7 March 2004
Satcoms
Envivio Demonstrates
First Live Full-Resolution H.264 (MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile) Transmission
Foxtel
Chooses Universal Electronics to Supply Remote Control Solutions
Globalstar
Selected to Provide Real-Time Tracking of the DARPA Grand Challenge
Internet
Protocol Over Satellite Standard Will Drive Satellite Services Growth
Mitsubishi
Electric Seals Solar Panel Contract with Alcatel Space
Rebirth of the
Videophone
Skycasters Selects Encore Networks
Military Space
Canada Awards Advanced
Satellite Communications Terminal Technology Demonstration Project
KVH
Demonstrates TACNAV M100 GMENS with Satellite Tracking
Capability
Launch Services
Air Liquide America
Inaugurates Expanded Merritt Island Facility
ILS to Launch Worldsat
3
Integral Systems Signs Data License Agreement with Boeing for
Boeing 601, 601HP and 702 Satellite Ground System Data
Sea Launch and Inmarsat
Sign Launch Agreement
Launches
Rosetta
Launch Schedule
Business
Conexant and
GlobespanVirata Merge
XM Announces Elimination of US$ 135 Million in
Debt
Products and Services
HNS and V-ONE
Introduce Secure Satellite Solutions for Government Use
ILC Introduces MaxView
Carrier Monitoring System
International
Rectifier Introduces Off-the-Shelf Radiation-Tolerant DC-DC Converters
Internet
Satellite Platform Expands Lines of Business
Loral Skynet Introduces
Occasional-Use Service on Telstar 10 to the Asia Pacific Region
ND SatCom
Introduces New SkyWAN Software
QinetiQ Counters
Satellite Jamming
SWE-DISH IPT Suitcase Gets Eutelsat Type Approval
People
NASA Fills Key Space
Flight Positions
Satcoms
Envivio Demonstrates First Live
Full-Resolution H.264 (MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile) Transmission
(3 March 2004) Envivio Inc, a
leading provider of MPEG-4 and H.264 broadcast and streaming solutions, has
demonstrated for the first time the distribution of H.264 (MPEG-4 AVC) encoded
content over the Hughes satellite network. The live source content was encoded
at 1.2 Mb/s. Traditional MPEG-2 systems use twice this bandwidth for an
equivalent quality. The demonstration used the Envivio 4Caster H.264 (MPEG-4
AVC) live broadcast encoder at the Hughes Germantown Headquarters. The video
was transmitted over the DirecWay satellite system to Hughes stand at the
Satellite 2004 show floor. Content was decoded using the Envivio 4View H.264
(MPEG-4 AVC) broadcast decoder.
more . . .
.
Foxtel Chooses Universal Electronics
to Supply Remote Control Solutions
(1 March 2004) Universal Electronics Inc has entered an agreement
with Foxtel, making UEI a preferred universal remote control supplier to
Australia's leading subscription television operator.
more . . .
.
Globalstar Selected to Provide
Real-Time Tracking of the DARPA Grand Challenge
(3 March 2004) Globalstar has been selected to provide
real-time vehicle tracking for the first US government-sponsored driverless
vehicle competition, scheduled to take place later this month across the Mojave
Desert in southern California.
more . . .
.
Internet Protocol Over Satellite
Standard Will Drive Satellite Services Growth
(3 March 2004) Hughes Network Systems Inc is to promote
implementation of the Internet Protocol over Satellite standard (IPoS) through
a multi-tiered licensing program available to all industry applications and
systems providers. Licensing will run from royalty free technical documentation
to the licensing of technology and technical support.
more . . .
.
Mitsubishi Electric Seals Solar
Panel Contract with Alcatel Space
(3 March 2004) Agreement on a multi-million Euro contract for the
supply of solar array panels was reached between Mitsubishi Electric
Corporation and Alcatel Space on February 17th, 2004. Over the course of the
four-year contract, Mitsubishi Electric will supply the solar array panels for
Alcatel Space's Spacebus. This contract follows the previous solar array panel
supply agreement signed between the two companies in 2000.
more . . .
.
Rebirth of the Videophone
(3 March 2004) Visitors to the
Advantech AMT booth at Satellite 2004 were able to make videophone calls via
ISDN and satellite to a similar videopayphone on Oahu island, Hawaii. This is
the precursor to the roll out in the Asia-Pacific region of a Public Switched
Videophone Network (PSVN) which will use a DAMA (Demand Assigned Multiple
Access) Satellite system as the delivery platform.
more . . .
.
Skycasters Selects Encore
Networks
(3 March 2004) Encore
Networks, a developer of integrated IP+Legacy Virtual Private Network (VPN)
security solutions, has signed a reseller agreement with Skycasters. Skycasters
will add Encore's complete line of IP only and IP+Legacy VPN security
appliances to their broadband satellite networks, systems and solutions.
more . . . .
Military Space
Canada Awards Advanced Satellite
Communications Terminal Technology Demonstration Project
(5 March 2004) The Government of
Canada has awarded a Can$ 3.2 million contract to a team of companies
consisting of MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd, QinetiQ Ltd, and Spectrum
Signal Processing Inc for the Advanced Satcom Terminal (AST) Technology
Demonstration Project.
more . . . .
KVH Demonstrates TACNAV M100 GMENS
with Satellite Tracking Capability
(2 March 2004) The US military's desire for "Blue Force Tracking"
- the ability for every friendly vehicle in the field to share position and
status data with commanders and other units via secure networks - showed
promise of expansion to an even wider range of vehicles following KVH
Industries Inc's recent demonstration of a prototype TACNAV M100 Ground
Mobility Enhanced Navigation System (GMENS) with satellite communication
capability. The satellite link was provided by Comtech Mobile Datacom
Corporation of Germantown, Maryland.
more . . .
