Microcom's Space Newsfeed - 17 February 2008

17 February 2008

Previous News

Satcoms
Globecomm Systems Awarded Infrastructure Contract Valued At US$ 3.8 Million From A Major Satellite Service Provider In Asia
(13 February 2008) Globecomm Systems Inc., a leading provider of satellite-based communications infrastructure solutions and services on a global basis, today announced that the Company has been awarded an infrastructure contract from a major satellite service provider in Asia valued at US$ 3.8 million.
Instant Access Media Taps Microspace To Deliver Digital Entertainment To Nationwide Bar Network
(12 February 2008) Microspace Communications Corporation (Microspace), the leading provider of point-to-multipoint satellite services, was selected by Instant Access Media to deliver i-am TV, an out-of-home digital entertainment network, to the largest neighbourhood and sports bars across the United States.
IPNet Selects Hughes HX System For Its Second Teleport In Moscow
(12 February 2008) Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), the world's leading provider of broadband satellite networks and services, announced today that IPNet, one of Russia's leading broadband service providers, has signed a contract to implement a new HX system teleport in Moscow.

Broadcast
KVH Ships 150,000th Mobile Satellite Antenna
(14 February 2008) KVH Industries, Inc., the leading manufacturer of antennas that dynamically track orbiting satellites to provide television and broadband communications to moving vehicles and vessels, recently shipped its 150,000th antenna.

Earth Observation
Ball Aerospace's CALIPSO Lidar Passes One Billionth Milestone
(13 February 2008) The Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. free-flying atmospheric lidar aboard NASA's Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) mission, fired its one billionth laser pulse over the Ivory Coast on Sunday, Feb. 3., making it the longest lasting, most powerful on-orbit space laser.
Thales Alenia Space Deliver The SIRAL-2 Radar Altimeter
(11 February 2008) Thales Alenia Space is glad to announce that SIRAL-2, the SAR Interferometer radar altimeter that will be embarked onboard the CryoSat-2 mission, has been delivered in due time to EADS Astrium GmbH (Immenstaad in Germany), the prime contractor of the CryoSat-2 mission.

Military Space
Raytheon Wins US$ 75 Million Air Force Satellite Communications Contract
(11 February 2008) Raytheon Company has won the U.S. Air Force's competition to upgrade a satellite communications system that provides protected communications to warfighters around the world.

Astronomy
NASA Sponsors Studies Of Next Generation Astronomy Missions
(15 February 2008) NASA has selected 19 science teams to conduct yearlong studies of new concepts for its next generation of major observatories.
STScI Astronomers to Head Two Studies of Next Generation Astronomy Missions
(15 February 2008) Two astronomers at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Md., Dr. Marc Postman and Dr. Ken Sembach, have been selected among 19 science teams to conduct year-long studies of new concepts for NASA's next generation of major observatories.

Stars
Light Echoes Whisper The Distance To A Star
(11 February 2008) Taking advantage of the presence of light echoes, a team of astronomers have used an ESO telescope to measure, at the 1% precision level, the distance of a Cepheid - a class of variable stars that constitutes one of the first steps in the cosmic distance ladder.

Galaxies
Astronomers Find One Of The Youngest And Brightest Galaxies In The Early Universe
(12 February 2008) NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, with a boost from a natural "zoom lens," have uncovered what may be one of the youngest and brightest galaxies ever seen in the middle of the cosmic "dark ages," just 700 million years after the beginning of our universe.

Supernova
Possible Progenitor Of Special Supernova Type Detected
(13 February 2008) Using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, scientists have reported the possible detection of a binary star system that was later destroyed in a supernova explosion.

Sun
SOHO Data Used For Real-Time Space Radiation Forecasting
(13 February 2008) Scientists are now testing a new method that uses SOHO data to predict, in real-time, the approach and intensity of hazardous solar particles that would threaten astronauts and technology in space.

Mars
Mars Rovers Sharpen Questions About Liveable Conditions
(15 February 2008) Like salt used as a preservative, high concentrations of dissolved minerals in the wet, early-Mars environment known from discoveries by NASA's Opportunity rover may have thwarted any microbes from developing or surviving.
SciSys Expertise To Be Used In Key Role For ESA's Flagship Mars Rover Mission
(11 February 2008) The European Space Agency has awarded UK space experts, SciSys, responsibility of specifying the Rover Mission Management Concept for their flagship Mars mission, ExoMars, which aims to characterise the biological environment on the Red Planet and ultimately pave the way for future human exploration.

Saturn
Titan's Surface Organics Surpass Oil Reserves On Earth
(13 February 2008) Saturn's orange moon Titan has hundreds of times more liquid hydrocarbons than all the known oil and natural gas reserves on Earth, according to new Cassini data.

