26 January 2003
Satcoms
Broadband Internet Service, a Boost for Rural Ireland
HNS
Demonstrates First 440 Mb/s Transceiver Chip for SpaceWay
HNS Europe to Provide Broadband
Services and Equipment to Catholic Missionaries in Africa
HNS Wins US$ 27M Contract with
GTECH Corporation to Upgrade Transaction Processing Systems
Intelsat Signs Agreement for Reach
Teleport in Asia
New Skies Strengthens Asia-Pacific Offerings with Reach
Agreement
RSCC
Selects Alcatel Space for Express AM2 and AM3 Payloads
Wegener Receives US$ 2.5 Million
Order as Roberts Communications Network Expands
Science
ARC to Supply GLAST Propulsion System
NASA Assigns "Living with a
Star Missions" to APL
Venus Express' Contract Signature
Workers at Australian Site Save
Space Antennas from Wildfire
Technology
MUSES-C
Microwave Ion Engine Prototype Reaches 18,000 Hours of Autonomous Endurance
Testing
Launch
Services
ATK Thiokol
Propulsion Successfully Conducts Full-Scale Space Shuttle Motor Test
Block DM
Investigation Commission Submits Report
Orbital Wins US$ 60 Million in
New Small Launch Vehicle Orders from US Government
Sea Launch Re-Negotiates
Contract with Intelsat
Launches
SORCE
Launch Schedule
Business
Liberty Satellite Announces Transaction for Restructuring
Astrolink
Orbimage Announces Terms of a Settlement Agreement
ViaSat Settles Its
Astrolink Claims
Products and Services
EMS Technologies Launches Fleet 55 Satellite Maritime
Terminal
People
KVH Names Vice President, Business Development
SkyStream Networks Names Vice
President of World-wide Sales and Field Operations
Space Imaging Announces
Resignation of John Copple as CEO
Broadband Internet Service, a Boost for Rural Ireland
(22 January 2003) The
South West Regional Authority in Ireland has secured funding from the European
Space Agency (ESA) to carry out trials that will provide high bandwidth
broadband Internet access via satellite to remote areas of the country.
The Initiative, in co-operation with Cork County Council and
Kerry County Council, along with project partner organisations will test,
demonstrate and evaluate the usability, cost-effectiveness and reliability of
local wireless networks in Cahirciveen, and Killarney in County Kerry and in
Bantry, County Cork. These towns are expected to be the first of many towns in
the South West to benefit from satellite-fed wireless broadband.
This
infrastructure is expected to stimulate and facilitate the development of new
economic activities in towns around the region and will also act as a shop
window across the rest of Ireland, and be of significant interest around
Europe.
The satellite technology will be utilised for uplinks and
downlinks, in delivering government/public services, education and training,
business development and health and medicine information and services, using
various applications and satellite operators, delivering different bandwidths,
as required.
The Regional Authority is especially interested in
working with any Irish or European Small or Medium Sized Enterprises, who work
in research and development or manufacturing of complimentary technologies. The
project offers such companies a test bed and demonstration platform for their
product or service.
HNS
Demonstrates First 440
Mb/s Transceiver Chip for SpaceWay
(21 January 2003) Hughes Network Systems Inc (HNS)
announced the development of the first 440 Mb/s digital modem ASIC, a critical
milestone achieved in the development of DirecWay terminals for the SpaceWay
broadband satellite system.
The ASIC chip named
"Maxwell," after the Scottish physicist and mathematician, is one of the key
components that comprise the end user terminal. Its function is to transmit and
receive information to and from the satellite that yields the ability to switch
on-board the satellite, thereby eliminating the requirement for an expensive
ground hub switching point.
Without sacrificing performance and cost,
the Maxwell chip is housed in a low-cost package measuring less than a square
inch. This digital chip enables a receive capability of 440 Mb/s burst mode,
which is ten times the speed of today's conventional technology. The chip also
enables TDMA/FDMA transmit capability at 512 kb/s, 2Mb/s and 16 Mb/s. By using
extremely high levels of integration to produce a single device, the cost of
the terminal has been substantially reduced, while enabling very high
performance. Its smaller size translates into a 20% cost reduction over today's
comparable unit.
The Maxwell ASIC contains over 2.5 million gates,
consumes less than 2 watts of power, and utilises state-of-the-art .13 micron
ASIC technology. The ASIC was designed and developed by HNS using advanced
Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools and methodologies including system
modelling, simulation, and logic design.
