Microcom's Space Newsfeed 13 June 2004<br />Space Industry News from Around the World<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Web resources from Microcom Systems:<br /><br />Satellite Industry Links: the largest 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 post your CV or job specification here<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Handbook of Satellite Services in Europe<br /><br />This unique publication provides detailed information on all aspects of the European satellite scene including extensive data on service providers, national regulations, satellites used in Europe as well as background on satellite communications technology.
http://www.microcomsystems.co.uk/pubs/ssie.html<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Advertise on Microcom's websites and reach over 25,000 space and satellite industry professionals each month.
http://www.spacenewsfeed.co.uk/ratecard.html<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Contents<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Satcoms:<br />Alcatel to Provide Direct Broadcasting Satellite ChinaSat 9<br />SES Americom Enters Into Lease Agreement with Rainbow DBS<br />Telenor Satellite Services and Global Relief Technologies Forge Strategic Business Alliance<br /><br />Earth Observation:<br />Space Imaging Wins USGS Contract for Commercial Satellite Imagery<br /><br />Science:<br />Cassini Spacecraft's First Stop in Saturn Tour<br />European Agreement on James Webb Space Telescope’s MIRI Signed<br /><br />Technology:<br />UQ Speeds Up Research in Hypersonics<br /><br />Launch Services:<br />Successful Test Leads Way For Safer Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor<br />USAF Selects ILS' Atlas V for Space Test Program Mission<br /><br />Launches:<br />Cosmos 2406<br /><br />Business:<br />New Skies Satellites to be Acquired by Blackstone<br /><br />Products and Services:<br />AGI Releases STK 6.0<br />Conexant Announces New Cable and Satellite Set-Top Box Reference Designs<br />Easy Emailing and SMSing to Inmarsat-C terminals<br />Marlink Supports Security Solutions at Sea<br />New Skies Expands 2-Way Broadband Internet Services in Asia and Latin America<br />Telenor Satellite Services Announces Broadband Service for Maritime Industry<br />The Swe-Dish Suitcase Gets Intelsat Type Approval<br /><br />People:<br />NASA Names Langley Research Center Deputy Director<br />NASA Names New Flight Center Deputy Director<br />SS/Loral's Names VP of Business Development for NASA and Civil Government Business<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />EEBC 2004 - Eastern Europe Broadband Convention - 13-15 October 2004, Kiev, Ukraine.<br /><br />Exhibition, Conference, Technical Training and Round Table Discussion of Industry Organisations will be devoted to progress trends in the broadband industry of Central and Eastern Europe.<br /><br />All industry organisations and companies are welcome to participate and investigate possibilities of making business in the CEE market! For full details see
www.eebc.com.ua<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Military Satellites Applications, 15th - 16th July, The Thistle Marble Arch Hotel, London.<br /><br />A two-day conference highlighting applications of satellite systems for the military and an unmissable pre-conference site visit on 14th July to EADS Astrium. Examine recent programmes and technologies on Earth Observation, Satellite Communications, Navigation and Space Launch through presentations from an exceptional international speaker panel.<br /><br />For further information and to book online please visit
http://www.iqpc-defence.com/GB-2232/MIC<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 presentation
http://www.satelliteonthenet.co.uk/ads/SAR_Solutions_and_Strategies.pdf<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Space Bookshop - books for space professionals.<br />
http://www.satelliteonthenet.co.uk/bookshop.html<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Satcoms<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Alcatel to Provide Direct Broadcasting Satellite ChinaSat 9<br /><br />(11 June 2004) Alcatel has signed a contract with China Satellite Communication Corporation (ChinaSat) to design and produce a new-generation communications satellite, ChinaSat 9. This direct broadcasting satellite will enable ChinaSat to be the first state-owned Chinese company to provide satellite broadcast services in China.<br /><br />The ChinaSat 9 satellite, based on the Spacebus 4000 C1 platform, will be fitted with 22 active Ku band transponders for broadcast satellite services (BSS), including eighteen 36 MHz and four 54 MHz channels. ChinaSat 9 will weigh about 4,500 kilograms at liftoff and offer life power of about 11 kW. Positioned at 92.2° East, it will offer a design life of more than 15 years.<br /><br />This satellite will be launched by a Chinese Long March rocket. Alcatel Space will be in charge of the launch campaign, orbital positioning, in-orbit tests and delivery of a satellite simulator.<br /><br />(source: Alcatel Space)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />SES Americom Enters Into Lease Agreement with Rainbow DBS<br /><br />(9 June 2004) SES Americom has entered into an agreement with Rainbow DBS, Cablevision System Corporation's satellite division, to lease 16 transponders over the next ten years to augment the capacity of VOOM, its High-Definition (HD) television service.