AsiaSat 5 was launched August 12th on an ILS Proton launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, described as a new generation communications' satellite of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat). The next news report, nine hours and 15 minutes after liftoff announced that AsiaSat 5 successfully separated from the launch vehicle. AsiaSat in Hong Kong acquired the first signals from the satellite.
Photo courtesy of Loral
Over the next few days, the satellite will arrive at the geostationary orbit, some 36,000 km above the Equator. Based on a Space Systems/Loral's 1300 satellite bus, AsiaSat 5 is designed to replace AsiaSat 2 at the orbital location of 100.5 degrees East, and to provide advanced satellite services including television broadcast, telephone networks and VSAT networks for broadband multimedia services across Asia Pacific.
“We are extremely pleased that AsiaSat 5 has successfully completed this stage of the launch. We gratefully thank our partners, International Launch Services, Khrunichev and Space Systems/Loral for their diligence, dedication and professionalism that contribute to this launch success,” said Peter Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of AsiaSat.
“We look forward to serving our AsiaSat 2 users with enhanced power and coverage on AsiaSat 5. In addition, with the added capacity and new coverage beams onboard AsiaSat 5, we shall further expand our services into new areas and offer more comprehensive backup services across AsiaSat fleet.”
"The success of AsiaSat 5 is the result of many hours of dedication and hard work by both the AsiaSat and SS/L teams," said John Celli, President and Chief Operating Officer of Space Systems/Loral. "The satellite will contribute to AsiaSat's continuous success, and help this premier satellite operator to strengthen and expand its services throughout the Asia-Pacific region."
When on orbit testing is completed, AsiaSat 5 will replace AsiaSat 2 at 100.5 degrees East longitude, where it will provide video distribution, broadband networking and other important communications services. Its global C-band beam will cover 53 countries spanning from Russia to New Zealand and from Japan to the Middle East and parts of Africa. The satellite also has two high-power fixed Ku-band beams over East Asia and South Asia, and a steerable Ku beam to address changing market demand in the region.
AsiaSat 5 is based on SS/L's 1300 space-proven platform, which provides the flexibility to support a broad range of applications and technology advances. With the launch of AsiaSat 5, there are 57 Space Systems/Loral satellites currently on orbit.
AsiaSat 5 and Loral's Amicable Separation Is a Breeze
Ukraine Is EO Aggressive
Ukraine will launch an Earth remote-sensing satellite in April 2010, the country's top space official said on Thursday.
The spacecraft is designed for optical monitoring of the Earth's surface with a resolution of 6-7 meters. "It could be used for monitoring of territories: fires, harvests, etc.," the UNIAN news agency quoted Oleksandr Zinchenko, the director general of the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU), as saying. According to Zinchenko, the satellite will carry a payload of 158 kg, and it is expected to be launched using the Dnepr launch vehicle, a converted SS-18 ballistic missile. The former Soviet republic has been conducting space activities since 1993, and became a space power (country able to launch own satellite by own carrier rocket) in August 31st, 1995, with the launch of the Sich-1 Earth remote-sensing satellite on a Tsyklon delivery vehicle. Ukraine launched a modernized version of the satellite, the Sich-1M, in 2004. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said on Wednesday the country was planning to launch its first communications satellite, the Lybid, in 2011.
Indonesian Government Steps In and Steps Up Pay TV Regulation (SatBroadcasting)
CASBAA has applauded the launch of an Indonesian government campaign to regularize the country’s cable-TV industry. Speaking at an August 10 “National Seminar on Pay-TV Broadcasting” that launched the campaign, Bambang Subijantoro, Director of Broadcasting in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (Depkominfo) noted that Indonesia has a dynamic and rapidly growing pay-TV industry, but that provincial cable companies were largely operating in the “informal” sector, without proper licenses. The government’s new campaign, Mr. Bambang said, was aimed at correcting that situation, and instilling respect for national laws — including intellectual property law — into the industry. Dr. Andi N. Sommeng, Indonesia’s Director-General of Intellectual Property, noted that re-distributing channels without authorization from the rights holder was illegal, punishable by fines and potentially prison terms.
CASBAA is part of a coalition of government agencies and industry players participating in the just-launched campaign. Local lead organisers include, alongside the Depkominfo, the Indonesian industry association APMI (Asosiasi Penyelenggara Multimedia Indonesia) and the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI). During the seminar, CASBAA’s views were presented by leading Jakarta IP expert (and founder of the Indonesian Intellectual Property Association) Gunawan Suryomurcito. Mr. Gunawan told the audience that investment in pay-TV provides Indonesia with the opportunity to develop high quality local content that can drive domestic industry growth, and then in turn be distributed internationally. In his speech to the National Seminar, Mr. Bambang noted that there are estimated to be over 2,700 pay-TV companies in Indonesia, the vast majority of which are small cable companies in provincial areas. Few had the licenses required by law, he said, but with the final judicial reviews of licensing policy completed in 2007, the government was now ready to move forward. The current program is designed to educate the provincial operators about their responsibilities under the law, and about the need to avoid illegal re-distribution of content. Next, the campaign moves into an “outreach” phase, with seminars and discussions planned in 7 major provincial centres between now and the end of the year. Following that, Depkominfo is gearing up to put its licensing process into high gear, and after a “grace period” lasting a few months, cable operators will be required to have the requisite licenses, and follow Indonesian IP law on content distribution, or suffer legal penalties.
Cluster Launch Aboard Dnepr Launch Vehicle Re-Set To July 29th
The Emirates Institution for Advanced Science & Technology announced that the clustered launch of a satellite group that includes DubaiSat-1, originally scheduled for July 25, has been rescheduled by the International Space Company to July 29, 2009.
The latest "read" at the launch company's website was the the preparations for the Dnepr-DubaiSat-1 launch were progressing well at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The integration of DubaiSat-1, UK DMC-2, Deimos-1, NanoSat-1B, AprizeSat-3 and AprizeSat-4 satellites with the Space Head Module (SHM) adapters and SHM close-out were completed on July 17th, 2009. SHM electrical tests were finished on July 23rd. The SHM/launch vehicle mating was successfully performed on July 24th and SHM/launch vehicle electrical checkout activities were carried out on July 25th. Final launch preparations were being completed on July 28th. The launch is now scheduled for July 29th at 22 hrs 46 min, Moscow time. The reason for the new launch date was to complete additional safety and security tests. DubaiSat-1 is the first remote sensing satellite to be owned by the United Arab Emirates and will provide up-to-date monitoring of spatial and Earth data.
During the 1992-2003 timeframe, a team of Russian and Ukrainian companies, together with the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD), were involved in developing a commercial space launch system based on the technology of the SS-18 ICBMs that were being withdrawn from service. The decision to build such a launch system was preceded by a number of scientific research and preliminary design efforts, which resulted in a conclusion that the most promising and cost effective solution for payload orbital insertion would be a space launch system based on the SS-18 heavy ICBM with minimum modifications of the original missile. ISC Kosmotras was assigned the role of a team leader to build and commercially operate this SS-18 ICBM based space launch system and the entire program was given the name ‘Dnepr’. The main features of the Dnepr Program are as follow:
The Dnepr Program team incorporates leading Russian and Ukranian rocket and space companies. Major team members include Central Scientific and Research Institute of Machine Building (TSNIIMASH), Design Office of Special Machine Building (KBSM), Design Office of Transport Machine Building (KBTM), JSC ASKOND, JSC Corporation Rosobschemash of Russia and Yangel State Design Office Yuzhnoye (SDOY), Makarov Yuzhny Machine Building Plant (Yuzhmash) and Research and Production Enterprise Khartron-Arkos of Ukraine.
Stupendous Sun Transit Photo Of The ISS + Endeavour
This is certainly one of the most incredible space photos every realized... this photo was making the rounds internally at NASA, and was then sent "outside" the agency.
This quality of photo is the norm for such pros as Thierry Legault and information has been received from inside NASA that he did, indeed, shoot this incredible shot of the International Space Station and Endeavour crossing the sun. If you would like to view more of Mr. Legault's superb astrophotography, visit his website by selecting the fantastic photo above.
