Microcom's Space Newsfeed - 24 February 2008

24 February 2008

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Satcoms
Shiron Satellite Communications - First Live Demonstration of DVB-S2 16APSK Broadband VSAT System
(22 February 2008) Shiron Satellite Communications, a global supplier of broadband VSAT network systems, demonstrated successfully its InterSKY VSAT platform, utilising a DVB-S2 16APSK modulation over a live satellite in both Ku and C band.
Spacenet And Arrowhead Team Up To Bring Industry's Only Cisco Integrated Satellite Networking Solution To Government Organisations
(20 February 2008) Spacenet Inc., a leading provider of enterprise satellite networking services, announced today that it has signed a teaming agreement with Arrowhead Global Solutions, a subsidiary of CapRock Communications and a premier provider of integrated global communications solutions for government organisations.

Earth Observation
Raytheon To Lead Team Of Weather System Experts For Next-Generation NOAA Ground System
(21 February 2008) Raytheon Company will head a team of technology leaders to pursue a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R series known as GOES-R ground segment.
TopSat Imagery Supports Rwandan Earthquake Disaster Relief
(18 February 2008) Satellite imagery captured by TopSat, the micro-satellite designed and built by a QinetiQ-led consortium of British firms, has been provided free of charge to the United Nations in response to the recent earthquakes on the Rwandan / Congolese border.

Navigation
Successful EGNOS Trial In San Sebastian
(22 February 2008) Earlier this month, at San Sebastian airport in Spain, a successful test using the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) to guide an aircraft during landing was carried out.

Military Space
Modified Lockheed Martin Aegis Weapon System Successfully Destroys Errant Satellite
(22 February 2008) Again demonstrating its adaptability to support new and more challenging mission needs, Lockheed Martin's Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Weapon System successfully destroyed an errant United States satellite, preventing it from an uncontrolled and unpredictable re-entry and potential crash to Earth.

Astronomy
Amazing Miniaturised 'Sidecar' Drives Webb Telescope's Signal
(20 February 2008) Many technologies have become so advanced that they've been miniaturised to take up less space and weigh less.

Stars
Integral: Stellar Winds Colliding At Our Cosmic Doorstep
(20 February 2008) ESA's Integral has made the first unambiguous discovery of high-energy X-rays coming from a rare massive star at our cosmic doorstep, Eta Carinae.
Powerful Explosions Suggest Neutron Star Missing Link
(20 February 2008) Observations from NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) have revealed that the youngest known pulsing neutron star has thrown a temper tantrum.

Galaxies
Hubble Discovers 67 Gravitationally-Lensed Galaxies In The Distant Universe
(19 February 2008) Astronomers using Hubble have compiled a large catalogue of gravitational lenses in the distant universe, finding 67 galaxies lensed by massive elliptical and lenticular-shaped galaxies.

Sun
International Solar Mission To End Following Stellar Performance
(22 February 2008) The joint NASA and European Space Agency Ulysses mission to study the sun and its influence on surrounding space is likely to cease operations in the next few months.
Ulysses Mission Coming To A Natural End
(22 February 2008) Ulysses, the mission to study the Sun's poles and the influence of our star on surrounding space is coming to an end.

Moon
The X Prize Foundation Announces Official Contenders In Private Moon Race
(21 February 2008) The X Prize Foundation and Google, Inc. today announced the first ten teams to register for the Google Lunar X Prize, a robotic race to the Moon to win a remarkable $30 million in prizes.

Venus
The Light And Dark Of Venus
(21 February 2008) Venus Express has revealed a planet of extraordinarily changeable and extremely large-scale weather.

Earth
NASA And Northrop Grumman Partner To 'Measure The Immeasurable' In Climate Change And Planetary Science
(21 February 2008) Answering bold questions about life and climate on Earth and other planets is the goal behind a new Space Act Agreement signed today between NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector in a ceremony in the Miller Senate Building, Presidential Conference Center West at the Maryland State Capitol in Annapolis.

Saturn
Cassini Finds Mingling Moons May Share A Dark Past
(19 February 2008) Despite the incredible diversity of Saturn's icy moons, theirs is a story of great interaction.
High Energy Electron Holes Reveal Unseen Rings
(19 February 2008) Gaps in the soup of high energy particles near the orbits of two of Saturn's tiny moons indicate that Saturn may be surrounded by undiscovered, near-invisible partial rings.

