Integral Awarded
Contract To Provide ProtoStar-II Ground Segment
(22 April 2008) Integral Systems,
Inc., today announced a contract with ProtoStar-II Ltd., (ProtoStar) of Bermuda
to provide a completely integrated ground control system for ProtoStar-II, a
601HP satellite currently under construction by Boeing.
This
contract follows on the heels of a highly successful ProtoStar-I program and
further solidifies Integral's place as the dominant ground system supplier in
the industry.
By integrating state-of-the-art products from Integral's
wholly-owned subsidiaries Newpoint Technologies and SAT Corporation with its
EPOCH IPS (Integrated Product Suite), Integral is able to offer an unparalleled
solution that meets and exceeds the ProtoStar ground system's
requirements.
The contract includes primary and backup satellite
control, network, and payload operations; CSM (Communications Spectrum
Monitoring); and TT&C (Telemetry, Tracking, and Control) hardware and
software systems. These items are being provided on an 8-month schedule to
support ProtoStar-II's launch, currently slated for early 2009. The primary
EPOCH IPS-based ProtoStar-II control system will be installed in Indonesia and
operated by Indovision, while the backup control system will be integrated with
the ProtoStar-I EPOCH system in Singapore and operated by SingTel. The contract
includes prime and redundant TT&C facilities, both having a 13m TT&C
antenna with an integrated CSM system. Integral will also provide executable
satellite and ground operations procedures under the terms of the
contract.
Like ProtoStar-I, the ProtoStar-II system is based on today's
leading product offerings for satellite command and control (Integral's EPOCH
IPS), network and equipment management (Newpoint Technologies' Compass), and
CSM (SAT Corporation's Monics). Using these products, Integral offers a
comprehensive solution for the entire ground system that cost-effectively
scales to meet the needs of a rapidly growing operator like ProtoStar. To take
full advantage of this tightly integrated system, ProtoStar will use Integral's
recently announced Executive Enterprise Dashboard to provide web-based "at a
glance" access to satellite health and safety data, QoS (Quality of Service)
information, and other key performance indicators affecting their
business.
"For ProtoStar-II operations, we are building on the ground
infrastructure that has been successfully implemented by ISI for the
ProtoStar-I system," commented Steven Smith, VP of Technical Operations for
ProtoStar. "ISI delivered the initial ground system and antennas on a tight
schedule. We are confident that ISI and its team of subcontractors can do a
similar program for ProtoStar-II, and that by integrating our systems we will
have an efficient and effective operation for our growing satellite fleet, and
for our customer services," continued Smith.
James Kramer, Director of
Commercial C&C Systems at Integral, believes the company's performance on
the ProtoStar-I program was a key factor in winning this follow-on contract.
"ProtoStar put their trust in us to provide a high quality state-of-the-art
system for their ProtoStar-I satellite and we delivered with flying colours,
impressing both ProtoStar and SingTel, their third-party satellite operator,"
commented Kramer. "We are very pleased that ProtoStar has returned to us for
their ProtoStar-II system. We look forward to seamlessly integrating their new
Boeing 601HP satellite into their existing system, and our continued
relationship with ProtoStar as they grow their satellite fleet and global
business," added Kramer.
About Protostar
ProtoStar, a Bermuda
corporation with U.S. operations in San Francisco, California and Asian
operations headquartered in Singapore, was formed to acquire and operate
high-power geostationary satellites optimised for DTH satellite television in
the Asia-Pacific region. The firm is led by seasoned veterans from the
satellite, direct-to-home television, telecommunications and finance
industries.
About Integral Systems
Founded in 1982, Integral
Systems is a leading provider of satellite ground systems and has supported
more than 205 different satellite missions for communications, science,
meteorological, and earth resource applications. Integral Systems was the first
company to offer an integrated suite of COTS (Commercial Off-the-Shelf)
software products for satellite command and control: the EPOCH IPS (Integrated
Product Suite) product line. EPOCH IPS has become the world market leader in
commercial applications with successful installations on five
continents.
Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, SAT Corporation,
Integral Systems provides satellite and terrestrial communications signal
monitoring systems to satellite operators and users throughout the world.
Through its Newpoint Technologies, Inc., subsidiary, Integral Systems also
provides software for equipment monitoring and control to satellite operators,
broadcasters, and telecommunications firms. Integral Systems' RT Logic
subsidiary builds telemetry processing systems for military applications,
including tracking stations, control centres, and range operations. Integral
Systems' Lumistar, Inc., subsidiary provides system- and board-level telemetry
acquisition products. Integral Systems has approximately 500 employees working
at its headquarters in Lanham, MD, and at other locations in the U.S. and
Europe.
(source: Integral Systems)