Mr. Legault is an engineer who lives near Paris who started his digital imaging in 1994... a Hi-SIS 22 that was 14-bit and had no shutter. He currently uses a SBIG STL-11000M CCD camera with AO-L system that is equipped with large and narrow band filters. He also uses a reflex Canon 5D, webcams from Philips as well as Astrovid video cameras. He is pictured here with his equipment, which includes Takahashi refractors, which he uses for large field, deep-sky imaging — in this case, FSQ-106 and TOA-150 with large size corrector. To visit Thierry's website, access this direct link.
Gilat Satellite Networks Gets SATisfaction In Argentina
Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. will provide Servicio Satelital S.A. with a Gilat SkyEdge II satellite communications network to enable broadband Internet connectivity at hundreds of sites nationwide.
The sites will include schools, oil & gas firms and retail lottery locations. The new network will also be used to provide communication services for telecommunications operators and ISPs that need satellite connectivity in the region. Servicio Satelital is Argentina's largest provider of satellite-based broadband services. Servicio Satelital has deployed Gilat's VSATs at nearly 2,000 sites nationwide. This contract represents Servicio Satelital's first deployment of a Gilat SkyEdge II network in Argentina. Gilat VSAT networks have successfully provided broadband Internet connectivity at tens of thousands of schools worldwide since 2006, helping governments maximize the quality of educational programs.
Gilat's SkyEdge II is a multi-service platform enabling the delivery ofhigh-quality voice, broadband data and video services for diverse environments including enterprises, rural networks, cellular backhaul and government network applications. SkyEdge II is a standards-based system using DVB-S2 and DVB-RCS. With better efficiencies and full adaptivity for both the inbound and outbound channels, it provides higher performance that serves the growing requirements of a range of end-users. Gilat's diverse portfolio of SkyEdge II VSATs are all supported by a unified platform, offering service providers the most suitable product for their application needs as well as the flexibility to evolve their networks. The newest addition to Gilat's SkyEdge II portfolio is NetEdge(tm), a dedicated solution for multi star networks, specifically designed to meet the needs of corporations and cellular backhaul applications.
Bringing mini-VSAT Broadband To Australasian Waters
KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI) expects their mini-VSAT Broadband coverage for the Australia and New Zealand region to go live in August 2009, following the successful completion of service testing on the Intelsat IS-2 satellite.
The new coverage area will provide the first significant support for mini-VSAT Broadband service in the southern hemisphere. This is the latest milestone in the KVH and ViaSat Inc. (Nasdaq: VSAT) joint effort to provide affordable mobile broadband connections around the globe. In addition to providing service for the KVH TracPhone® V7, the KVH and ViaSat joint effort also expands network coverage to the ViaSat Yonder mobile network for in-flight broadband to business and commercial aircraft. The mini-VSAT Broadband service, along with the KVH TracPhone V7 antenna, comprise the first end-to-end 24-inch VSAT hardware, service, and support package available for maritime communications. Together, KVH and ViaSat are already offering Voice over IP phone service and Internet access as fast as 512 Kbps (upload) and 2 Mbps (download) at fixed monthly rates to mariners throughout North America, the Caribbean, the North Atlantic, Europe, the Northern Pacific, and the Persian Gulf.
“Together with our recently announced coverage for Asian waters and the Indian Ocean, the anticipated addition of service for Australia and New Zealand represents a significant expansion of our increasingly popular mini-VSAT Broadband Internet and voice service to a major commercial and recreational maritime region,” explained Brent C. Bruun, KVH’s vice president of sales and business development. “We believe that our seamless mini-VSAT Broadband network, together with our compact 24-inch (60 cm) commercial-grade antenna and fixed-rate monthly airtime pricing, offers unique benefits to commercial and leisure mariners with regard to hardware and service costs as well as the value that comes with an affordable broadband data connection for crew morale, shipboard operation, regulatory compliance, and more.”
SatBroadcasting + Related: EchoStar Is A True Citizen Pleaser
EchoStar Satellite Services, a division of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), now has an agreement to deliver its ViP-TV™ video transport service to Citizens Cablevision Inc., a full service provider of digital television programming in Virginia and a wholly owned subsidiary of Citizens Telephone Cooperative — Citizens will receive transport of up to 42 popular HDTV channels to its IP headend. Citizens provides broadband data, video, and voice services to residents and businesses in Southwest Virginia. Citizens Cablevision sought a platform that would enable it to offer competitive video services using its existing IP network. EchoStar’s ViP-TV transport service offers a secure, MPEG-4 encoded IP stream of approximately 275 popular, broadcast-quality TV and music channels from a satellite located at 85 degrees West. ViP-TV can also provide satellite-delivered local TV channel aggregation in a telco’s designated market area in both high definition and standard definition (where available).
Will The Weather Ever Cooperate With NASA For Endeavour Launch??
Liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission has been now rescheduled for Wednesday, July 15 at 6:03 p.m. EDT. Today's attempt (Monday, July 13th) was canceled due to poor weather conditions within the launch area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Anvil clouds and storm cells containing lightning flared up toward the end of the countdown, violating stringent launch safety rules. Can you imagine the frustration for the folk at the launch center and the astronauts? Let's us truly hope Wednesday offers a clear launch window.
At T minus 9 minutes for the launch and holding and weather is not encouraging. The poling continues by Mission Control - Houston is a NO GO for weather - SRO is also a NO GO. Launch Director is receiving reports T-Storms progressing toward the Cape and weather not getting any better for a launch. The team is ready but the weather is not, meaning a weather violation, and once again, not going to launch. Endeavour launch director informed that the vehicle is ready and receiving request for a scrub and another try tomorrow (Monday). Window open for launch at 1846 EDT. Lightning and cumulus clouds now within 10-mile radius of the Cape. Optimum window is 6:51:24 p.m. EDT for the launch on Monday.
Now at 7:54 p.m. EDT, a T-Storm with a preponderance of lightning is now making its was from the 20-mile position to the east and is now considered a real threat to the launch. Mission control is now stating it's a "no go" for launch—they are not optimistic for the event to occur.
As the launch time approaches for the Endeavour space shuttle and the STS-127 mission, all of the previous "challenges" regarding leaks and so on have been ameliorated. The launch team continues to keep any eye on the weather. At the time of this writing (6:47 p.m. EDT), a line of thunderstorms marches toward the 20 mile ring and, if they continue eastward into the 10 mile ring, such becomes of concern and could impact the launch. A number of poles are being taken from Firing Team 4, Mission Management Team, and others, to ensure all is in readiness should a launch OK be given.
Baikonur Puts Out Welcome Mat for Asia Sat 5
They have arrived and now AsiaSat 5, a new communications satellite of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat), has settled in at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in preparation for launch by a Proton launch vehicle currently scheduled for early to mid-August. Right: Loading the AsiaSat 5 spacecraft into the container at SS/L‟s manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California, USA: Photo courtesy of Space Systems/Loral
AsiaSat 5 is a replacement satellite for AsiaSat 2 at the orbital location of 100.5 degrees East. The spacecraft, based on Space Systems/Loral's 1300 satellite bus, is designed to provide advanced satellite services including television broadcast, telephone networks and VSAT networks for broadband multimedia services across Asia Pacific. Left: Offloading the AsiaSat 5 spacecraft container at Yubileiny Airfield in Baikonur Photo courtesy of ILS International Launch Services
“AsiaSat 5 will become the newest member of the AsiaSat fleet to help us continue our mission of providing first-class regional satellite services to Asia Pacific. Equipped with the latest but proven technologies, improved and new beam coverage on AsiaSat 5, we look forward to serving existing and future clients with enhanced power, connectivity and network flexibility,” said Peter Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of AsiaSat.
AsiaSat 5 will carry 26 C-band and 14 Ku-band transponders, and has an estimated operational life of 15 years. It will offer an enhanced pan Asian C-band footprint that covers more than 53 countries spanning from Russia to New Zealand and from Japan to the Middle East and parts of Africa. Its Ku-band coverage will consist of two high-power fixed Ku-band beams over East Asia and South Asia, and an in-orbit steerable Ku beam. The three Ku-band beams are designed with switching capability to switch any uplink to any downlink beam to meet specific application requirements.