<br /><br />VOOM, which offers more HD programming than any cable or satellite provider, will lease the Ku band transponders aboard AMC-6 satellite to deliver even more HD programming to customers. The agreement is scheduled to start on October 1, 2004<br /><br />SES Americom, as part of its Americom2Home (A2H) residential satellite services initiative, worked with VOOM to develop the capability for a single dish solution, which will provide VOOM subscribers the option to enjoy a wide range of exciting offerings delivered over its existing, proprietary satellite Rainbow 1, and soon over AMC-6 as well. VOOM also has the option to absorb an additional 8 transponders, the balance of the Ku band payload on AMC-6. VOOM's expanded programming capability will be further enhanced through the planned application of its MPEG-4 compression technology, which will be phased in over the next two years.<br /><br />Americom2Home (A2H) is focused on providing technical and bandwidth solutions to direct-to-home providers. A2H demonstrated an innovative dual feed (Ku FSS and Ku BSS) elliptical dish antenna system for the VOOM technical team that was both technically efficient and cost effective. The dish, which has since been adopted by VOOM, enables the subscriber to receive quality signals from both satellites even though they are more than 10 degrees apart and operate in different bands.<br /><br />Launched at the end of 2000, AMC-6 is a Lockheed Martin A2100 hybrid C/Ku band satellite, which from its position at 72° West in the eastern portion of the US orbital arc, supports occasional video and SNG clients, as well as government, VSAT network, and entertainment customers.<br /><br />(source: SES Americom)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Telenor Satellite Services and Global Relief Technologies Forge Strategic Business Alliance<br /><br />(8 June 2004) Telenor Satellite Services and Global Relief Technologies LLC (GRT) have announced the formation of a strategic business alliance, including equity investment by Telenor Satellite Services.<br /><br />Under this exclusive agreement, Telenor Satellite Services will bundle GRT's data collection and information management solution into its current mobile satellite service offerings available world-wide to organisations engaged in global remote field activities such as humanitarian relief, security, and reconstruction.<br /><br />Global Relief Technologies' solution combines handheld PDA survey applications for field workers, GIS mapping imagery and near real-time GPS tracking with a web-based information management centre, or VNOC (Virtual Network Operations Center) for data hosting, analysis and reporting. The data are transmitted to and from the PDA via mobile satellite terminals.<br /><br />Global Relief Technologies LLC was founded in March 2003 to provide clients in the humanitarian and reconstruction communities with a secure, integrated solution that ensures more effective response to, and management of, global crisis situations. The company is headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with its principal Sales and Marketing presence located in Chevy Chase, Maryland.<br /><br />(source: Telenor Satellite Services)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Earth Observation<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Space Imaging Wins USGS Contract for Commercial Satellite Imagery<br /><br />(7 June 2004) Space Imaging has been awarded an indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for the acquisition of commercial satellite imagery. The industry contracts are for one year with two additional one-year options and have a threshold of US$ 5 million dollars per year with a potential value of US$ 15 million.<br /><br />Managed by the USGS Land Remote Sensing program, the contracts consolidate pricing and licensing under a lead civilian agency and are intended to be the baseline purchasing vehicle for federal, state and local government customers - much like the Pentagon's National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's (NGA) ClearView contract. The federal, state and local geospatial community can use this contract for building a consistent, seamless geographic land base of the United States. The data will be used to support natural hazards and disasters response, homeland security, land and resource management, infrastructure planning and management, policy decision-making, and scientific study.<br /><br />Specifically, Space Imaging is providing the USGS unrestricted licensing and redistribution options with aggressive, annual volume discounts under this IDIQ contract. Any product in Space Imaging's catalogue can be purchased including data products from its Ikonos satellite, and the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites including the recently launched Resourcesat-1 satellite. Both new collection and archive imagery can be purchased. With more than 200 million sq. km. of customer-ready imagery, Space Imaging's Ikonos archive is the industry's most comprehensive global archive of high-resolution satellite imagery.<br /><br />(source: Space Imaging)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Science<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Cassini Spacecraft's First Stop in Saturn Tour<br /><br />(9 June 2004) The most complex interplanetary mission ever launched has flown past one of the solar system's enigmatic moons. Cassini flew by Phoebe, Saturn's largest outer moon, on Friday.<br /><br />A final trajectory correction manoeuvre is scheduled for June 16. On arrival date, June 30, Cassini will become the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn. Once in orbit it will conduct an extensive, four-year tour of the Saturn system, including its majestic rings and many known moons.