Asteroids
First Near-Earth Triple Asteroid Discovered By Arecibo Observatory Astronomers - A Mere 7 Million Miles From Earth
(15 February 2008) Once considered just your average single asteroid, 2001 SN263 has now been revealed as the first near-Earth triple asteroid ever found.

Extra-Solar Planets
A Newly Discovered Solar System Contains Scaled-Down Versions Of Saturn And Jupiter
(14 February 2008) A team of international astronomers reports in the Feb. 15 issue of Science the discovery of a solar system nearly 5,000 light years away with scaled-down versions of Jupiter and Saturn.
Astronomers Discover Scaled-down Jupiter and Saturn in a Faraway Solar System Like Our Own
(14 February 2008) An international team of astronomers has discovered two planets that resemble smaller versions of Jupiter and Saturn in a solar system nearly 5,000 light years away.

Manned Space
Boeing, Other Ares I Upper Stage Contractors Sign Associates Agreement
(15 February 2008) The Boeing Company has signed an associate contractor's agreement (ACA) with five other aerospace companies to work together on the Ares I upper stage.
ESA Astronaut Frank De Winne To Spend Six Months On The ISS In 2009
(11 February 2008) With the Columbus mission well under way, the space station programme has assigned crews for the next flight opportunities.
Jules Verne ATV Launch Approaching
(11 February 2008) After the successful launch of ESA's Columbus laboratory aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on Thursday (7 February), it is now time to focus on the next imminent milestone for ESA: the launch of Jules Verne, the first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) to be sent to the International Space Station.
NASA Assigns Crews For STS-127 And Expedition 19 Missions
(11 February 2008) NASA has assigned crews for the STS-127 space shuttle mission and the Expedition 19 International Space Station mission.
NASA'S Space Shuttle Endeavour To Move To Launch Pad Monday
(12 February 2008) Space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to roll out to Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on Monday, Feb. 18, as preparations move forward for the STS-123 mission.
NASA Updates Shuttle Target Launch Dates
(14 February 2008) NASA officials on Thursday revised the target launch dates for space shuttle flights during the second half of 2008.
Predicting The Radiation Risk To ESA's Astronauts
(13 February 2008) European scientists have developed the most accurate method yet for predicting the doses of radiation that astronauts will receive aboard the orbiting European laboratory module, Columbus, attached to the ISS this week.
SpaceX Successfully Completes NASA Preliminary Design Review For Dragon Spacecraft Mission To Approach International Space Station
(12 February 2008) Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) has completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the second Falcon 9/Dragon demonstration under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) project.

Manned Space - STS 122
Schlegel Completes First Spacewalk
(13 February 2008) ESA astronaut Hans Schlegel today completed his first ever spacewalk.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #06
(10 February 2008) The seven-member crew of Atlantis will spend today preparing for the mission's first spacewalk on Monday and take a closer look at a small tear on a thermal blanket over the shuttle's right Orbital Manoeuvring System pod.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #07
(10 February 2008) Atlantis' crew spent the day performing a detailed inspection of the shuttle's thermal blanket over the right Orbital Manoeuvring System pod as well as preparing for tomorrow's spacewalk.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #08
(11 February 2008) Installation and activation of the European Space Agency's science laboratory highlights the day as the crews of space shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station prepare for the first of three spacewalks.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #09
(11 February 2008) After an almost eight-hour spacewalk by astronauts Stanley Love and Rex Walheim, the Columbus module officially became a part of the International Space Station.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #10
(12 February 2008) With the Columbus module safely installed, outfitting of the European Space Agency's new laboratory can begin.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #11
(12 February 2008) Astronauts took their work inside the European Space Agency's new Columbus laboratory today.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #12
(13 February 2008) By the end of the day, the International Space Station should have a new nitrogen tank assembly.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #13
(13 February 2008) The second spacewalk of the STS-122 mission was completed today by astronauts Rex Walheim and Hans Schlegel.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #14
(14 February 2008) After a busy day of spacewalking on Wednesday, the space shuttle Atlantis and International Space Station crews have a light day ahead of them, with off-duty time, interviews and preparations for Friday.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #15
(14 February 2008) The crew of Atlantis, along with the Expedition 16 crew aboard the International Space Station, spent the day preparing for tomorrow's third and final spacewalk and talking with the media.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #16
(15 February 2008) The seven-member crew of space shuttle Atlantis is just one spacewalk away from finishing the installation of the new Columbus research module and its exterior experiment facilities.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #17
(15 February 2008) Astronauts Rex Walheim and Stan Love today spent seven hours and 25 minutes completing the third and final spacewalk of the STS-122 mission.