SpaceX' Successful RazakSAT Send Off
Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 1 rocket lifted off from Omelek Island in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Western Pacific at 11:35 p.m. EDT/0335 GMT on Tuesday carrying the 400-pound (180-kg) RazakSAT satellite, designed and built by ATSB of Malaysia. The spacecraft has black-and-white and color cameras to take high-resolution pictures of agricultural lands, forests, urban centers, and other targets in Malaysia for commercial and government customers. This was the fifth flight for Space Exploration Technologies, a privately funded California firm founded by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk. SpaceX's first three launches in 2006, 2007 and 2008, fell short of reaching orbit. The Company's fourth launch last September successfully placed a dummy payload into orbit.
In addition to its Falcon 1 rocket, which can put a half-ton payload into orbit for about $8 million, SpaceX is developing a heavy-lift Falcon 9 rocket that can carry 11 tons to low-Earth orbit, or four tons to an orbit 22,300 miles above the planet, for about $40 million. The firm's biggest customer is NASA, which has reservations for more than half of SpaceX's two dozen upcoming missions. The company has contracts to develop and deliver a space station cargo vehicle. It also is petitioning for a $300 million contract addition to upgrade its Dragon capsule to ferry astronauts to and from the space station after NASA retires its space shuttle fleet next year. Falcon 9's debut flight is scheduled for October from a new launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Thrane & Thrane Sponsors Critical Communcations to Télécoms Sans Frontières
A sponsorship agreement signed June 15 between the satellite communication terminal manufacturer Thrane & Thrane and Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) will assist the high profile humanitarian NGO in providing a year long telecommunications training program for emergency responders from 40 international NGOs. The sponsorship involves the donation of Thrane & Thrane EXPLORER BGAN terminals for training courses, which start at the end of July at the TSF bases in Bangkok and Managua.
"In any emergency response situation, quickly establishing reliable communication is a high priority, so the right training is essential," comments Jean-François Cazenave, President, TSF. "The EXPLORER terminals supplied by Thrane & Thrane will support our forthcoming courses for NGO emergency responders, allowing us to offer the most effective training possible." Photo on right: EXPLORER 700
To ensure that TSF training program covers all aspects of emergency communication, the sponsorship scope of supply covers the core of the EXPLORER portfolio: EXPLORER 300, EXPLORER 500 and EXPLORER 700. All EXPLORER models are already vital for emergency responders and NGO personnel, and have been proven to offer effective communication for disaster and emergency management from anywhere on the planet.
"This partnership is a great opportunity for Thrane & Thrane," says newly appointed Market Development Manager for the Land Mobile Business Unit at Thrane & Thrane, Morten Rishøj. "BGAN and emergency communication are closely connected so it is important for TSF to have access to the latest and most up-to-date equipment available, especially as it is highly likely that they will be using EXPLORER terminals in the field."
The TSF emergency telecommunications training courses will be split between one session in Bangkok covering the South-East Asia region and one in Managua, Nicaragua, which covers Central America and the Caribbean. The training includes a five day initial course and a three day refresher in addition to ongoing support. The aim is to reinforce emergency responders' capacities in the area of satellite and IT technology in order to establish quick and reliable Internet connections, phone and fax lines. TSF technicians will train participants in how to use and trouble-shoot various equipment and help each organization find the most suitable and cost-effective solution to meet their needs.
"The TSF training program will create an in-depth knowledge that can secure communication and save lives, whilst at the same time, through this sponsorship we are able to ensure that first responders and the NGO community are well trained in the use of BGAN and EXPLORER terminals," adds Rishøj.
No Road Rage Here — GMV To Bring Financial Accuracy To Road Charges
GMV is leading a team of 12 European-based companies to develop a road sector project called GINA for the European GNSS Supervisory Authority (GSA).
GINA involves using EGNOS, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service and GALILEO, the European satellite-navigation program, to ensure the highest degree of accuracy of vehicle positioning and position integrity to prevent drivers from incurring inaccurate road or "toll-like" charges. Road transportation is currently used by more than 70 percent of commercial operations at the intra-community level and this has led to increased traffic congestion, pollution and road accidents. The European Union is considering updating the toll-type application to be based on actual road use. The future Dutch ABvM system (Anders Betalen voor Mobiliteit), is the first and only nationwide, all-vehicle, GNSS-based road pricing system. The requisites defined by the Dutch Government for this kilometer-price scheme and its characteristics will be used as a benchmark for setting up GINA’s large-scale road-pricing trial. The consortium partners representing end users will also provide their knowledge and expertise to help define the technical and commercial requirements of other value added services that may be provided by the same technical infrastructure (onboard equipment or OBU and central platform). It is expected to take 24 months to develop and test GINA.
SATCOM Comes To Multiband FM Radios, Courtesy Of Latitude
Technisonic Industries Ltd. and Latitude Technologies Corporation have announced that Technisonic’s TDFM 7000/7300 series multiband FM radios will have a new software option capable of controlling the Latitude Satellite Gateway S200-SG11.
The new S200-SG11 will provide SATCOM, flight tracking (AFF) and messaging capability using the TDFM controls and display. The marriage of these products will provide the most comprehensive communication package in the industry while at the same time alleviating the need for additional panel space required by multiple radio controllers. This product union will finally cure the age-old problem of communicating in disassociated operating regions.
Iridium Imbued Milestone For U.S. Naval Research Lab GPS Program
Iridium Satellite LLC (Iridium) announces that, in conjunction with Boeing (NYSE: BA), the companies have achieved two major milestones to further develop and demonstrate capability enhancements to the High Integrity Global Positioning System (GPS) program for the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.
The first milestone, completion of an Enhanced Narrowband (ENB) software modification to computers on Iridium satellites, enables 2G GPS-aiding signals to be broadcast through the entire Iridium constellation. These broadcasts will enable rapid, more accurate GPS position fixes than are available with current technology. The GPS-aiding signals will provide appropriately equipped warfighters significantly improved capabilities for quickly locking on and maintaining a GPS signal, even while operating in restrictive environments such as urban areas, forests, mountains and canyons, as well as under enemy jamming attempts or amid battlefield radio frequency noise.
The second milestone was a demonstration of the acquisition of a GPS signal under substantial jamming while moving in a vehicle. The principle behind High Integrity GPS, also known in government circles as “iGPS,” uses satellite signals from the Iridium low-earth orbiting (LEO) satellite communications system and the U.S. Air Force-operated GPS mid-Earth orbit navigational satellites. Iridium provides a high-power signal and rapidly changing ground track to accelerate an initial position fix by users. The GPS system provides navigational data in time, location and velocity. The result is an augmentation to GPS that provides iGPS receivers with improved navigation, higher signal integrity, precision accuracy and more jam-resistant capabilities. High Integrity GPS also has the potential to provide geographic positioning data to within centimeters, a vast improvement over current standalone GPS, which provides data within meters. The team completed the ENB software upgrade on schedule and within budget, and will support a system-level demonstration later this year. The team includes Iridium, Boeing Phantom Works’ Advanced Network and Space Systems, Rockwell Collins, Coherent Navigation and experts from academia.
A Moving Event For MTN Satellite Services
MTN Satellite Services, a SeaMobile Company and global service provider of at-sea communications, connectivity and content services, is relocating its Caribbean Ku-band services from the Atlanta, Georgia, teleport to Steele Valley, California.
The Atlanta area, known for severe weather conditions in the summer, has occasionally caused degradation of MTN’s Ku-band services in the Caribbean. To reduce signal attenuation and improve service, MTN has migrated its uplink facility to the Steele Valley teleport near Los Angeles, due to its naturally dry climate. In addition to relocating services, MTN will continue to use Automatic Uplink Power Control (AUPC) systems to maximize quality of service. In the presence of signal variations due to weather degradation, AUPC systems increase transmitter power levels to maintain signal quality.
ISS To Go Bye-Bye in 2016?
The de-orbiting of the International Space Station (ISS) is in the plans for NASA. Yep, such a statement is of some interest to many folk, especially after more than a decade of time and money has been invested in upgrading the ISS... in fact, more energy has been spent in improving the station than the time the ISS has operated as a completed space entity. $100+ billion has been pumped into the ISS, and such could be a fairly good reason for cries of outrage should the space station be allowed to de-orbit and then tumble to destruction in the Pacific Ocean in 2016. Certainly, many of the experiments are scheduled to end next year, as well as the program itself, but NASA has now indicated the agency is going to conduct a study that could find the ISS lifespan extended into the 2020's... seems as though waste and overspending and lack of foresight continue to plague government programs. And let us not forget the ISS has already cost more than just monetary expenditures — seven astronauts have lost their lives in pursuit of the ISS spatial dream.
