27 July 2003
Satcoms
ATCi Provides Broadcast for the International Conference on
Thinking XI
Golden Corral Selects Spacenet Broadband Network for
Restaurants
HNS Awarded Contract for Thuraya Handsets
Iridium Satellite Receives
Authorisation to Sell Commercial Services in Iraq
PowerVu Digital System Delivers Government Programming to Cable
Headends
Stratos Announces Major Contract
with Oilfield Services Company
ViaSat Awarded Contract for Skylinx VSAT Network in Saudi
Arabia
Earth
Observation
EMS Technologies to Supply X Band Switching for COSMO SkyMed
Satellite
Military
Space
SpaceDev Explores Microsats for Missile Defense Agency
Spectrum Astro
Completes C/NOFS Instrument Integration
Science
Alcatel Kicks Off Corot Satellite Program For French
Space Agency
NASA Team Gives FUSE Spacecraft Triple Brain
Transplant
SpaceDev to Design Lunar
Dish Observatory Mission
Technology
NASA
Mishap Board Identifies Cause Of X-43A Failure
Launch
Services
Atlas V to
Launch Mission to Pluto in 2006
US Air Force Announces Boeing Inquiry
Results
Launches
Launch Schedule
Business
Boeing Realigns Space
Businesses to Focus on Customers, Performance
HNS Appoints Grintek Telecom as Representative in South
Africa
Products and Services
MobileMapper, New GPS-Based GIS Data Collector from
Thales Navigation
People
James E Hattaway Named KSC Associate
Director
ATCi Provides Broadcast for the International Conference on
Thinking XI
(24
July 2003) Antenna Technology Communications Inc (ATCi) has been selected to
provide the live broadcasting uplink for the International Conference on
Thinking (ICOT) taking place at the Phoenix Civic Plaza on July 21-26,
2003.
ATCi is offering a complete uplink system to
broadcast the conference via satellite to Elephas Communications and
Interactive Media Inc in Georgia for subsequent webcasting world-wide. The
webcast will afford students, educators and businesses the opportunity to view
the ICOT conference via real-time audio and video. During the week long
conference, the broadcast will be made available to colleges and universities
throughout the world. The broadcast represents a collaboration of several
leading edge solutions and will be made available to several affiliate networks
and aggregated streaming websites.
ATCi has recently finished building
and integrating the largest distance learning network in Latin America for
Mexico's Secretaria de Educacion Publica, reaching over 5 million students
through 30,000 secondary education institutions in the region.
The
International Conference on Thinking began in 1982, with the first conference
held at The University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji. For only the third
time in its 21-year history, ICOT will take place in the United States. This
year's host city is Phoenix. More than 150 of the world's most influential and
challenging thinkers, including award-winning scientists, writers, journalists,
business leaders, religious leaders, media figures and educators from some of
the leading universities around the world will be presenting at The
International Conference on Thinking XI. Presenters include Michio Kaku, the
world-renowned physicist ("Beyond Einstein"); Edward de Bono ("Lateral
Thinking"); Arie de Geus ("The Living Company"); Peter Senge ("The Fifth
Discipline"); Dr A T Ariyaratne ("Buddhist Thinking"); Swami Parthasarathy
("Ancient Wisdom in Modern Times"); and many more.
(source:
ATCi)
Golden
Corral Selects Spacenet
Broadband Network for Restaurants
(23 July 2003) Spacenet Inc has signed an agreement
with Golden Corral Corporation to deploy Spacenet's Connexstar
commercial-grade, broadband satellite service to its chain of Golden Corral
family restaurants. Deployment is scheduled to begin immediately.
Connexstar CX-500 provides broadband IP connectivity and
Internet access with industry-leading availability, performance and lifecycle
economics. This service will be used by Golden Corral to run a broad range of
IP-based applications including high-speed credit authorisation, point-of-sale
polling and web-based, back-office applications.
Golden Corral CIO Don
Clark said, "While the Connexstar service enables us to deploy a wide range of
applications, perhaps the most important immediate benefit will come from a
significant improvement in the speed of point-of-sale credit authorisation.