<br /><br />The arrival date and trajectory to Saturn were specifically selected to accommodate this flyby, which will be the only opportunity during the mission to study Phoebe at close range.<br /><br />Cassini obtained images from 2,000 kilometres above the moon's surface. Cassini also collected spectroscopic and radar data that could decipher the composition and origin of this distant moon.<br /><br />Discovered in 1898 by American astronomer William Henry Pickering, Phoebe is of great interest to scientists. Phoebe has a diameter of 220 kilometres, which is equal to about one-fifteenth of the diameter of Earth's moon. Phoebe rotates on its axis every nine hours and 16 minutes, and it completes a full orbit around Saturn in about 18 months. Its elliptical orbit is inclined approximately 30 degrees to Saturn's equator. Phoebe's retrograde orbit means it goes around Saturn in the opposite direction of the larger interior Saturnian moons. Previous ground-based observations have shown water ice present on its surface.<br /><br />Phoebe is also unusual as it is very dark. It reflects only six percent of the sunlight it receives. Phoebe's darkness and retrograde orbit suggest it is most likely a captured object. A captured object is a celestial body caught by the gravitational pull of a much bigger body, generally a planet. Some scientists believe Phoebe might even be an object from the outer solar system, similar to the objects found in the Kuiper Belt. The Belt is a collection of small icy bodies beyond Pluto that were never drawn together by gravity to form a planet.<br /><br />The Cassini-Huygens mission is a co-operative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington. JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter.<br /><br />(source: NASA)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />European Agreement on James Webb Space Telescope’s MIRI Signed<br /><br />(10 June 2004) An agreement between ESA and seven Member States to jointly build a major part of the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), which will considerably extend the capability of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), was signed, 8 June 2004.<br /><br />This agreement also marks a new kind of partnership between ESA and its Member States for the funding and implementation of payload for scientific space missions.<br /><br />MIRI, the Mid-Infrared Instrument, is one of the four instruments on board the JWST, the mission scheduled to follow on the heritage of Hubble in 2011. MIRI will be built in co-operation between Europe and the United States (NASA), both equally contributing to its funding. MIRI’s optics, core of the instrument, will be provided by a consortium of European institutes. According to this formal agreement, ESA will manage and co-ordinate the whole development of the European part of MIRI and act as the sole interface with NASA, which is leading the JWST project.<br /><br />This marks a difference with respect to the previous ESA scientific missions. In the past the funding and the development of the scientific instruments was agreed by the participating ESA Member States on the basis of purely informal arrangements with ESA. In this case, the Member States involved in MIRI have agreed on formally guaranteeing the required level of funding on the basis of a multi-lateral international agreement, which still keeps scientists in key roles.<br /><br />Over the past years, missions have become more complex and demanding, and more costly within an ever tighter budget. They also require a more and more specific expertise which is spread throughout the vast European scientific community. As a result, a new management procedure for co-ordination of payload development has become a necessity to secure the successful and timely completion of scientific space projects. ESA’s co-ordination of the MIRI European consortium represents the first time such an approach has been used, which will be applied to the future missions of the ESA long-term Science Programme - the ‘Cosmic Vision’. The technology package for LISA (LTP), an ESA/NASA mission to detect gravitational waves, is already being prepared under the same scheme.<br /><br />The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is a partnership between ESA, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency. Formerly known as the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), it is due to be launched in August 2011, and it is considered the successor of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. It is three times larger and more powerful than its predecessor and it is expected to shed light on the 'Dark Ages of the Universe' by studying the very distant Universe, observing infrared light from the first stars and galaxies that ever emerged.<br /><br />MIRI (Mid-Infrared Camera-Spectrograph) is essential for the study of the old and distant stellar population; regions of obscured star formation; hydrogen emission from previously unthinkable distances; the physics of protostars; and the sizes of ‘Kuiper belt’ objects and faint comets.<br /><br />Further to the contribution to MIRI, Europe through ESA is contributing to JWST with the NIRSPEC (Near-Infrared multi-object Spectrograph) instrument (fully funded and managed by ESA) and, as agreed in principle with NASA, with the Ariane 5 launcher. The ESA financial contribution to JWST will be about 300 million Euros, including the launcher. The European institutions involved in MIRI will contribute about 70 million Euros overall.