Lights, Camera — Action! Iridium's OpenPort® Opens High-Speed Communications in the Arctic
The real star of a six-month Northwest Passage Filming voyage appears to be Iridium Satellite LLC (Iridium) and Telaurus Communications LLC (Telaurus) which have teamed to provide satellite communication equipment and services for the six-month filming excursion. The voyage got underway from Rhode Island on June 13 and will end in Seattle on October 31.
The voyage’s vessel, the BAGAN, is equipped with an Iridium OpenPort®high-speed maritime communications terminal and Telaurus Se@COMM software. Iridium OpenPort enables the BAGAN to transmit critical voice and data communications in the Arctic Region where no other service is available, including services based on geostationary satellites. So, the captain and crew of the BAGAN are able to speak on the phone at the same time, even during data transmission. The Se@COMM communications software by Telaurus provides real-time messaging, and advanced compression and file transfer capabilities, giving maximum flexibility and control to both operators and crew.
“For maritime vessel operators, Iridium OpenPort is easy to install, simple to operate, reliable and efficient with three voice lines and a data port,” said Greg Ewert, executive vice president, Global Distribution Channels, Iridium. “And, of course, Iridium OpenPort was the natural choice due to its coverage over 100 percent of the Earth’s surface, including Polar waters. Though competitive service providers like to say they provide ‘global’ coverage, users such as the BAGAN crew are beyond the reach of geostationary satellite systems and, once again, Iridium is the only network capable of providing communications service to those operating in this region of the world.”
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Sprague Theobald has assembled this team of sailors, divers and filmmakers uniquely suited to not only take on the challenges of an Arctic expedition, but to capture it on film in dramatic and compelling ways that highlight environmental and political issues surrounding the passage. Theobald’s documentary objective is “to show what’s at stake and what we risk losing if we don’t take action now to preserve what’s left of the Arctic frontier.” In addition to preserving the Arctic’s natural beauty, Theobald will also use his Northwest Passage documentary as an educational piece encapsulating maritime history and Arctic environmental conservation opportunities.
“As the story of this epic voyage is documented, it is critical for the crew to be able to communicate it back to headquarters, as well as to stay in communication with family and friends,” said Malcolm McMaster, president, Telaurus. “We are pleased to be providing the hardware and software to enable communications in such a far northern location, where the crew would have otherwise been out of touch.”
Theobald will publish daily photographs, audio/video, and daily reports to the film’s Website, access this direct link. He hopes that, by making such live broadcasts like this to the Website and through TV and news partners, he will continue to generate support and awareness for the Arctic people, wildlife and habitat.
THE MOVIE
Over 100 years after the Northwest Passage was finally transformed by Roald Amundsen from the realm of legend, it is once again being viewed as a gateway to riches. According to the U.S. Geological survey, the Arctic contains 1/4 of the world's undiscovered energy resources. The sovereignty of the Arctic is in dispute, with five countries — Canada, Russia, the United States, Norway and Denmark — being recognized under international law. A race among these nations is underway for the Arctic's fish, diamonds, shipping routes and oil.
THE MISSION
Hole in the Wall Productions has assembled a team of sailors, divers and filmmakers uniquely suited to not only take on the challenges of an Arctic expedition but to capture it on film in dramatic and compelling ways that highlight environmental and political issues surrounding the Passage.
Two Eutelsat Transponders Top Off Total TV Delivery
Serbia Broadband (SBB) has expanded the Company's Total TV platform with new multi-year contracts with Eutelsat Communications for two transponders at its 16 degrees video neighborhood.
SBB and Eutelsat have also agreed to a long-term extension of contracts for the two transponders that have been in use since 2006 to broadcast Total TV from Eutelsat's specialist video neighborhood for central European digital TV markets. The boost to digital broadcasting in central Europe has been made possible by Eutelsat's decision to significantly increase capacity at 16 degrees East. In addition to the W2 satellite, 16 degrees East now hosts the EUROBIRD 16 satellite which was redeployed from 7 degrees West. Both satellites at 16 degrees East offer high-power coverage of Europe, enabling DTH reception with small antennas. Both satellites are also equipped with steerable beams which are oriented to serve video clients operating in Indian Ocean islands. SBB's additional capacity will be used to support a number of new channels in all of Total TV's markets, including Cinemax 2, MGM, Discovery ID, Disney and two new channels from Pink Media Company. It will also support expansion to additional regional markets including Macedonia, as well as further improve signal quality. Channels are uplinked from the company's own teleport in Belgrade and the new teleport facility operated by STN near the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana.
Flying This Beer Keg In Iraq Requires Licensed Sober Soldiers
CAMP TAJI, Iraq — It starts with a pull cord, sounds like a high-powered weed whacker and looks like a motorized bucket with legs. Teri Weaver / S&S Staff Sgt. Todd Patterson, a member of the Pennsylvania guard's 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, sets up a GMAV -- a gas micro air vehicle -- at Camp Taji in Iraq. This small, unmanned aerial vehicle lets one soldier carry, assemble, fly and monitor an area individually. These prototypes, made by Honeywell, cost about $400,000 per system, which include two vehicles.
Soldiers in the field have already given it a nickname — the "flying beer keg."
But this keg dispenses something more valuable than frosty ale, even for thirsty troops in Iraq. The Gas Micro Air Vehicle gives an individual soldier a view around corners and on the roofs of buildings without having to call back to headquarters for help.
"The soldiers who are beating the dirt are the ones who are able to fly it," said Kevin Bogert, a field service engineer and instructor with Honeywell who is training Pennsylvania guardsmen at Camp Taji on the new equipment.
Bogert and other Honeywell staff are training and supplying prototype GMAVs for soldiers with the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, part of the Pennsylvania National Guard.
As of late June, they had issued nine systems in an area north of Baghdad.
The GMAV is meant to supplement the Army’s Raven, another small unmanned aerial vehicle that also can quickly scan an area.
But where the Raven makes sweeps across streets and fields, the GMAV can hover, Bogert said.
"This thing is your big brother," said Staff Sgt. Todd Patterson, a member of Headquarter and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment with the brigade.
"It just cuts down on the number of things a soldier has to worry about."
The one thing it doesn’t cut down on, however, is the number of things a soldier has to carry, added Patterson, who was training on the system a couple of weeks ago.
One flying kit — with the vehicle, fuel, a monitoring system and launch system — weighs about 45 pounds.
Patterson said it would be unlikely anyone in his unit would actually hump it out to the field.
But he said there was room for the unit in a truck, and he could preassemble much of it to work for a group in a convoy.
The GMAV can fly for about 40 minutes, as fast as 45 mph, at heights reaching 300 feet, Bogert said. It has a stationary camera that gives real-time footage. It is loud, but it wasn’t created as a stealth asset.
Its whirling engine, in fact, could chase the enemy away, Patterson said.
Honeywell produced 16 of these prototype systems, which include two vehicles, for about $400,000 each.
Newer ones are about to come off the factory floor in Albuquerque, N.M., that have an adjustable camera and run on a fuel injection engine, Bogert said.
By Teri Weaver, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Article can be found at this direct link.
Ikhana Can Help Fight Fires — UAV To Support U.S. Forest Service
For the first time, firefighters will have radical new technology developed by NASA to help them fight forest fires — an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. The UAV is a modified Predator B obtained by the space agency from its manufacturer, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, three years ago. The aircraft, designed for long-endurance, high-altitude flight, has been modified and instrumented for use in multiple civil research roles, including firefighting. In the past, firefighters used imaging satellites that required precious hours to pin-point a respective fire and then transmit back the images. But Popular Science reports that as the height of the fire season approaches, the U.S. Forest Service plans to use Ikhana as part of its emergency backup to supplant satellite images and scan through smoke to send live information back to crews on the ground. UAV flights will be coordinated with the FAA to ensure the safety of other aircraft.
NASA developed the Predator to use a variety of atmospheric and remote sensing instruments, including duplicates of those sensors on orbiting satellites. Flights can last up to 30 hours. The Ikhana has a wingspan of 66 feet and is 36 feet long. More than 400 pounds of sensors can be carried internally and over 2,000 pounds in external under-wing pods. Ikhana is powered by a Honeywell TPE 331-10T turbine engine and is capable of reaching altitudes above 40,000 feet. The Ikhana is the first production Predator B equipped with a digital electronic engine controller developed by Honeywell and GA-ASI that will make Ikhana five to 10-percent more fuel efficient than earlier versions of the aircraft.