Scheduled for service launch
in 2004, SpaceWay will provide full-mesh connectivity for efficient delivery of
high-bandwidth services. In addition to its unique peer-to-peer architecture,
SpaceWay incorporates many other advanced features-such as packet switching,
spot beams, and bandwidth-on-demand. It operates in the Ka band and is expected
to open up a wealth of opportunities for delivering high-speed multimedia
services to North American enterprises.
HNS
Europe to Provide
Broadband Services and Equipment to Catholic Missionaries in Africa
(20 January 2003)
Hughes Network Systems Europe (HNSE) will provide SIGNIS Missionary Services
with broadband satellite services and equipment. SIGNIS is a non-governmental
organisation officially recognised by the Vatican as the Catholic organisation
for providing communications services around the world.
Using the HNSE operated DirecWay broadband Network Operations Center (NOC) in
Germany and remote satellite terminals manufactured by HNS, SIGNIS-MS will be
able to enhance its services to missionaries, Catholic hospitals, and other
sites in Africa by providing always-on, two-way, high-speed Internet access
with all associated applications; multicasting specially-designed multimedia
content; multicasting radio programs in local languages for distribution;
supporting hospitals with telemedicine applications, distance learning for
staff and communications services; and supporting schools and universities by
providing e-learning tools and Internet access to students.
The
services provided by SIGNIS-MS will be offered to the dioceses, to the
religious communities operating in Africa, to hospitals and universities and to
non-governmental organisations co-operating with the Catholic Church.
The program will include an initial 300 remote terminals and satellite channels
with installation scheduled to begin in January 2003 and to be completed by
2004.
SIGNIS, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, is a
non-governmental organisation that includes members from 140 countries. As the
"World Catholic Association for Communication", it brings together radio,
television, cinema, video, media education, Internet, and new technology
professionals. SIGNIS has consultative statutes with UNESCO, Ecosoc (United
Nations in Geneva and New York), and the Council of Europe. SIGNIS is
officially recognised by the Vatican as a Catholic organisation for
communication. SIGNIS Missionary Services (MS) is a service that supplies
equipment and technical support for pastoral media activities.
HNS
Wins US$ 27M Contract
with GTECH Corporation to Upgrade Transaction Processing Systems
(20 January 2003)
Hughes Network Systems (HNS) has signed a US$ 27 million, 10-year contract with
GTECH Corporation, the world's leading provider of transaction processing
systems and services to the lottery industry.
Under this
agreement, HNS will provide GTECH with two dedicated satellite hubs and at
least seven thousand units of its DW 4020 satellite terminals. Installation is
slated to begin in January 2003.
Headquartered in West Greenwich,
Rhode Island, GTECH is a leading global information technology company with US$
1 billion in revenues. Founded in 1981, the Company employs 4,300 people in 43
countries, providing software, networks, and professional services that power
high-performance, transaction-processing solutions. The Company's core market
is the lottery industry, with a growing presence in financial services
transaction processing.
Intelsat Signs Agreement for Reach Teleport in Asia
(20 January 2003)
Intelsat has signed an agreement with Reach to lease teleport services from the
company's Stanley Teleport in Hong Kong. The signing of this agreement
represents the completion of Intelsat's assembly of its global terrestrial
infrastructure that is used in offering GlobalConnex Solutions, its portfolio
of end-to-end, integrated network services.
Intelsat
customers will be able to use the teleport facilities in Hong Kong for
uplinking, downlinking and DVB platforms, in addition to Internet and private
line services. The teleport's location in Hong Kong gives it visibility of
Intelsat satellites in both the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions, thereby
serving a large number of customers world-wide.
Some of Intelsat's
GlobalConnex customers, including the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of
Mongolia, currently use Reach's Stanley Teleport as one component of their
end-to-end communications solutions. CAA, one of Intelsat's Internet Trunking
customers, is using the Stanley Teleport in combination with the Intelsat 601
satellite.
In addition to Hong Kong, Intelsat's end-to-end network
infrastructure now includes teleports in California, Maryland and Germany as
well as fibre interconnected Points of Presence in Los Angeles, New York,
Frankfurt and London.
Reach is a 50-50 joint venture between Hong
Kong-based PCCW Limited and Australia's Telstra Corporation Limited. It is
Asia's largest international carrier of combined voice, private line and IP
data services. It is also one of the world's top ten carriers of international
voice traffic. Reach's products and services include an extensive portfolio of
voice, data, IP and satellite connectivity. The company has interests in more
than 50 submarine cable and satellite systems (including Asia's largest
teleport), and operating licenses and landing rights in most major markets
including Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, North America
and Europe. Reach is headquartered in Hong Kong, with a significant presence in
Australia and substantial businesses across Asia, North America and Europe. The
company posted annualised revenue for fiscal 2001 of US$ 1.396 billion and
EBITDA US$ 434 million.