Extra-Solar Planets
Many, Perhaps Most, Nearby Sun-Like Stars May Form Rocky Planets
(17 February 2008) Astronomers have discovered that terrestrial planets might form around many, if not most, of the nearby sun-like stars in our galaxy.
NASA Ames Conducts Tests Of Kepler Mission Image Detectors
(19 February 2008) Sensitive detectors that may help find habitable planets orbiting distant stars as part of NASA's Kepler Mission are undergoing tests at Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

Manned Space
Ariane 5 Is Fitted With Its 19-Metric-Ton ATV Payload
(18 February 2008) The Ariane 5's largest payload ever has now been integrated on the launch vehicle, taking Arianespace's upcoming historic mission with the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) one step closer to its March 8 lift-off.
ATK Receives NASA Contract Extension For Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motors
(18 February 2008) Alliant Techsystems received a contract modification from NASA valued at US$ 812.5 million for the continued production and refurbishment of four-segment reusable solid rocket motors (RSRM) for the space shuttle program.
NASA Partners With Orbital Sciences For Space Transport Services
(19 February 2008) NASA selected Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va., to develop and demonstrate commercial orbital transportation services that could open new markets and pave the way for contracts to launch and deliver crew and cargo to the International Space Station.
Spacecraft Crew And Astronauts Are Launched Into Orbit With Interactive 3D Elearning From Parallelgraphics
(19 February 2008) Days before the launch of the first ATV 'Jules Verne' into orbit, ParallelGraphics, the global leader in interactive 3D visual communication for Equipment Maintenance & Training, announced that its cutting edge software is that chosen for spacecraft crew and astronauts training of the ATV.
Space Shuttle Endeavour Arrives At Launch Pad, Countdown Test Set
(18 February 2008) After safely reaching its launch pad Monday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the space shuttle Endeavour now awaits its next major milestone for the upcoming STS-123 mission.

Manned Space - STS 122
STS-122 MCC Status Report #18
(16 February 2008) The 10 crew members aboard the International Space Station/space shuttle Atlantis complex today will continue with the outfitting of the new Columbus research module, give the station a reboost to get it ready for its next visitors and spend some time talking with reporters on Earth.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #19
(16 February 2008) Outfitting of the International Space Station Columbus module experiment racks continued today with all 10 crew members working to complete the activation and initialisation of the newest addition to the station.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #20
(17 February 2008) The seven-member crew of Atlantis will complete the final cargo transfers, wrap up their part in the installation and activation of the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory, and then bid farewell to the Expedition 16 crew this morning.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #21
(17 February 2008) The ten spaceflight crew members parted ways to their respective spacecraft today.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #22
(18 February 2008) Space shuttle Atlantis is set to undock from the International Space Station at 3:27 a.m. after nine days of joint operations carrying the seven-member crew that successfully commissioned the European Space Agency's new Columbus science laboratory.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #23
(18 February 2008) Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station at 3:24 a.m. CST after nine days of joint operations.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #24
(19 February 2008) Atlantis' seven-member crew will complete the final preparations today for their return home, wrapping up their 13-day mission with a scheduled early Wednesday morning landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #25
(19 February 2008) After a check of all of the systems they will use for a return to Earth, Atlantis' seven-member crew packed up today in preparation for landing Wednesday.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #26
(20 February 2008) The seven astronauts on space shuttle Atlantis are only hours away from a landing in Florida that will conclude a successful 13-day mission that delivered the European Space Agency's science laboratory Columbus to the International Space Station.
STS-122 MCC Status Report #27
(20 February 2008) Space shuttle Atlantis and its seven-member crew landed on Runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center at 8:07 a.m. CST today, completing a 13-day journey of more than 5,296,842 miles.
NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis Set To Land Wednesday
(18 February 2008) The space shuttle Atlantis crew is expected to complete a 13-day mission to the International Space Station with a landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, Feb. 20.
After Successfully Delivering Columbus, Atlantis Is Back On Earth
(20 February 2008) NASA's space shuttle Atlantis, which successfully delivered ESA's Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station, has safely returned to Earth with its crew of seven.
Shuttle Atlantis Crew Returns Home After Successful Mission
(20 February 2008) Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew landed at 9:07 a.m. EST Wednesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., after completing a 13-day journey of nearly 5.3 million miles in space.

