Microcom's Space Newsfeed 4 May 2003<br />Space Industry News from Around the World<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Published by Microcom Systems Ltd, consultants in satellite communications since 1985.
http://www.microcomsystems.co.uk<br /><br />Publishers of the Handbook of Satellite Services in Europe, the definitive guide to European satellite communications:
http://www.microcomsystems.co.uk/pubs/ssie.html. April 2003 issue now available. Also available online - get a temporary password to review the Handbook by sending a blank email to review@satelliteonthenet.co.uk.<br /><br />Other web resources from Microcom Systems:<br /><br />Satellite Industry Links: the largest free satellite and space industry directory on the web
http://www.satellite-links.co.uk<br /><br />Satellite on the Net: white papers, industry events, launch information and space bookshop
http://www.satelliteonthenet.co.uk<br /><br />Jobs in Space: space industry recruitment
http://www.space-jobs.co.uk<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Contents<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Satcoms:<br />EMS Technologies Delivers First Two of Three Antennas for Inmarsat 4<br />JSAT Corporation Awards Lockheed Martin Satellite Contract<br />Rural Alaska Community Votes for SkyFrames' Satellite Broadband Connectivity<br />Sat@Once Releases Version 2 of Free Software<br /><br />Earth Observation:<br />New NASA Data Help Take "Whether" Out Of Weather Prediction<br />Radarsat-1 Continues to be Invaluable for Ship Navigation In Canada<br /><br />Military Space:<br />Veridian to Adapt Commercial Satellite Imagery for Military Use<br /><br />Manned Space:<br />Soyuz Has Rough Re-entry After Stay at ISS<br /><br />Technology:<br />Harris to Develop Innovative Space-Based Radar Antenna Technology<br />NASA Orders New Mars Aeroplane Prototype<br /><br />Launches:<br />Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)<br /><br />Business:<br />Radyne ComStream Sues Wegener in Take-over Fight<br /><br />Products and Services:<br />Inmarsat Launches New Members of Fleet Family<br />KVH Slashes Inmarsat mini-M Airtime Costs and Quadruples Data Rates<br />Maxwell Introduces Memory Component for the Space Industry<br />Release of SOLAR2000 Research Grade model v2.21<br />XM Introduces First Satellite Radio Receiver for a Personal Computer<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />The Australian GPS Society Inc is proud to host SatNav 2003 - The 6th International Conference on Satellite Navigation Technology Including Mobile Positioning and Location Services. This is being held at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne from 22-25 July 2003. Please go to
http://www.gps-society.org for further information and free membership of the Society.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Bolton Associates - Corporate Strategies applies 21st. Century thinking for the Earth Observation, SatCom and Environment Industries that penetrate new markets using creative commercial Risk models and innovation.<br /><br />Visit us at
http://www.BoltonAssociates.com and/or download our Power Point presentation
http://www.microcomsystems.co.uk/ads/EOConsult.ppt [131Kb]<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Space Bookshop - books for space professionals.<br />
http://www.satelliteonthenet.co.uk/book.html<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Satellite Internet access in Africa, Europe and the Middle East<br />
http://www.satelliteonthenet.co.uk/internet1.html<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Satcoms<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />EMS Technologies Delivers First Two of Three Antennas for Inmarsat 4<br /><br />(28 April 2003) The Space & Technology/Montreal division of EMS Technologies Canada, Ltd has delivered the first two of three Inmarsat-4 L-Band Antenna Feeds to Astrium Limited in Portsmouth, England.<br /><br />These antenna feed arrays are designed, manufactured and tested by EMS Space and Technology/Montreal for the Inmarsat-4 program. The last antenna feed is scheduled for delivery at the end of April.<br /><br />The Inmarsat-4 antennas are highly complex, PIM-free, 120-element, combined transmit/receive L-Band arrays. PIM (Passive Intermodulation) is a significant technical issue on any high-power satellite, particularly those that provide mobile satellite services, and the reduction and elimination of PIM is among EMS's core competencies.<br /><br />The Inmarsat 4 Antennas have been designed to support high-speed (432 kb/s) mobile Internet access, video-on-demand, video-conferencing, fax and e-mail for companies across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia through the Inmarsat Broadband Global Area Network (B-GAN) program.<br /><br />EMS's multi-element cup-helix L-Band antenna feeds are considered to be one of the most challenging subsystems of the Inmarsat B-GAN program.