13 May 2007
Satcoms
AAE Systems Awarded Contract
by Oil Exploration Company in Oman
Arrowhead
Global Solutions Among Top Awardees of GSA SATCOM-II Contract
Faster and Better Emergency Response Through Satellite
Telecoms
Gilat to Provide Broadband Wireless
Access Solutions with Proxim WiMAX Products
MobilePro Subsidiary Nationwide Internet to Resell
HughesNet
Orbital Wins Major Commercial
Satellite Contract With SES Americom
SAT
Corporation Delivers MonicsNET Carrier Monitoring System for Saudi Aramco
Satellite Communications Network
SES
Americom Announces AMC-5R Spacecraft Procurement and Initiates Fleet
Replacement Plan
SES Announces NSS-12
Satellite Contract Awarded To Space Systems/Loral
Space Systems/Loral Awarded Contract to Build
High-Power Satellite for SES New Skies
Stratos is Awarded SATCOM-II Contract to Provide
Satellite Services to Federal and Defense Agencies
Wegener Announces US$ 3.2 Million Order From SSL for
Digital Signage Project
Broadcast
DirecTV First to Launch The History Channel HD (THC
HD) Set to Debut in September 2007
National
Broadcasting Company, Owner of Russia's Tricolor Tv Platform, Launches 12
Pay-TV Channels on Eutelsat W4 Satellite
OpenTV Powers High Definition TV for NTV-Plus,
Russia's Leading DTH Platform
Shop Latino TV
Selects Intelsat for Its North American Cable Distribution
Platform
Earth
Observation
ESA Presents the Sharpest Ever Satellite Map of
Earth
General Dynamics Awarded US$ 12 Million
Contract to Support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
NASA's NGC-Built Aqua
Satellite Celebrates Fifth Anniversary On-Orbit
Transcontinental Wildfire Emissions Monitored From
Space
Navigation
Fleet Management Solutions Deploys Iridium-Based Asset
Tracking, Monitoring and Management System
Greece Selects Trimble to Build Nationwide GNSS
Infrastructure Network
Hyper-Accurate Clocks
- The Beating Heart of Galileo
Military Space
Astrium Triple Success as Skynet 5A Enters Full
Service
Lockheed Martin Team Successfully
Completes Major Design Review for TSAT Program
Stars
A Galactic Fossil - Star is Found to be 13.2 Billion
Years Old
Texas Astronomer Finds Six Cosmic
Clocks in Star Born Soon After The Big Bang
X-rays Provide a New Way to Investigate Exploding
Stars
Supernova
Largest,
Brightest Supernova Discovered
NASA's Chandra
Sees Brightest Supernova Ever
Venus
Venus Express' Infrared Camera Goes
Filming
Mars
Lockheed Martin Delivers Phoenix Mars Lander
Spacecraft to NASA
NASA's Next Mars
Spacecraft Crosses the Mississippi
Saturn
Cassini Finds That Storms Power Saturn's Jet
Streams
Extra-Solar
Planets
First Map of an Extrasolar Planet
NASA Finds Extremely Hot Planet, Makes First Exoplanet
Weather Map
Manned
Space
Raytheon to Pursue Avionics Contract for NASA Ares I
Crew Launch Vehicle
Technology
Boeing Orbital Express Completes First Autonomous Free
Flight and Capture
NGC Demonstrates On-Orbit
Propellant Re-Supply for Orbital Express Program
Students Test 'Space Postal Service' During Foton
Mission
Launch
Services
NASA Completes Constellation Ground Operations
Review
NASA To Build New Stand At Stennis To
Test Ares Rocket Engines
In
Orbit
GMV
Selected by Intelsat to Provide Satellite Ground
Software
Launches
Progress M-60 (ISS 25P)
Launch
Schedule
Business
CapRock Finalises Acquisition of Arrowhead Global
Solutions
L-3 Communications Completes
Acquisition of Global Communications Solutions
MDA Announces Acquisition of Vexcel Canada from
Microsoft Corporation
NSSL Appointed 1st
Thrane & Thrane Master Distributor Partner in
Europe
Training
World's First Online SNG (Satellite Newsgathering)
Training Course
People
Dr. Jas Saini Named Chief Executive Officer of
UDcast
GeoEye Appoints Uyen Dinh as Senior
Director of Government Affairs
Robert
Lightfoot Named Deputy Director of NASA Marshall Space Flight
Center
Satcoms
AAE Systems Awarded
Contract by Oil Exploration Company in Oman
(8 May 2007) AAE
Systems, Inc. (AAE), a satellite-based equipment manufacturer and turnkey
communication solutions provider, has won a contract to build a mesh network
for an oil exploration company in the Sultanate of Oman.