New
Skies Strengthens
Asia-Pacific Offerings with Reach Agreement
(20 January 2003) New Skies Satellites NV and Reach,
Asia's largest international carrier of combined voice, private line and IP
data services, have signed an agreement that will combine the capabilities of
New Skies' newly launched NSS-6 pan-Asian satellite and Reach's world-class
satellite gateway in Hong Kong.
Under the terms of the
agreement, Reach will install a 13-meter Ku band antenna at its Hong Kong
gateway, providing dedicated access to New Skies' NSS-6 satellite for the
delivery of voice, video, data and Internet services throughout the Asia
Pacific.
The NSS-6 spacecraft was launched on December 18, 2002 and is
located at 95° E, where it covers more than half of the world's landmass,
from the Middle East to Japan, and two-thirds of the world's population.
In-orbit testing on NSS-6 is on schedule and the satellite is expected to
commence commercial services shortly.
Reach is the only teleport
operator with a genuine pan-Asian presence via two major hubs, including the
Hong Kong gateway, and this agreement will further enhance its position as one
of Asia's leading connectivity providers.
NSS-6 is an A2100AX model
satellite built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems and is equipped
with 60 x 36 MHz-equivalent Ku band transponders. From the orbital slot at
95° E, NSS-6's six broad Ku band beams will offer coverage of India, China,
the Middle East (including Cyprus and Southern Africa), Australia, Southeast
Asia and Northeast Asia.
In addition to Reach, New Skies has also
signed agreements with Singapore-based ST Teleport and the United Kingdom's
Kingston inmedia. In the United States, New Skies has partnered with WilTel
Communications for services through its Los Angeles teleport, and with
Verestar, which operates an international gateway in Brewster, Washington. The
company also operates its wholly owned Washington mediaport, which provides
access to the Americas and offers co-location facilities as well as local loop
connectivity to several major metro video hubs and a North American fibre
network. Together, the facilities compose a world-wide mediaport network
providing first-class connectivity to New Skies' global satellite
fleet.
RSCC Selects Alcatel Space for Express AM2 and AM3
Payloads
(20
January 2003) The Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) and Alcatel
Space have signed a contract to develop and deliver the payloads for the
Express AM2 and AM3 communications satellites. The two payloads will be
manufactured in Alcatel Space's Toulouse plant and then integrated into
"Express-AM" platforms produced by NPO-PM in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
The new Russian Express AM2 and AM3 communications
satellites will carry 16 C band transponders, 12 Ku band transponders and 1 L
band transponder. The spacecraft are designed to provide digital TV and radio
broadcasting, telephony, data transmission channels, videoconferencing services
and Internet access. The satellites will be also used to deploy communication
networks by applying VSAT technology across the territory of Russia, CIS
countries, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Wegener Receives US$ 2.5 Million Order as Roberts Communications
Network Expands
(21
January 2003) Wegener Corporation, a leading provider of digital satellite
transmission equipment to broadcast television and cable networks world-wide,
has received an order from Las Vegas, Nevada based Roberts Communications
Network for US$ 2.5 million.
The order was received in
Wegener's first fiscal quarter of 2003. A small portion was shipped in the
first quarter and the balance will ship during the remainder of this fiscal
year. Roberts is expanding its network that delivers pari-mutuel racing
simulcasts to legalised wagering locations across North America.
The
Roberts Communications Network is expanding with 1500 new UNITY500 IRDs and 15
new redundant digital video encoding systems, including Wegener's Envoy digital
video encoder / modulator.
Wegener provides video distribution
solutions for all major pari-mutuel racing video providers in the US, as well
as those in Sweden and the Caribbean.
Roberts operates the pari-mutuel
industry's largest satellite distribution network, delivering horse and
greyhound racing simulcasts to racetracks, off- track betting outlets, and
casino race books throughout North America on a year round basis. Each
subscriber orders a unique schedule of simulcasts from specific racetracks. The
programming is secured with COMPEL Conditional Access (CA), allowing only
authorised subscribers access to the video and audio.
ARC to Supply GLAST Propulsion System
(23 January 2003)
Atlantic Research Corporation (ARC), a unit of Sequa Corporation, has been
selected by Spectrum Astro to supply a monopropellant propulsion system for the
Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) Observatory.
Utilising twelve ARC MONARC 22 hydrazine thrusters, the
system is designed to safely deorbit the GLAST spacecraft at the end of its
mission.
This award represents ARC's first complete propulsion system
for a NASA mission. ARC has previously developed and produced liquid systems
for several defence customers, most notably the Minuteman III post boost
propulsion system for the US Air Force.
