many flight-critical functions on the space
explorations, including interfacing and control, co-processing and data
handling, as well as mission-critical functions within various scientific
instruments.
Actel's RTSX-S FPGAs were also chosen by
Systems Engineering & Assessment Ltd (SEA) of Bath, United Kingdom, for
SEA's cooler drive processor, which requires resistance to single-event upsets
(SEUs) and tolerance to total ionising dose (TID). Incorporated in the
high-frequency instrument (HFI) on the Planck space probe, the circuit
maintains the radiation measuring and cooling equipment at a constant
temperature of -269 degrees Celsius.
The RTSX-S family ranges in
density from 32,000 to 72,000 typical gates (16,000 to 36,000 equivalent ASIC
gates) and offers system performance in excess of 250 MHz. Actel's RTSX-S
family is the industry's first FPGA solution built on a foundation of hardened
latches, which eliminates the need for triple-module redundancy (TMR).
Traditional FPGAs, which do not use hardened latches, force the user to
implement TMR using software or a large portion of the device's programmable
logic. This process of majority voting, or redundancy, means that up to
two-thirds of the density, or available logic, is consumed for redundancy and
isn't available for the user's design.
With densities up to 2-million
equivalent system gates (approximately 250,000 ASIC equivalent gates), the
space-optimized, single-chip RTAX-S devices provide inherent single-event
latchup (SEL) immunity; >37MeV-cm2/mg SEU capability; and total ionizing
dose (TID) performance in excess of 200 Krads. The recently announced family
also features embedded RAM with an upset rate of <1E-10 errors/bit-day with
error detection and correction (EDAC). These features position the RTAX-S
family, which is based on the AX architecture and scalable platform, as the
only viable radiation-tolerant alternative to application-specific integrated
circuits (ASICs) that meets the density, performance and radiation-resistance
requirements of many satellite applications.
(source: Actel
Corporation)
ESA to
Build Deep Space Ground
Station At Cebreros, Spain
(18 July 2003) Communicating with ESA's spacecraft
such as Mars Express, or SMART-1, Rosetta and Venus Express - yet to be
launched - will be even easier and more effective when the new Cebreros ground
station, near Avila (Spain), becomes operational in September 2005.
On 22 July, in Madrid, the Director General of ESA,
Jean-Jacques Dordain, the Spanish Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Fernando
Díez Moreno, and the Spanish Secretary of State for Science and
Technology, Mr Pedro Morenés Eulate, will sign an agreement between ESA
and the Kingdom of Spain that will pave the way for the installation of a new
high-performance deep-space tracking station in Cebreros.
Communicating with spacecraft over very long distances, probes that have to be
controlled remotely, together with their on board instruments, at distances up
to 900 million kilometres from Earth (more than six times the distance from
Earth to the sun) require huge and powerful antennas.
Through its
control Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt (Germany), responsible for all spacecraft
operations, ESA already has long experience of dealing with a large network of
ground stations and antennas, including a 35 m deep-space antenna in New
Norcia, north of Perth in Australia.
Back in the 1970s, ESA signed an
agreement with Spain to use a satellite tracking station located at Villafranca
del Castillo (Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid). ESA/Villafranca has now
become one of the most highly specialised spacecraft tracking stations in the
world.
To support the new project and allow ESA to take a further step
towards a real European Deep Space Network, the Government of Spain will grant
the European Space Agency a 75-year lease on two plots of land that belong to
the Ministry of Defence. One plot will accommodate the space tracking
facilities and the 35m diameter deep-space antenna. The other will serve for
the calibration tower, used to simulate the signals transmitted by spacecraft
for testing. Construction work is scheduled to start in September this
year.
The network of antennas in Spain (Cebreros (Avila), Villafranca
del Castillo (Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid) and Robledo (Robledo de
Chavela, Madrid, owned by NASA/JPL), will soon be one of the most important
groups of satellite tracking stations world-wide, due to the optimum
environment free of radio-electric disturbances, and will make a valuable
additional contribution to the scientific and technological framework of
European space activities.
(source: ESA)
SOHO Resumes Full Operation
(16 July 2003) ESA/NASA's solar watchdog, SOHO, is
back to full operation after its predicted 9-day-long high-gain antenna
blackout. Engineers and scientists are now confident that they understand the
situation and can work around it in the future to minimise the data losses.
Since 19 June 2003, SOHO's high-gain antenna (HGA), which
transmits high-speed data to Earth, has been fixed in position following the
discovery of a malfunction in its pointing mechanism. This resulted in a loss
of signal through SOHO's usual 26-metre ground stations on 27 June 2003.