Moving On Up... @ Alliant Techsystems...
Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) has appoinetd Dave Wise as the Company's Vice President of International Operations, reporting directly to ATK Chief Financial Officer, John Shroyer.
The establishment of an international operations function at the corporate office in Minnesota reflects a growing demand for ATK products and services by the international customer community, and the company's intent to expand in the international marketplace. Dave Wise is currently the Vice President, General Manager of ATK's Advanced Weapons division. He has more than 20 years of leadership experience in division, group and corporate-level operations. He has led international development efforts such as the company's Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile program, and he brings a wealth of Foreign Military Sales experience to the position. In his new capacity, Mr. Wise will oversee a multi-functional, multi-group effort charged with expanding ATK's international presence.
Solar Cells Are Dye-Sensitized To Empower UAVs For USAF
From Science Daily, with a nod to the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, information has been gleaned that dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are expected to power Air Force unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the future as they are an optimum energy harvesting source that may lead to longer flight times without the need for refueling. The University of Washington's Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) project team, with lead researcher Dr. Minoru Taya, is working on airborne solar cells by using a flexible film and a thin glass coating with transparent conductive electrodes. He has found that DSSCs made from organic materials, which use (dyes) and moth-eye film, are able to catch photons and convert them into synthesized electrons that can harvest high photon energy. A few years ago the team mounted dye-sensitized solar cells on the wings of a toy airplane. The propeller was effectively powered, but the plane was not able to become airborne because the glass based solar cells they were using were too heavy. Upon experimentation, they decided to use film battery technology, which worked and in fact, enabled the plane to fly.
"These kinds of solar cells have more specific power convergence efficiency (PCE), very clean energy and easy scalability to a larger skin area of the craft, as well as, low-temperature processing, which leads to lower costs overall," said Taya. The team is currently working on DSSCs with higher PCEs using bioinspired dyes, which are installed in the wings of the UAV (airborne energy harvesters). "Any airborne energy harvester must satisfy additional requirements, like weight and durability in airborne environments. If those are met, then there may even be longer UAV flight times," said Taya.
In the meantime, the engineers are researching the challenges of DSSCs' technology and are seeking to learn how durable they are and how well their technology may integrate with other Air Force vehicles. The team is also trying to determine how to build the solar cells in the wing surface of the aircraft and how to store energy harvested from them. "Some of these challenges will be overcome by the researchers working under this AFOSR MURI within the next two years. In order to make the DSSCs' solar energy harvester transferable to the wings of an UAV, additional engineering tasks remain, which may require another project to be funded for five additional years," Taya said. In the end, the team hopes to reach their goal of developing large, flexible DSSCs with higher energy conversion efficiency. Generally, solar cells that are larger have decreased efficiency. Therefore, the team is using a metal grid, which has high surface resistance and can accelerate electron transport for larger-sized flexible DSSCs while maintaining high efficiency.
digiGO! — Paid Web Video Will Increase In User Access Over Free Web Video
In a webinar presentation to leading global media and technology companies, Strategy Analytics' digital media analyst, Martin Olausson, predicted that the global paid online video segment will reach $3.8 billion in 2009, and exceed the free online video segment, which is expected to reach $3.5 billion this year.
The total online video sector is predicted to grow 38 percent annually until 2012, with the paid video segment growing faster than the free video segment in the coming years. While the free web video segment — consisting of web video ads and public broadcasting web video — is expected to continue to show rapid growth at 37 percent compound annual growth rate in the next four years, the paid online video segment, including download-to-own, rental and subscription services, is expected to grow even faster, at 39 percent annually, during the same period according to this latest Strategy Analytics research.
“The economic downturn and diminishing advertising budgets have increased the focus on consumer paid content on the web in the last six months,” said Martin Olausson, Director of Digital Media Research at Strategy Analytics. “Increased consumer awareness and uptake of services, such as Netflix WatchNow and Xbox Live Video Store, in combination with new services such as the TV Everywhere initiative announced by Comcast and Time Warner Cable will also help drive the paid online video segment in the coming years.” The webinar, 21st Century Consumers & the Future of Digital Media, may be found by selecting the graphic above.
digiGO! — Harmonic @ IBC2009
Harmonic Inc. will introduce new products and feature its range of solutions at IBC2009, in stand 1.C61, Sept. 11-15 in Amsterdam — the key solutions Harmonic will be showcasing at IBC2009 include:
Obama Inaugural Captured By GeoEye-1 From Height Of 423 Miles
GeoEye-1 collected an image over the United States Capitol and the Inauguration of President Barack Obama. The image, taken from 423 miles in space, is the world’s highest resolution, color satellite image of the Inaugural celebration.
The image, taken through high, whispy white clouds over Washington D.C., shows the monuments along the National Mall and masses of people between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. Among the many interesting features in the image are the clusters of people gathered around large jumbotron screens. The image was taken by GeoEye’s newest satellite, GeoEye-1, as it moved from north to south along the eastern seaboard of the United States traveling at 17,000 mph, or about four miles per second. GeoEye-1 is able to discern objects on the ground as small as 0.41-meter, or about 16 inches in size, which represents an object about the size of home plate on a baseball diamond. However, due to current U.S. licensing restrictions, the imagery is re-sampled to half-meter ground resolution. The satellite is currently in its final stages of check-out and calibration. The 4,300-pound satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on September 6, 2008. GeoEye is making the imagery available at no cost. Select the image for a direct link to the GeoEye image URL.
(Photo credit: GeoEye Satellite Image)
Weather, Or Not, That Is The Question For H-IIA Launch
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) were scheduled to launch the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite "IBUKI" (GOSAT) by the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 15 (H-IIA F15) on January 22, 2009 (Japan Standard Time, JST), from the Tanegashima Space Center. However, the launch has now been rescheduled to January 23 (JST) due to an excessive volume of clouds that include a freezing layer which are expected to cover the launch site on the original launch date. The launch time on January 23rd is now between 12:54 p.m. and 1:16 p.m. The final decision will be made as weather conditions continue to be monitored between this date and the 23rd.
Encapsulation Up Next For WGS-2 Satellite
The U.S. Air Force's second Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft was shipped to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on January 20th.
WGS-2 was transported to the launch site in an environmentally controlled container aboard an Air Force C-5 aircraft. From there, the satellite was transported to the Astrotech Space Facility in Titusville, Florida, for post-shipment processing. Over the next several weeks, the spacecraft will undergo various verification testing procedures and encapsulation in which the satellite is placed inside the nose cone at the top of the launch vehicle. WGS-2 is currently scheduled to be launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle on March 9th.
This major milestone has come at the end of extensive testing and verification of the satellite's capability. This test program also verifies the satellite's ability to withstand the rigors of launch and exposure to the harsh space environment over its projected 14-year mission life. The WGS-2 satellite will provide the warfighter with the same capabilities as WGS-1 while extending the global coverage. WGS is the nation's next-generation wideband SATCOM system and is being procured through a commercial contract between Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc. and the Wideband SATCOM Group, part of MILSATCOM Systems Wing. Boeing is on contract to provide six WGS satellites to the government in two blocks. The first block will be complete after the launch of WGS-3, currently scheduled for later this year. The second block includes satellites 4, 5 and 6, which is scheduled to begin launching in 2011.
Jupiter + Saturn Both Targets Of NASA | ESA Joint Missions
Following the selection of the Laplace proposal in October of 2007 as a candidate mission within the Cosmic Vision plan, the European Space Agency (ESA) performed an internal assessment study, with this preliminary study completed in 2008.
In 2007, NASA performed a series of studies for flagship missions, including among others, missions to Jupiter (the Jupiter System Observer) and its moon Europa (the Europa Explorer Mission). From the early stages of the ESA study process, it was agreed with NASA that a joint mission to the Jupiter system should be studied. Joint Science Definition Teams (JSDTs) were formed with U.S. and European membership to guide study activities that were conducted collaboratively by engineering teams working on both sides of the Atlantic. This joint mission represents a merger of the mission proposals that were originally proposed, separately, to the two space agencies. The combined mission is currently referred to as the Europa Jupiter System Mission (EJSM). The main results and the current baseline of the EJSM mission study are summarized in a joint report, describing all mission elements. This joint report is now publicly available and can be downloaded by selecting the image below.