Spectrum Astro is responsible
for the design and manufacture of the GLAST Spacecraft, integration of the
scientific instruments and integration of the over 4,100 kg observatory with
the launch vehicle. The GLAST program is being performed under contract to NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center.
NASA
Assigns "Living with a
Star Missions" to APL
(23 January 2003) NASA has authorised the John Hopkins
University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) to proceed with the implementation
of the Geospace missions under NASA's existing "Living with a Star" contract
with APL. The Living with a Star (LWS) program seeks to address how the
variability in the sun affects life on Earth as well as its affect on space
weather.
LWS sets out to quantify the physics, dynamics
and behaviour of the Sun-Earth system over the 11-year solar cycle and improve
understanding of solar variability and disturbances on terrestrial climate
change. It will also provide data and scientific understanding aimed at
developing a predictive capability for space weather affects. In addition, LWS
will give scientists a detailed characterisation of radiation environments
useful in the design of more reliable electronic components for air and space
transportation systems.
The two missions assigned to the APL make-up
the LWS Geospace Project. These missions were recently identified in a study
completed by the Geospace Mission Definition Team, a group tasked by NASA
Headquarters to identify LWS Geospace Project goals and priorities. The two
missions are the Ionosphere-Thermosphere Mapper Mission (ITM) and the Radiation
Belt Mapper Mission (RBM).
The first of these, the ITM mission, will
investigate the physical processes that modify and change the Earth's thin
outer atmosphere, the region where the planet meets space. The ITM will make
measurements of the composition and physical properties of the upper atmosphere
between 85-1,000 km altitude. Understanding this region of space above Earth,
and the sun's effects, will help us with the operation of the International
Space Station that operates in this region. It is also a region that modifies
the signals of navigation satellites, such as the Global Positioning
System.
The Radiation Belt Mission will use two spacecraft in a near
equatorial elliptical orbit to take measurements in the space above the
ionosphere where the Earth's magnetic field interacts with the magnetic field
of the sun. The interaction of these fields of wind provides an energy source
for the Earth's magnetosphere and drives a part of the observed variation of
the Earth's magnetic field. It is in this region the processes of interaction
of the fields of the Earth and sun trap and energises ions and electrons in
radiation belts. The dynamic changes of this region can have important effects
on civil and military communications satellite systems.
The ITM and
RBM are planned for launch in 2008 and 2010 respectively. The timing is such
that the solar magnetic activity cycle, operating with an 11-year period, will
be at or near a maximum during these missions. The program is designed to use
information at the extreme of this cycle to lead to major advances in our
understanding and ability to predict space weather.
The Johns Hopkins
University Applied Physics Laboratory is responsible for implementation of the
Geospace Project. Implementation includes the design and development of the two
spacecraft.
LWS is part of the Sun-Earth Connection theme within the
Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA's Goddard
Space Flight Center manages the LWS program.
Venus Express' Contract Signature
(24 January 2003) On January 28 the European
Space Agency (ESA) and Astrium will sign a contract for the design and
development of Venus Express, the first European spacecraft to visit the
planet Venus.
Venus Express is scheduled for launch from
the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan during November 2005. It will be carried
into space by a Soyuz-Fregat rocket and placed immediately in its transfer
orbit to Venus. Its journey through space will last about 5 months for a
mission duration around Venus of nearly 2 venusian years.
Workers at Australian Site Save Space Antennas from Wildfire
(22 January 2003)
Australian antennas of NASA's Deep Space Network used for communicating with
spacecraft are back in normal operation after a close call with wildfires that
destroyed hundreds of homes and took four lives in the Canberra area.
Brush fires surrounded the network's Canberra complex on
Saturday. Workers used hoses to dowse spot fires on the site Saturday and were
still extinguishing flare-ups Monday.
The Canberra dish antennas were
inactive for about three and one-half hours Saturday so workers could
concentrate on the fire. During that period, the complex had been scheduled to
be in communication with five spacecraft on interplanetary missions or in Earth
orbit, but none of the missed transmissions was critical or irreplaceable.
The network has antenna clusters in California, Spain and Australia so
that the large radio dishes can be pointed toward spacecraft in any part of the
solar system as the world turns. The antennas communicate with spacecraft as
distant as Voyager 1, more than twice as far away as Pluto.
Strong
winds spread the fires across expanses of drought-parched vegetation. One
entrance to the Canberra complex has been closed because of a burned-out
bridge. An outlying support structure - a tower, used in calibrations of the
antennas - was damaged by the fires. The site's visitor centre is temporarily
closed. The fire destroyed another important astronomical resource in the area,
the Mount Stromlo observatory of Australian National University.
