6 May 2007
Satcoms
Astrium Delivers Telesat's
Anik F3 Satellite in Orbit
Com Dev Announces
Major Civil Space Contract
EDS Selected By
GSA for Satellite Communications Services Contract for Federal
Agencies
General Services Administration
Awards US$ 110 Million IDIQ SATCOM-II Contract to AT&T Government
Solutions
GSA Inks Estimated US$ 750M
SATCOM-II Deal With 24 Firms
Hughes Receives
SATCOM-II Contract Award
ICO Selects
Alcatel-Lucent and Hughes for Alpha Trial
Microspace Extends Satellite Programming Delivery for
Salem Radio Network
Microspace Powers
DrinksTV Beverage Digital Signage Network
Norsat
America on Winning SATCOM II Team
Orbital
Awarded New Contract for IS-15 Commercial Communications Satellite by
Intelsat
Singapore Airlines Selects Rockwell
Collins Satellite Communications
Telenor
Satellite Services Awarded General Services Administration Contract
ViaSat Awarded SATCOM II Contract from General Services
Administration
Broadcast
DirecTV Sat-Go Is Ready for the Road
DISH Network Adds German Kino Plus to Channel
Line-up
DISH Network Launches Cinemax
HD
DISH Network Launches MobileDISH
Programming Packages
DISH Network Launches
More Regional Sports Networks in High Definition
TVG Signs Landmark Long-Term Agreement with DirecTV
Driving Total Distribution to 26 Million Homes
WorldSpace Satellite Radio Signs Fraunhofer IIS to
Develop 'Blueprint' for European Satellite Radio
Receivers
Earth
Observation
GeoEye Receives New US Government Awards Totalling US$
23.9 Million
Navigation
GIOVE-A Transmits First Navigation Message
Magellan's BLADE GNSS Signal Processing Enables
Lower-Cost, Real-time Centimetre Accuracy
Military Space
Ball Aerospace Wins US$ 6.5M Contract
to Support Air Force Research Laboratory
CACI
Awarded US$ 149.7 Million Task Order to Support TROJAN Satellite Communications
for US Army
Com Dev Announces Increased Scope
on US Military Contract
General Dynamics to
Provide Ku-Band Satellite On-the-Move Antenna System to the U.S.
Army
Astronomy
New Technologies For James Webb Space Telescope
Approved Early
New VERITAS Telescope Array
May Help Find 'Dark Matter'
Stars
Hubble Finds Multiple Stellar 'Baby Booms' in a
Globular Cluster
Hubble Sees Multiple Star
Generations in Globular Cluster
Mercury
NASA Antenna Cuts Mercury to Core, Solves 30 Year
Mystery
Mars
Canadian Mission Concept to Mysterious Mars moon Phobos
to Feature Unique Rock-Dock Manoeuvre
NASA's
Mars Rover Finds Evidence of Ancient Volcanic Explosion
Sharp Views Show Ground Ice on Mars is Patchy and
Variable
Jupiter
Pluto-Bound New Horizons Provides New Look At Jupiter
System
Extra-Solar
Planets
Astronomers Find Supermassive Planet
COROT Discovers Its First Exoplanet and Catches
Scientists by Surprise
UV Laser, Diamond Can
Generate Pressures Close To Those In Cores Of Supergiant
Planets
Manned
Space
International Space Station Status Report:
SS07-24
NASA Awards Heat Shield Material
Contracts For Orion Spacecraft
NASA Supports
Train Derailment Recovery in Alabama
Technology
ACT Awarded Contracts to Deliver Heat Pipes for TacSat-4
Thermal Control System
Emcore PhotoVoltaics
Awarded Mars Cruise Stage Solar Panel Manufacturing Contract from NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
NASA's Centennial
Challenge to Excavate Moon Dirt Set for May 12
Peter Homer Wins NASA's Challenge for Improved
Astronaut Gloves
Pratt and Whitney
Rocketdyne's Revolutionary Scramjet Engine Successfully Powers First X-51A
Simulated Flight
Launch
Services
Air Force Approves SpaceX to Operate on Cape Canaveral