The Titan and Enceladus Mission (TandEM), an ambitious scientific mission to study the Saturnian system with particular emphasis on the moons Titan and Enceladus, was selected in October 2007 as a candidate mission within the ESA Cosmic Vision plan.
An internal assessment study of TandEM was initiated and completed by ESA in 2008. In 2007, NASA performed a series of studies for flagship missions, including among others, missions to the Saturnian moons Titan (the Titan Explorer Flagship Mission) and Enceladus (the Enceladus Flagship Mission). From the early stages of the ESA study process it was agreed with NASA that a joint mission to the Saturnian system should be studied. Joint Science Definition Teams (JSDTs) were formed with U.S. and European membership to guide study activities that were conducted collaboratively by engineering teams working on both sides of the Atlantic. This joint mission represents a merger of the mission proposals that were originally proposed, separately, to the two space agencies. The combined mission is currently referred to as the Titan Saturn System Mission (TSSM). The main results and the current baseline of the TSSM mission study are summarized in a joint report, describing all mission elements, which is downloadable by selecting the graphic below.
SHARAD's Icy Purview Of Mars
Antenna technology designed and built by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has made it possible for a radar sounder instrument aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to detect huge glaciers on the Red Planet covered by a layer of dust and rocks.
The antenna was developed by Astro Aerospace, a business unit of Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector, for the Italian Space Agency's SHAllow RADar (SHARAD) instrument. SHARAD probes below the Martian surface using radar waves in the 15-25 MHz frequency band for high-depth resolution. Scientists analyze the reflection of radar waves to characterize the Martian surface and subsurface layers of rocks, dust, and ice. A radar capable of seeing deeply requires a very large antenna such as SHARAD's, which is 10 meters (32.8 feet) in length but weighs less than three kilograms (6.6 lbs).
(Photo: courtesy of Northrop Grumman Corp.)
Gilat and SkyEdge Provide USO to Kazakhstan
Rural locations don't mean going without connectivity thanks to Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. [Nasdaq: GILT] which announced it has been selected by its long-time customer, and Kazakhstan's major telecommunications operator, JSC Kazakhtelecom (KT), to expand its existing SkyEdge network to serve several hundred additional sites in remote locations nationwide. Photo: Sharyn Canyon Kazakhstan
In addition to providing network connectivity for businesses and consumers, the new expansion will be used to provide telephony and broadband Internet services to remote communities in Kazakhstan as part of a Universal Service Obligation (USO). Gilat's SkyEdge VSATs are ideally suited for USO requirements, with toll-quality telephony, low-power options and very high MTBF. SkyEdge enables the delivery of advanced enterprise data networking and telephony services. JSC Kazakhtelecom uses Gilat SkyEdge broadband satellite network to also deliver advanced services to major corporations, enterprises, consumers as well as rural communities nationwide.
"Gilat's ability to anticipate and meet our requirements is the foundation of our successful, long-term business relationship. Gilat's SkyEdge network, based on advanced VSAT technology and experience, enables us to continue to provide the highest level of customer service while meeting the complex networking requirements of Kazakhstan's enterprises, government agencies and consumers," said KT Chief Technical Director Lezgovko Aleksandr Vladimirovich.
Arie Rozichner, Gilat's regional vice president, Eurasia, said, "We are proud to continue to support the growing needs of KT, a Gilat customer since 1998. Gilat's VSAT technology provides an excellent solution for KT, enabling the delivery of cost-effective, high-speed Internet and telephony services to citizens amid Kazakhstan's harsh terrain and severe weather conditions. We look forward to continuing our market leadership in Kazakhstan and helping KT improve the quality of life for citizens in the most remote regions of the country."
Ya, Sure, Ya Betcha — Swedish Space Acquires Universal Space Network
Guess working closely for 10 years must have made the next step a no-brainer when the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and Universal Space Network (USN) reached an agreement in which SSC will acquire all the shares of US-based USN. The two companies have been providing satellite owners with access to a cohesive network of ground stations that provide near-global coverage of any spacecraft orbit. PrioraNet, the trademarked name of this worldwide satellite tracking service, has successfully supported civil space, commercial and public missions since 1999.
"This further enhances our collective ability to provide satellite owners and operators with a one-stop shop for global telemetry, tracking, command and data services. With this integration of these two leading businesses, PrioraNet becomes the largest commercial service for satellite operations and communications," says Mr. Lars Persson, President and CEO of the Swedish Space Corporation. Mr. Tom Ingersoll, CEO of Universal Space Network states, "USN was founded in 1996 by Apollo Astronaut Pete Conrad to make a fundamental change in the space industry through commercialization. Since that time USN has been both a catalyst and a pioneering agent in advancing commercial space communications and operations services in the U.S. This is an opportunity for us and SSC together to carry this vision to the global space community." Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr., is the third astronaut to walk on the moon
"Throughout this process the primary focus has been on increasing the robustness of our current space communications services while expanding the breadth of commercially based mission critical space operations services to the space industry," remarks Joe Rothenberg, USN President and Customer Service Officer. "We believe that this integration will result in a higher quality of service that will continue to enable more efficient development and execution of innovative space programs," added Rothenberg.
SSC anticipates that the acquisition, which is still subject to U.S. regulatory approval, will be completed within 90 to 120 days of this press release. Upon closing, USN will operate as a U.S.-based subsidiary of SSC.
This nEUROn Interface Design Now Completed — UCAV Trials Upcoming
In early February of 2006, French defense procurement agency DGA, the program executive agency, named Dassault Aviation as prime contractor in charge of developing nEUROn, a European combat aircraft that is an unmanned air combat vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator.
As of this writing, 85 percent of the total budget has now been awarded to industry by DGA, which acts on behalf of the six Partner States (France, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Greece and Switzerland). During the first half of 2008, all major nEUROn systems underwent design reviews with our industrial partners, thus ensuring overall program consistency. Interface design is almost complete, paving the way for more detailed work on the systems and airframe.
Ruag, the Swiss partner in this program, carried out two specific wind tunnel tests in 2008. The first helped to identify the conditions which could affect aerodynamics when the vehicle is near the ground (ground effect). The second analyzed the consequences of a bird strike on the leading edge of the wing. Results of these tests were positive, enabling engineers to freeze the final shape of the vehicle. Simultaneously, the AVE-C drone carried out a demonstration flight on June 30, 2008. As this drone features a general design similar to nEUROn, this test helped confirm the likelihood of the new UCAV performing a successful automatic takeoff and landing right as of its first flight. On October 10, 2008, as part of tests of new control surfaces, the AVE-C drone flight tested yaw control using thrust vectoring.
As a stealth configuration is one of the primary technological goals of this program, nEUROn requires the development and integration of new structural technologies to reduce both radar and infrared signature. The most critical subassemblies have now been produced, to support the development and validation of manufacturing and assembly processes. A complete nozzle, which could be considered a trial run for the program, has now been assembled by the Greek partner Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI), which also makes the aft fuselage section. Once mated to the Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour jet engine, this exhaust assembly was to undergo mechanical and integration tests in January 2009. The experimental development center at Dassault Aviation’s Argenteuil plant has produced an inlet demonstrator, while the Biarritz plant is making a complete leading edge section, about two meters long. Similar solutions have been applied throughout the production and design process to meet the stealth requirement, in particular very tight tolerances on final shapes, and the use of special devices. The maiden flight of nEUROn is scheduled for the end of 2011. Test flights will be carried out over a period of about 18 months, in France (Istres), then Sweden and Italy.
(Source: defpro.news)
Attitude Just One Portion Of Rockwell Collin's Work On AeroVironment UAS
The Rockwell Collins Athena 411 Inertial Navigation, Global Positioning, Air Data, Attitude, Heading, Reference System (INS/GPS/ADAHRS) has been selected by AeroVironment for their Global Observer.
AeroVironment is developing Global Observer, a liquid hydrogen-powered Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) that will fly at an altitude of 65,000 feet for as many as seven days. The UAS is being designed for U.S. Special Operations Command as well as for other military and civilian applications. Developed for UAS and military applications, the Rockwell Collins Athena 411 integrates solid-state gyros and accelerometers, magnetometer, GPS receiver and air data sensors into a single small unit. This highly reliable, strap-down system provides attitude and heading measurements with accuracy that is superior to traditional inertial the Company's ARC-210 radio solution, which offers two-way, multi-mode voice and data communications over a 30 to 512 MHz frequency range. The system also includes embedded Ultra High Frequency (UHF) and Very High Frequency (VHF) anti-jam waveforms and other data link and secure communications features.
