5 August 2007
Satcoms
AfSat Contracts Additional
Capacity On SES New Skies' NSS-7 Spacecraft For Satellite Internet Services
Into Africa
Com Dev Selected By Orbital To
Supply Payload Equipment For Multiple Satellites
Com Dev Wins New Contract To Supply Switches For
Globalstar-2 Constellation
Gilat's
Spacenet Subsidiary Announces Two New Contract Extensions
iDirect Satellite Communications Platform Selected By
China's CrossSat Telecom Technology to Provide IP Broadband Services to Oil and
Gas Industry
Broadcast
Leading Cable Operators Access New HD Programming
Via SES Americom's HD-Prime Triple-Feed Antenna Program
SES Astra Signs Agreements with ARD and ZDF for More
Capacity
Space Systems/Loral to Build
High-Power Satellite for Sirius Satellite Radio
Earth Observation
Ball Aerospace Prepares to Ship
WorldView I
Mapping Mountains from Space
with GOCE
NGC Completes Restructure of
NPOESS Program
NOAA Increases US Tsunami
Warning Capability With Four DART Buoy Deployments
NPOESS Program Restructured
Space-Borne Sensors Help Africa Tackle Water
Shortage Problems
Tracking
XM Real-Time NavTraffic Service Now Available in 79
Markets
Military
Space
Blue Sky Network and Iridium Provide British
Ministry of Defence Satellite-Based Flight Tracking and Communication Equipment
for Search and Rescue
Boeing Submits TSAT
Production Proposal to US Air Force
Comtech Telecommunications Receives Movement
Tracking System Orders for Mobile Satellite Equipment and Technical Support
Services
Integral Systems Announces CCS-C
Contract Modification in Support of US Air Force's WGS and AEHF Satellite
Programs
Lockheed Martin Completes Key
End-To-End Test Of Space Based Infrared System
Lockheed Martin Team Submits Proposal to Design and
Build US Air Force's TSAT Space Segment
Norsat Increases Penetration into Military
Markets
Astronomy
Birth of a Colossus on Wheels
First ALMA Transporter Ready for Challenging
Duty
Stars
Circumstellar Space: Where
Chemistry Happens For The Very First Time
Star Caught Smoking
Galaxies
Japanese and NASA Satellites Unveil New Type of
Active Galaxy
Moon
NASA Selects Astrophysics Projects for New Science
on the Moon
Mars
Interplanetary Networking: ESA's Mars Express Will
Keep An Eye On NASA's Phoenix
Lockheed
Martin-Built Phoenix Spacecraft Lifts Off For Nine Month Voyage To
Mars
NASA Mars Exploration Rover Status
Report: Concern Increasing About Opportunity
NASA Mars Exploration Rover Status Report: Spirit
Sees Dustier Sky
NASA Spacecraft Heads For
Polar Region On Mars
Next Departure for
Mars Stands Ready to Fly
Saturn
Cassini Finds Possible Origin Of One Of Saturn's
Rings
Extra-Solar
Planets
Planet Orbiting a Giant Red Star Discovered with
Hobby-Eberly Telescope
Manned
Space
ATV Arrives at Europe's Spaceport
BAE Systems Ares Avionics Team Brings Extensive
Spaceflight Experience to NASA Bid
NASA
Extends Space Shuttle Main Engine Contract
NASA Starts Space Shuttle Endeavour Countdown Aug.
4
The Spaceport Welcomes a Record-Setting
Payload with the Arrival of Europe's Automated Transfer
Vehicle
Technology
IBM Power Processor Heads to Unexplored Region of
Mars
Maxwell Technologies Delivers First
Space-Qualified Single Board Computers to Orbital Sciences for NASA's 'Glory'
Earth Sciences Satellite Mission
NASA
Signs Space Instrument Contract with Valley Forge Composite
Technologies
Launch
Services
Fuelling Is Completed For Ariane 5's Dual Satellite
Payload
Spaceway 3 Is Ready For Launch On
Ariane 5
United Launch Alliance
Successfully Launches NASA's Phoenix Spacecraft
Launches
Progress M-61 (ISS 26P)
Phoenix Mars Lander
Launch
Schedule
Products and
Services
GCT Semiconductor Commercialises World's First
Monolithic Single-Chip Solution Supporting Satellite and Terrestrial-Digital
Multimedia Broadcasting (S-DMB and T-DMB) Mobile TV Applications
iDirect
Announces DVB-S2/ACM Migration for Release in Fourth Quarter 2007
RT Logic Announces Satellite Channel Simulator
Availability
Events
ESA Mission Highlighted At Remote Sensing
Conference
People
KVH Industries Names Chairman and Lead
Director
Satcoms
AfSat Contracts
Additional Capacity On SES New Skies' NSS-7 Spacecraft For Satellite Internet
Services Into Africa
(31 July 2007) SES New Skies, an SES company,
today announced that AfSat, one of Africa's largest VSAT companies, has
contracted additional capacity on the NSS-7 satellite for its 'iWay' broadband
via satellite services.