Launch Site
Another Ariane 5 Success, With a
New Record Performance to Geostationary Transfer Orbit
Astra
1L Satellite Successfully Launched
Galaxy 17
Launch Successful; Offers Prime Capacity for North American Customers
Lockheed Martin Marks 32nd Consecutive A2100 Success
with Launch of Astra 1L Satellite
Mission
Accomplished for Arianespace Astra 1L and Galaxy 17 in
Orbit
In
Orbit
Integral to Upgrade JSAT Ground System for
JCSAT-11
Integral Systems Demonstrates CCS-C
Support of the TCP/IP SLE Protocol
Launches
Astra 1L, Galaxy 17
Launch
Schedule
Business
Globecomm Systems Closes Acquisition of GlobalSat
Division of Lyman Bros
Poland Becomes the
Fourth ESA European Cooperating State
Products and Services
Honeywell Introduces New
Microelectronic Product Line for Military and Space Computer Systems
Magellan DG14 RTK GPS Board Makes High-Precision
Possible without High Cost
NovAtel Announces
New OEMVTM-1G Receiver and 3.200 Firmware Release with GPS Plus GLONASS AdVance
RTK
RT Logic's Next Generation RF Receiver
Available
People
Patrick K. Brant Named CEO and President of
SkyPort
Satcoms
Astrium Delivers Telesat's
Anik F3 Satellite in Orbit
(2 May 2007) Telesat's Anik F3 satellite
has completed in-orbit tests at the 118.7oW orbital slot and has now entered
commercial service.
Com Dev Announces Major
Civil Space Contract
(30 April 2007) Com Dev International Ltd.
today announced that it has been awarded a follow-on civil space contract
valued at Cdn$ 39 million.
EDS Selected By GSA
for Satellite Communications Services Contract for Federal
Agencies
(4 May 2007) EDS today announced it has been selected by
the U.S. General Services Administration to provide end-to-end satellite
communications services to all federal government agencies under the Satellite
Services-II (SATCOM-II) contract.
General
Services Administration Awards US$ 110 Million IDIQ SATCOM-II Contract to
AT&T Government Solutions
(3 May 2007) AT&T Government
Solutions, a business unit of AT&T Inc., has been awarded a General
Services Administration (GSA) Satellite Services-II (SATCOM-II) contract which
will provide end-to-end satellite solutions for government agencies.
GSA Inks Estimated US$ 750M SATCOM-II Deal With 24
Firms
(2 May 2007) Contracts to provide federal and defence agencies
with the next generation of high quality, world-wide satellite communications
solutions were awarded today by the U.S. General Services
Administration.
Hughes Receives SATCOM-II
Contract Award
(3 May 2007) Hughes Network Systems, LLC, the global
leader in broadband satellite network solutions and services, today announced
that it has been awarded a contract under the recently announced General
Services Administration's (GSA) Satellite Services-II (SATCOM-II)
program.
ICO Selects Alcatel-Lucent and Hughes
for Alpha Trial
(2 May 2007) ICO Global Communications (Holdings)
Limited (ICO) today announced that Alcatel-Lucent and Hughes Network Systems
will develop key architecture and technology for use in ICO's alpha trial of
Mobile Interactive Media (MIM) services, set for spring of 2008.
Microspace Extends Satellite Programming Delivery for
Salem Radio Network
(4 May 2007) Microspace Communications
Corporation (Microspace), the satellite service provider for the Christian
Radio Consortium (CRC), today announced that the VELOCITY satellite solution
will be more extensively used by Salem Radio Network (SRN) to expand the reach
of its nationally recognised Christian radio programming.