However, 34-metre radio dishes continued to receive high-speed transmissions
from the HGA until 1 July 2003.
Since then, astronomers have been
relying primarily on a slower transmission rate signal, sent through SOHO's
backup antenna. It can be picked up whenever a 34-metre dish is available.
However, this signal could not transmit all of SOHO's data. Some data was
recorded on board, however, and downloaded using high-speed transmissions
through the backup antenna when time on the largest, 70-metre dishes could be
spared.
SOHO itself orbits a point in space, 1.5 million kilometres
closer to the Sun than the Earth, once every 6 months. To reorient the HGA for
the next half of this orbit, engineers rolled the spacecraft through a
half-circle on 8 July 2003. On 10 July, the 34-metre radio dish in Madrid
re-established contact with SOHO's HGA. Then on the morning of 14 July 2003,
normal operations with the spacecraft resumed through its usual 26-metre ground
stations, as predicted.
With the HGA now static, the blackouts,
lasting between 9 and 16 days, will continue to occur every 3 months. Engineers
will rotate SOHO by 180 degrees every time this occurs. This manoeuvre will
minimise data losses.
(source: ESA)
NASA
Extends Spacesuit
Contract
(18 July
2003) NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston, will exercise an option to
extend the contract with Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems International Inc
(HSSSI) for work on spacesuits used for spacewalks. The "Option 3" on contract
NAS 9-97150, modification number 460, is valued at US$ 26 million and is the
last of the available annual renewal options.
The
contract, worth US$ 333 million over six years, was awarded through the
competitive procurement process and was effective October 1, 1997. It included
a four-year base effort and annual renewal options for an additional three
years, potentially extending the period of performance to September 30,
2004.
The work includes responsibility for the successful performance
of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), the US spacesuit used by
spacewalkers; program and business management and engineering; design,
development, certification, production and enhancement of the EMU and other
spacewalking-related hardware; assured EMU availability program; field
activities; safety; mission assurance; and reliability and quality assurance
programs. The contract work is performed at JSC and at HSSSI's Windsor Locks
facility.
(source: NASA)
ATK
Thiokol Propulsion and
IsoTruss Structures to Collaborate
(15 July 2003) ATK Thiokol Propulsion and IsoTruss
Structures Inc have announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding for
collaboration on the analysis and distribution of composite lattice structures
for commercial and military products.
IsoTruss uses
patented new geometric technology to create composite structures with extremely
high strength-to-weight ratios. The new agreement will enable the two companies
to provide application-specific solutions to customers in the military,
international aerospace industry and commercial markets that rely on
high-performance, lightweight structures.
ATK will provide structural
and complex composite analysis for IsoTruss, facilitating advanced technology
development programs to produce new applications that could be utilised by
IsoTruss.
(source: ATK Thiokol Propulsion, IsoTruss
Structures)
Flight-Type Scramjet Completes Historic Test Series
(14 July 2003) Pratt & Whitney (P&W)
Space Propulsion, teamed with US Air Force researchers under the Hypersonic
Technology (HyTech) Program, has completed testing of a revolutionary scramjet
engine. The Ground Demonstration Engine number one (GDE-1), which weighs less
than 70 kg, was tested at speeds of Mach 4.5 and Mach 6.5 in hypersonic ground
test facilities. GDE-1 was the world's first flight-weight, hydrocarbon-fuelled
scramjet engine, and used standard JP-7 fuel to both cool engine hardware and
fuel the engine's combustor.
During numerous runs at
Mach 4.5 and Mach 6.5 (September 2002 through June 2003), GDE-1 reliably
produced significant net positive thrust, which is important because it
demonstrates the ability to efficiently burn fuel and accelerate a vehicle at
these speeds. The thermal characteristics and structural durability of the
engine were validated at both speeds.
The test series built upon the
heavyweight, heat-sink Performance Test Engine (PTE) that completed testing in
2001. Following GDE-1, the next engine in this successful series will be Ground
Demonstration Engine number two (GDE-2). This engine will also be
hydrocarbon-fuelled and use flight-weight structure like the GDE-1; however,
GDE-2 will feature a fully integrated fuel-system that will introduce control
hardware and software that will enable the engine to run as a complete
closed-loop system. GDE-2 will incorporate a Full Authority Digital Engine
Controller (FADEC) to orchestrate fuel controls and transitions. It is expected
to begin "full-up" engine testing next year.