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />JSAT Corporation Awards Lockheed Martin Satellite Contract<br /><br />(30 April 2003) Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS) has been awarded a contract by JSAT Corporation of Japan to build its latest geostationary telecommunications satellite. The satellite, designated JCSAT-9, will provide satellite communications services throughout Asia and Japan following its scheduled launch in 2005.<br /><br />JCSAT-9, a high-power hybrid satellite, will be located at 132° E. The spacecraft will be based on the A2100AX platform, manufactured by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems with a minimum service life of 12 years.<br /><br />The A2100 geostationary spacecraft is designed to meet a wide variety of telecommunications needs ranging from high-power Ka, Ku and C band fixed satellite and direct broadcast services to high power mobile satellite services using the L and S band frequency spectrum. The heritage A2100's modular design features flight-proven equipment, thus simplifying construction, shortening delivery schedule, and increasing on-orbit reliability.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Rural Alaska Community Votes for SkyFrames' Satellite Broadband Connectivity<br /><br />(1 May 2003) The constituents of Coffman Cove, Alaska have selected and approved by vote, for SkyFrames to install and co-ordinate the implementation of a wireless hotspot that will create a 2-mile broadband radius around the Coffman Cove City Center.<br /><br />Located on the North end of Prince of Wales Island, Coffman Cove has a population of 240 people. The city is accessible only by air or via the Alaska Marine Highway ferry. The community is devoid of shopping malls or express ways, although blessed with abundant wildlife, fishing and scenic views. The community recently voted unanimously to increase access to and out of Coffman Cove via the Internet by installing SkyFrames' Satellite Broadband Services.<br /><br />The Coffman Cove Community ISP already has nearly 50 subscribers and will connect businesses, individuals, the school and the library. The city passed an ordinance to create and manage the ISP, 44 Yes, 5 No, 11 Abstained.<br /><br />Alaska is made up of approximately 325 rural communities such as Coffman Cove. Coffman Cove is the first of a potential 325 rural communities that can implement SkyFrames' Satellite Broadband Services.<br /><br />For the first time Coffman Cove will have access to T1 broadcast speeds across SkyFrames equipment. There will be a combination of wireless connectivity solutions that will include 802.11 and omni-directional radio frequency antennas. Each subscriber to the Coffman Cove ISP will receive their own IP address and will be responsible for paying monthly broadband charges.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Sat@Once Releases Version 2 of Free Software<br /><br />(28 April 2003) One year after launch, Sat@Once, the free European Internet-based multimedia service by satellite, has announced the 40,000th registered user of the service. In addition, the CSP research centre in Turin, Italy, and SES Astra have released version 2 of the Sat@Once receiver software.<br /><br />The new version 2 adds “mailcasting” (broadcasting of mailing lists), offers an intuitive “voting” tool, and can display complete advertising spots instead of simple advertising banners. The advantage for the users is a more entertaining Internet experience with the most popular content available at high speed, closely matching their private preferences and renewed every day at no recurrent cost. The benefits for the web advertisers are higher surf rates and a faster display of their ad banners, since most of the content is already made available via satellite. The web authors profit from better exposure to the market since the most popular pages, quickly available, will lead the interested users to the more specific parts of their site.<br /><br />Sat@Once is a free of charge service which broadcasts, by satellite and at high speed (2 Mb/s), the most popular parts of the most popular web sites and other content (newsgroups and mailing lists) from the Internet. The popularity of the content is determined by “votes” coming directly from the Sat@Once users. The local PC automatically determines and filters the huge amount of broadcasted data (20 GB a day) for what is interesting to its owner, in total privacy.<br /><br />The Sat@Once service is operated by SES Astra and the CSP, and jointly financed by SES Astra and the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of the user segment programme line of ESA Telecommunications. The Ecole des Mines de Nancy, France, and the Centre de Recherche Public Henri-Tudor, Luxembourg, also participated in the development effort.