Microspace Powers DrinksTV Beverage Digital Signage
Network
(4 May 2007) Microspace Communications Corporation
(Microspace), the leading satellite services provider for digital signage,
today announced that Kyle Private Networks (KPN) has selected the VELOCITY
digital signage satellite solution to power DrinksTV, a digital signage network
for beverage retailers.
Norsat America on
Winning SATCOM II Team
(4 May 2007) Norsat International (America)
Inc. advises that it is a team member of a winning consortium which has been
awarded a major satellite communications contract.
Orbital Awarded New Contract for IS-15 Commercial
Communications Satellite by Intelsat
(1 May 2007) Orbital Sciences
Corporation today announced that it has been selected by Intelsat, LLC to
design, build and deliver the Intelsat 15 (IS-15) commercial communications
satellite.
Singapore Airlines Selects Rockwell
Collins Satellite Communications
(1 May 2007) Rockwell Collins has
been selected by Singapore Airlines to provide its SAT-2100 satellite
communication system with a single HST-2110 high speed data transceiver for 58
Boeing 777 aircraft.
Telenor Satellite
Services Awarded General Services Administration Contract
(4 May
2007) Telenor Satellite Services, a subsidiary of Telenor of Norway, today
announced that it has received a General Services Administration (GSA) Federal
Technology Service (FTS) contract to provide a wide variety of mobile and fixed
satellite communications products and services to the United States
government.
ViaSat Awarded SATCOM II Contract
from General Services Administration
(3 May 2007) ViaSat Inc. has
been selected by the General Services Administration Federal Technology Service
(GSA/FTS) for a five-year, US$ 90 million Indefinite Delivery Indefinite
Quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide the full range of ViaSat satellite
communication (satcom) products and services to government
agencies.
Broadcast
DirecTV Sat-Go Is Ready for the Road
(3 May
2007) Just in time for the summer travel season, DirecTV, Inc., the nation's
leading satellite television service provider, is launching DirecTV Sat-Go
("Satellite-to-Go"), the world's first portable satellite TV system.
DISH Network Adds German Kino Plus to Channel
Line-up
(4 May 2007) EchoStar Communications Corporation and
FennFamLLC today announced that DISH Network satellite TV service now carries
"German Kino Plus," a new German-language channel that offers programming in
four categories: theatrical movies, classic movies, television series and
documentaries.
DISH Network Launches Cinemax
HD
(4 May 2007) EchoStar Communications Corporation and its DISH
Network satellite TV service today announced the launch of Cinemax HD.
DISH Network Launches MobileDISH Programming
Packages
(4 May 2007) EchoStar Communications Corporation and its
DISH Network satellite TV service today officially launched the MobileDISH
in-car satellite service, a programming package that combines cutting-edge
antenna technology from RaySat.
DISH Network
Launches More Regional Sports Networks in High Definition
(4 May
2007) EchoStar Communications Corporation and its DISH Network satellite TV
service announced today the launch of two more Regional Sports Networks (RSNs)
in high definition (HD).
TVG Signs Landmark
Long-Term Agreement with DirecTV Driving Total Distribution to 26 Million
Homes
(1 May 2007) In a move that will broaden its domestic reach to
nearly 26 million homes nation-wide, TVG, America's Horseracing Network, today
announced that it has amended its distribution agreement with DirecTV to expand
the scope and duration of its carriage.
WorldSpace Satellite Radio Signs Fraunhofer IIS to
Develop 'Blueprint' for European Satellite Radio Receivers
(1 May
2007) WorldSpace Satellite Radio, one of the world leaders in satellite-based
digital radio services, today announced it has signed a contract with
Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, part of Fraunhofer
Gesellschaft, the world's leading institution of application-oriented research,
to develop a receiver reference design (or engineering blueprint) for the
European market.
Earth
Observation
GeoEye Receives New US Government Awards Totalling US$
23.9 Million
(1 May 2007) GeoEye, a leading producer of satellite,
aerial and geospatial information, today announced recent new awards totalling
US$ 23.9 million to supply multiple U.S. government customers with
high-resolution commercial satellite imagery, geospatial products and
services.