Technology
NASA Midstar-1 Successful Technologies May Be Revolutionary
(19 February 2008) Two new technologies launched onboard a U.S. Naval Academy satellite called MidSTAR-1 have proven successful in their tests in space.
New Large Diameter Centrifuge At ESTEC
(19 February 2008) Installation and commissioning of the new large diameter centrifuge at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) at Noordwijk, in The Netherlands, has been completed.
SpaceDev Awarded Contract From Space Systems/Loral
(20 February 2008) SpaceDev, Inc. has been awarded contracts to deliver satellite battery bypass switches for Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) of Palo Alto, California in support of the 1300-series spacecraft platform.

Launch Services
SES Americom's AMC-14 Satellite Slated For March 15 Launch
(20 February 2008) The Americom-14 (AMC-14) satellite, of SES Americom, an SES company, was delivered to Baikonur, Kazakhstan, to be readied for its Proton Breeze M launch scheduled for the morning of March 15 local time (evening of March 14 EST).
The Second Ariane 5 For Launch In 2008 Begins Its Assembly At Europe's Spaceport
(19 February 2008) The heavy-lift Ariane 5 for Arianespace's second flight of 2008 is taking shape, underscoring the Spaceport's flexibility to meet the company's ramp-up in mission activity for this workhorse launch vehicle.

Launches
Kizuna (WINDS)
Launch Schedule

Business
Goodrich Launches New 'ISR Systems' Business Unit
(17 February 2008) Goodrich today formally announced the creation of ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) Systems, a new strategic business unit that encompasses the former Optical & Space Systems electro- optics units.
Norsat International Opens Office In Brazil
(21 February 2008) Norsat International Inc., a leading provider of intelligent satellite solutions, today announced that it has opened a regional office in Fortaleza, Brazil, which will serve as a hub for the company's South American customer base.
Omniglobe Networks Acquires The UK- Based Satellite Communications Company Bandwidth Technologies International Group
(19 February 2008) OmniGlobe Networks, Inc., the global telecommunications company specialised in delivering cellular, broadband Internet and VoIP services, announces that it has acquired Bandwidth Technologies International Group Limited (BTIG), the UK-based international provider of satellite communications systems.
Swedish Space Corporation Signs Purchase Agreement For The Santiago Satellite Station
(20 February 2008) Swedish Space Corporation announced today that they have signed an agreement with the University of Chile in Santiago regarding the purchase of the Centro de Estudios Espaciales (CEE).

Products and Services
C2SAT Launches A Mini VSAT Antenna
(22 February 2008) C2SAT today announces the addition of new low weight products into the portfolio.
EMC Releases New Datacenter Services In Raisting Teleport.
(21 February 2008) Emerging Markets Communications (EMC) is launching two new Datacenter products, EMC Collocation Services and EMC Housing Services for world-wide corporations.
RT Logic Announces Powerful Low-Cost Modular Signal Processor For Satellite Communications
(21 February 2008) RT Logic, a wholly owned subsidiary of Integral Systems, Inc., today announced the availability of its new T400MSP Modular Signal Processor for satellite communications research, training, and analysis.
XipLink Announces New XA Accelerator Appliances
(20 February 2008) XipLink, the technology leader for standards based protocol acceleration over wireless networks, today announced a new line of acceleration appliances that provide immediate performance gains for TCP/IP based networks supporting all popular broadband capacity ranges and satellite topologies.

People
CapRock Appoints New Managing Director
(19 February 2008) CapRock Communications, a leading provider of global satellite communication services, has appointed Eduardo Correa as managing director of its European, African and Middle Eastern operations.
NASA Selects New Deputy Associate Administrator Of Strategic Partnerships And Space Shuttle Program Manager
(22 February 2008) NASA announced the selection of N. Wayne Hale, Jr. as NASA's deputy associate administrator for strategic partnerships on Friday.
Orbcomm Announces CEO Succession Plan
(22 February 2008) Orbcomm Inc., a global satellite data communications company focused on two-way Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications, today announced that Marc Eisenberg, Orbcomm's current Chief Operating Officer, will succeed Jerry Eisenberg as Chief Executive Officer effective as of March 31, 2008.
Steve Maine Appointed By SES Astra And Eutelsat As CEO Of Joint Venture For Mobile Satellite Services
(21 February 2008) SES Astra and Eutelsat Communications today announced the appointment, with immediate effect, of Steve Maine as CEO of their jointly-owned venture offering Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) in S-Band.