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Earth Observation<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />New NASA Data Help Take "Whether" Out Of Weather Prediction<br /><br />(29 April 2003) Your weatherperson's job just got a little easier, thanks to new data available from advanced weather instruments aboard NASA's Aqua satellite.<br /><br />The new data are the most accurate, highest-resolution measurements ever taken from space of the infrared brightness (radiance) of Earth's atmosphere. This information can be used to make more accurate predictions of weather and climate.<br /><br />The data come from two microwave sounding instruments that are part of the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) experiment: the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit.<br /><br />With its visible, infrared and microwave detectors, the AIRS experiment provides a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather. Working in tandem, its instruments can make simultaneous observations from space all the way to Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,400 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, three-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity. AIRS provides information about clouds, greenhouse gases and many other atmospheric phenomena.<br /><br />The data will include atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles, and additional environmental measurements on various types of clouds, particularly the thin veil of cirrus clouds that cover Earth. He also expects new data about concentrations of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide and volcanic sulphur dioxide.<br /><br />NOAA is continuing to evaluate the new data, learning how to integrate it and gaining confidence in its accuracy. When that process is completed this summer, NOAA will begin integrating AIRS data into existing weather-prediction models used by NCEP. Six of the world's leading weather-prediction centres will do the same. The data will also be distributed to the World Meteorological Organisation in Switzerland, where it will be available to 105 countries.<br /><br />Aqua's planned six-year mission will collect data, using the six onboard instruments, on global temperature variations, the cycling of water, global precipitation, evaporation, changes in ocean circulation, and how clouds and surface-water processes affect climate. The information will help scientists better understand how global ecosystems change, and how they respond to and affect global environmental change.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Radarsat-1 Continues to be Invaluable for Ship Navigation In Canada<br /><br />(30 April 2003) The Canadian Ice Service (CIS) has exercised an option to extend an existing contract with Radarsat International (RSI) for the period of one year. The extension, worth over Cdn$ 1 million, provides the CIS with continuity of Radarsat-1 images for ice monitoring and mapping of Canadian waters.<br /><br />Receiving up to 10 Radarsat-1 images a day, the CIS extracts information on ice condition and location in order to create detailed ice charts that are electronically sent to marine vessel operators. These ice charts provide invaluable navigational information to the marine community - which includes the regional Coast Guard and icebreakers.<br /><br />The CIS has been using Radarsat-1 data operationally since 1996.<br /><br />The Canadian Ice Service monitors sea ice conditions in Canadian waters through aircraft reconnaissance and remote satellite technology. CIS provides clients and the Canadian public with a variety of accurate and timely analyses and forecasts of ice conditions - from daily bulletins on ice hazards to seasonal outlooks. Information on ice conditions posing immediate threats to ships, ports and other facilities are made available to the shipping and marine communities. Specialised products and services are available to meet the short-term tactical and the longer range planning needs of clients, and include detailed ice analysis charts, radar imagery, satellite imagery, imagery analysis charts and special forecasts.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Military Space<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Veridian to Adapt Commercial Satellite Imagery for Military Use<br /><br />(28 April 2003) Veridian Corporation has been awarded a contract worth up to US$ 37.7 million from the US Air Force's Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, to develop satellite image processing systems in support of the Air Force's Eagle Vision program.<br /><br />The contract includes a firm-fixed base award of US$ 7.4 million and options to supply additional systems. The contract also includes provisions for Veridian to supply training and additional support for the Eagle Vision program for a period of six years.