Arrowhead Global Solutions Among Top Awardees of GSA
SATCOM-II Contract
(9 May 2007) Arrowhead Global Solutions Inc., a
subsidiary of CapRock Communications, today announced that the General Services
Administration has awarded the company a major portion of the SATCOM-II
contract.
Faster and Better Emergency
Response Through Satellite Telecoms
(9 May 2007) When emergency
teams are well informed and governments can co-ordinate their efforts, lives
and property can be saved.
Gilat to Provide
Broadband Wireless Access Solutions with Proxim WiMAX Products
(7
May 2007) Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. today announced that it has entered
into an OEM purchase and global marketing agreement with Proxim Wireless
Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Terabeam, Inc.
MobilePro Subsidiary Nationwide Internet to Resell
HughesNet
(7 May 2007) Nationwide Internet, a subsidiary of
broadband telecommunications services company MobilePro Corp., today announced
that it will become a reseller of Hughes Network Systems' industry leading
satellite broadband Internet service, HughesNet.
Orbital Wins Major Commercial Satellite Contract With
SES Americom
(8 May 2007) Orbital Sciences Corporation continues to
lead the global market for smaller-sized geosynchronous (GEO) communications
satellites with an announcement today that it has received an order from SES
Americom for as many as five new satellites over a multi-year period.
SAT Corporation Delivers MonicsNET Carrier Monitoring
System for Saudi Aramco Satellite Communications Network
(9 May
2007) SAT Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Integral Systems, Inc.,
today announced that it has delivered its MonicsNET Satellite Carrier
Monitoring system to Advantech Satellite Networks, Inc., for use in the Saudi
Aramco Satellite Communications Network.
SES
Americom Announces AMC-5R Spacecraft Procurement and Initiates Fleet
Replacement Plan
(8 May 2007) SES Americom, an SES company,
announced today that it has ordered a replacement satellite, AMC-5R, plus a
ground spare with an option to add up to three more spacecraft per its contract
with Orbital Sciences Corporation.
SES
Announces NSS-12 Satellite Contract Awarded To Space
Systems/Loral
(10 May 2007) SES New Skies, an SES company, today
unveiled plans to further enlarge its satellite fleet through a new spacecraft
procurement with Space Systems/Loral a subsidiary of Loral Space &
Communications.
Space Systems/Loral Awarded
Contract to Build High-Power Satellite for SES New Skies
(10 May
2007) Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), a subsidiary of Loral Space &
Communications and the world's leading provider of high-power commercial
satellites, today announced that it has been awarded a contract to manufacture
a new spacecraft for SES New Skies, a subsidiary of SES Global.
Stratos is Awarded SATCOM-II Contract to Provide
Satellite Services to Federal and Defense Agencies
(8 May 2007)
Stratos Global Corp., the leading global provider of advanced mobile and
fixed-site remote communications solutions, today announced that it was among
the companies awarded a SATCOM-II contract by the U.S. General Services
Administration (GSA).
Wegener Announces US$
3.2 Million Order From SSL for Digital Signage Project
(8 May 2007)
Wegener Corporation, a leading provider of equipment for television, audio and
data distribution networks world-wide, today announced a new order from SSL
(Satellite Store Link), to launch networked digital signage in
Mexico.
Broadcast
DirecTV First to Launch The History Channel HD (THC
HD) Set to Debut in September 2007
(8 May 2007) The History Channel
and DirecTV, Inc. today announced that DirecTV will be the first to launch The
History Channel HD, a new 24-hour high definition television network, scheduled
to debut in September 2007.
National
Broadcasting Company, Owner of Russia's Tricolor Tv Platform, Launches 12
Pay-TV Channels on Eutelsat W4 Satellite
(7 May 2007) Russian
broadcaster National Broadcasting Company today announced the launch of 12 new
channels on the W4 satellite of Eutelsat Communications in order to expand
development of its Tricolor television platform.
OpenTV Powers High Definition TV for NTV-Plus,
Russia's Leading DTH Platform
(8 May 2007) OpenTV Corp., a leading
provider of solutions for the delivery of advanced digital television and cross
platform interactive services, today announced that NTV-Plus, Russia's first
and only direct-to-home satellite TV operator, will launch high definition
television services using OpenTV's advanced digital television
solutions.
Shop Latino TV Selects Intelsat
for Its North American Cable Distribution Platform
(8 May 2007)
Intelsat Ltd., the world's leading provider of commercial satellite services,
announced today that it signed a multi-year agreement with Shop Latino TV for
program distribution into the North American cable market through Intelsat's
premiere Galaxy neighbourhood.