Because our customers pay for their meals upon entering our restaurant, fast
credit authorisation is critical to ensure they are seated quickly. The dial-up
method we currently use requires up to 28 seconds of wait time, but our
restaurants using Connexstar will be able to secure credit authorisations in
less than seven seconds. Just as important is Connexstar's reputation for
providing unmatched service availability and uptime. With all of our
point-of-sale traffic relying on a single connection, we had to be certain we
would have an extremely robust, reliable service provider - and that's why we
went with Connexstar."
(source: Gilat Satellite Networks)
HNS
Awarded Contract for
Thuraya Handsets
(23 July 2003) Hughes Network Systems Inc (HNS) has
signed a contract with Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company for the
design and supply of 100,000 advanced generation mobile satellite handsets.
This is a follow-on order to the original supply contract
for 235,000 units in 2001, which are being sold successfully throughout
Thuraya's mobile satellite service area covering Europe, North and Central
Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, with a reach of more than two
billion people. Licensed service providers in over 100 countries currently
offer Thuraya handsets.
Production of the new handsets will begin in
the first quarter of 2004.
Among the standard services to be offered
is a Global Positioning System (GPS) distance and direction display, which will
allow users to determine the distance and direction between two points,
utilising stored benchmark locations in the phone memory. This capability is
designed to provide subscribers with greater security and confidence while
trekking in remote areas.
Providing customers with an online data
connection wherever they are, the handsets will also offer Wireless Application
Protocol (WAP), allowing users access to interactive and real time mobile data
services, such as mobile banking or Internet based news services. WAP will
allow customers to view Internet content, and process secure transactions
anywhere, anytime.
The new Thuraya handset will also allow users to
customise the handset display to operate with a preferred language. Among the
additional languages supported are Turkish, Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Russian, and
Hindu, which reflects Thuraya's burgeoning and diverse customer base.
(source: Hughes Network Systems)
Iridium Satellite Receives Authorisation to Sell Commercial
Services in Iraq
(21 July 2003) Iridium Satellite LLC has been
authorised by the office of the Coalition Provisional Authority (the current
governing authority of Iraq) and the Ministry of Transportation and
Communications to provide and sell Iridium's mobile satellite communications
services, subscriber terminals, and related equipment in Iraq. The Ministry of
Transportation and Communications has responsibility, by order of the Coalition
Provisional Authority, for licensing all commercial telecommunications services
in Iraq.
Iridium products and services will be
immediately available through Iridium's existing network of official global
service providers. The company will provide its full range of products
including applications for voice, dial-up data usage, and short burst data
capabilities.
(source: Iridium Satellite)
PowerVu Digital System Delivers Government Programming to Cable
Headends
(22 July
2003) A new Scientific-Atlanta PowerVu digital content distribution system,
designed and installed by Atlantic Telecommunications Services Corporation for
the Washington Public Affairs Network (TVW), is delivering a variety of live
and taped government programming to over 130 cable communities across the state
of Washington. According to Atlantic Telecommunications, a Scientific-Atlanta
value-added distributor, the new TVW digital transmission system went into
operation May 15, 2003.
The new PowerVu digital
transmission system has replaced a less effective analogue system that used
both microwave and fibre interconnects that left significant holes in coverage
and accessibility to the programming.
TVW's new PowerVu system will
provide cable viewers with access to a wide range of government-related
programming including live coverage of Washington State Senate and House of
Representatives deliberations, state Supreme Court oral arguments, committee
meetings, press conferences, lectures from the state university system's
campuses, and other public affairs events, as well as taped government and
public policy programming.
The TVW system includes PowerVu Originator
encoders with backup redundancy and uses the new PowerVu Program Receiver
(Model D9850). This 1RU unit offers NTSC/PAL video decoding, Dolby Digital and
MPEG audio decoding, and DVB/DES de-scrambling.
(source:
Scientific-Atlanta)
Stratos Announces Major Contract with Oilfield Services
Company
(23 July
2003) Stratos has been awarded a five-year contract to upgrade and enhance the
telecommunications infrastructure on the Ramform Banff, an FPSO (Floating,
Production, Storage, and Offloading) vessel operated by PGS Production AS in
the British sector of the North Sea.
PGS Production AS
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleum Geo-Services ASA (PGS). The contract
includes two state-of-the-art stabilised VSATs (Very Small Aperture Terminals),
space segment, and fibre optic backhauls to several locations. The Banff is a
highly specialised FPSO with some unique characteristics, which called for
Stratos to design a complex, tailored technical solution that would meet the
demanding communications needs of PGS.