The
antenna site has its own backup electrical generators and water supply. The
facility is sharing hot meals and water with area residents who have
temporarily lost power and water to their homes.
JPL, a division of
the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Deep Space
Network for NASA. The network's Canberra site is operated by British Aerospace,
under contract to Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
Organisation.
MUSES-C Microwave Ion Engine Prototype Reaches 18,000 Hours of
Autonomous Endurance Testing
(24 January 2003) The spacecraft for the asteroid
sample return mission, MUSES-C, scheduled for launch in May 2003, will have an
ISAS-developed microwave ion engine onboard for interplanetary navigation. The
prototype model of this engine has achieved 18000 hours of autonomous endurance
running.
The ion engine that started the endurance test
on March 30, 2000 to verify its performance for the mission requirement of
18000 hours has continued autonomous running over approx 2 and a half years. It
successfully achieved the original goal of 18,000 hours at 2:00 am on October
25, 2002, and is still running at present. The engine used for the endurance
test is a prototype model of MUSES-C and has been produced in complete
accordance with the design, material and manufacturing of the flight
model.
ATK Thiokol Propulsion Successfully Conducts Full-Scale Space
Shuttle Motor Test
(24 January 2003) ATK Thiokol Propulsion has
successfully conducted a static test firing of a full-scale Space Shuttle
reusable solid rocket motor (RSRM). The test took place at the company's
Promontory, Utah, facility, located approximately 145 km north of Salt Lake
City.
The flight support motor (FSM) program is used to
continue verification of the RSRM, including components, materials, and
processes. The static tests also provide opportunities to evaluate or certify
various design, process, and supplier changes for the RSRM flight program.
The test ran two minutes, the same duration as the motors fire when
launching the Space Shuttle. The last test was conducted in November 2001. The
next one, a next-generation five-segment motor, is planned for September
2003.
The static test had 97 objectives and employed 459
instrumentation channels to collect data for evaluation. Many of the static
test objectives on FSM-10 will eventually be introduced into the Space Shuttle
RSRM flight program.
The Space Shuttle RSRM is the largest solid
rocket motor ever flown and the first designed for reuse. The reusability of
the RSRM case and nozzle hardware is an important cost-saving factor. From
ignition to end of burn, each RSRM generates an average thrust of 2.6 million
pounds and burns for approximately 123.6 seconds. Each motor is just over 38 m
long and 3.7 m in diameter. The entire booster - including nose cap, frustum,
and forward and aft skirts - is approximately 45 m long.
Of the
motor's total weight of 572 thousand kg, propellant accounts for 503 thousand
kg. Each launch requires the boost of two RSRMs. By the time the twin RSRMs
have completed their task, the Space Shuttle orbiter has reached an altitude of
44 km and is travelling at a speed in excess of 4,800 km/hr.
With
safety, quality, and reliability as their primary objectives, ATK Thiokol
Propulsion engineers direct approximately 110,000 quality control inspections
on each RSRM flight set.
Block
DM Investigation
Commission Submits Report
(20 January 2003) The State Commission investigating
the failure of a Proton/Block DM launch vehicle, which left the Astra 1K
satellite in a lower-than-planned orbit, has submitted its final report to the
Russian government.
The commission also provided a
report to the ILS Failure Review Oversight Board (FROB), which begins its
review of the findings this week in Moscow. The State Commission and the FROB
were formed shortly after the November 26 launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome
in Kazakhstan.
The State Commission exonerated the Khrunichev-built,
three-stage Proton launch vehicle early in its investigation. "No fault has
been found with the implementation of the mission profile during the powered
flight of Proton's Stages 1 through 3," the final report states.
The
commission identified the Block DM upper stage as the source of the failure.
RSC Energia builds the Block DM. The commission noted that the anomaly occurred
at the start of the second Block DM main engine burn, as did three other Block
DM failures since 1996.
In the final report, the commission was unable
to pinpoint a single root cause for the failure. There was excessive fuel in
the main engine when it was ignited for the second burn, which led to
extraordinarily high temperatures that destroyed the engine, the commission
found. It identified two possible scenarios for the fuel build-up, both
attributed to "stray particles" that clogged the engine components.
"The failure ... to perform the second burn was caused by an abnormal
development of the start-up process in the course of which ignition took place
in the gas duct due to the excessive amount of the fuel ... present at the
ignition time during the attempted second burn," the report states. "This in
turn was caused by either 1) stray particles clogging the manifolds through
which (the fuel) is drained from the starting-fluid feed line after the first
burn or 2) loss of air-tightness, due to stray particles, of the valve designed
to supply the fuel to the gas generator injector."