<br /><br />The European institutions who signed the MIRI agreement with ESA are: the Centre Nationale des Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the Danish Space Research Institute (DSRI), the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (MEC), the Nederlandse Onderzoekschool voor Astronomie (NOVA), the UK Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) and the Swedish National Space Board (SNSB).<br /><br />Four European countries, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland and Switzerland contribute to MIRI through their participation into ESA’s Scientific Experiment Development programme (PRODEX). This is an optional programme, mainly used by smaller countries, by which they delegate to ESA the management of funding to develop scientific instruments.<br /><br />The delivery to NASA of the MIRI instrument is due for March 2009.<br /><br />(source: ESA)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Technology<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />UQ Speeds Up Research in Hypersonics<br /><br />(9 June 2004) The University of Queensland’s world-leading research into hypersonics will be given a boost with the announcement of Aus$ 2.2 million in funding from the State Government.<br /><br />The funding is part of the Smart State Research Facilities Fund and will go towards the establishment of the Queensland Hypersonic Testing Facility.<br /><br />The Facility will be part of UQ’s Centre for Hypersonics, which is at the forefront of research into scramjet technology to revolutionise high-speed travel and space exploration.<br /><br />The Facility will combine the world’s most advanced hypersonic and super-orbital ground testing facilities with advanced computational modelling abilities and hypersonic free-flight testing facilities.<br /><br />The funds will also enable the assembly of what will be the fastest computer cluster in the southern hemisphere.<br /><br />The Sun Microsystems Grid Engine cluster will be operated jointly by UQ’s Centre for Computational Molecular Science and the Centre for Hypersonics and will greatly assist the process of developing and commercialising future space technology concepts such as scramjet propulsion and aerocapture.<br /><br />Other parts of the project include upgrading and extending the University’s high-speed wind tunnels or “shock and expansion tunnels”; scramjet flight test infrastructure; and the establishment of an Australian rocket and heat shield fabricating business in collaboration with the Australian Space Research Institute.<br /><br />Funding will also go to the construction of a high-speed wind tunnel at the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba.<br /><br />The Facility will also benefit from substantial contributions from UQ and partners NQEA Ltd, WBM Pty Ltd and SUN Microsystems Australia.<br /><br />(source: University of Queensland)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Launch Services<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Successful Test Leads Way For Safer Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor<br /><br />(10 June 2004) NASA's Space Shuttle program has successfully fired a full-scale Reusable Solid Rocket Motor, testing modifications that will enhance the safety of the Space Shuttle.<br /><br />The Flight Support Motor (FSM) program verifies functionality of RSRM components, materials, and processes while it evaluates and certifies various design, process, and supplier changes for the RSRM flight program.<br /><br />A slightly different propellant grain was tested. The new design improves flight safety by decreasing the risk of cracks in the propellant during storage and transportation.<br /><br />The propellant grain modification is one of 76 test objectives. Twenty-four of the objectives allow the Project Office to re-evaluate materials, components and manufacturing processes in use, such as nozzle bondlines, liner-to-housing bondlines, internal insulation, pressure transducers, and solvents.<br /><br />The test will also provide information on a proposed safety enhancement to the motor's nozzle. A new bolted assembly on the nozzle's joint 5 is being tested for strength.<br /><br />Initial results indicate that ATK achieved all 76 test objectives. Many of the test objectives will be introduced into future Space Shuttle launches. The test motor fired for two minutes, which is the length of time the RSRMs fire during an actual Space Shuttle launch.<br /><br />The full-scale stationary test was performed at ATK Thiokol Propulsion Division. ATK Thiokol manufactures the Space Shuttle's Reusable Solid Rocket Motor.<br /><br />Static firings of flight support motors are part of the ongoing verification of components, materials and manufacturing processes required by the Space Shuttle program. Flight support motors are tested annually to evaluate, validate and qualify any proposed improvements or changes to the motor. The two-minute test duration is the same length of time that the motors perform during Space Shuttle flights. The motor is one of the four Shuttle propulsion elements.<br /><br />Data from the test will be analysed and the results for each objective provided in a final report. The flight support motor's metal case segments and nozzle components will be refurbished for reuse.<br /><br />This is the second test motor firing in less than a year for the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor Office. A five-segment engineering test motor demonstrated in October 2003 pushed the motor to its limits so engineers could validate the safety margins of the four-segment motor used to launch Space Shuttles.