The Broadband Division of
Stratos is a leading independent provider of remote communication services to
the oil and gas industry in major producing regions around the world. Stratos
enables "extended-office" connectivity to offshore platforms and remote well
sites with solutions that include LAN, Internet, voice, and other applications.
Other oil and gas companies leveraging Stratos' services to improve their
business processes include Shell, ChevronTexaco, and BP Exploration.
Petroleum Geo-Services is a technologically focused oilfield service company
principally involved in geophysical and floating production services. PGS
provides a broad range of seismic- and reservoir services, including
acquisition, processing, interpretation, and field evaluation. PGS owns and
operates four floating production, storage and offloading units (FPSO's). PGS
operates on a world-wide basis with headquarters in Oslo, Norway.
(source: Stratos Global Corporation)
ViaSat Awarded Contract for Skylinx VSAT Network in Saudi
Arabia
(24 July
2003) ViaSat Inc has received a contract for approximately US$ 1 million from
High Capabilities Technologies Co Ltd for Skylinx Demand Assigned Multiple
Access (DAMA) VSAT products. Hi-Cap, ViaSat's distributor for Saudi Arabia,
will use Skylinx to provide connections for a variety of advanced networking
applications in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, such as LAN to LAN connections,
videoconferencing, file transfer, and Internet access.
Skylinx will enable the Hi-Cap network to establish direct, on-demand voice or
data (up to 2 Mb/s) connections via satellite, and to automatically restore
communications in the case of any terrestrial network interruptions. Skylinx
uses full mesh switching to minimise transmission delays between all stations.
While satellite bandwidth is usually the largest cost component of satellite
communication networks, Skylinx minimises that expense through advanced DAMA
technology. DAMA VSAT networks share a pool of satellite channels that are
available to any station in the network. Channels are assigned on an as-needed
basis, then released for use by other stations, reducing network bandwidth
requirements.
The Hi-Cap network will also feature the Skylinx High
Speed Channel Unit (HSCU) for fast data connections from 32 kb/s up to 2.048
Mb/s. The Skylinx system offers an easy path to upgrades and added features
with its multi-slot design that lets users plug new channel units, such as the
HSCU, into their Skylinx chassis.
(source: ViaSat)
EMS
Technologies to Supply
X Band Switching for COSMO SkyMed Satellite
(23 July 2003) EMS Technologies Inc has received a
contract valued at US$ 5.7 million from Alenia Spazio to supply key switching
technology for the COSMO SkyMed earth observation satellite mission set for
launch in 2005.
EMS's Space and Technology/Atlanta
division will manufacture and deliver space-qualified X band ferrite switching
networks and electronic power converters for the COSMO SkyMed constellation,
which will feature four low-earth orbiting (LEO) satellites. The satellite
system will provide high- resolution images of the earth's surface for
environmental monitoring, risk management (natural risk forecasting and
management), and land-use mapping and planning, among other applications.
The EMS switching network will route RF signals among the satellite's
transmitter, antenna and receiver, protect the sensitive receiver within the
synthetic aperture radar, and provide a highly accurate and stable RF
calibration channel. This deployment represents EMS's expansion of core
receiver protection/calibration switching technology for earth-observation
satellite systems to X band.
(source: EMS Technologies)
SpaceDev
Explores Microsats for
Missile Defense Agency
(24 July 2003) SpaceDev has been awarded a second
contract by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to explore the use of
microsatellites in national missile defence. In January, SpaceDev launched
CHIPSat, the smallest, high-performance low-cost satellite ever produced in the
United States. SpaceDev's microsats are operated over the Internet and are
capable of pointing and tracking targets in space or on the ground. These and
other capabilities will be explored for MDA. The new contract value is US$
800,000, and the total value of SpaceDev's microsatellite studies for MDA is
over US$ 1 million this year.
To be explored in this
study will be fast response microsat launch and commissioning; small, low-power
passive sensors; target acquisition and tracking; formation flying and local
area networking within a cluster of microsats; and an extension of SpaceDev's
proven use of the Internet for on-orbit command, control and data handling.
Under a separate but complimentary DoD contract, SpaceDev is working on
technologies for safe, clean Shuttle-compatible propulsion modules that will be
able to transfer payloads from one orbit to another, and to perform manoeuvres
or proximity operations once on orbit. These capabilities will be analysed in
the MDA project as possible methods to perform orbit station keeping, and for
formation flying of multiple microsats.