Applications for HyTech
technology include access-to-space, global reach and fast-reaction, long-range
air-to-surface missiles. The Air Force Research Laboratory's long-term vision
for scramjet engines includes power for launch vehicles that can substantially
reduce the cost of access to space and deliver aircraft-like operations. It
also foresees applications for military and commercial aircraft that can span
the globe in less than a few hours, and hypersonic missiles with Mach
6.5-plus-cruise capability that can fly hundreds of nautical miles in
minutes.
In 1996, P&W won the US$ 48 million contract, called
Hydrocarbon Scramjet Engine Technology (HySET), under which this work is being
accomplished. As a result of the program's success, the X43-C (a joint
NASA/USAF program) has emerged. The goal of this program is to flight test a
derivative of the HySET engine in 2007.
(source: Pratt and Whitney
Space Propulsion)
HP
iPAQ Pocket PCs to be
Onboard TransOrbital's First Commercial Moon Mission
(15 July 2003) HP plans to launch its HP iPAQ
Pocket PCs into outer space onboard TransOrbital's TrailBlazer spacecraft, the
first commercial mission to gain approval from US authorities to explore,
photograph and land on the moon, later next year.
With
an early 2004 launch date approaching, TransOrbital looked to the newly
introduced HP iPAQ Pocket PC h5550's innovative engineering, mobility,
simplicity and ease of use to facilitate wireless communication within the
satellite. The handheld device will integrate with the TrailBlazer systems on
board the spacecraft to enable TransOrbital to effortlessly synchronise and
share data while in space, during transit to the moon and while orbiting the
moon.
During subsequent launches, it is anticipated that the HP iPAQ
Pocket PCs will be used for wireless communication with cameras that are
tethered on the outside of the spacecraft to provide superior video streaming
capabilities for display on Earth. Future applications for the devices also may
include the ability to communicate via e-mail with the Trailblazer lunar
orbiter while it is orbiting the moon and on the moon's surface.
As
the first and only private company to be licensed by the US Department of State
and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration for moon travel,
TransOrbital believes that important and affordable advances in science,
medicine, communications and information technology can be achieved by forming
strategic global corporate alliances for space exploration.
TransOrbital's first moon mission will provide HDTV (high definition TV) views
of equipment left behind from past Apollo and Russian landings. The mission
also will deliver a time capsule containing personal cargo from Earth,
including personal messages and artefacts. Media collected during the mission,
including a "barnstorming" video filmed as the capsule reaches the lunar
surface, will provide TransOrbital with an array of content vital to future
scientific and exploratory endeavours, as well as educational and entertainment
uses.
In December 2002, TransOrbital successfully launched a test
lunar satellite into earth orbit using the International Space Company (ISC)
Kosmotras Dnepr rocket. TransOrbital also will use the ISC Dnepr rocket for the
moon launch.
(source: HP, TransOrbital)
SpaceDev to Develop Nanosatellite Technology
(15 July 2003) SpaceDev
has been awarded a contract to develop micro- and nano-satellite bus and
subsystem designs. This Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Small Business
Innovation Research (SBIR) contract will enable SpaceDev to explore the further
miniaturisation of its unique and innovative microsat subsystems. It will also
enable SpaceDev to explore ways to reduce the time and cost to build small
satellites through further standardisation in order to help define de facto
standards for payload hardware and software interfaces.
SpaceDev began defining de facto standards when it designed and built the
highly successful CHIPSat, which launched in January 2003. SpaceDev designed
and built such miniature and modular systems as a 300 MIPS flight computer,
modular power conditioning and distribution system, space qualified its S band
transmitter and receiver, and programmed a modular general purpose microsat
operating system and complimentary Internet-based mission control and
operations system. All of these proven, innovative SpaceDev subsystems will be
analysed for increases in performance while further reducing their size, weight
and power requirements.
(source: SpaceDev)
SpaceDev Wins Small Launch Vehicle Contract
(18 July 2003) SpaceDev
has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract by the
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to design and begin the development of the
SpaceDev Streaker small launch vehicle (SLV). SpaceDev Streaker will be
designed to responsively and affordably lift up to 1,000 pounds to Low Earth
Orbit (LEO).
The SpaceDev Streaker SLV concept is based
on a proprietary combination of technologies to increase the performance of
hybrid rocket motor technology. Hybrid rocket motors are a combination of solid
fuel and liquid oxidiser, and can be relatively safe, clean, non-explosive, and
storable, and can be throttled, shut down and restarted. SpaceDev has developed
small hybrid rocket motor technology for the National Reconnaissance Office, is
working on a Shuttle and EELV compatible intelligent "space tug" based on
hybrid technology, for the Air Force, and continues developing its larger
hybrid motor in competition for Burt Rutan's historic private manned space
program, SpaceShipOne.