Navigation
GIOVE-A Transmits First Navigation
Message
(4 May 2007) Earlier this week, GIOVE-A successfully
transmitted its first navigation message, containing the information needed by
user receivers to calculate their position.
Magellan's BLADE GNSS Signal Processing Enables
Lower-Cost, Real-time Centimetre Accuracy
(1 May 2007) Magellan
today announced its exclusive BLADE technology, a proprietary GNSS processing
solution that makes possible centimetre-level accuracy for real-time and
post-processing surveys and mapping operations.
Military Space
Ball Aerospace Wins US$ 6.5M Contract to Support Air
Force Research Laboratory
(3 May 2007) Ball Aerospace &
Technologies Corp. has won its fifth consecutive contract to operate the
Infrared Radiation Effects Laboratory (IRREL) at the Space Vehicles Directorate
of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL/VSSS).
CACI Awarded US$ 149.7 Million Task Order to Support
TROJAN Satellite Communications for US Army
(2 May 2007) CACI
International Inc announced today that it has been awarded a task order by the
Intelligence and Information Directorate (I2WD) of the U.S. Army
Communications-Electronics Research Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC)
for Technical and Engineering support services for system development and
fielding for the Army's TROJAN satellite communications systems.
Com Dev Announces Increased Scope on US Military
Contract
(30 April 2007) Com Dev International Ltd. today announced
that the value of a previously announced US military contract has increased due
to an amendment initiated by the customer.
General Dynamics to Provide Ku-Band Satellite
On-the-Move Antenna System to the U.S. Army
(4 May 2007) General
Dynamics Satcom Technologies has been awarded an order under the World Wide
Satellite Services contract to provide Ku-band on-the-move satellite
communications terminals to the U.S. Army.
Astronomy
New Technologies For James Webb Space Telescope
Approved Early
(2 May 2007) More than a year ahead of schedule, a
team of independent experts has approved all ten new technologies developed for
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.
New VERITAS
Telescope Array May Help Find 'Dark Matter'
(1 May 2007) Scientists
in the Northern Hemisphere have opened a new window on the universe allowing
them to explore and understand the cosmos at a much higher level of precision
than was previously available.
Stars
Hubble Finds Multiple Stellar 'Baby Booms' in a
Globular Cluster
(2 May 2007) Astronomers have long thought that
globular star clusters had a single "baby boom" of stars early in their lives
and then settled into a quiet existence.
Hubble Sees Multiple Star Generations in Globular
Cluster
(2 May 2007) Hubble's observations of the massive globular
cluster NGC 2808 provide evidence for three generations of stars that formed
early in its life. This is a major upset for conventional theories that propose
a single period of star birth.
Mercury
NASA Antenna Cuts Mercury to Core, Solves 30 Year
Mystery
(3 May 2007) Researchers working with high-precision
planetary radars, including the Goldstone Solar System Radar of NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., have discovered strong evidence that
the planet Mercury has a molten core.
Mars
Canadian Mission Concept to Mysterious Mars moon Phobos
to Feature Unique Rock-Dock Manoeuvre
(3 May 2007) Optech
Incorporated, the global market leader in the development, manufacture and
support of advanced, laser-based survey systems, announced today that is has
been selected by the Canadian Space Agency to lead the study of a Canadian-led
mission to Phobos, the largest moon of Mars.
NASA's Mars Rover Finds Evidence of Ancient Volcanic
Explosion
(3 May 2007) NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has
discovered evidence of an ancient volcanic explosion at "Home Plate," a plateau
of layered bedrock approximately 2 meters (6 feet) high within the "Inner
Basin" of Columbia Hills, at the rover's landing site in Gusev Crater.
Sharp Views Show Ground Ice on Mars is Patchy and
Variable
(2 May 2007) Using observations by NASA's Mars Odyssey
orbiter, scientists have discovered that water ice lies at variable depths over
small-scale patches on Mars.