(source: SpaceDev)
Spectrum
Astro Completes C/NOFS
Instrument Integration
(23 July 2003) Spectrum Astro has completed instrument
integration for the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS)
at the company's manufacturing headquarters in Gilbert, Arizona. C/NOFS, the
ninth satellite built by Spectrum Astro, is the first to have all of its
payloads delivered and integrated at Spectrum Astro's facility. C/NOFS is a
joint effort between the Department of Defense Space Test Program and the Air
Force Research Laboratory with a mission to forecast ionospheric scintillations
in support of the US warfighter.
The C/NOFS mission is
to forecast and specify ionospheric scintillations in the earth's equatorial
region. C/NOFS will alert the US warfighter of impending UHF and L band
satellite communication outages, GPS navigation degradations, and Space-Based
Radar tracking errors due to these scintillations with the goal of forecasting
them three to six hours before their onset.
The Department of Defense
Space Test Program manages the C/NOFS mission and the payloads were provided
through the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). AFRL managed development and
delivery of the six-instrument payload with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center,
The Aerospace Corporation, the Naval Research Laboratory, and the University of
Texas, Dallas. The Space Test Program provides the spacecraft, launch vehicle,
launch, and first year on-orbit operations. In addition to the payloads, AFRL
is responsible for payload integration and test, model development, data centre
operations, and product generation and distribution. Spectrum Astro is
providing the spacecraft, integration, and testing as well as operational
support for the Space Test Program. Spectrum Astro has contracted with Orbital
Science to provide the launch service.
(source: Spectrum
Astro)
Alcatel
Kicks Off Corot
Satellite Program For French Space Agency
(22 July 2003) Alcatel Space has signed a 15 million
Euro contract with the French space agency CNES, covering the third and final
part of the Corot program. Corot encompasses the development and construction
of a space observatory satellite intended to study stars and detect new
planets. The total program value is 35 million Euros.
The Corot satellite will be based on the Proteus platform, one of five ordered
by CNES last summer to be used for scientific missions. Alcatel Space
previously signed a contract for the Corotel spaceborne telescope. Today’s
contract covers engineering services, plus satellite integration and
testing.
CNES’s Corot mission is a world’s first. Its
primary aim is to study internal structure of stars, using a method known as
astroseismology (study of star oscillation and pulsation, which indirectly
allows characterisation of the interior). Corot is a dedicated astronomy
mission. Operating for three years, it will study the internal structures of
thousands of stars to determine their mass, age and composition. This is, of
course, a key to understanding our universe. The various chemical elements
making up the universe are formed in stars at different stages of their
evolution. Corot will use very high-precision stellar photometry methods to
measure the changes in the luminous flux received from stars over a long period
of time (150 days).
The second objective of the Corot mission is the
detection of planets outside the solar system, based on measurements of changes
in the luminous intensity received. Scientists believe they will be able to
detect 10 to 40 medium-sized planets, similar to those in the solar system.
These planets will be candidates for further exploration, since their size and
chemical composition could be compatible with the presence of water. It is the
task of Corot to demonstrate the existence of these planets, to determine how
many there are and the environments that facilitate development. At the same
time, Corot could also help discover dozens of new gaseous giants, rounding out
current discoveries.
Corot will be placed into an inertial polar orbit
at an altitude of about 850 kilometres. The satellite’s attitude will also
be inertial, with its line-of-sight remaining constant for an observation
period of up to five months. The complete mission will offer at least five
complete observation periods, totalling two and a half years. A Rockot launch
is planned in 2006.
The Corot satellite will be built on the standard
Proteus platform, a multimission low-orbit platform developed and built by
Alcatel Space, and validated in flight by the Jason 1 oceanographic satellite.
Launched in December 2001, Jason 1 has delivered excellent mission and
satellite performance in service.
The Corotel afocal telescope
supplied by Alcatel Space will be a "self-baffled" instrument, enabling it to
shield all signals outside the field of view. It will weigh about 150
kilograms, be 3 meters high and will have a 270 mm entrance pupil.
This contract continues the collaboration between Alcatel Space and CNES, begun
in 1996 with initial development of the Proteus platform. Corot is the first
extrasolar exploration mission for this platform.