Technology
Lockheed Martin-Built A2100 Satellite Fleet Achieves 200 Years In Orbit
(12 February 2008) The Lockheed Martin A2100 communications satellite fleet recently achieved a major milestone by accumulating 200 years of successful in-orbit operations.
SciSys Secures Key Space Exploration Technology Role With "EAGLE"
(11 February 2008) A team of space experts under the leadership of software systems house SciSys has been selected by the European Space Agency in the frame of the AURORA Core exploration Programme to develop a software tool (called EAGLE) that will simulate entry, descent and landing technologies for future European space exploration missions.

Launch Services
ATK Delivers 250th Composite Structure For Delta Launch Vehicle
(12 February 2008) Alliant Techsystems will commemorate the delivery of the 250th Delta launch vehicle composite structure with a plant-wide celebration on February 13, 2008.

Launch Services - ATV
Ariane 5 Is Delivered To Arianespace For Its Launch Of The Automated Transfer Vehicle
(11 February 2008) Arianespace has taken delivery of the Ariane 5 ES launcher for its upcoming milestone mission, which will orbit Europe's large Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).
The ATV Takes One Major Step Closer To Its Ariane 5 Launch From The Spaceport In French Guiana
(14 February 2008) Preparations for Arianespace's first mission in support of the International Space Station marked a major milestone today with the Automated Transfer Vehicle's (ATV) move to the site where it will be integrated with the Ariane 5 ES launcher.

Launch Services - Thor 5
ILS Proton Successfully Launches THOR 5 Satellite
(11 February 2008) A Proton launch vehicle successfully lifted the THOR 5 satellite into orbit today, marking the first mission of the year for International Launch Services (ILS), and the second Proton flight in two weeks.
Orbital-Built THOR 5 Communications Satellite Successfully Launched
(12 February 2008) Orbital Sciences Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer of smaller-sized geosynchronous (GEO) communications satellites, announced today that the THOR 5 satellite was successfully launched into orbit aboard an International Launch Services (ILS) Proton M/Breeze M launch system from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Launches
Thor 5
Launch Schedule

Reports
Satellite Broadband To Serve Nearly 1.3 Million Homes By 2012, Report Concludes
(13 February 2008) Satellite-based broadband services -- arguably the best way to get broadband access to hard-to-reach rural areas -- could be serving nearly 1.3 million U.S. households by the beginning of 2012, market research provider Pike & Fischer estimates.
Satellite Service to Airlines and Business Jets Poised for Growth Phase
(14 February 2008) NSR today released its newest market analysis and forecast report: "Aeronautical Satellite Services, Analyzing the Market Opportunity for Passenger Jets and Business Aviation."

Business
Com Dev Acquires Passive Microwave Devices Product Line From L-3 Communications
(12 February 2008) Com Dev USA, LLC, a subsidiary of Com Dev International Ltd., today announced that it has reached an agreement with L-3 Communications to acquire the Passive Microwave Devices product line of L-3 Communications Electron Technologies Inc. (referred to in this news release as "ETI-PMD") for US$ 12.2 million.
RRsat Announces First Acquisition In North America
(14 February 2008) RRsat Global Communications Network Ltd., a rapidly growing provider of comprehensive content management and global distribution services to the television and radio broadcasting industries, announced today that its subsidiary, RRsat Global Communications Inc., has entered into an agreement to acquire the Hawley Teleport located in Pike County, Pennsylvania, for approximately US$ 4.25 million.
Shiron Satellite Communications Opens Office In Brazil
(11 February 2008) Shiron Satellite Communications, a global supplier of Broadband satellite network platform, announced the opening of Shiron office in Brazil.
TerreStar Announces Strategic Investment by EchoStar, Harbinger & Other Investors
(9 February 2008) TerreStar Corporation and its subsidiary TerreStar Networks Inc. (TerreStar), which is building the nation's first integrated mobile satellite-terrestrial (MSS/ATC) communications network, today announced that EchoStar Corporation, Harbinger Capital Partners Master Fund I, Ltd. and Harbinger Capital Partners Special Situations Fund LP (collectively, Harbinger) and other investors have entered into a series of separate agreements constituting a commitment of US$300 million in investments in TerreStar - with US$200 million made available today at closing and the balance dedicated to funding the TerreStar-2 satellite.

Products and Services
satLINK Iridium Now Certified For Installation On Boeing 757, 767 Fleets
(11 February 2008) Avionica is pleased to announce Boeing 757 and Boeing 767 STC availability for satLINK, the Iridium satellite-based voice and data communications alternative.

People
DataPath Names David J. Helfgott Chief Executive Officer
(12 February 2008) The board of directors of DataPath, Inc., a leading provider of satellite and wireless communications networks around the world, has named David J. Helfgott as president and chief executive officer.
Intelsat Announces Changes To Executive Team
(12 February 2008) Intelsat, Ltd., the world's leading provider of fixed satellite services, today announced a number of executive appointments, effective immediately.