(source: SpaceDev)
Rainbow
1
Launched: 17 July 2003
Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Launcher: Atlas 5
Orbit: GEO, 61.5° W
International Number: 2003-033A
Name: Rainbow
1
Owner: Cablevision Systems Corporation
Contractor: Lockheed Martin
Commercial Space Systems
Rainbow 1 is a commercial communications
satellite. The satellite will be used to deliver the Rainbow direct-to-home
broadcast services to the contiguous United States.
Rainbow 1 is based
on Lockheed's A2100AX bus and carries 36 Ku band transponders which feed 22
programmable spot beams. It has a design life of 18 years.
Boeing
Reassesses Launch and
Satellite Businesses
(15 July 2003) The Boeing Company has announced that
as a result of continued weakness in the commercial space launch market, higher
mission and launch costs on its Delta IV program, and cost growth in its
satellite businesses, the company will recognise pre-tax charges of
approximately US$ 1.1 billion, or US$ 0.87 per share, when it announces second
quarter results on July 23.
Approximately US$ 835
million, or US$ 0.66 per share, of the charges are attributable to the
company's Delta IV program and primarily reflect the company's updated - and
significantly lower - assessment of global demand for launch services. The
lower program base reduces the profitability of currently contracted launches.
The charges also reflect higher mission costs, primarily related to government
launch requirements. Approximately US$ 265 million, or US$ 0.21 per share,
reflects the loss to be reported by Boeing Satellite Systems for the quarter
due to higher cost estimates to complete several satellite programs and
write-downs of commercial inventory that recognises current market
conditions.
Approximately US$ 135 million of the total charges are
non-cash depreciation and inventory adjustments, as noted in the detailed
discussion below. The cash outlays associated with the remaining US$ 965
million of charges will be incurred over the next seven years as the affected
launch vehicles and satellite programs are completed and delivered.
When the company began the Delta IV program in the 1990s, demand for commercial
satellites and related launch services, particularly for telecommunications,
was robust. The company anticipated that strong commercial demand would help
reduce the cost of launch vehicles for both commercial and government
customers, and the company priced its vehicles accordingly.
During
this period, Boeing also made substantial incremental investments in a second
launch site on the US west coast, a heavy-lift version of the Delta IV vehicle,
and an all-new US rocket engine. These unique capabilities were developed to
address US government requirements and positioned the company to capture
additional business.
However, over the last several years demand for
commercial launches eroded while global launch capacity increased. In light of
the continuing severe downturn in the commercial launch market, the company has
determined that a meaningful recovery of demand and pricing is unlikely for the
foreseeable future. As a result, in the second quarter of 2003 Boeing made a
strategic decision to focus the Delta IV program on the government launch
services market. In conjunction with that decision, the company updated - and
reduced by nearly one-half - its estimate of long-term demand for Delta IV
launch vehicles. This reduction eliminated nearer-term commercial launches
previously forecast to occur over the next five years.
As a result,
the company estimates it will incur higher per-unit labour, materials and
business infrastructure costs due to lower annual launch rates over the next
five years. In addition, the company has experienced higher mission and launch
costs, primarily to support government requirements, and has increased its
estimates accordingly. Because currently contracted and awarded launches are in
a loss position, Boeing will recognise charges totalling approximately US$ 835
million in the second quarter across its 24 currently contracted and awarded
Delta IV (including Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program) launches. This
estimate is based upon existing pricing in the company's contracted and awarded
launches.
Of the charges totalling US$ 835 million, approximately US$
90 million are non-cash charges related to the higher per-unit depreciation and
amortisation costs associated with the lower number of launches in the
company's revised market outlook. The remaining costs will be incurred as the
contracted and awarded vehicles are built and delivered over the next seven
years.
Boeing Satellite Systems continues to experience cost growth on
certain satellites in its current backlog. Over the past two years, the company
has continued to make management changes and implemented significant process
improvements to reduce technical and cost risk on future satellite production.
The company also recognised significant cost increases to complete currently
contracted work based upon known requirements and previous experience. However,
many satellites in the current backlog incorporate advanced technology and are
the first of their kind to be built. These factors are driving cost growth at
higher than previously estimated trend levels.