(source: Alcatel
Space)
NASA
Team Gives FUSE
Spacecraft Triple Brain Transplant
(21 July 2003) NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic
Explorer (FUSE) satellite was given a new lease on life following the
successful implementation of new software in three computers that work together
to control the precision pointing of the telescope.
For
the past two years, engineers and scientists at the Johns Hopkins University
(JHU), Orbital Sciences Corporation, Honeywell Technical Solutions and the
Canadian Space Agency have worked together to change the flight software used
to point the telescope for science observations.
This involved
changing the software aboard all three spacecraft computers: the Attitude
Control System, the Instrument Data System, and the processor on the Fine Error
Sensor guide camera, provided by the Canadian Space Agency. After extensive
testing, the new software, for all three computers, was uplinked to the
satellite in mid-April 2003.
Testing on this new configuration has
been ongoing since April, even as normal science observations have been carried
out. FUSE can operate on as few as zero gyroscopes, with no degradation in
science data quality and only a slight loss of observation scheduling
efficiency.
The gyroscopes on board FUSE do not move the satellite,
but they provide information on how the spacecraft is moving or drifting over
time. FUSE has two packages of three ring-laser gyroscopes. Until the new
software was loaded, one operating gyroscope on each of the three axes was
needed to conduct normal science operations. FUSE still has this needed
configuration, but there has been concern about how long the gyroscopes could
last. One gyroscope failed in May 2001, and the five remaining gyroscopes all
show signs of age.
FUSE has already survived the loss of two of its
four reaction wheels in late 2001. The reaction or momentum wheels are devices
that normally allow the satellite to be held steady or moved from one pointing
direction to another. Through quick thinking, engineers and scientists modified
control software to use devices, called magnetic torquer bars, to provide
stability in place of the missing reaction wheels. These devices interact with
the Earth's magnetic field to provide a stabilising effect on the
satellite.
The FUSE satellite, launched in June 1999, is a space
telescope that performs high-resolution far-ultraviolet spectroscopy of a broad
range of astronomical objects. FUSE observes light at shorter wavelengths than
the Hubble Space Telescope can observe, thus providing a complementary
capability.
Looking ahead, NASA has just released the call for
proposals for new observations with the satellite, during its fifth year of
operations, by astronomers from around the world.
(source:
NASA)
SpaceDev to Design Lunar Dish Observatory Mission
(24 July 2003) SpaceDev has been awarded a
contract by Lunar Enterprise of California (LEC) for a first phase project to
begin developing a conceptual mission and spacecraft design for a lunar lander
program. The unmanned mission will be designed to put a small dish antenna near
the south pole of the Moon. From that location it will be in near-constant
sunlight for solar power generation, and should be able to perform
multi-wavelength astronomy while communicating with ground stations on
Earth.
SpaceDev will analyse launch opportunities,
spacecraft design, trajectory possibilities, potential landing areas, available
technologies for a small radio astronomy system, and communications and data
handling requirements. The lunar mission will be designed with the same
philosophy as the highly successful CHIPSat Earth orbiting science spacecraft
SpaceDev built for UC Berkley. SpaceDev's approach is to make systems as small,
low-cost and as practical as possible while minimising risks, in order to
successfully demonstrate the performance of science on the surface of the
Moon.
(source: SpaceDev)
NASA
Mishap Board Identifies
Cause Of X-43A Failure
(23 July 2003) The NASA mishap investigation board,
charged to review the loss of the X-43A Hyper-X program research vehicle during
its June 2, 2001 launch, concluded no single factor or potential contributing
factor caused the mishap. The flight failed because the vehicle's control
system design was deficient in several analytical modelling areas, which
overestimated the system's margins.
NASA's Hyper-X
program is developing "air breathing" engine technologies that promise
performance benefits for future hypersonic aircraft and reusable space launch
vehicles. In the X-43A test program, three, 12-foot long, unpiloted vehicles
were planned to fly up to 10 times the speed of sound to demonstrate scramjet,
or supersonic-combustion ramjet, technologies. The mishap occurred on the first
of three planned flights.