AeroVironment is developing and building the Global Observer aircraft over the next three years to demonstrate the ability to operate in the stratosphere for as many as seven days without landing. The program is intended to demonstrate the tactical utility of a hydrogen-powered unmanned aircraft system for global, stratospheric, long-duration missions. A system consisting of two or three aircraft will provide continuous intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) or communications relay over an area of interest. In addition to military applications, the Global Observer is being developed to address critical civilian applications such as hurricane/storm tracking, weather monitoring, wildfire detection, and sustained support for relief operations.
Mediterranean Sea ISR To Be SHOVALed To Israel Air Force With UAV
Israel will start flying maritime patrol sorties over the Mediterranean Sea by mid-2009. Israel will use modified Israel Aerospace Industries Heron (Shoval) unmanned air vehicles — a prototype has undergone flight testing over recent months. A senior Israeli Air Force (IAF) source says the use of UAVs will better enable maritime coverage than the service's current manned IAI Westwind 1124 business jet-based Seascans, which entered use in 1978. ShovalUAVs will gradually replace the current type, and according to the IAF, will be equipped with a similar payload. Confirmed system elements include maritime search radar provided by IAI's Elta Systems subsidiary, and a stabilized, long-range, optical observation system from Tamam.
Air Force UAV operators will act as mission controllers for the new aircraft — the payload will be managed by Israeli Navy specialists. IAI's baseline Heron has an endurance of more than 40 hours at an altitude of 30,000ft (9,150m), and can carry multiple payloads, with a total weight of 250kg (550lb). The medium-altitude, long-endurance type was recently employed by the Israeli Air Force during its participation in Operation "Cast Lead", which struck against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
(Source: Flight International, Arie Egozi)
ISS on HDTV Tour — Not Exactly Home and Garden TV
While all U.S. households will soon be transitioning to digital TV, the International Space Station team has been busy, having recently filmed a high-definition tour of the orbiting complex. Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke, aboard the International Space Station with Flight Engineers Sandy Magnus and Yury Lonchakov, recently filmed a 35-minute tour that will air as a special Video File on NASA Television's HD Channel 105 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. CST Thursday and Friday, January 22 and 23.
The special Video File also will be broadcast in standard-definition on NASA TV immediately following the regularly scheduled daily Video File broadcasts. For technical information on how to receive the special broadcast in high definition, and for NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit this site.
With a mass of almost 630,000 pounds, the station has grown to a size larger than an average four-bedroom house on Earth. The next space shuttle mission, designated STS-119, will continue the station's assembly by delivering a fourth and final set of solar arrays. Shuttle Discovery and its seven-member crew are targeted to launch February 12.
M2M App Debuts From Wavecom SA
Wavecom SA (Paris:AVM) (NASDAQ:WVCM) and its subsidiary, Anyware Technologies, have announced the launch of M2M Studio, a fully integrated suite of tools for the development of embedded software applications for industrial wireless devices based on Wavecom Wireless CPUs.
M2M Studio enables developers to create, develop, compile, download, debug and test their applications. Replacing the existing Open AT IDE, M2M Studio fully integrates previously isolated tools such as the source code editor, project build wizard, target download, RTE mode monitor, JTAG debugger, traces emulator and development tool chain, all within the Eclipse Ganymede framework. Eclipse and CDT (C/C++ Development Tools plug-in) are becoming the industry standard for C and C++ development in the embedded world. The development environment features an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) as well as improved and integrated GUI-based documentation. It comes with a new Enhanced Build System, a new Wireless CPU Connector, and a new Software Package Manager for managing Open AT OS, Firmware and Plug-Ins bundles. M2M Studio is delivered as a standalone package in the form of a simple Windows installer, or via an online update site for experienced Eclipse users. A new automatic software update module of M2M Studio will allow developers to smoothly upgrade to new releases of the IDE, providing them with easy access to continuous enhancements via Wavecom’s Internet update service. Select the graphic to learn more and for a free download.
A Helix Of A TWT Order For L-3 ETI
L-3 Electron Technologies, Inc. (L-3 ETI) has received combined orders totaling nearly $1 million for the development of a high-efficiency (>50%), 600W, Ka-band communications helix traveling wave tube (TWT).
The orders, which will help enhance U.S. Air Force airborne platform communications technology, were placed by two U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) contractors. “We are pleased to be supporting AFRL and both of their high power amplifier contractors on this important development program,” said Alan Piring, L-3 ETI’s vice president of military and telecom TWT products. “Achieving 600 watts at 30 GHz with a high reliability helix TWT will enable platforms that have a high data rate requirement to close their WGS (Wideband Global SATCOM) communications links with margin and avoid the downside impact of combining multiple lower power amplifiers.”
Moving On Up . . . at Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) announced the appointment of Richard M. Lober as Defense and Intelligence Systems vice president and general manager. Lober, an industry expert in communications systems, is responsible for managing and expanding the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and intelligence programs for Hughes.
Lober has more than 20 years of experience in military and civilian communications, from design engineering to senior management, and most recently served as senior vice president and general manager of Communications and Electronics at Cubic Defense Applications, Inc. His previous experience also includes serving in the telecommunications division at the Watkins-Johnson Company, where he developed products and services for government and commercial wireless customers.
“Hughes satellite solutions, such as SATCOM-On-the-Move and the next generation SPACEWAY® 3 system, are truly redefining defense and intelligence networks, enabling secure, reliable communications,” said Lober. “I am very enthusiastic about joining Hughes and look forward to building on the success of Dan Fraley and the Hughes team to provide innovative satellite solutions for mission-critical needs.”
Lober assumes the general manager role from Dan Fraley, who retired at the end of 2008 after 31 years of service at Hughes.
Chinese In Seeker II Mode For UAV
Chinese manufacturers have engaged in active discussions with South Africa with the hope of acquiring TV video cameras and 2G thermal imaging cameras used in Denel's Seeker II unmanned air vehicle surveillance system. The top military technology China aspires to acquire from South Africa is certainly believed to be the UAV itself. China's New Era Group Corp. had several rounds of negotiations with Denel on the possibility of producing two types of Denel unmanned aerial vehicles in China. The craft were on display at the 2006 Zhuhai Air Show. China would like to obtain the technologies to assemble these two UAVs domestically. However, according to a source from the Denel Group, negotiations on the UAV deals have come to a halt and the company has decided that unless substantial progress is made on these negotiations, the company no longer wants to spend time dealing with the Chinese.
Purdue U's Terrestrial Observatory Reconstructed in Egypt
The Eqyptians will be constructing a facility modeled after Purdue University's Terrestrial Observatory which will be used to provide early warning and mitigate the effects of disasters such as epidemics, famine and flooding to be built in Egypt as part of a NATO-funded effort. Courtesy of funding is provided by NATO through its Science for Peace and Security program, which creates partnerships among alliance countries and Eastern European, or so-called Mediterranean Dialogue nations, a forum of cooperation between seven countries centered in North Africa. Photo satellite image of Purdue
"The program promotes understanding and advances education and science," said Gilbert Rochon, Information Technology at Purdue (ITaP) associate vice president for collaborative research. It also aims to yield practical results, in this case to provide meteorological and environmental data to countries within the region with the help of a powerful Geographic Information System.
Development of the Kamal Ewida Earth Observatory is being supported this year by about $78,000 from NATO. The project will receive another $315,000 in NATO funding over the next three years. Magdy Abdel Wahab, chair of the meteorology and astronomy department at Cairo University, will be the partner-country director.
"Purdue's long experience with collecting, archiving and interpreting high-resolution satellite and other remotely sensed data made for a good model," said Rochon, who heads the Purdue Terrestrial Observatory and will serve as NATO-country project director.
The project will largely recreate the Purdue Terrestrial Observatory, part of Purdue's Rosen Center for Advanced Computing, and its remote sensing and analysis capabilities in Cairo, Egypt, to help identify and track natural and human-caused disasters. In cases like earthquakes and terrorism, it might be used to assess vulnerability and assist postdisaster reconstruction.