Energia is
developing a corrective action plan to submit to the commission. The commission
in turn will review the plan to determine the validity and sufficiency of the
proposed remedies. The commission recommended seven areas to review for
corrective action, including Block DM testing and inspection, and processing of
propellants, all to be addressed by Energia.
ILS established the
Failure Review Oversight Board to provide an independent assessment of the
State Commission findings and to ensure that a robust corrective action plan is
in place before commercial flights are resumed.
The FROB process
includes meeting with representatives from the State Commission and from
hardware subcontractors.
Orbital
Wins US$ 60 Million in
New Small Launch Vehicle Orders from US Government
(23 January 2003) Orbital Sciences
Corporation has received firm orders for four small space launch vehicles from
the US Government.
At the end of 2002, NASA contracted
with the company to launch its Spectroscopy and Photometry of the Intergalactic
Medium's Diffuse Radiation (SPIDR) satellite aboard the company's Pegasus
rocket in a mission that will take place in 2005. Separately, the U.S.
Department of Defense (DoD) contracted with the company for three Minotaur
space launch vehicles under the U.S. Air Force's Orbital/Suborbital (OSP)-1
program. One of the Minotaur vehicles will be used for the Department of
Defense's Near-Field Infrared Experiment (NFIRE) mission and the other two
vehicles will be used for missions to be announced by the DoD at a later date.
Together, the four firm orders total approximately US$ 60 million in value. The
missions will be executed by Orbital beginning in 2003 and will be completed
over the next several years. The company did not disclose the financial terms
of the individual missions.
Orbital's Pegasus rocket is the world's
only small space launch vehicle that has been certified with NASA's Payload
Risk Category 3, which the space agency reserves for its highest value space
missions. With the SPIDR contract, NASA has now awarded Orbital 6 of up to 16
potential missions under Kennedy Space Center's Small Expendable Launch Vehicle
Services agreement.
The primary objective of the NASA-sponsored SPIDR
mission is to map the "cosmic web" of hot gas, which spans the universe. The
SPIDR satellite is being developed by Charles Stark Draper Laboratory and is
being managed by Boston University.
Orbital developed the
ground-launched four-stage Minotaur rocket for the US Air Force's
Orbital/Suborbital Program. The vehicle uses US Government-supplied Minuteman
II motors that have been decommissioned as a result of arms reduction treaties,
with the deactivated rocket motors serving as the vehicle's first and second
stages. Its third and fourth stages, as well as its guidance and control
system, use technology from the company's Pegasus rocket. Orbital is under
contract to the Air Force to provide OSP integrated launch vehicles and to
perform launch operations to deliver small US government sponsored satellites
to orbit.
The NFIRE mission to be flown on a Minotaur rocket in 2004
is sponsored by the US Missile Defense Agency through the Air Force Space and
Missile Systems Center's Rocket Systems Launch Program. The satellite is
designed to evaluate technologies for boost-phase missile defence.
Sea
Launch Re-Negotiates
Contract with Intelsat
(21 January 2003) Following a decision last November
to terminate the Intelsat 10-01 mission, and a more recent decision to launch
the Intelsat 10-02 payload on a Proton vehicle, Intelsat elected to negotiate
with Sea Launch for a firm future launch service.
The
original contract, signed December 12, 2001, called for a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL
rocket to place an Intelsat spacecraft into geosynchronous transfer orbit in
2003.
The Sea Launch team had progressed well into its mission
planning on the Intelsat 10-01 launch, when Intelsat determined it would assign
the remaining payload to the Proton vehicle.
SORCE
Launched: 25 January 2003
Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,
Florida
Launcher: Pegasus XL
Orbit: LEO, apogee: 637 km, perigee: 602
km: inclination: 40.0°
International Number: 2003-004A
Name: Solar
Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE)
Owner: NASA
Contractor:
Orbital Space Systems Group
SORCE is a NASA scientific satellite
carrying four scientific instruments to measure the solar radiation at the top
of the Earth's atmosphere and how the sun influences Earth's atmosphere and
climate.
The four instruments on SORCE are the Total Irradiance
Monitor, the Spectral Irradiance Monitor, Solar Stellar Irradiance Comparison
Experiment, and the Extreme Ultraviolet Photometer System. The first three will
measure solar irradiance and the solar spectrum to help scientists understand
the sun's role in climate change. The Photometer System will measure
high-energy radiation from the sun.
SORCE has a mass of 315 kg and has
a design life of five years.
Liberty
Satellite Announces
Transaction for Restructuring Astrolink
(23 January 2003) Liberty Satellite &
Technology Inc has reached agreement with Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop
Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp (formerly TRW Inc), and Telespazio SpA
in connection with the previously announced proposed restructuring of Astrolink
International LLC.