Jupiter
Pluto-Bound New Horizons Provides New Look At Jupiter
System
(1 May 2007) NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has provided new
data on the Jupiter system, stunning scientists with never-before-seen
perspectives of the giant planet's atmosphere, rings, moons and
magnetosphere.
Extra-Solar
Planets
Astronomers Find Supermassive Planet
(2 May
2007) Today, astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
(CfA) announced that they have found the most massive known transiting
extrasolar planet.
COROT Discovers Its First
Exoplanet and Catches Scientists by Surprise
(3 May 2007) COROT has
provided its first image of a giant planet orbiting another star and the first
bit of 'seismic' information on a far away, Sun-like star- with unexpected
accuracy.
UV Laser, Diamond Can Generate
Pressures Close To Those In Cores Of Supergiant Planets
(2 May 2007)
Combining diamond anvils and powerful lasers, laboratory researchers have
developed a technique that should be able to squeeze materials to pressures 100
to 1,000 times greater than possible today, reproducing conditions expected in
the cores of supergiant planets.
Manned Space
International Space Station Status Report:
SS07-24
(4 May 2007) Marking the second week working together, the
Expedition 15 crew wrapped up a week of various maintenance tasks, science
experiments and preparations for the May 15 arrival of the Progress 25 supply
ship.
NASA Awards Heat Shield Material
Contracts For Orion Spacecraft
(4 May 2007) NASA has selected The
Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, Calif., and Textron Systems, Wilmington,
Mass., to develop alternate heat shield materials for the Orion crew
exploration spacecraft.
NASA Supports Train
Derailment Recovery in Alabama
(2 May 2007) Officials from NASA and
ATK Launch Systems, Brigham City, Utah, are assisting the Federal Railroad
Administration during its investigation of a train derailment Wednesday morning
near Pennington, Ala.
Technology
ACT Awarded Contracts to Deliver Heat
Pipes for TacSat-4 Thermal Control System
(1 May 2007) Advanced
Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT) has been awarded two contracts by the Naval
Research Laboratory (NRL) to provide a suite of heat pipes and assemblies for
the TacSat-4 thermal control system.
Emcore
PhotoVoltaics Awarded Mars Cruise Stage Solar Panel Manufacturing Contract from
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
(28 April 2007) Emcore
Corporation, announced today that the Photovoltaics Division has been awarded a
US$ 2M contract by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Center for the
design, manufacturing, testing and delivery of fully integrated solar panels
for the Mars Cruise Stage spacecraft.
NASA's
Centennial Challenge to Excavate Moon Dirt Set for May 12
(3 May
2007) On Saturday, May 12, teams from around the nation will compete for a
total of US$ 250,000 from NASA for an autonomously operating system to excavate
simulated "lunar regolith," or the moon's soil.
Peter Homer Wins NASA's Challenge for Improved
Astronaut Gloves
(3 May 2007) On Thursday, May 3, Peter Homer of
Southwest Harbor, Maine, won US$ 200,000 from NASA for his entry in the
Astronaut Glove Challenge.
Pratt and Whitney
Rocketdyne's Revolutionary Scramjet Engine Successfully Powers First X-51A
Simulated Flight
(30 April 2007) Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
(PWR), a United Technologies Corp. company, along with its X-51A team members -
U.S. Air Force, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), NASA and The
Boeing Company - successfully demonstrated operation and performance of the
revolutionary X-1 scramjet engine in the first simulated flight at Mach 5 of
the X-51A.
Launch
Services
Air Force Approves SpaceX to Operate on Cape Canaveral
Launch Site
(28 April 2007) Air Force Space Command approved today
the granting of a 5-year license allowing SpaceX to operate at a launch site at
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
Another
Ariane 5 Success, With a New Record Performance to Geostationary Transfer
Orbit
(4 May 2007) Ariane 5 delivered a record performance during
Arianespace's second heavy-lift flight of 2007, deploying two large
telecommunications satellites into highly accurate geostationary transfer orbit
today.