As a result, the
company is raising its estimates to complete and deliver in-process satellite
backlog and will record charges totalling approximately US$ 265 million in the
second quarter. Approximately US$ 45 million of this amount reflects a higher
provision for obsolete inventory related to weak demand for commercial
satellites, and is non-cash. The cash expenditures associated with the
remaining charges will be incurred as satellites on the affected programs are
completed over the next two years.
Charges totalling approximately US$
195 million will be recorded in the Launch and Orbital Systems segment; the
remaining US$ 70 million is related to satellites for fixed-price military
programs.
(source: Boeing)
Hughes,
Boeing Settle Disputes
in Sale of Satellite Manufacturing Operations
(15 July 2003) Hughes Electronics Corporation
has reached a settlement agreement with The Boeing Company that resolves the
outstanding purchase price adjustment disputes arising from Boeing's October
2000 acquisition of Hughes satellite manufacturing operations.
A price adjustment procedure was provided under the purchase
agreement when Boeing acquired the Hughes satellite systems manufacturing
businesses in October 2000 for US$ 3.75 billion in cash. The operations were
renamed Boeing Satellite Systems Inc (BSS).
Under the terms of the
agreement, Hughes will settle all outstanding purchase price adjustment
disputes with Boeing by paying an aggregate US$ 360 million in cash. Boeing
also will be released from its commitment to pay Hughes US$ 4.4 million over
the next seven years in connection with Boeing's participation in the
settlement with the US Department of State on China launch issues of the
mid-1990s. As a result of the settlement, Hughes will take an after-tax charge
of approximately US$ 8 million that will be accounted for under discontinued
operations for the quarter ended June 30 2003.
In connection with the
settlement, Hughes Network Systems (HNS) agreed to extend the scheduled launch
date for the first BSS-built SpaceWay satellite from the fourth quarter of 2003
until February 2004. HNS, a subsidiary of Hughes, and BSS also agreed to amend
other terms of the contract. The modifications to the SpaceWay satellite
contract are not expected to have a significant effect on HNS' plans for
initiating SpaceWay services in 2004.
(source: Hughes
Electronics)
Loral
Files for
Bankruptcy
(15 July
2003) Loral Space and Communications Ltd has reached a definitive agreement to
sell its six North American telecommunications satellites to Intelsat Ltd. for
up to US$ 1.1 billion in cash, subject to certain price adjustments related to
Loral's ability to achieve specified operating parameters prior to the close.
In conjunction with and as a precondition to this sale, Loral and certain of
its subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for reorganisation under Chapter 11
of the US Bankruptcy Code.
Loral intends to reorganise
around its remaining fleet of five satellites and its satellite manufacturing
operations, allowing the company to go forward as a viable enterprise with
opportunities for future growth. The Chapter 11 filing, made in the US
Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, will enable Loral to
sell the six North American satellites free and clear of any encumbrances.
It was also announced that Intelsat has agreed to order a new satellite
from Loral and will make a US$ 100 million down payment on that order upon
closing of the sale of the North American satellites.
Loral expects to
use most of the proceeds from the sale of the North American satellites to
repay all US$ 959 million of its outstanding secured bank debt. The transaction
is expected to close within four to six months, pending Bankruptcy Court and
regulatory approval. The agreement provides for the sale of Telstars 4, 5, 6
and 7, which are currently in orbit, as well as Telstars 13 and 8, which are
scheduled to be launched later this year and in the first half of next year,
respectively.
The proposed acquisition of the Loral assets would
complement Intelsat's global network, which includes capacity on 26 satellites,
by adding complete coverage of the important North American market and by
increasing Intelsat's customer base in the cable television and broadcasting
segments. The total consideration for the assets may increase or decrease based
on business performance and as provided for in the agreement. Intelsat would
assume responsibility for launch and insurance-related costs for one of the
satellites currently under construction.
The assets to be purchased
include the Telstar 4, Telstar 5, Telstar 6 and Telstar 7 satellites, which
today provide North American coverage from the 89° W, 97° W, 93° W,
and 129° W orbital locations. The agreement also includes two satellites
currently under construction, Telstar 8 and Telstar 13. The Telstar 13
satellite, co-owned with EchoStar Communications Corporation, is expected to
launch in early August and will be located at the 121° W orbital location.
The Telstar 8 satellite is scheduled to launch into the 89° W orbital
location in early 2004, at which time Telstar 4 will move to 77° W. The
in-orbit satellites to be acquired currently carry traffic for premiere
broadcasters, cable operators and private data network operators, such as CBS
and Fox Broadcasting, and have a contracted backlog of approximately US$ 550
million. Collectively, the satellites have an average remaining orbital
manoeuvre life of 13.7 years.