For the launch, the X-43A was attached to
the nose of a modified Pegasus launch vehicle, which was carried by NASA's
modified B-52 bomber. Seventy-five minutes after takeoff, at an altitude of
approximately 24,000 ft, the Pegasus was released. Its solid rocket motor
ignited 5.2 seconds later sending the launch vehicle and research vehicle
payload on its test flight. Eight seconds later, the vehicle began its planned
pitch up manoeuvre, which was expected to take it to an altitude of
approximately 95,000 ft.
Shortly thereafter, the X-43A began to
experience a control anomaly characterised by a roll oscillation. At 13.5
seconds after release and at an altitude of approximately 22,000 ft, structural
overload of the starboard elevon occurred. The severe loss of control caused
the X-43A to deviate significantly from its planned trajectory, and as a
result, it was destroyed by range safety 48.6 seconds after release.
The mishap board found the major contributors to the mishap were modelling
inaccuracies in the fin actuation system, modelling inaccuracies in the
aerodynamics, and insufficient variations of modelling parameters. The flight
mishap could only be reproduced when all of the modelling inaccuracies with
uncertainty variations were incorporated in the analysis.
(source:
NASA)
Atlas
V to Launch Mission to
Pluto in 2006
(23
July 2003) NASA has chosen the Atlas V expendable launch vehicle provided by
Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services Inc as the launch system for the
proposed Pluto New Horizons mission. The mission is scheduled for launch to
Pluto in January 2006. As proposed, the Pluto New Horizons mission is a
scientific investigation to obtain the first reconnaissance of Pluto-Charon, a
binary planet system.
The selected vehicle is the Atlas
V 551 configuration, with a 5-meter fairing and multiple solid rocket motors.
This is the most powerful version of the Atlas rocket family, with a lift
capability ranging up to 19,100 pounds to geosynchronous orbit. There have been
three Atlas V missions since the rocket debuted last August, with the most
recent being the Rainbow 1 launch last week, on an Atlas V 521 vehicle.
This will be a firm fixed-price launch service task order awarded under
the terms of the current NASA Launch Services contract. The prime contractor
will be Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services Inc; a constituent company
of International Launch Services and legal contracting entity for Atlas launch
services.
New Horizons would seek to answer key scientific questions
regarding the surfaces, atmospheres, interiors, and space environments of Pluto
and Charon using imaging, visible and infrared spectral mapping, ultraviolet
spectroscopy, radio science, and in-situ plasma sensors.
(source:
NASA, International Launch Services)
US Air
Force Announces Boeing
Inquiry Results
(24
July 2003) The US Air Force announced today that it has determined that The
Boeing Company has committed serious violations of federal law based on its
review into allegations of wrongdoing by Boeing during the 1998 Evolved
Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) source selection. As a result, the Air Force
will suspend three Boeing Integrated Defense System business units and three
former Boeing employees from eligibility for new government contracts. The
suspensions are issued against The Boeing Company's Launch Systems, Boeing
Launch Services and Delta Program business units as they existed in the Boeing
organisational structure as of July 21, 2003. This suspension will apply to
these business units regardless of where they fall in any Boeing
reorganisation.
The individuals suspended are William
David Erskine, former ground operations lead on Boeing's EELV program; Kenneth
V Branch, former senior engineer/scientist on Boeing's EELV program; and Larry
Dean Satchell, a former member of Boeing's EELV proposal team.
In
addition, the Air Force will notify Boeing of its intent to reallocate launches
under its existing EELV contract, which was awarded in October 1998 and is
known as Buy I. Under this reallocation the Air Force will reduce the total
number of Boeing Buy I Delta IV launches from 19 to 12. The Air Force will
increase the total number of Lockheed Martin Buy I Atlas V launches from 7 to
14.
As a result of these penalties, some US$ 1 billion worth of launch
business will be taken from Boeing and the company will be barred from
tendering for future launches.
Further, the Air Force will permit
Lockheed Martin to develop a west coast launch capability at Vandenberg AFB by
upgrading an existing launch facility.
The Air Force also announced
the results of its EELV Buy II decision. The Air Force disqualified Boeing from
the award of three Buy II launches and plans to award Lockheed Martin three Buy
II launches from Vandenberg AFB.
"Our inquiry into Boeing found that
they were in possession of thousands of pages of Lockheed Martin proprietary
EELV documents during the 1998 source selection," said Under Secretary of the
Air Force Peter B Teets. "As a matter of policy we do not tolerate breaches of
procurement integrity and we hold industry accountable for the actions of their
employees. We believe the suspension is necessary and we hope all contractors
will take note and strive to enforce the highest integrity standards in their
organisations."