<br /><br />The contract builds upon previous work for the Eagle Vision program performed by Veridian, which has played a key role in the program since it was developed during the early 1990s.<br /><br />Eagle Vision provides a platform to downlink and process commercial satellite imagery into "geocoded" electronic images for use by Air Force mission planners and intelligence analysts. Geocoded images are used in automated mission planning systems and enable planners to more effectively use the capabilities of modern aircraft.<br /><br />Military planners and intelligence analysts can use readily available commercial satellite imagery in combination with imagery from military satellites. Since commercial imagery is produced from unclassified sources, it can be more widely distributed to both US armed forces and coalition partners.<br /><br />The Eagle Vision systems consist of a network of transportable ground stations that can be rapidly deployed and configured to downlink and process commercial satellite data.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Manned Space<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Soyuz Has Rough Re-entry After Stay at ISS<br /><br />(4 May 2003) Three astronauts returning from the International Space Station had a rough ride back to Earth following an apparent malfunction of the on-board control system which left the spacecraft re-entering on a ballistic trajectory instead of making a gentler, controlled re-entry.<br /><br />The crew were not in serious danger during the re-entry - a ballistic re-entry is a fall back option for the Soyuz spacecraft, following certain failures - but the ride must have been considerably rougher than the intended re-entry. There must also have been a few nervous people at both NASA and the RSA during what was the first manned re-entry following the Columbia disaster.<br /><br />Russian rescue aircraft were in contact with the spacecraft during the final stages of its descent and after landing but it took more than two hours for the rescue teams to reach the Soyuz spacecraft which had touched down about 440 km short of its intended landing site.<br /><br />The crew members (Kenneth D Bowersox, Nikolai M Budarin and Donald R Pettit) were to have returned to Earth on the shuttle Atlantis is March, but were temporarily stranded on the International Space Station following the suspension of shuttle flights resulting from the Columbia disaster. The three astronauts returned safely, though Donald Pettit is reported to have injured his shoulder during the descent.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Technology<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Harris to Develop Innovative Space-Based Radar Antenna Technology<br /><br />(30 April 2003) Harris Corporation has been awarded a one-year, US$ 2.3 million follow-on contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Special Projects Office, Washington DC, and the US Air Force Research Lab's (AFRL) Sensors Directorate, Rome, New York, to continue to study the development of an advanced spaceborne antenna system for the Innovative Space-Based Radar Antenna Technology (ISAT) Study.<br /><br />Harris recently completed the first phase of the contract, valued at US$ 2.5 million, in which it successfully developed an innovative concept for a lightweight, space-based, extremely large deployable radar antenna designed to address tactical tracking of moving targets on the ground.<br /><br />The second phase of the contract provides for the definition of additional technology that supports the design and for recommendations regarding a launch demonstration unit. Ultimately, ISAT will help provide a solution to the challenge of integrating Space-Based Radar (SBR) and a Moving Target Indication from Space (MTIS).<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />NASA Orders New Mars Aeroplane Prototype<br /><br />(29 April 2003) Aurora Flight Sciences Corp has received an order from the NASA Langley Research Center for a full-scale prototype of a proposed Mars aeroplane. The aircraft is being built as part of the Mars Scout Aerial Regional-Scale Environmental Survey (ARES) project of which Dr Joel S Levine is the Principal Investigator.<br /><br />In 2002 Aurora and NASA Langley successfully demonstrated a half-scale version of the aeroplane in a series of low altitude and high altitude drop tests. The new aeroplane is to be a full-scale version, designed to demonstrate flight-weight components and actual aerodynamics. The prototype plane is scheduled to make its first flight later this year with a deployment test in the upper reaches of the Earth's atmosphere.<br /><br />The ARES team includes NASA Langley Research Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory and Lockheed Martin Astronautics, in addition to Aurora. The ARES team is one of four selected for a Phase A study as part of the NASA Office of Space Science Mars Scout program. The first Mars Scout mission is planned for launch in 2007 with an arrival at Mars in 2008.