<br /><br />At 38.4 meters long and 3.6 meters diameter, the Space Shuttle's Reusable Solid Rocket Motor is the largest solid rocket motor ever flown and the first designed for reuse. The motor has four 30-foot segments filled with propellant. During lift-off, each motor generates an average thrust of 1.2 million kilograms.<br /><br />(source: NASA, Alliant Techsystems)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />USAF Selects ILS' Atlas V for Space Test Program Mission<br /><br />(10 June 2004) International Launch Services (ILS) has received authorisation from the US Air Force to begin integration of the Space Test Program-1 (STP-1) mission on the Atlas V rocket, scheduled to launch in September 2006.<br /><br />This multi-payload mission will launch seven separate satellites and perform a series of on-orbit manoeuvres to deliver these satellites to their respective orbital locations.<br /><br />By giving the go-ahead, the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center is making a firm commitment to launch one of 18 missions assigned to ILS and the Lockheed Martin-built Atlas V rocket under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Program. Thus far the Air Force has converted five of those assignments into confirmed missions.<br /><br />The DoD Space Test Program, located at Detachment 12 of the Space and Missile Systems Center at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, is responsible for the integration of the STP-1 mission. The two-part Defense Advanced Research Programs Agency payload for the STP-1 mission, the Orbital Express spacecraft, will be integrated in the prime satellite location atop the EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA), which was developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory, also located at Kirtland. The ESPA will be populated with five smaller satellites. The STP-1 mission will launch from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.<br /><br />(source: International Launch Services)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Launches<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Cosmos 2406<br /><br />Launched: 10 June 2004<br />Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan<br />Launcher: Zenit 2<br />Orbit: LEO, apogee: 852 km, perigee: 834 km: inclination: 71.0°<br />International Number: 2004-021A<br />Name: Cosmos 2406<br />Owner: Russian Defense Ministry<br /><br />Cosmos 2406 is a Russian military Tselina-2 series electronic intelligence satellite.<br /><br />There has been considerable confusion over the naming of recent Cosmos satellites and the Russian Space Forces have renamed several satellites as follows:<br /><br />Cosmos 2405, launched on 18 February 2004 is now called Molniya-1T<br /><br />Cosmos 2406, launched on 27 March 2004 is now called Raduga-1<br /><br />Cosmos 2407, launched on 28 May 2004 is now called Cosmos 2405<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Business<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />New Skies Satellites to be Acquired by Blackstone<br /><br />(6 June 2004) New Skies Satellites NV has signed a definitive agreement for the sale of the company to affiliates of The Blackstone Group, a leading private investment firm, for US$ 956 million in cash, equivalent to approximately US$ 7.96 per fully diluted share.<br /><br />The Blackstone transaction has received unanimous approval from the Supervisory and Management Boards of New Skies, who intend to recommend it to the company's shareholders.<br /><br />The sale of the company will involve the transfer of New Skies' business and operations to Blackstone and the distribution of the cash proceeds to New Skies shareholders. The sale will be structured as a sale of New Skies' assets and liabilities. New Skies' business activities will be continued under ownership by Blackstone and all employment obligations will be honoured<br /><br />A circular with information on the transaction will be mailed to shareholders within approximately one week and an Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders will be held within approximately 40 days. Once the applicable regulatory approvals have been received and certain financing and other customary conditions have been satisfied, New Skies anticipates that the sale would be completed, and an initial distribution of approximately 95% of the sale proceeds paid to shareholders. This process is currently expected to conclude by approximately the end of 2004 or early 2005. A final distribution of the remaining proceeds will be made shortly thereafter.<br /><br />(source: News Skies Satellites)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Products and Services<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />AGI Releases STK 6.0<br /><br />(7 June 2004) Analytical Graphics Inc (AGI) has released STK 6.0, the latest version of its STK analysis software for land, sea, air, and space. Upgrades to STK incorporate enhanced 3-D interactivity and visual cues; terrain and imagery; and data visualisation that enable users to understand complex spatial and temporal relationships at a glance.<br /><br />STK 6.0 includes upgrades to several STK add-on modules: STK/Comm, STK/MATLAB Interface, and STK/Scheduler.<br /><br />(source: Analytical Graphics)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Conexant Announces New Cable and Satellite Set-Top Box Reference Designs<br /><br />(9 June 2004) Conexant Systems Inc has announced the availability of two new digital video broadcast (DVB) cable and satellite set-top box (STB) reference designs.