"For example, the information generated could help in planning for restoring power or repairing buildings after a quake," said Rochon. He is working with Purdue colleague Okan Ersoy, along with Gamal El Afandi at Al Azhar University in Cairo and Gülay Atlay at Boğaziçi University's Kandilli Observatory & Earthquake Research Institute in Istanbul, Turkey, in addition to Wahab.
Ersoy is a Purdue electrical and computer engineering professor. Part of his research focuses on remote sensing and applying machine learning and image processing techniques to get computers to analyze such data autonomously. "Using high-performance computing like that available through the Rosen Center, the system could provide nearly real-time interpretation of data and help the region react to disasters quickly," Ersoy said.
Rochon, chief scientist for the Rosen Center, said the system also might be useful for sustainable development efforts, identifying from a vantage point in space, for instance, the spread of crop-damaging locusts and helping to better focus efforts to halt it in an environmentally friendly manner.
The Purdue Terrestrial Observatory gathers masses of satellite, radar and other remote-sensing data, as well as information collected on the ground. The observatory assists researchers on campus and internationally in an interdisciplinary array of fields who mine remote-sensing data and work to develop techniques for employing remote sensing in early detection and mitigation of disasters. The center also makes data available to researchers and decision-makers from the local to national levels, and the agricultural sector, to use in Geographic Information Systems.
Zombies In Space Captured By XMM-Newton
The European Space Agency's (ESA) XMM-Newton has caught the fading glow of a tiny celestial object, revealing its rotation rate for the first time. The new information confirms this particular object as one of an extremely rare class of stellar zombie — each one the dead heart of a star that refuses to die.
There are a mere five, so-called, Soft Gamma-ray Repeaters (SGRs) known — four are in the Milky Way and one in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Each one is between 10 and 30 km across, yet contains about twice the mass of the Sun — they are the collapsed core of a large star that has exploded, collectively called neutron stars. What sets the Soft Gamma-ray Repeaters apart from other neutron stars is that they possess magnetic fields that are as much as 1000 times stronger. This has led astronomers to call them magnetars. SGR 1627-41 was discovered in 1998 by NASA’s Compton Gamma Ray Observatory when it burst into life emitting around a hundred short flares during a six-week period. It then faded before X-ray telescopes could measure its rotation rate. Thus, SGR 1627-41 was the only magnetar with an unknown period. Last summer, SGR 1627-41 flared back into life. But it was located in a region of sky that ESA’s XMM-Newton was unable to point at for another four months. This was because XMM-Newton has to keep its solar panels turned towards the Sun for power. Astronomers waited until Earth moved along its orbit, carrying XMM-Newton with it and bringing the object into view. During that time, SGR 1627-41 began fading fast. When it came into view in September 2008, thanks to the superior sensitivity of the EPIC instrument on XMM-Newton, it was still detectable.
A team of astronomers took the necessary observations and revealed that it rotates once every 2.6 seconds. “This makes it the second fastest rotating magnetar known,” says Sandro Mereghetti, INAF/Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica, Milan, one of the team. Theorists are still puzzling over how these objects can have such strong magnetic fields. One idea is that they are born spinning very quickly, at 2-3 milliseconds. Ordinary neutron stars are born spinning at least ten times more slowly. The rapid rotation of a new-born magnetar, combined with convection patterns in its interior, gives it a highly efficient dynamo, which builds up such an enormous field. With a rotation rate of 2.6 seconds, this magnetar must be old enough to have slowed down. Another clue to the magnetar’s age is that it is still surrounded by a supernova remnant. During the measurement of its rotation rate, XMM-Newton also detected X-rays coming from the debris of an exploded star, possibly the same one that created the magnetar. “These usually fade to invisibility after a few tens of thousand years. The fact that we still see this one means it is probably only a few thousand years old”, says Mereghetti.
(Images: XMM-Newton craft, courtesy ESA — False colour X-ray image of the sky region around SGR 1627-41 obtained with XMM-Newton. The emission indicated in red comes from the debris of an exploded massive star. It covers a region more extended than that previously deduced from radio observations, surrounding the SGR. This suggests that the exploded star was the magnetar’s progenitor. Credits: ESA/XMM-Newton/EPIC (P. Esposito et al.))
DBS + VSAT Systems Gain HEMT From Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has developed a Ka-band plastic package, low noise, GaAs high electron mobility transistor (HEMT), the MGF4963BL, which is highly suitable for low noise amplifiers in 18-20GHz band direct broadcast satellite (DBS) reception systems and very small aperture terminal (VSAT) systems. Shipment will start on February 25, 2009.
Satellite communication systems have traditionally used mainly Ku-band DBS systems with a downlink of 12GHz and an uplink of 14GHz. With the recent development and spread of high-speed data links and HD broadcasting, increased attention is being paid to Ka-band DBS systems, which are more suitable for high-speed and high-volume data communication with a downlink of 20GHz and an uplink of 30GHz. Especially in North America, the service area for DBS systems that deliver high definition TV (HDTV) content is expanding.
In broadcast satellite reception systems, a reception converter inside the antenna receives 20GHz waves from satellites and converts them into 1GHz band intermediate-frequency waves to be sent to the tuner. HEMTs are used in low noise amplifiers for these reception converters. In the first stage of low noise amplifiers, where low noise performance is required, ceramic package HEMTs are typically used due to their high performance, despite their high price. However, with the spread of HDTV content delivered via Ka band DBS, there is an increasing demand for first-stage HEMTs with high performance at a lower price.
Mitsubishi Electric’s MGF4963BL is a plastic package HEMT that is more cost effective than ceramic packaged models, and which achieves industry top-level low noise and high gain characteristics that enables it to be used in both the first stage and the second/third stages of amplifiers.
Arianespace's Family Increases, Good Returns
Observations reveal that since being founded in 1980 Arianespace has signed over 300 launch Service & Solutions contracts, and launched 265 satellites for 70 customers, of which more than half of all commercial satellites are now in service worldwide. The company continued its sustained launch rate in 2008, with one Soyuz and six Ariane 5 launches, boosting more than 70 metric tons of payload into orbit. 2008 - ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Service Photo Optique Video du CSG
With 28 successful consecutive launches that included; Ariane 5 launched the Jules Verne ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) to the International Space Station last year; and launched 10 geostationary satellites, with half of all those launched worldwide. In just 12 months, from August 2007 to August 2008, Arianespace carried out nine Ariane 5 launches. The company logged approximately 950 million euros in consolidated sales for the year, and it anticipated to achieve break-even or better for the sixth consecutive year. However, the global financial crisis limited the number of new contracts available in 2008. Only 18 new launch contracts were signed last year, versus 25 in 2007, as launch capacity exceeded market demand. The tight credit situation had varying effects. Several new operators froze their projects, but the largest operators were unaffected, and they are pursuing their development, which underpins a solid replacement market. Photo Jules Verna ESA Multimedia
Arianespace also won 13 contracts out of a total of 18 open to competition, and was chosen to launch the entire Galileo constellation. As of January 1, 2009, Arianespace had a record backlog of orders, including 27 geostationary satellites, plus launches into other orbits: eight by Ariane 5 and seven by Soyuz. These figures do not include Galileo launches.
Regarding bookings for this year, Arianespace just announced that it has signed a contract with the international satellite operator Intelsat, for the launch of one satellite, with the option to launch four more satellites between 2011 and 2015. Commenting on this latest contract, Arianespace Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jean-Yves Le Gall said: "We are very proud to have launched 48 satellites for Intelsat in the last three decades, and we are extremely honored to continue this partnership with the contract signed today. Through this new contract, Arianespace clearly shows its ability to offer Intelsat custom-tailored launch services and solutions that meet its need for flexibility." Six to eight Ariane 5 launches are also slated for this year, including the Herschel-Planck and Terrestar-1 missions. In addition, Soyuz will be launched for the first time from the Guiana Space Center, enabling Arianespace to carry out eight Soyuz missions by the end of 2010, from either French Guiana or Baikonur. The development of the Vega light launcher will be completed in 2009, leading to a commercial service entry in 2010.
Another noteworthy factor is that the average weight of satellites decreased. Out of the 13 contracts signed by Arianespace in 2008, seven were for "3 ton" class satellites, and there was a limited number of satellites in the "6 ton" class.