Astra 1L Satellite Successfully
Launched
(4 May 2007) SES Astra, an SES company, is pleased to
announce that its new Astra 1L satellite has been successfully launched into
orbit.
Galaxy 17 Launch Successful; Offers
Prime Capacity for North American Customers
(4 May 2007) Intelsat,
Ltd., the world's leading provider of commercial satellite services, announced
today that at 18:29 ET the Galaxy 17 satellite was successfully launched aboard
Arianespace's Ariane 5 ECA rocket.
Lockheed
Martin Marks 32nd Consecutive A2100 Success with Launch of Astra 1L
Satellite
(4 May 2007) The Astra 1L broadcasting satellite, designed
and built by Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) for SES Astra, an SES company, was
successfully launched today from Kourou, French Guiana.
Mission Accomplished for Arianespace Astra 1L and
Galaxy 17 in Orbit
(4 May 2007) On Friday evening, May 4,
Arianespace placed two communications satellites into geostationary transfer
orbit: Astra 1L for the European operator SES Astra, and Galaxy 17 for the
international operator Intelsat.
In Orbit
Integral to Upgrade JSAT Ground System for
JCSAT-11
(1 May 2007) Integral Systems, Inc. today announced a
contract with Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS) to expand JSAT
Corporation's existing EPOCH-based ground system to support their new JCSAT-11
satellite, a Lockheed Martin A2100 model spacecraft scheduled to be launched
later this year.
Integral Systems Demonstrates
CCS-C Support of the TCP/IP SLE Protocol
(3 May 2007) Integral
Systems, Inc., today announced the successful demonstration of the ability of
Integral Systems' CCS-C (Command and Control System - Consolidated) satellite
control system to support satellite operations using the TCP/IP (Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) SLE (Space Link Extension)
protocol.
Launches
Astra 1L, Galaxy 17
Launch
Schedule
Business
Globecomm Systems Closes Acquisition of GlobalSat
Division of Lyman Bros
(3 May 2007) Globecomm Systems Inc., a global
provider of end-to-end satellite-based communications solutions today announced
the closing of its previously announced acquisition of the GlobalSat division
of Lyman Bros., Inc. effective April 30, 2007.
Poland Becomes the Fourth ESA European Cooperating
State
(4 May 2007) On 27 April 2007, Pawel Poncyljusz, Secretary of
State in the Ministry of Economy, and René Oosterlinck, ESA Director of
Legal Affairs and External Relations, signed the European Cooperating State
Agreement in Warsaw.
Products and
Services
Honeywell Introduces New Microelectronic Product Line
for Military and Space Computer Systems
(2 May 2007) Honeywell
announced today that it has developed a new line of sophisticated electronic
components designed specifically to meet the stringent reliability requirements
for computers operating in technically advanced military and commercial
aerospace conditions.
Magellan DG14 RTK GPS
Board Makes High-Precision Possible without High Cost
(1 May 2007)
With the introduction of the DG14 RTK, customers in high-precision applications
can now get high-end precision in a low-cost GNSS unit.
NovAtel Announces New OEMVTM-1G Receiver and 3.200
Firmware Release with GPS Plus GLONASS AdVance RTK
(1 May 2007)
NovAtel Inc. is launching enhancements to its OEMV product family including the
OEMV-1G receiver and FlexPakTM-V1G enclosure which utilise both GPS and GLONASS
satellite constellations.
RT Logic's Next
Generation RF Receiver Available
(2 May 2007) RT Logic, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Integral Systems, Inc. today announced the
availability of a next generation RF Receiver product, the Telemetrix 400XR
(T400XR).
People
Patrick K. Brant Named CEO and President of
SkyPort
(30 April 2007) Patrick K. Brant, a leader in the global
satellite industry for more than 20 years, has joined SkyPort Global
Communications Inc., as chief executive officer and president to lead the
satellite services firm through a period of rapid growth.