<br /><br />The cost-effective cable platform is based on Conexant's CX24147 TV decoder IC, a highly integrated design that enables manufacturers to significantly reduce bill-of-material (BOM) costs for basic cable STB receivers. The satellite reference design has been developed for high-performance, low-cost STB receivers world-wide. It is based on Conexant's CX24142 single-chip direct broadcast satellite (DBS) TV decoder IC and CX24109 silicon tuner to provide a complete system solution. These platforms provide manufacturers with a competitive edge by allowing them to reduce design and development costs and rapidly deliver new products to market.<br /><br />The DVB cable reference design, which is based on Conexant's CX24147 television decoder, can receive and process digital video broadcast signals over cable. The CX24147 includes an integrated voltage-controlled crystal oscillator (VCXO), complete system clock generation from a single crystal, and high quality 10-bit video digital-to-analogue converters (DACs) that support direct drive of video output connectors without the need for additional buffering.<br /><br />The DVB satellite STB reference design is based on Conexant's CX24109 integrated digital satellite tuner and CX24142 single-chip television decoder IC. In addition to the features provided by the CX24147, the CX24142 includes an integrated QPSK demodulator and FEC decoder, and DiSEqC 2.x support for two-way communication between the STB and low noise block (LNB). The CX24109 satellite tuner is based on a proven direct-conversion, Zero-IF architecture, and includes an integrated low noise amplifier, an integrated variable baseband filter that provides optimal interference rejection, and an integrated local oscillator with on-chip voltage-controlled oscillator and synthesizer that further reduces the overall cost of a complete set-top box.<br /><br />Both reference designs provide manufacturers with complete turnkey solutions including schematics, layout, a costed bill-of-material, software drivers, royalty-free real-time operating system (RTOS), user interface, electronic program guide (EPG) and documentation. The reference designs also include support for various middleware, and SmartCard or DVB-CI based conditional access systems.<br /><br />(source: Conexant Systems)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Easy Emailing and SMSing to Inmarsat-C terminals<br /><br />(8 June 2004) Xantic has announced a new service for sending emails and SMS messages to Inmarsat-C terminals. Xantic Prepaid Messaging is an easy-to-use, prepaid solution, offering the convenience of online payment as well as full online customer support facilities.<br /><br />Xantic Prepaid Messaging is the ideal way for private users and small businesses to send messages to Inmarsat-C mobile terminals. They can be sent from any email address or GSM phone (SMS) served by Xantic’s roaming partners.<br /><br />Registrations and payments are facilitated online, via the Xantic website. Users can request one or more Xantic Prepaid (XP) numbers: the identification numbers needed to make use of the service. Credits for each XP number can be uploaded at any time of the day or night using a credit card.<br /><br />Xantic Prepaid Messaging provides a gateway service between the Internet and the Inmarsat-C network. The gateway is equipped with a virus filter for customer security. Users can control online who is authorised to use their XP number to send messages. They also have the ability to lookup the history on payments and messages sent.<br /><br />With the Xantic Prepaid Messaging service the monthly invoicing of traffic is no longer necessary. As payments are made by credit card, users are no longer confronted with expensive international bank transfers to pay their bill.<br /><br />No special software or hardware is needed to implement Xantic Prepaid Messaging and users receive a delivery notification (positive or negative) indicating the status and cost of each email or SMS sent. The status and cost of each message can also be reviewed at the Online Message History Overview for each XP number.<br /><br />As a further incentive to register with the new Prepaid Messaging service, Xantic is offering customers 10% extra free credit if they upload the balance of their prepaid numbers before 15 August 2004.<br /><br />(source: Xantic)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Marlink Supports Security Solutions at Sea<br /><br />(9 June 2004) Marlink is to offer Inmarsat C, Mini-C, and a variety of Iridium satellite solutions to help ship owners meet the upcoming International Maritime Organisation (IMO)-directed Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) communications requirements.<br /><br />These new satellite communications mandates are in response to growing maritime concerns over piracy and shipboard terrorist attacks. The IMO has defined a new set of communications requirements for ships at sea that are designed to improve security of ships and set to begin July 1, 2004.<br /><br />The SSAS alert is a one-way, ship-to-shore alarm that originates aboard ship and is transmitted by an authorised communications provider to the competent authority as designated by the vessel's flag state. The flag state authority is then responsible for notifying the appropriate response agencies.<br /><br />This new IMO SSAS directive requires certain vessel types to install a SSAS by July 1, 2004. Other types of cargo vessels and offshore facilities must comply by July 2006.<br /><br />Marlink is a company of Telenor Satellite Services.