Through its Skynet subsidiary, Loral
will continue to operate an integrated fixed satellite and network services
business using its fleet of five telecommunications satellites and its
established VSAT/fibre global network infrastructure. The Loral fleet will
consist of the Telstar 10, 11 and 12 satellites currently in orbit and Telstar
18/Apstar V and Telstar 14/Estrela do Sul, which are scheduled to be launched
within the next nine months. This fleet serves markets in South America, Europe
and Asia that the company believes are currently underserved and have potential
for growth.
Loral will also continue to own and operate Space
Systems/Loral (SS/L), a world-class leader in the design and manufacture of
satellites and satellite systems for commercial and government applications and
one of only five such manufacturers in the world.
Loral believes that
it currently has adequate cash on hand and cash flow from operations to
continue normal operations and customer support. Accordingly, the company has
decided not to obtain third-party debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing at this
time. Loral will continue to evaluate its liquidity needs on an ongoing
basis.
On June 30, Loral announced that it had collected US$ 55
million in cash from Intelsat, resulting from an acceleration of a receivable
for agreed-upon orbital performance payments. Separately, the company also
announced on June 30 that it had reached a settlement with Alcatel resolving
all outstanding issues between them including a contract dispute that had been
in arbitration.
Loral currently has approximately US$ 2.1 billion in
long-term debt (including the US$ 959 million of bank debt), resulting mainly
from its investments in Globalstar as well as the rapid build-up of its FSS
fleet, which has demonstrated its value over time through its strong cash flow
and EBITDA performance.
In addition to the satellite order from
Intelsat, SS/L recently was awarded a US$ 113 million contract to provide
batteries and power systems for the International Space Station. Earlier this
year, WildBlue Communications Corp ordered a restart from SS/L of its
WildBlue-1 satellite program.
The company believes that its plan to
substantially reduce long-term debt and interest expense going forward should
help address concerns customers and suppliers may have had about its financial
condition. Moreover, one of the benefits of the Chapter 11 process is that the
company's obligations to customers and suppliers made after the filing are
treated more favourably under the Bankruptcy Code than similar obligations made
before the filing.
In conjunction with the Chapter 11 filing, Loral
will file shortly a motion with the court seeking approval of procedures for
the sale of the six North American satellites. In accordance with these
procedures, the proposed transaction with Intelsat will be subject to higher
and better offers. The company has also filed other customary "First Day
Motions" to support its employees, customers and suppliers. The company expects
that employees will continue to receive their customary salaries and benefits.
Suppliers will be paid under normal terms for goods and services provided on or
after the petition filing date of July 15, 2003. Loral today also began a
similar legal proceeding in Bermuda, where it is incorporated.
(source: Loral Space and Communications, Intelsat)
NASA
Announces Independent
Engineering And Safety Center
(15 July 2003) NASA has announced plans to create an
independent Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) at the agency's Langley
Research Center in Hampton, Virginia., to provide comprehensive examination of
all NASA programs and projects. The centre will provide a central location to
co-ordinate and conduct robust engineering and safety assessment across the
entire agency.
The NESC is expected to draw on the
talents of about 250 people throughout NASA and will report to former astronaut
General Roy Bridges, Langley Center Director. Bryan O'Connor, also a former
astronaut and Associate Administrator for the Office of Safety and Mission
Assurance at NASA Headquarters in Washington, will have policy responsibility
for the organisation. O'Connor's task will be to assure the effective use of
all agency assets and expertise to derive the independent assessments.
Planned activities of the new organisation include:
(source: NASA)
Secure
Satellite Voice over IP
and Internet Communication Service
(14 July 2003) Verdisys Inc of Houston, Texas, a
leading provider of patented lateral drilling oil services and satellite
solutions for Energy Production Enhancement, and Reconstruction Data Group Inc
have announced the availability of its new Voice Over IP (VoIP) and Internet
Communication Service. These services are facilitated through Verdisys' own
internal network where it has brought the critical technologies together to
ensure its customers' mission critical information is neither corrupted nor
compromised.
The Verdisys VPN implementation is cost
effective due to existing satellite connections, Wi-Fi and the Internet to
provide voice and data communications virtually anywhere in the world. Using
the largest available networks of Satellites, Verdisys is able to serve remote
locations in North and South America, Europe and most of Africa.