Astrolink was formed in 1999 to
establish and operate a global communications system to deliver next-generation
broadband service. Liberty Satellite currently owns 31.5% of Astrolink, with
the remainder owned directly or indirectly by Lockheed Martin, Northrop
Grumman, and Telespazio.
Under the agreement, Liberty Satellite will
acquire substantially all of the assets of Astrolink. Astrolink simultaneously
signed agreements with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman for completion of
two satellites. The parties also reached agreement on the settlement of all
claims related to the previous termination of Astrolink's major procurement
contracts and all other major third party creditor claims. The closing of
Liberty Satellite's acquisition of the Astrolink business is subject to
regulatory approvals and other closing conditions, including Liberty Satellite
obtaining satisfactory funding for the business from additional investors,
third party sources of financing, or firm capacity commitments from prospective
customers. Closing is expected to occur on or before October 31, 2003.
If the closing occurs, Liberty Satellite will pay approximately US$ 43 million
in cash and will issue approximately US$ 3 million in value of Series A common
stock as total consideration for the Astrolink assets, including certain
existing satellite and launch contracts, and the settlement of all claims
against Astrolink. In addition, Liberty Satellite will provide additional
interim funding for Astrolink pending closing. If the transactions are
consummated, Liberty Media Corporation also will make a capital contribution to
Liberty Satellite in an amount equal to 10% of the value of Liberty Media's
equity holdings in Liberty Satellite at the time, up to a maximum commitment of
US$ 55 million, in exchange for shares of Liberty Satellite's Series B common
stock at fair market value at closing.
Liberty Satellite currently
plans to pursue a revised operating plan for the new Astrolink system, taking
into account current financial and market factors. The revised operating plan
currently envisions launching Ka band satellites to provide enterprise
customers with virtual private networks and related advanced services, as well
as their use in fulfilling the expanding needs for bandwidth by various
government agencies.
This agreement follows Liberty Satellite's
announcement on December 23, 2002 of an agreement, subject to closing
conditions, to increase its investment in WildBlue Communications. Proceeds
from the investment will be used to continue funding WildBlue's business plan
to provide satellite- delivered, high speed Internet access to residential and
small business customers in areas not currently reached by competing broadband
technologies.
Orbimage Announces Terms of a Settlement Agreement
(22 January 2003)
Orbital Imaging Corporation (Orbimage) has signed a non-binding term sheet with
the Official Committee of its Unsecured Creditors and Orbital Sciences
Corporation (Orbital) that will facilitate Orbimage's prompt emergence from its
Chapter 11 reorganisation proceeding now pending in the Eastern District of
Virginia.
The agreement in principle includes the
material terms for a settlement agreement to be submitted to the Bankruptcy
Court for approval. Under the proposed settlement, Orbimage would end its
pending litigation with Orbital in exchange for additional working capital and
other consideration to be provided by Orbital.
Orbimage expects to
obtain formal approval of the settlement agreement from the US Bankruptcy Court
by mid-February.
The proposed settlement agreement will contain mutual
releases of all claims among the parties, including Orbimage and a significant
majority of its bondholders and preferred stockholders, Orbital, and certain
individual officers of Orbital. The releases will be effective upon launch of
OrbView-3 by Orbital and payment by Orbital of US$ 2.5 million to Orbimage. In
exchange, Orbital will receive new notes that are equal to the Orbital payment
and rank pari passu with the new notes to be issued to Orbimage's
pre-bankruptcy unsecured creditors provided the final reorganisation plan is
consistent with the term sheet. If the final plan is inconsistent with the term
sheet, Orbital will have priority in right of payment over the unsecured
creditors.
As part of the settlement, if OrbView-3 is not launched by
April 30, 2003 and checked out by July 31, 2003, Orbital will pay Orbimage
delay penalties. The term sheet further provides that Orbital will agree to
defer certain payments from Orbimage and forgive others.
Final testing
of OrbView-3 is being completed, and the satellite is currently scheduled to be
launched by Orbital on a Pegasus launch vehicle in April 2003. Checkout of the
satellite is expected to take between three to four months.
ViaSat Settles Its Astrolink Claims
(24 January 2003) ViaSat Inc could receive
approximately US$ 11 million in cash and other consideration under a settlement
with Astrolink International LLC with respect to contractual termination
payments due to ViaSat.