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Launches<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX)<br /><br />Launched: 28 April 2003<br />Site: Canaveral Spaceport, Florida<br />Launcher: Pegasus XL<br />Orbit: LEO, apogee: 690 km, perigee: 690 km: inclination: 29°<br />International Number: 2003-017A<br />Name: GALEX<br />Owner: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory<br />Contractor: Orbital Sciences Space Systems Group<br /><br />GALEX will observe a million galaxies to help astronomers determine when the stars and galaxies we see today had their origins. During the course of its 28 month investigation, GALEX will conduct the first ultraviolet surveys of the entire extragalactic sky, including the first wide-area spectroscopic surveys. The spacecraft weighs 312 kg.<br /><br />The centrepiece of the satellite is a 50-centimeter-diameter telescope. It is equipped with sensors that will gather continuous images of galaxies in the ultraviolet to study their shape, brightness and size.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Business<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Radyne ComStream Sues Wegener in Take-over Fight<br /><br />(28 April 2003) Wegener Corporation has announced that, in connection with its unsolicited tender offer to acquire control of the company, Radyne ComStream has filed two lawsuits in Delaware against the company and its board of directors.<br /><br />The lawsuits, among other things, seek to enjoin the Company from taking any action to impede Radyne's efforts to acquire control of the Company, including adopting any new defensive measures or making use of defensive mechanisms already contained in the charter documents of the Company, and also seek to force Wegener's board of directors to approve the transaction with Radyne. In addition, Radyne ComStream has delivered to Wegener a draft merger agreement with a request that Wegener's board reconsider engaging in substantive discussions involving a negotiated business transaction.<br /><br />The litigation initiated by Radyne ComStream in the Delaware Chancery Court is seeking, among other things, to:<br /><br />* compel Wegener's directors to approve the Offer and a subsequent merger<br /> for purposes of Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of the State<br /> of Delaware and to enjoin them from taking any action to enforce or to<br /> apply Section 203 that would impede the offer and a subsequent merger;<br /><br />* enjoin Wegener from adopting or employing any other defensive measures,<br /> or taking any action designed to impede the offer or a subsequent merger;<br /> and<br /><br />* enjoin Wegener and its directors from taking any action to delay or<br /> impede the voting rights of Wegener's stockholders.<br /><br />The litigation in the Delaware Federal Court is seeking a declaratory judgement that Radyne ComStream has disclosed all information required by, and is otherwise in compliance with, the applicable federal securities laws, rules and regulations, as well as an injunction to enjoin Wegener from making any false or misleading statements with respect to the offer.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Products and Services<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Inmarsat Launches New Members of Fleet Family<br /><br />(29 April 2003) Inmarsat Limited has announced the commercial availability of the two newest members of the Fleet family of services, Fleet F55 and Fleet F33. Designed to provide a powerful communications solution for small to medium-sized vessels, the new Fleet services incorporate global voice and a range of fax and data services.<br /><br />Inmarsat Fleet F55 and F33 bring the benefits of satellite communications to vessels which were previously restricted by size and cost of terminal hardware. The voice and data services offered by Fleet F55 and Fleet F33 are now a realistic option for leisure boats, fishing and small merchant vessels and coastal cutters because of the smaller antenna, simple hardware installation and low cost. Maritime information, such as sea and weather charts, can now be accessed online and updated in real-time. Users can also enjoy the benefits of reliable, easy access to email whenever and wherever it is needed.<br /><br />The configuration of the products gives the option for two distinct data channels. Currently offering voice, data and email, it is planned to extend the Fleet F33 service in 2004 with the option of a mobile packet data service (MPDS), to enable crew to send immediate short burst data with an 'always on' capability at low cost.