Earth Observation
ESA Presents the Sharpest Ever
Satellite Map of Earth
(11 May 2007) The most detailed portraits
ever of the Earth's land surface have been created with ESA's Envisat
environmental satellite.
General Dynamics
Awarded US$ 12 Million Contract to Support the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
(7 May 2007) General Dynamics Information Technology,
a business unit of General Dynamics, has been awarded a contract by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to support its National
Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC).
NASA's NGC-Built Aqua Satellite Celebrates Fifth
Anniversary On-Orbit
(4 May 2007) NASA's Aqua satellite, built by
Northrop Grumman Corporation, marked its fifth year on-orbit today observing
the Earth's water systems, producing a massive data flow that is giving the
world's scientists insight into the Earth's climate.
Transcontinental Wildfire Emissions Monitored From
Space
(8 May 2007) Using data from the SCIAMACHY instrument aboard
ESA's environmental satellite Envisat, scientists have determined that the
carbon monoxide hovering over Australia during the wildfire season largely
originated from South American wildfires some 13,000 kilometres
away.
Navigation
Fleet Management Solutions Deploys
Iridium-Based Asset Tracking, Monitoring and Management System
(7
May 2007) Iridium Satellite LLC is providing world-wide satellite data links
for a new asset tracking, monitoring and remote management system, the Fleet
Management Solutions (FMS) MLT-300i.
Greece
Selects Trimble to Build Nationwide GNSS Infrastructure Network
(10
May 2007) Trimble announced today it has been selected by the Greek National
Cadastre, Ktimatologio S.A., to supply Trimble VRS network hardware and
software to establish a nation-wide Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)
infrastructure network for the country of Greece.
Hyper-Accurate Clocks - The Beating Heart of
Galileo
(10 May 2007) Travellers have relied on accurate timekeeping
for navigation since the development of the marine chronometer in the
eighteenth century.
Military
Space
Astrium Triple Success as Skynet 5A Enters Full
Service
(10 May 2007) Astrium has achieved a triple success on the
Skynet 5 military satellite communications programme with the first satellite
Skynet 5A entering full service in orbit.
Lockheed Martin Team Successfully Completes Major
Design Review for TSAT Program
(7 May 2007) A Lockheed
Martin/Northrop Grumman team has successfully completed a key design review of
the Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) Space Segment,
signalling the team's readiness to proceed with the next development phase of
the program.
Stars
A Galactic Fossil - Star is Found to be 13.2 Billion
Years Old
(10 May 2007) How old are the oldest stars? Using ESO's
VLT, astronomers recently measured the age of a star located in our
Galaxy.
Texas Astronomer Finds Six Cosmic
Clocks in Star Born Soon After The Big Bang
(10 May 2007) How old
are the oldest stars? An international team of astronomers led by Dr. Anna
Frebel of The University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory recently
measured the age of an ancient star in our Milky Way galaxy at an extraordinary
13.2 billion years.
X-rays Provide a New Way
to Investigate Exploding Stars
(9 May 2007) ESA's X-ray observatory
XMM-Newton has revealed a new class of exploding stars - where the X-ray
emission 'lives fast and dies young'.
Supernova
Largest, Brightest Supernova Discovered
(7
May 2007) An exploding star first observed last September is the largest and
most luminous supernova ever seen, according to University of California,
Berkeley, astronomers, and may be the first example of a type of massive
exploding star rare today but probably common in the very early
universe.
NASA's Chandra Sees Brightest
Supernova Ever
(7 May 2007) The brightest stellar explosion ever
recorded may be a long-sought new type of supernova, according to observations
by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based optical telescopes. This
discovery indicates that violent explosions of extremely massive stars were
relatively common in the early universe, and that a similar explosion may be
ready to go off in our own galaxy.
Venus
Venus Express' Infrared Camera Goes
Filming
(7 May 2007) An exciting new series of videos from ESA's
Venus Express has been capturing atmospheric details of day and night areas
simultaneously, at different altitudes.
Mars
Lockheed Martin Delivers Phoenix Mars Lander
Spacecraft to NASA
(8 May 2007) A NASA spacecraft touched down on
the coast of Florida after a brief 3-½ hour trip from the foothills of
the Rocky Mountains, but the spacecraft's next and final trip will be a
9-½ month journey to Mars.
NASA's Next
Mars Spacecraft Crosses the Mississippi
(8 May 2007) A U.S. Air
Force C-17 cargo aircraft carried NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft Monday,
May 7, from Colorado to Florida, where Phoenix will start a much longer trip in
August.