The Boeing Delta IV and Lockheed Martin's Atlas V are
the two families of EELVs developed with the Air Force to modernise and reduce
the cost of the USA's spacelift operation while providing the United States
with assured access to space.
Boeing Chairman and CEO Phil Condit
stated:
"We are extremely disappointed by the circumstances that
prompted our customer's action, but we understand the US Air Force's position
that unethical behaviour will not be tolerated. We apologise for our actions.
We will continue to work with the Air Force to address the issues that caused
this suspension.
"To reinforce the impact unethical behaviour has on
the customer and the company, a stand-down will take place on July 30 for all
78,000 employees in our Integrated Defense Systems business unit. These
employees will be briefed on the action taken by our Air Force customer and the
events that caused it, and participate in specialised interactive ethics and
procurement integrity training.
Senator Rudman is to review the
Boeing's policies and procedures regarding ethics and the handling of
competitive information. His review will include looking at any management or
cultural factors that could affect how these policies and procedures are
respected and enforced.
(source: US Air Force, Boeing)
Boeing
Realigns Space
Businesses to Focus on Customers, Performance
(22 July 2003) Boeing is realigning its
launch and satellite businesses to better serve the company's primary
customers, ensure program execution and reduce infrastructure costs.
Boeing Satellite Systems will be consolidated into Space and
Intelligence Systems. This will enable Boeing to weather the downturn in the
commercial satellite market. Dave Ryan, vice president of Boeing Satellite
Systems, will continue to lead the satellite manufacturing unit and now reports
to Roger Roberts, senior vice president, Space and Intelligence Systems.
Expendable Launch Systems, which produces and operates the Delta family of
launch vehicles, has become primarily a government supplier with the Air Force
as a major customer. As such, the launch systems business will be aligned with
Air Force Systems. Will Trafton, vice president and general manager of
Expendable Launch Systems, will continue to lead the launch business and now
reports to George Muellner, senior vice president, Air Force Systems.
Rocketdyne Power and Propulsion, the builders of the Space Shuttle Main Engine
and power generation systems onboard the International Space Station, will
become part of NASA Systems. Byron Wood, vice president and general manager of
Rocketdyne, will continue to lead the business and now reports to Mike Mott,
vice president and general manager, NASA Systems. This will enable Boeing to
better support its NASA customer on human space flight operations, exploration,
and the emerging nuclear propulsion business.
These changes supplement
the creation of the Integrated Defense Systems Office of the President and the
appointment of Boeing executive vice president Dave Swain, former Boeing Chief
Technology Officer, to the unit's Chief Operating Officer. Prior to becoming a
member of the Office of the Chairman and Chief Technology Officer, Swain held
various leadership positions within Boeing Phantom Works, and the company's
military aircraft, missiles and transport businesses.
The realignment
is expected to have minimal impact on employment. To ensure consistency and
transparency into the performance of Integrated Defense Systems, the company
will continue to report financials along its four established reporting
segments.
(source: Boeing)
HNS
Appoints Grintek
Telecom as Representative in South Africa
(24 July 2003) Hughes Network Systems Inc (HNS) has
selected Grintek Telecom, a South African information and communications
technology specialist, as its representative in South Africa, with special
focus on the Telkom SA Limited account. Telkom is South Africa's leading
telecommunications operator.
Grintek will work together
with HNS to pursue the VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) networking business
with Telkom, including pre- and post- sales support of HNS' DirecWay broadband
satellite solutions. Grintek will distribute the complete satellite product
line that HNS offers.
HNS selected Grintek after conducting an
extensive search that considered factors such as technical competence, company
ethics, work methodology, sales strategy, and logistics infrastructure.
The companies plan to extend the market for satellite solutions to include
the delivery of broadband entertainment services such as live video and audio
streaming, as well as tapping the telemedicine and distance education
markets.
Grintek Telecom, a division of JSE-listed Grintek Ltd, is one
of South Africa's leading empowerment ICT (Information and Communications
Technology) solutions and integration companies. Grintek Telecom provides
tailored and innovative ICT solutions from initial project and business
requirement consulting, through to implementation, integration and ongoing
support.