<br /><br />The benefits of Fleet F55 include:<br /><br />* Clear, digital voice available virtually globally in all four Inmarsat<br /> Ocean Regions.<br />* Two distinct services available in Inmarsat spot beam areas:<br /><br /> - 64kb/s ISDN service providing high-speed data services<br /> - Mobile Packet Data service, an "always on" IP service. This service<br /> is charged on the volume of data throughput, rather than time (as<br /> with the ISDN service). This is very attractive for smaller volumes<br /> of data or for interactive data sessions that include 'dead time'<br /><br />* Small lightweight antenna offering easy installation for smaller vessels.<br /> The radome weights just 18 kg and can be physically lifted by hand.<br />* The ability to use on board applications. For example: email, maintenance<br /> and ship management applications, online chart updates and online weather<br /> updates.<br /><br />The benefits of Fleet F33 include:<br /><br />* Clear, digital voice available virtually globally in all four of the<br /> Inmarsat Ocean Regions.<br />* Two distinct data services available in Inmarsat spot beam areas depending<br /> on terminal version:<br /><br /> - 9.6kb/s asynchronous data service with end-to-end compression,<br /> providing an effective throughput of up to 28.8kb/s and beyond by<br /> using integrated data compression (throughput dependent on the<br /> application being used)<br /> - The Inmarsat Mobile Packet Data service (MPDS), planned for launch<br /> in 2004, will offer full-rate to mobile and half-rate return, and<br /> will be available as part of a software upgrade.<br /><br />* Small, lightweight antenna, offering increased ease of supply and<br /> installation.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />KVH Slashes Inmarsat mini-M Airtime Costs and Quadruples Data Rates<br /><br />(28 April 2003) Staying in touch at sea using Inmarsat mini-M service, whether by phone, fax, or e-mail, just became even more affordable thanks to KVH Industries. KVH has cut airtime rates for mini-M, making the world's most popular satellite telephone service even more affordable to mariners. The US$ 1.49 per minute reduced rates will be available immediately to all KVH Tracphone owners who activate a new mini-M service plan through the "Inmarsat Airtime by KVH" program. At the same time, Inmarsat mini-M data rates have been quadrupled to 9.6 kb/s using KVH's Velocity Acceleration software. As a result, Tracphone owners gain a significant boost in the power and cost-effectiveness of their mini-M as a means of communication via e-mail and data connections.<br /><br />The $1.49 per minute reduced rate covers all mini-M voice, fax, and data use via a KVH Tracphone system within Inmarsat's Zone 1, which encompasses North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Inmarsat mini-M is available with no monthly fees or regional roaming.<br /><br />The increased data rates are made possible using the same Velocity Acceleration data enhancement technology employed by KVH in its TracNet Mobile High-speed Internet System. Free to all Tracphone owners with "Inmarsat Airtime from KVH", the mini-M Velocity Acceleration data rate upgrade is compatible with PC-based computers and has been optimised for use with Inmarsat services.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Maxwell Introduces Memory Component for the Space Industry<br /><br />(30 April 2003) Maxwell Technologies Inc has released its newest memory product, a 256Mb Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM) - the highest performance memory component available to the space market. This is the first space-qualified and radiation characterised SDRAM that is not repackaged plastic components, but rather packaged bare die.<br /><br />SDRAM represents the latest technology in volatile memory. SDRAM has evolved from the limitations of conventional DRAM by incorporating a high-speed interface. Maxwell's SDRAM is designed for high-speed, high-volume memory-intensive processing applications, such as image processing and broadband data transfer. Features include: the first and only die-based solution; 256Mb of memory organised as 4-Megs x 16-bits x 4-banks; 68-pin RAD-PAK package; and multiple power modes that allow low power operation. Access speed of the component is 100MHz - the fastest available for the space industry.<br /><br />Comprehensive testing for both radiation and electrical performance, has verified that error detection and correction will play a significant role in the successful deployment of SDRAM in space. Through its radiation characterisation and proposed mitigation techniques, Maxwell will be providing not just a component for the space market, but rather a solution to address the need for more advanced memory. Maxwell's 256Mb SDRAM represents the initial offering in an evolving line of state-of-the-art memory components for space.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Release of SOLAR2000 Research Grade model v2.21<br /><br />(2 May 2003) Space Environment Technologies has released its newly updated SOLAR2000 v2.21 Research Grade model for determining solar irradiances.<br /><br />SOLAR2000 is a downloadable IDL GUI application and is available at no charge on Space Environment's website at