.
Launch Services
Air Liquide America Inaugurates
Expanded Merritt Island Facility
(4 March 2004) Air Liquide America has inaugurated its expanded
facility at Merritt Island, Florida. Air Liquide America built a new air
separation unit at the facility as a result of an agreement reached with NASA,
announced last June, to provide gaseous nitrogen, operation and related gas
distribution services supplying government and commercial aerospace activities
at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Nitrogen is used by the space industry to
purge equipment and systems during preparation for launch, as well as to inert
ground operations during fuelling and launch countdown.
more . . . .
ILS to Launch Worldsat 3
(2 March 2004) International Launch
Services (ILS) will provide a Russian Proton rocket to launch the Worldsat 3
communications satellite, under a contract with Alcatel Space.
more .
. . .
Integral Systems Signs Data License
Agreement with Boeing for Boeing 601, 601HP and 702 Satellite Ground System
Data
(4 March 2004) Integral
Systems has announced a licensing agreement with the Boeing Intellectual
Property Business for operational data on Boeing's line of commercial
satellites.
more . . . .
Sea Launch and Inmarsat Sign Launch
Agreement
(1 March 2004) Sea
Launch Company LLC and Inmarsat Ltd have signed a launch services agreement
under which Sea Launch will be the contractor for the launch of the second
Inmarsat I-4 satellite, presently planned for 2005. The agreement, signed on
December 16, 2003, includes an option for an additional launch at a later date
and for Sea Launch to be the backup on the first Inmarsat I-4 launch, currently
planned for late 2004.
more . . . .
Launches
Rosetta
more . . . .
Business
Conexant and GlobespanVirata
Merge
(2 March 2004) Conexant
Systems Inc has completed its merger with GlobespanVirata Inc. The two
companies received the required shareowner approvals on Wednesday, February 25,
2004, and the transaction closed on Friday, Feb. 27, 2004.
more . . .
.
XM Announces Elimination of US$ 135
Million in Debt
(4 March 2004)
XM Satellite Radio has announced the elimination of US$ 135 million of debt,
including repayment of US$ 81.2 million of debt using proceeds of the equity
offering completed in January and conversion of the remainder. The company had
announced previously that proceeds of its January equity offering would be used
to retire this indebtedness.
more . . . .
Products and Services
HNS and V-ONE Introduce Secure
Satellite Solutions for Government Use
(2 March 2004) Hughes Network Systems Inc (HNS) and V- ONE
Corporation have announced the availability of secure end-to-end satellite
broadband solutions for the government market. The NIST validated solutions
meet US Government requirements for time-sensitive, reliable and secure
information sharing.
more . . . .
ILC Introduces MaxView Carrier
Monitoring System
(2 March
2004) Network control software developer ILC has released MaxView CMS - the
first carrier monitoring system (CMS) that operates both as a stand-alone
system or as a fully integrated component of a satellite monitor and control
(M&C) system. While satellite network operators immediately benefit from
remote analysis and control of satellite transmissions, MaxView CMS is the
first step towards automation of the entire transmission chain from spectrum
planning to service activation and assurance.
more . . .
.
International Rectifier Introduces
Off-the-Shelf Radiation-Tolerant DC-DC Converters
(3 March 2004) International Rectifier (IR) has
introduced the AMA Series (5W), AMF Series (12W), and AMR Series (30W)
radiation-tolerant, high-reliability (hi-rel) DC-DC converters designed for
extended operation in moderate radiation environments.
more . . .
.
Internet Satellite Platform Expands
Lines of Business
(1 March
2004) Internet Satellite Platform Inc (ISAT) has announced two new offerings to
address rural America's need for high-speed Internet access. The offerings
include SatSpots, which enables the provisioning of Wi-Fi access or the
establishments of 'HotSpots', and SatCell, a high-speed satellite Internet
service that leverages the high-speed and 'always on' features of a cellular
data networks for end-user Internet requests.
more . . .
.
Loral Skynet Introduces
Occasional-Use Service on Telstar 10 to the Asia Pacific Region
(1 March 2004) Loral Skynet has
announced the availability of occasional use services on its Telstar 10
satellite, covering Asia, Australia, parts of Europe and Africa in C band, and
Korea, Taiwan, Macau and China, including Hong Kong, in Ku band. Loral Skynet
is a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications .
more . . .
.
ND SatCom Introduces New SkyWAN
Software
(4 March 2004) ND
SatCom has announced the release of its new software version 5.31 for its
SkyWAN product family. Besides fully mesh network topologies this new software
now allows the set-up of star and hybrid VSAT networks in the most economic
way. This new software development furthermore facilitates static and dynamic
IP routing as well as embedded TCP acceleration.
more . . .
.
QinetiQ Counters Satellite
Jamming
(4 March 2004) Evil
villains jamming TV signals, taking over the airways and holding a nation to
ransom in movies such as Batman, Superman or James Bond is no longer just
fiction. During the last football world cup cult group Falon Gong jammed
Chinese TV broadcasts over the Sino Satellite. More recently, Voice of America
broadcasts were blocked from being transmitted into the Middle East.
more .
. . .
SWE-DISH IPT Suitcase Gets Eutelsat
Type Approval
(3 March 2004)
The SWE-DISH IPT Suitcase has received Eutelsat type approval. It is the first
earth terminal of its type to receive this approval.
more . . .
.
People
NASA Fills Key Space Flight
Positions
(3 March 2004) Two
veteran astronauts have been named to key space flight posts at NASA's Johnson
Space Center (JSC) in Houston. Robert Cabana has been named JSC Deputy
Director. Kenneth Bowersox will replace Cabana as Director of Flight Crew
Operations.
more . . . .