Saturn
Cassini Finds That Storms
Power Saturn's Jet Streams
(8 May 2007) New Cassini research
suggests eddies, or giant rotating storms, are the "engine" powering Saturn's
jet stream winds.
Extra-Solar
Planets
First Map of an Extrasolar Planet
(9 May
2007) For the first time, astronomers have created a rough map of a planet
orbiting a distant sun-like star, employing a technique that may one day enable
mapping of Earth-like worlds.
NASA Finds
Extremely Hot Planet, Makes First Exoplanet Weather Map
(9 May 2007)
Researchers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have learned what the weather
is like on two distant, exotic worlds.
Manned Space
Raytheon to Pursue Avionics Contract for NASA Ares I
Crew Launch Vehicle
(9 May 2007) Raytheon Company will submit a
proposal as the prime contractor to partner with NASA on the development and
manufacture of the Instrument Unit Avionics on NASA's Ares I, the Crew Launch
Vehicle that will carry future space pioneers into orbit when the Space Shuttle
retires in 2010.
Technology
Boeing Orbital Express Completes
First Autonomous Free Flight and Capture
(10 May 2007) The Boeing
Orbital Express system has completed another industry first by successfully
performing a fully autonomous free-flight rendezvous and capture
operation.
NGC Demonstrates On-Orbit
Propellant Re-Supply for Orbital Express Program
(10 May 2007) Using
a payload provided by Neorthrop Grumman Corporation and support from a team of
the company's mission specialists, the Defense Advanced Research Project
Agency's (DARPA) Orbital Express (OE) team has successfully performed multiple
on-orbit fluid transfers between two space vehicles.
Students Test 'Space Postal Service' During Foton
Mission
(10 May 2007) How do you deliver a parcel down to Earth from
space without using a rocket engine and fuel?
Launch Services
NASA Completes Constellation Ground
Operations Review
(11 May 2007) NASA has established a requirements
baseline for ground systems to be developed in support of the Constellation
Program. The systems requirements review was conducted at NASA's Kennedy Space
Center in Florida on May 5.
NASA To Build New
Stand At Stennis To Test Ares Rocket Engines
(8 May 2007) NASA will
test one of the rocket engines it is developing for its new launch vehicles at
the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
In Orbit
GMV Selected by Intelsat to Provide Satellite Ground
Software
(7 May 2007) GMV signed two contracts with Intelsat, Ltd.,
the leading provider of global Fixed Satellite Services, offering satellite
flight dynamics software support for some of Intelsat's advanced
satellites.
Launches
Progress M-60 (ISS 25P)
Launch
Schedule
Business
CapRock Finalises Acquisition of Arrowhead Global
Solutions
(7 May 2007) CapRock Communications, a global satellite
communications provider, today announced that it has finalised the purchase of
Arrowhead Global Solutions Inc., a supplier of integrated communication
solutions to the U.S. federal government and military.
L-3 Communications Completes Acquisition of Global
Communications Solutions
(7 May 2007) L-3 Communications announced
today it completed the acquisition of Global Communications Solutions, Inc., a
leading provider of portable satellite communications equipment and products,
on May 4, 2007.
MDA Announces Acquisition of
Vexcel Canada from Microsoft Corporation
(11 May 2007) MacDonald,
Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., a provider of essential information solutions,
announced today that it has acquired Vexcel Canada Inc., a small expert company
in advanced radar satellite image applications.
NSSL Appointed 1st Thrane & Thrane Master
Distributor Partner in Europe
(10 May 2007) NSSL, The International
Satellite Communications Provider, has today been appointed the first Master
Distributor of the Thrane & Thrane range of satellite and radio
communications equipment.
Training
World's First Online SNG (Satellite Newsgathering)
Training Course
(8 May 2007) Satellite interference is a significant
problem to satellite users and often caused by operator error - hence the
solution to this problem in part lies in a global standard of competence for
SNG (satellite newsgathering) uplink operators.
People
Dr. Jas Saini Named Chief Executive Officer of
UDcast
(7 May 2007) UDcast, a leading provider of solutions enabling
full IP over broadcast and satellite media, announced today that it has
appointed Dr. Jas Saini to the position of chief executive officer, effective
May 1, 2007.
GeoEye Appoints Uyen Dinh as
Senior Director of Government Affairs
(11 May 2007) GeoEye, a
leading producer of satellite, aerial and geospatial information, today
announced the appointment of Uyen Dinh as senior director for Government
Affairs.
Robert Lightfoot Named Deputy
Director of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
(10 May 2007) David
King, director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.,
today named Robert Lightfoot as the new deputy director of the
centre.