http://SpaceWx.com. Users are requested to register to receive informational updates and to provide generalised statistics to Space Environment Technologies' sponsors related to the model's use.<br /><br />There are several new features in this version of the model that make a significant improvement from the 1.yz versions. Continuing upgrades are motivated by the importance of improving model accuracy as compared to data. SOLAR2000 RG v2.21 provides the best overall comparison to the new TIMED/SEE data when compared with a range of models extending from the original Hinteregger model (EUV81) to the NRLEUV model. Space Environment Technologies also believe that there are other major model improvements that need to be made using newly-arriving data sets and the company intends to continue to work with other teams to resolve data-model issues.<br /><br />The model now has temporal and spectral variability extending into the FUV and UV spectral regions. This capability is added by the VUV2002 model provided by T Woods. SOLAR2000 now provides variability from 1-420 nm and this is useful for both upper and middle atmosphere studies. The ASTM E490 spectrum provides irradiances longwards of 420 nm. Second, the first year TIMED/SEE data have been included in the derivation of the model and have improved the absolute accuracy. The updated SOHO/SEM data have been included as well. Third, a new extreme ultraviolet integrated energy flux proxy for the wavelength region from 1 to 40 nm (E1_40) is provided in the model's output file. Fourth, the exospheric temperature T (at 450 km) has been rescaled for consistency with the values of the Jacchia 1970 model and this continues to be provided in the output file. Fifth, the user is now given a choice of models and/or reference spectra to run and this capability will be expanded in future releases. SOLAR2000 RG v2.21 is compliant with the draft ISO solar irradiance standard 21348.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />XM Introduces First Satellite Radio Receiver for a Personal Computer<br /><br />(28 April 2003) XM Satellite Radio has announced the introduction of the first satellite radio receiver designed for personal computers. The XM PC Receiver, or "XM PCR," makes all of XM's 101 digital music, entertainment and news channels available to computer users at home, work, school and on the go without the need for an Internet connection.<br /><br />The XM PCR provides listeners with XM's digital surround sound stereo, a vast improvement over the sound quality of Internet audio streaming. Additionally, XM's signal is captured directly from XM's two satellites and terrestrial repeaters so there are no "buffering" delays or slow channel searching and changing, effectively turning a computer into an XM radio. Recognising the computer's place as the home's entertainment centre, XM engineered PCR so users can play games and explore the Web without restriction or slowdown, all while listening to 101 channels of exceptional programming.<br /><br />XM PCR also features a simple but dynamic user interface giving listeners a chance to view the music choices on multiple channels simultaneously. Users can easily personalise the display to show their favourite channels, and see everything playing on these channels at the same time. They also can save song titles and artist names for future reference.<br /><br />The XM PCR includes a receiver, antenna, PC software CD-ROM, USB cable (providing power to the receiver as well as the data connection to the PC) and an audio cable. Set up, installation and activation takes only a few minutes. Users will have the opportunity to download subsequent versions of the XM PCR software with added functionality. In addition, antennae extension cables will be available as an accessory.<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Press releases should be sent to: newsfeed@microcomsystems.co.uk<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Microcom makes no charge for this service and makes no payments for the use of material. Microcom makes no warranties about the quality of this free service and accepts no liability for mistakes and errors. Use of this service is taken as confirmation of acceptance of these conditions.<br /><br />If you require further information contact Microcom by email: info@microcomsystems.co.uk<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />This newsletter, and archives dating back to January 2000, can be viewed on the web at
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