The company's ICT solutions have been implemented in more
than 500 top South African companies and it provides solutions, services and
maintenance in 23 African countries. Over 25 international vendors have
selected Grintek Telecom as their local service provider and partner.
(source: Hughes Network Systems)
MobileMapper, New GPS-Based GIS Data Collector from Thales
Navigation
(21 July
2003) Thales Navigation has introduced MobileMapper, a handheld GPS-based
geographic information system (GIS) data collector that sets a new standard for
GIS data collection. At one-third the cost of competing systems, yet with 2-3
meter accuracy, direct download capability and consumer-like usability,
MobileMapper is expected to dramatically expand the number of users who will
now turn to GPS-based data collection for asset management and field mapping.
MobileMapper enables users to locate and describe features being mapped and
then easily and quickly upload the data to a GIS.
The
MobileMapper system is composed of two main elements: the MobileMapper handheld
receiver and MobileMapper Office software for use on a PC. The system is
designed to handle a wide range of mobile GIS and mapping applications for the
field workforce within local government, utilities, telecommunications, natural
resources and a host of other industries and organisations where management and
mapping of field assets is desired.
Unlike recreational GPS receivers
sometimes used for GIS data collection, MobileMapper provides a data capture
system that eliminates manual data entry and permits direct download via either
a secure data card (SD) or serial connection to major GIS office software
systems. The direct download capability of MobileMapper can be expected to
halve the time it takes to deliver data to the GIS system compared to
recreational GPS devices. Its easy-to-operate, real-time direct-to-digital data
collection capability enables users to easily record features and
characteristics and distinguish between layers of data. Its full-colour screen
provides vivid viewing even in full sunlight. In addition, MobileMapper has an
easy-to-use, built-in navigation and reference capability, enhanced by the easy
uploading of background maps for all of North America and most of Europe.
MobileMapper enables a true two-way flow of data. It not only can be used
to position and describe new GIS features (field to office) but also to easily
update information previously gathered (office to field). Field crews equipped
with MobileMapper containing downloaded GIS data can navigate in the field and
easily update the data on things that change over time: for example, where
streetlights bulbs are burned out and/or replaced, new roads added in a
development, and new crops are planted.
MobileMapper includes a grid
mapping utility that offers an easy way to log GPS positions and GIS data
waypoints arranged in an evenly spaced grid. The utility provides a convenient
method to collect at specified intervals field observations, such as soil
samples and measurements made by field sensors such as depth sounders, chemical
detectors and magnetometers.
MobileMapper Office is the office
software tool loaded on a PC that lets the MobileMapper receiver interface with
the GIS. It permits the entry of GIS jobs including feature libraries and
waypoint files, the building of background maps from GIS data fields and
management of information logged in the field. MobileMapper Office exports and
imports GIS formats as either shp., dxf. or mif. files.
(source:
Thales Navigation)
James E
Hattaway Named KSC
Associate Director
(24 July 2003) NASA officials have named James E
Hattaway Jr as the new associate director of Kennedy Space Center (KSC). He
assumes the responsibilities of this role immediately.
In this capacity, Hattaway will provide executive oversight of institutional
operations at KSC. This will include integrating and deciding
cross-organisational institutional issues in matters related to financial
management, work force planning, infrastructure management and information
technology. In addition, Hattaway will provide oversight for NASA Exchange
operations, and he will serve as KSC's point of contact for Agency initiatives
such as implementation of the President's Management Agenda, Freedom to Manage,
Competitive Sourcing and the NASA Shared Services Center.
Hattaway
attended Middle Georgia College and the University of Georgia until 1970, when
he enlisted in the United States Army. After completing basic training he was
assigned to the United States Readiness Command at MacDill Air Force Base near
Tampa, Florida. Upon completion of his military service, Hattaway earned a
bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Tampa in
1973, and a master's degree in acquisition management from the Florida
Institute of Technology in 1979.
Hattaway entered federal service in
1974 as a contract negotiator for the US Air Force at Warner Robins Air Force
Base. In 1977, he transferred to KSC as a contracts specialist. Since joining
NASA, he has held numerous managerial positions serving as chief, Purchasing
Services Section; chief, Construction and Ground Support Equipment Section;
chief, Operations Contracts Office; and deputy director, Procurement Office. In
1995, he was appointed to his most recent position of director of the
Procurement Office.
(source: NASA KSC)