Verdisys, Inc. provides proprietary oil services and solutions for Energy
Production Enhancement in the areas of Satellite Communications and patented
Lateral Drilling Technologies. Verdisys has developed unique, high quality and
cost effective satellite communication capabilities that provide Energy
Companies access to remote sites. The Company's key focus is on monitoring and
control of applications involving SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data
Acquisition) implementations in the areas of oil and gas exploration,
production, power distribution and other energy management applications. In the
US and Canada, Verdisys provides oil and gas companies with a patented lateral
drilling service utilising specially fabricated mobile drilling rigs.
(source: Verdisys)
Andrew
Appoints New Chief
Financial Officer
(17 July 2003) Andrew Corporation's Board of Directors
have announced the election of Marty R Kittrell, currently the company's vice
president of strategic planning, as Andrew Corporation's new Chief Financial
Officer, effective October 1, 2003.
Marty Kittrell
joined Andrew Corporation in June 2002 and was formerly vice president and
chief financial officer of Celiant Corporation, a company acquired by Andrew in
June 2002. Prior to this, he held a number of financial executive posts with
several public companies including, from 1989 to 1997, the position of vice
president and chief financial officer at Exide Electronics Group Inc. Marty
began his career with the public accounting firm of Price Waterhouse. He is a
member of the Financial Executives Institute, the National Investor Relations
Institute, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the
Institute of Management Accountants, and the Institute of Internal
Auditors.
It was also announced that, effective immediately, Gregory F
Maruszak has been appointed to the newly created role of Chief Compliance
Officer. In this position, Maruszak will be responsible for guiding the company
through its implementation of requirements created by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
and other corporate governance and compliance matters. In his new role,
Maruszak reports directly to the Audit and Human Resources/Governance
Committees of the Andrew Board of Directors.
Greg joined Andrew
Corporation in 1982 and was appointed vice president and corporate controller
in 1991 and named vice president, finance, in 1998. Prior to Andrew
Corporation, Greg was a senior executive in the public accounting firm of Ernst
& Young. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants.
In another move, Daniel J Hartnett, currently tax
director, Andrew Corporation, was promoted to the new role of Vice President of
Tax and elected as a corporate officer of Andrew. Dan has over 26 years of
corporate tax experience. Prior to joining Andrew in 1997, he was tax director
- international with Sara Lee Corporation in Chicago, Illinois, and Paris,
France, and a tax manager with the public accounting firm of Touche Ross. He
holds a JD and Master of Science in Taxation degree from DePaul University. Dan
is a member of the Illinois Bar and the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants.
(source: Andrew Corporation)
Geveden Named Marshall Deputy Director
(14 July 2003) Rex D Geveden has been named
as the new Deputy Director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).
Geveden will succeed David King, who became Center Director on June 15.
As Program Manager for Gravity Probe B (GP-B) since 1996,
Geveden led a government, industry and university team in developing a
sophisticated payload designed to test two features of Einstein's General
Relativity theory.
Geveden has been serving as Deputy Director of the
Science Directorate at Marshall where he leads 600 government, industry and
university employees in scientifically diverse research and development
projects in space science, materials science, biotechnology, earth science and
space optics.
Geveden also was Project Manager for the Lightning
Imaging Sensor (LIS) and Optical Transient Detector (OTD) flight experiments.
The OTD was delivered as a completed instrument in only nine months and
operated successfully on orbit for five years, producing the first global
database that included cloud-to-cloud lightning events. Geveden also was Chief
Engineer for the Waves in Space Plasmas (WISP) and the Laser Atmospheric Wind
Sounder (LAWS) experiments.
Geveden served as Manager of the
Microgravity Science and Applications Department at MSFC, where he led a team
of 350 scientists, engineers and project managers in a national space research
program in materials science and biotechnology. His organisation delivered the
first and many of the early payloads to the International Space Station.
Geveden joined NASA in 1990. He earned a bachelor's degree in Engineering
Physics and a master's degree in Physics from Murray State University in
Kentucky, and is currently pursuing doctoral studies in Materials Engineering
at Auburn University in Alabama.
(source: NASA MSFC)
Gilat
Names Bill Gerety as
New Spacenet CEO
(14 July 2003) Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd has named
Bill Gerety as the new CEO of its Spacenet subsidiary. Gerety takes over from
Nick Supron, who served as Spacenet's CEO for the last two years. The change
was made effective on July 1.
During his tenure, Supron
led a successful effort at Spacenet to optimise operations, streamline
processes and increase efficiencies, in an effort to adapt the company to the
changing characteristics of the market and business environment. Supron elected
to step down in order to spend more time with his family and to pursue other
business opportunities.