Com Dev Selected By
Orbital To Supply Payload Equipment For Multiple Satellites
(31 July
2007) Com Dev International Ltd. today announced that it has received
Authorisations to Proceed (ATPs) from Orbital Sciences Corporation totalling
US$ 3.5 million to provide multiplexers and switches for at least two
commercial satellite programs.
Com Dev Wins
New Contract To Supply Switches For Globalstar-2 Constellation
(30
July 2007) Com Dev International Ltd. today announced that it has been awarded
a contract by Thales Alenia Space to provide electromechanical switches for the
Globalstar-2 satellite constellation.
Gilat's Spacenet Subsidiary Announces Two New
Contract Extensions
(31 July 2007) Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd.
today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Spacenet Inc, has been
awarded two new contract extensions.
iDirect
Satellite Communications Platform Selected By China's CrossSat Telecom
Technology to Provide IP Broadband Services to Oil and Gas
Industry
(30 July 2007) iDirect Inc., a company of Vision
Technologies Systems Inc. (VT Systems), today announced a contract win valued
at around US$ 500,000 from CrossSat Telecom Technology Co. Ltd., a major
independent oil and gas exploration group based in China.
Broadcast
Leading Cable Operators Access
New HD Programming Via SES Americom's HD-Prime Triple-Feed Antenna
Program
(30 July 2007) SES Americom, an SES company, today announced
that CableOne and Cox Communications are among the latest U.S. cable operators
to join SES Americom's popular triple-feed antenna program, which enables
operators to easily access new, compelling high definition (HD) programming via
the company's HD-Prime service.
SES Astra
Signs Agreements with ARD and ZDF for More Capacity
(2 August 2007)
SES Astra, an SES company, has signed two long term agreements with ARD and ZDF
to provide additional transponder capacity to the German public
broadcasters.
Space Systems/Loral to Build
High-Power Satellite for Sirius Satellite Radio
(2 August 2007)
Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) and Sirius Satellite Radio today announced that SS/L
has been awarded a contract from Sirius to build Sirius FM-6, a new, high-power
satellite designed to operate in a highly inclined elliptical orbit
(HIEO).
Earth
Observation
Ball Aerospace Prepares to Ship WorldView
I
(30 July 2007) Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has
successfully completed assembly and performance testing of WorldView I, the
remote sensing satellite built for DigitalGlobe.
Mapping Mountains from Space with GOCE
(1
August 2007) How high is Mount Everest exactly? Recent surveys have come up
with heights that differ by more than five metres.
NGC Completes Restructure of NPOESS
Program
(30 July 2007) Northrop Grumman Corporation, in conjunction
with the government's tri-agency NPOESS Integrated Program Office, has
completed the restructure of the National Polar-orbiting Operational
Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS).
NOAA Increases US Tsunami Warning Capability With
Four DART Buoy Deployments
(1 August 2007) NOAA's National Data Buoy
Center has successfully established four new tsunami stations in the northwest
Pacific Ocean, east of Japan and Russia.
NPOESS Program Restructured
(31 July
2007) The Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, and the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration announced today that they have
restructured the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite
System (NPOESS).
Space-Borne Sensors Help
Africa Tackle Water Shortage Problems
(3 August 2007) Zambian water
authorities are integrating information based on satellite imagery to alleviate
water shortages.
Tracking
XM Real-Time NavTraffic Service Now Available in 79
Markets
(30 July 2007) XM, the nation's leading provider of
satellite radio service, today announced that its real-time satellite
information service for GPS navigation will add 29 new markets, providing XM
NavTraffic subscribers in the U.S. access to real-time traffic data in a total
of 79 major and secondary North American markets, beginning July
31.
Military
Space
Blue Sky Network and Iridium Provide British
Ministry of Defence Satellite-Based Flight Tracking and Communication Equipment
for Search and Rescue
(31 July 2007) Blue Sky Network and Iridium
today announced that the British Ministry of Defence is deploying Blue Sky
Network's Iridium satellite-based flight tracking equipment for the Search and
Rescue division of the Royal Air Force.
Boeing Submits TSAT Production Proposal to US Air
Force
(30 July 2007) The Boeing Company and its TEAM TSAT industry
partners today submitted a proposal to the U.S. Air Force for the Development
and Production phase of the Transformational Satellite Communications System
Space Segment (TSAT) program.
Comtech
Telecommunications Receives Movement Tracking System Orders for Mobile
Satellite Equipment and Technical Support Services
(30 July 2007)
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. announced today that its Maryland-based
subsidiary, Comtech Mobile Datacom Corporation, received orders totalling US$
5.9 million under its Movement Tracking System, or MTS contract, with the U.S.