Under the terms of the
settlement, ViaSat received a cash payment of US$ 6.5 million. In addition,
ViaSat will receive additional consideration in the form of cash, a consulting
contract and satellite airtime from the new Astrolink business providing
aggregate additional value of approximately US$ 4.5 million under specified
circumstances or certain non-cash consideration in the form of capital
equipment under other circumstances, depending on implementation of the
Astrolink business plan.
ViaSat had approximately US$ 9.2 million of
assets related to Astrolink on its balance sheet as of September 30, 2002.
ViaSat may record a one-time charge in the fiscal third quarter ended December
31, 2002 of up to US$ 2.7 million, which represents the difference between the
cash payment and the carrying value of the Astrolink related assets. The extent
of the financial impact depends on the results of ViaSat's assessment of the
value, if any, associated with the non-cash and contingent portions of the
settlement.
A charge of US$ 2.7 million would have an estimated after
tax impact of (US$ 0.06) per share on ViaSat's fiscal third quarter
results.
EMS Technologies Launches Fleet 55 Satellite Maritime
Terminal
(21
January 2003) EMS Technologies Inc has announced the launch of the Fleet 55
Maritime Satellite Terminal. The Fleet 55 represents the latest terminal in the
Inmarsat Fleet family of maritime services, offering boats at sea high-speed
connectivity for voice and data applications at rates of 64 kb/s. The Fleet 55
is the flagship product for EMS Technologies' newly formed Maritime Group,
headed by Nils Helle.
Two distinct data services are
available with the Fleet 55, Mobile ISDN, or Mobile Packet Data Service (MPDS).
Fleet 55's data service utilises the spotbeams on Inmarsat's satellites,
providing up to 64kb/s Mobile ISDN or Mobile Packet Data in the spot beam
coverage. Inmarsat's global beam provides global coverage for Fleet 55 voice
services.
Fleet 55's 64 kb/s Mobile ISDN offers clear, digital voice
available in all four Inmarsat Ocean Regions, as well as group 4 fax and
high-speed voice band data service.
Inmarsat's popular MPDS service,
supported by Fleet 55, acts as an "always on" connection suitable for web
browsing and e-mail. The MPDS service is very cost effective for low data
transfer due to billing by the Mbit, not by the time connected.
The
EMS Fleet 55 terminal has a comprehensive selection of interfaces, including,
ISDN, X.21, RS449, RS232, and two RJ11 ports, as well as an optional STUIIB/III
service for reliable secure communications.
KVH Names Vice President, Business Development
(23 January 2003) KVH
Industries has hired Daniel Conway as the company's new Vice President,
Business Development for Military & Industrial Products.
Mr Conway comes to KVH from Benthos Inc, an oceanographic
technology company with customers in the marine, oil and gas, government, and
scientific markets. Previously, he spent 20 years at Anteon (formerly Analysis
& Technology). While there, he served in a variety of positions, including
vice president for new business development and integration, and oversaw the
successful capture of more than US$ 135 million in new contracts.
Mr
Conway is a graduate of the US Naval Academy with post-graduate studies in
nuclear engineering, and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from
the University of Rhode Island. He served for 5 years as a member of the US
Navy nuclear submarine force and was a commander in the US Naval Reserve (Naval
Intelligence) for more than 10 years.
SkyStream Networks Names Vice President of World-wide Sales and
Field Operations
(21 January 2003) SkyStream Networks, a leading
developer of networking solutions for advanced video and IP services, has
announced the appointment of Andy Lovit to the position of vice president of
sales and world-wide field operations.
Lovit will report
directly to Jim Olson, president and CEO, and have immediate responsibility for
SkyStream’s global direct and channel sales, systems engineering and field
support organisations. Lovit brings 20 years of extensive sales management
experience to SkyStream Networks, including a successful track record of
building sales teams and working with top-tier service providers around the
world.
Lovit joins SkyStream Networks from Onetta Inc, where he served
as vice president of world-wide sales and marketing. At Onetta, Lovit was
responsible for building a world-wide sales team and establishing key customer
and partner relationships in the optical networking and manufacturing space
with leading OEM system companies such as Cisco Systems. Lovit has held several
VP-level sales positions at leading networking companies including Paradyne
Corporation, where he was instrumental in taking the company through its
initial public offering, and 3Com Corporation's Network Service Provider
Division (NSPD).
Space
Imaging Announces
Resignation of John Copple as CEO
(24 January 2003) Space Imaging has announced that
John R Copple, CEO since 1995, has resigned from the company to pursue other
opportunities. The Board of Directors has negotiated a consultant agreement
with Copple under which he will continue his relationship with the company in a
consulting capacity.
Space Imaging also announced that
the Board has elected Robert Z Dalal as Acting Chief Executive Officer. Dalal
has served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the company since
2001.