<br /><br />(source: Marlink)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />New Skies Expands 2-Way Broadband Internet Services in Asia and Latin America<br /><br />(10 June 2004) New Skies Satellites NV has unveiled two new Internet offerings, IPsys Broadband - for Asia and IPsys Bandwidth on Demand - for Latin America, designed to deliver next-generation two-way satellite broadband services.<br /><br />Both services have been designed so that telecommunications companies, service providers, network integrators, ISPs and other resellers can cost-effectively establish integrated networks using the shared hubs to offer high-quality, cost-effective broadband Internet services virtually anywhere within the coverage areas - regardless of the physical terrain or the extent of terrestrial communications networks. Potential applications include virtual private networks and high-speed Internet connectivity, video conferencing, rural telecommunications, Voice over IP, distance learning networks and telemedicine, etc.<br /><br />In Latin America, New Skies has launched a new IP broadband network hub provided by Shiron Satellite Communications at the company's state-of-the-art Washington DC mediaport to offer IPsys Bandwidth on Demand (BoD) to customers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean over the NSS-806 satellite. The service enables the use small C band antennas throughout the entire region due to NSS-806's high-powered coverage of the Americas.<br /><br />In Asia, New Skies' IPsys Broadband features a Newtec DVB-RCS (digital video broadcast-return channel by satellite) hub installed at the company's partner mediaport facility in Hong Kong. The hub will take advantage of the NSS-6 satellite's powerful Ku band coverage of South and Northeast Asia. The service is currently undergoing beta testing and will be commercially available in late 2004.<br /><br />The new services will significantly expand the broadband reach of New Skies' customers, enabling them to provide an ubiquitous level of service and established cost-effective, two-way networks throughout the IPsys Broadband and IPsys BoD footprints. These capabilities will allow them to develop new market segments where terrestrial solutions are not available and where satellite solutions previously were too expensive.<br /><br />The IPsys Bandwidth on Demand service uses a Shiron InterSKY hub and employs Shiron's InterSKY terminals. New Skies' NSS-806 satellite will create flexible two-way links directly between the terminals and the two-way hub at speeds of up to 4 Mb/s on the downlink and return links up to 384 kb/s. The service also benefits from NSS-806 strong reliability record, providing an availability rate better than 99.99 percent during the last three consecutive years of service. IPsys BoD allows New Skies' service provider and ISP customers to cost effectively deploy solutions for education, government and corporate users.<br /><br />IPsys Broadband will employ Newtec's DVB-RCS technology and NSS-6's high-powered Ku band capacity to enable high-speed, two-way IP transmissions between customer sites and the hub at speeds up to 8 Mb/s on the downlink and return links up to 2 Mb/s. The IPsys Broadband service will provide end users a true 'Broadband Experience' through the use of TCP/IP acceleration, pre-fetching technology and web caching enabling super-fast performance for commonly supported applications such as web browsing and file downloads. Further service enhancements will allow our customers to competitively target the enterprise market through the support of virtual private networks (VPN).<br /><br />(source: New Skies Satellites)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />Telenor Satellite Services Announces Broadband Service for Maritime Industry<br /><br />(9 June 2004) Telenor Satellite Services today announced the commercial launch of Sealink Global Access, the company's latest broadband communications package delivering high-speed global access to the maritime industry.<br /><br />This new maritime very small aperture terminal (VSAT) service provides ships with connections of up to 256 kb/s and at a fixed monthly fee.<br /><br />The Sealink Global Access off-the-shelf package includes on-board telephone/fax lines, Internet and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) access, installation and maintenance of the on-board antenna and equipment, and around-the-clock customer support. The new service can be tailored to meet specific shipboard satellite communications needs including prepaid calling service for passengers and crew, additional phones and data ports, and fixed leased lines to ships' land-based facilities from Telenor's teleports.<br /><br />Sealink is Telenor's suite of digital high-speed communications solutions that extend corporate networks and make other broadband communications available on a leased basis to ships at sea. Currently serving more than 300 vessels globally, Sealink provides turnkey managed communications solutions for a wide variety of maritime industries as well as ocean-going transportation and supply operations.<br /><br />(source: Telenor Satellite Services)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />The Swe-Dish Suitcase Gets Intelsat Type Approval<br /><br />(10 June 2004) The Intelsat type approval for the Swe-Dish Suitcase satellite system (reg. nr. IA097AA0) comes less than four months after it received a Eutelsat type approval.