Bill Gerety joins Spacenet with an intimate
understanding of the satellite and telecommunications industries. Immediately
prior to joining Spacenet, Gerety served as acting CEO and Chief Operating
Officer of Astrolink International, a broadband satellite venture headed by
Liberty Media, Lockheed Martin, TRW and Telespazio.
Gerety has also
had a distinguished career as a senior officer in the US Army, and continues to
serve as a colonel in the US Army Reserve. He holds a BS from the US Military
Academy at West Point, an MS in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College,
as well as an MS in Contracts & Acquisition Management and an MBA from the
Florida Institute of Technology. After spending four years at Spacenet in the
early 90s, Bill served as COO of international telecom service provider World
Access/Facilicom International; and he led international network sales efforts
at Sprint International.
(source: Gilat Satellite Networks)
Satlynx
Appoints President and
CEO
(14 July 2003)
Satlynx has appointed Paul Heinerscheid as President and CEO.
Paul Heinerscheid was a pioneer in the development of
direct-to-home satellite TV services in the United States with USSB (United
States Satellite Broadcasting). His other former responsibilities include:
Founder, President and CEO of Satellite Network Systems Inc; Managing Director
and CEO of Global Radio SA; Vice President, Operations and Business Manager,
USTV (a Hubbard service subsidiary) as well as Attaché de Direction at
CLT-RTL (today RTL Group), Guest Lecturer in the Graduate Management Program at
the University of St Thomas (US). Paul Heinerscheid is also the Honorary Consul
of Luxembourg for the State of Minnesota.
Paul Heinerscheid, who is 51
and a Luxembourg citizen, holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a
Master of Science from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.
(source: Satlynx)
Wetmore Named Launch Integration Manager for Shuttle Program
(16 July 2003) NASA
today named Michael E Wetmore as the new Launch Integration Manager for the
Space Shuttle program. He assumes the responsibilities of this role effective
immediately.
Wetmore is responsible for all aspects of
Space Shuttle preparation, launch, and return of the orbiter to KSC following
flight. Wetmore succeeds N Wayne Hale, who was recently assigned as deputy
manager, Space Shuttle program. Until a replacement is named, Wetmore will also
maintain his current responsibilities as acting director of Shuttle processing
at KSC.
Wetmore earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical
engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1980 and a Master of
Business Administration from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1989.
After seven years of active duty in submarine service in the United States
Navy, Wetmore began his NASA-KSC career in 1987 as a Shuttle environmental
control and life support system engineer. He later served as a Shuttle fuel
cells/power reactant storage and distribution engineer in the Shuttle
management and operations directorate (later Shuttle processing) at KSC.
He transferred to the directorate's launch and landing projects office as
the lead for resources management; first becoming the senior lead for budgets
and contracts, then manager, launch and landing projects office. He became
deputy director, processing integration in 1998 and was appointed deputy
director of Shuttle processing in 1999. In 2002, he was appointed to his most
recent position of director of Shuttle processing.
(source:
NASA)
Whitlow Named Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director
(14 July 2003) Woodrow
Whitlow Jr PhD has been named as the new Deputy Director of the NASA's Kennedy
Space Center (KSC), effective August 31. Whitlow will succeed James W Kennedy,
who becomes Center Director on August 10.
As Director of
Research and Technology at NASA's Glenn Research Center (GRC), Cleveland, since
1998, Whitlow led a staff of more than 470 scientists and engineers conducting
research in high-temperature materials, aerospace power, propulsion systems,
structures, and acoustics. Whitlow planned and directed GRC research and
technology development efforts to meet NASA programmatic commitments for
advances in space power, space and aeronautics propulsion, and space
communications.
Before moving to GRC, Whitlow was Chief, Structures
Division at NASA's Langley Research Center (LaRC). He planned, directed and
co-ordinated the research of a division of more than 100 scientists and
engineers. The research included analysis, wind tunnel testing, ground and
flight experiments. The experiments covered computational and thermal
structures, structural mechanics and dynamics.
Prior to that, Whitlow
was the Deputy Director, Aeronautics Program Group at LaRC. He led and managed
key research programs to develop technology for airframe systems to help
maintain the superiority of US aircraft, and achieving a safe, affordable,
global transportation system. Whitlow also served at NASA Headquarters in
Washington in the Office of Aeronautics as the Director, Critical Technologies
Division and Program Manager, Structures and Dynamics.
Whitlow joined
NASA in 1979 as a research scientist at LaRC and has held positions of
increasing responsibility since then. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees
in Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT). He received his doctorate from MIT in Aeronautics and Astronautics, with
a minor in Applied Mathematics.
(source: NASA KSC)