Army.
Integral Systems Announces CCS-C
Contract Modification in Support of US Air Force's WGS and AEHF Satellite
Programs
(2 August 2007) Integral Systems, Inc., today announced the
award by the U.S. Air Force of a cost plus award fee modification totalling US$
5.8 million to modify the Command and Control System-Consolidated (CCS-C)
effort to support the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) and Advanced Extremely High
Frequency (AEHF) programs.
Lockheed Martin
Completes Key End-To-End Test Of Space Based Infrared System
(1
August 2007) Lockheed Martin announced today that it has successfully completed
a critical end-to-end test between the space and ground elements of the
Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), a key milestone in preparation for launch
and on-orbit operations of the program's first geosynchronous orbit (GEO)
spacecraft.
Lockheed Martin Team Submits
Proposal to Design and Build US Air Force's TSAT Space Segment
(30
July 2007) The Lockheed Martin/Northrop Grumman team today submitted its
proposal to design and build the Transformational Satellite Communications
System (TSAT) Space Segment, the future global communications network for the
U.S. Air Force that will provide seamless, protected communications for a wide
range of defence and intelligence users.
Norsat Increases Penetration into Military
Markets
(1 August 2007) Norsat International Inc., a leading
provider of intelligent satellite solutions, today announced that it has now
sold its portable satellite systems to seven of the world's
militaries.
Astronomy
Birth of a Colossus on Wheels
(30 July
2007) The first of two spectacular vehicles for the ALMA (Atacama Large
Millimeter/submillimeter Array) Observatory rolled out of its hangar and passed
successfully a series of tests.
First ALMA
Transporter Ready for Challenging Duty
(30 July 2007) The first of
two ALMA transporters - unique vehicles designed to move high-tech
radio-telescope antennas in the harsh, high-altitude environment of the Atacama
Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array - has been completed and passed its
initial operational tests.
Stars
Circumstellar Space: Where Chemistry Happens For The
Very First Time
(31 July 2007) Picture a cool place, teeming with a
multitude of hot bodies twirling about in rapidly changing formations of
singles and couples, partners and groups, constantly dissolving and
reforming.
Star Caught
Smoking
(3 August 2007) Using ESO's Very Large Telescope
Interferometer, astronomers from France and Brazil have detected a huge cloud
of dust around a star.
Galaxies
Japanese and NASA Satellites Unveil New Type of
Active Galaxy
(30 July 2007) An international team of astronomers
using NASA's Swift satellite and the Japanese/U.S. Suzaku X-ray observatory has
discovered a new class of active galactic nuclei (AGN).
Moon
NASA Selects Astrophysics Projects for New Science
on the Moon
(3 August 2007) NASA has selected four proposals
focusing on astrophysics priorities in lunar science to facilitate the nation's
exploration program.
Mars
Interplanetary Networking: ESA's Mars Express Will
Keep An Eye On NASA's Phoenix
(1 August 2007) ESA's Mars Express
will keep an eye on NASA's Phoenix lander as it makes its way to the Martian
surface, setting an example for international co-operation and interplanetary
networking.
Lockheed Martin-Built Phoenix
Spacecraft Lifts Off For Nine Month Voyage To Mars
(4 August 2007)
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, designed and built by Lockheed Martin, was
successfully launched this morning from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at
5:26 a.m. EDT aboard a Delta II rocket provided by United Launch
Alliance.
NASA Mars Exploration Rover
Status Report: Concern Increasing About Opportunity
(2 August 2007)
Rover engineers are growing increasingly concerned about the temperature of
vital electronics on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity while the rover
stays nearly inactive due to a series of dust storms that has lasted for more
than a month.
NASA Mars Exploration Rover
Status Report: Spirit Sees Dustier Sky
(26 July 2007) As of
Thursday, July 26, NASA rovers Spirit and Opportunity are both enduring levels
of reduced power supply. The rovers can survive at these levels, but NASA
continues to sharply restrict their activities.
NASA Spacecraft Heads For Polar Region On
Mars
(4 August 2007) NASA's Phoenix Mars Mission blasted off
Saturday, aiming for a May 25, 2008, arrival at the Red Planet and a close-up
examination of the surface of the northern polar region.
Next Departure for Mars Stands Ready to
Fly
(2 August 2007) A NASA robotic explorer equipped to dig up and
analyse icy soil on Mars sits atop a 13-story tall stack of rocket engines
prepared for lift-off before sunup on Saturday.
Saturn
Cassini Finds Possible Origin Of One Of Saturn's
Rings
(2 August 2007) Cassini scientists may have identified the
source of one of Saturn's more mysterious rings. Saturn's G ring likely is
produced by relatively large, icy particles that reside within a bright arc on
the ring's inner edge.