<br /><br />The Swe-Dish Suitcase is one of very few antenna systems of its size and type to have an Intelsat type approval. A type approval ensures that the equipment meets Intelsat operating performance requirements, and that all units of the model perform in a similar manner. The type approval simplifies the task of connecting to the Intelsat system, as well as to other satellite operators that rely on Intelsat’s advice. Before issuing the type approval, Intelsat did a thorough evaluation of the Suitcase.<br /><br />The Swe-Dish Suitcase satellite system is the world’s most compact and quickest-to-air satellite terminal. The Suitcase, with its one-person operation and exceptional technical performance, allows live broadband transmission from virtually anywhere in the world. The Suitcase is used for everything from ordinary satellite news gathering (SNG) to IP-over-satellite.<br /><br />(source: Swe-Dish Satellite Systems)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />People<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />NASA Names Langley Research Center Deputy Director<br /><br />(9 June 2004) Roy D. Bridges Jr., Director of NASA's Langley Research Center (LaRC), has named Lesa Roe as Deputy Director.<br /><br />Roe will assist in the general management of the Center and act with the authority of the Director in his absence. She will help plan, organise and direct Center and inter-centre activities to advance research significant to national aerospace programs and objectives.<br /><br />Roe has served as LaRC Associate Director for Business Management since August 2003. She was responsible for business functions and provided leadership in the development, evaluation and recommendation of new or modified business objectives.<br /><br />Roe has more than 18 years experience in engineering, technical and managerial positions, working for both government and private industry. Her background includes four years International Space Station Program Management; nine years experience in Technical Management and Project Engineering; and five years experience in Radio Frequency Communications Test and Payload Systems Engineering.<br /><br />Roe started her engineering career performing satellite communications analysis for Hughes Space and Communications in El Segundo, California.<br /><br />Roe earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Florida in 1986 and a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Central Florida in 1991. She completed executive management programs at Harvard University, the University of Michigan and Smith College.<br /><br />(source: NASA)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />NASA Names New Flight Center Deputy Director<br /><br />(10 June 2004) Kevin Petersen, Director, Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC), has named Steven Schmidt as Deputy Director.<br /><br />Schmidt has served as the Special Assistant to the NASA Administrator since January 2002. He is serving as the Executive Director for the President's Space Commission. He also served as the Executive Secretary for Management on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, and as the Executive Assistant for the International Space Station Management and Cost Evaluation Task Force.<br /><br />Schmidt joined NASA in November 1994. He was involved with various programs at DFRC, including the X-33, X-38, X-43A, F-15 ACTIVE and SR-71, until December 2001, when he became the Assistant to the Associate Center Director for Planning. Prior to joining NASA, Schmidt was employed by the Rockwell International Corporation. He started as an aerospace engineer in 1983 in the company's Space Shuttle manufacturing operations facility in Palmdale, California. In 1984, he became a project engineer at the company's B-1B bomber facilities in El Segundo.<br /><br />Schmidt graduated from California State University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, and continued his education toward a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering program. In 2000, he completed the certificate in public administration from Syracuse University. He also completed a Fellowship in the National Security Studies Program at Syracuse. He graduated with honours from Syracuse University with a degree in Public Administration in 2001.<br /><br />(source: NASA)<br /><br />**********************************************************************<br /><br />SS/Loral's Names VP of Business Development for NASA and Civil Government Business<br /><br />(10 June 2004) Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) has announced that Robert Prevaux has been named vice president, business development and will assume SS/L's marketing and sales responsibilities for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other civil agencies. He will report to Arnold Friedman, senior vice president of marketing and sales.<br /><br />Mr. Prevaux, a 27-year veteran of the space and telecommunications industries, was most recently executive director for SS/L's satellite radio programs, responsible for complete program management of mobile broadcasting satellites including MBSAT and the Sirius Satellite Radio constellation. In addition to managing large satellite programs, he has also participated in the design and implementation of satellite systems, communications payloads and industrial telecommunications systems. Prior to joining SS/L, he was president of CTS Inc., an aerospace services company.<br /><br />Mr. Prevaux holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan.<br /><br />(source: Loral Space and Communications)<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 service and accepts no liability for mistakes and errors. 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