Extra-Solar
Planets
Planet Orbiting a Giant Red Star Discovered with
Hobby-Eberly Telescope
(3 August 2007) A planet orbiting a giant red
star has been discovered by an astronomy team led by Penn State's Alex
Wolszczan, who in 1992 discovered the first planets ever found outside our
solar system.
Manned
Space
ATV Arrives at Europe's Spaceport
(1
August 2007) After a transatlantic crossing by sea, Jules Verne, the first
Automated Transfer Vehicle for the International Space Station, arrived at
Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, yesterday morning.
BAE Systems Ares Avionics Team Brings Extensive
Spaceflight Experience to NASA Bid
(2 August 2007) The BAE
Systems-led team has submitted a final proposal to NASA for a key launch and
guidance system for the Ares I which will replace the Space Shuttle after its
retirement in 2010.
NASA Extends Space
Shuttle Main Engine Contract
(2 August 2007) NASA has signed a US$
975 million contract extension with Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne Inc., of
Canoga Park, Calif., to maintain the agency's fleet of space shuttle main
engines until the orbiter is retired in 2010.
NASA Starts Space Shuttle Endeavour Countdown Aug.
4
(30 July 2007) NASA will start the launch countdown for space
shuttle Endeavour's STS-118 mission at 9 p.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 4, at T-43
hours.
The Spaceport Welcomes a
Record-Setting Payload with the Arrival of Europe's Automated Transfer
Vehicle
(31 July 2007) This massive payload - the European Automated
Transfer Vehicle (ATV) - marks a true milestone in the Ariane program and for
Arianespace's commercial launch services as well.
Technology
IBM Power Processor Heads to
Unexplored Region of Mars
(3 August 2007) IBM today announced that
the Power Processor will make a return to outer space as NASA plans to launch
the Phoenix Mars Lander, its most sophisticated probe to date.
Maxwell Technologies Delivers First Space-Qualified
Single Board Computers to Orbital Sciences for NASA's 'Glory' Earth Sciences
Satellite Mission
(2 August 2007) Maxwell Technologies Inc. has
delivered its first space-qualified SCS750 single board computers (SBC) to
Orbital Sciences Corp., prime contractor for NASA's Glory earth sciences
mission.
NASA Signs Space Instrument
Contract with Valley Forge Composite Technologies
(31 July 2007)
Valley Forge Composite Technologies, Inc. announces NASA has signed an
agreement with its aerospace section to produce state-of-the-art components for
project evaluation.
Launch
Services
Fuelling Is Completed For Ariane 5's Dual Satellite
Payload
(30 July 2007) The two satellites for Arianespace's upcoming
Ariane 5 ECA flight have been fuelled at Europe's Spaceport, advancing this
heavy-lift mission one step closer to its August 14 lift-off.
Spaceway 3 Is Ready For Launch On Ariane
5
(2 August 2007) Preparations for Arianespace's upcoming heavy-lift
Ariane 5 flight moved into a new phase this week as final integration began for
its dual-satellite payload.
United Launch
Alliance Successfully Launches NASA's Phoenix Spacecraft
(4 August
2007) United Launch Alliance successfully launched a Delta II expendable launch
vehicle today from Space Launch Complex 17A at 5:26 a.m., EDT carrying NASA's
Phoenix spacecraft.
Launches
Progress M-61 (ISS 26P)
Phoenix Mars Lander
Launch
Schedule
Products and
Services
GCT Semiconductor Commercialises World's First
Monolithic Single-Chip Solution Supporting Satellite and Terrestrial-Digital
Multimedia Broadcasting (S-DMB and T-DMB) Mobile TV Applications
(31
July 2007) GCT Semiconductor, a leading provider of highly integrated
semiconductor solutions for wireless communications, today announced the
commercialisation of its first monolithic single chip, GDM7003, capable of
receiving media broadcast from both S-DMB and T-DMB.
iDirect Announces DVB-S2/ACM Migration for Release in
Fourth Quarter 2007
(30 July 2007) iDirect Technologies, a company
of VT Systems Inc., today announced that it will implement a DVB-S2 product
line with Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) fully integrated within its
system architecture that will support the DVB-S2 digital broadcast
standard.
RT Logic Announces Satellite
Channel Simulator Availability
(30 July 2007) RT Logic, a wholly
owned subsidiary of Integral Systems, Inc., today announced the availability of
their Satellite Channel Simulator, the T400CS (Telemetrix
400CS).
Events
ESA Mission Highlighted
At Remote Sensing Conference
(30 July 2007) The International
Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, entitled 'Sensing and Understanding
our Planet,' took place from 23 to 27 July 2007 in Barcelona, Spain, bringing
together more than 1400 participants.
People
KVH Industries Names Chairman and Lead
Director
(2 August 2007) KVH Industries, Inc. announced today that
Martin Kits van Heyningen has been elected Chairman of the Board.
