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Автор volod, 22.08.2008 19:46:00

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Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1123303221

May 17, 2011

Ball Aerospace... Victory With Vacuum Testing (Satellite)

A most crucial test has now been passed for this satellite, which will launch later this year...

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has successfully completed thermal vacuum testing for NASA's NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite to advance the spacecraft closer to a planned October 25, 2011, launch. The two-month-long test, which concluded on April 27, verified that the NPP spacecraft and five-instrument suite meet requirements to function properly in a space-like environment. Post-environmental performance testing is now underway, to be followed by a pre-ship review. In August, the spacecraft will be delivered to the Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc, Calif., for launch preparations. The polar-orbiting NPP satellite will continue providing long-term weather forecasting and environmental monitoring that began following launch of the nation's first weather satellite on April 1, 1960. Since then, both polar and geostationary weather satellites have provided life-saving planning and decision making information for weather and other natural disasters.

"Given the fact that the U.S. has more severe weather than any other country, it's crucial that decision makers have seamless data from the nation's next weather satellite to protect the country's economic stability," said Cary Ludtke, vice president and general manager for the Ball Aerospace civil and operational space business unit. "This major milestone puts NPP a step closer to providing those continued observations." NPP will fly a suite of advanced-technology remote sensing instruments that include:

•The Visible/Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)
•The Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS)
•The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS)
•The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS)
•The Clouds and the Earth Radiant Energy System (CERES)
Under contract to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Ball Aerospace is providing its BCP 2000 spacecraft bus under fixed-price terms for NPP, and as well as the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) instrument. NPP has a seven-year design life, with a five-year mission life and incorporates both MIL-STS-1553 and IEEE 1394 (Fire Wire) data. In addition, NPP's Common Ground System will be employed for the first time.

Ball Aerospace has successfully completed thermal vacuum testing for the NPP satellite, as it moves closer to a planned October 25, 2011, launch. Photo courtesy of Ball Aerosapce
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1184416728

May 19, 2011

GMV + Thales Alenia Space... Dynamics Development (Satellite)

[SatNews] With a lower orbital altitude, this satellite will have faster transmission rates, and this Company will provide the flight dynamics system...

Thales Alenia Space has awarded GMV a contract to supply the flight dynamics system for the O3b satellite constellation that will be set up by O3b Networks Ltd. The constellation, which will comprise 16 satellites in circular orbit along the equator, is designed to improve Internet access in remote areas of the world. The aim is to provide broadband Internet coverage to about 3 billion users (half of the world's population), almost all of them from emerging countries, thus helping to narrow the "digital divide". Unlike other communications satellites, the O3b satellites will not be placed in a geostationary orbit (at a height of 36,000 kilometers) but rather at about 8,000 kilometers. This will speed up transmission rates considerably because the distance the signals must be sent is smaller. At this height, the communications latency is reduced fivefold, to about 0.1 seconds.

 The flight dynamics system will be based on focusCn, from GMV
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Луноход

http://www.avia.ru/news/?id=1306418442

Израиль и Россия будут вместе создавать малые спутники[/size]

Израиль и Российская Федерация подписали соглашение о создании центра по разработке малых космических спутников, сообщает Newsru.co.il со ссылкой на радиостанцию "Коль Исраэль".
 
Согласно условиям соглашения, центр создается на базе одного из университетов Томска и двух израильских компаний соответствующего профиля. Разрабатываемые спутники предназначены для гражданского использования.
 
Стороны рассчитывают отправить в космос первый разработанный в центре спутник уже в этом году.
 
Следует отметить, что накануне генеральный конструктор "Газпром космические системы" Николая Севастьянов отметил отставание России в области развития космических геоинформационных технологий. Побывавший в апреле в Москве глава израильского Космического агентства Ицхак Бен-Исраэль говорил, что Израиль лидирует в мире по разработке легких разведывательных спутников и других космических технологий, и может многое предложить России. Он также отмечал, что подписанное соглашение между Роскосмосом и израильским Космическим агентством будет способствовать быстрому развитию двустороннего сотрудничества в этом направлении.
 
Напомним, недавно в Израиль прибыли космонавты Алексей Леонов и Михаил Корниенко, участвующие в фестивале "Лимуд".

ZOOR

Украина и Перу будут сотрудничать в космической сфере[/size]

Кабинет Министров принял распоряжение "О подписании Рамочного соглашения между Правительством Украины и Правительством Перу о сотрудничестве в сфере космической деятельности", сообщает пресс-служба ведомства.

Необходимость заключения данного Соглашения вызвано заинтересованностью обеих сторон в налаживании сотрудничества в рамках совместных космических проектов и предусмотрено поручением Кабинета Министров Украины от 01.04.2008 года № 12319/5/1-08.

Рамочное соглашение предусматривает сотрудничество в таких в частности сферах, как разработка и участие в совместных проектах и деятельности по исследованиям и развитию технологий, техническая помощь, совместное использование техники и элементов инфраструктуры, сотрудничество в сфере стандартизации и лицензирования; обмен научно-техническим персоналом; консультации и сотрудничество с правительственными учреждениями, промышленными предприятиями, научными учреждениями и другими организациями.

По информации главного разработчика Государственного космического агентства, реализация акта не нуждается в дополнительных расходах государственного бюджета. Финансирование реализации положений Рамочного Соглашения предусматривается осуществлять за счет средств субъектов космической деятельности (предприятий - участников реализации проектов), а также в пределах средств общего фонда Государственного бюджета Украины, КПКВ 638 1010 "Руководство и управление в сфере космической деятельности" и КПКВ 6381040 "Мероприятия по развитию космической деятельности и производства космической техники".
Я зуб даю за то что в первом пуске Ангары с Восточного полетит ГВМ Пингвина. © Старый
Если болит сердце за народные деньги - можно пойти в депутаты. © Neru - Старому

ZOOR

Хотя The 2nd Nano-Satellite Symposium was held on March 14 at the University of Tokyo and the rest of the program on March 15 and 16 was cancelled due to the Great East Japan Earthquake stuck in north-eastern Japan они успели провести Mission Idea Contest.

В полуфинал вышел Sergii Moskalov, Yuzhnoye State Design Office (Ukraine)   с докладом Satellite Constellation for Monitoring of Chemical Composition of Earth Atmosphere

В призеры не попали Saulius Lapienis, Space Science and Technology Institute с докладом Global orbital monitoring of nuclear facilities decommissioning и Domantas Brucas, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University с докладом Monitoring of on Earth Vegetation by Means of Spectral Analysis (оба - Lithuania)

Посмотреть презенташки можно тут - http://www.axelspace.com/missionideacontest/finalists.html
Я зуб даю за то что в первом пуске Ангары с Восточного полетит ГВМ Пингвина. © Старый
Если болит сердце за народные деньги - можно пойти в депутаты. © Neru - Старому

Salo

http://www.regnum.ru/news/economy/1410534.html

Президент Туркмении распорядился создать Национальное космическое агентство[/size]

Президент Туркмении Гурбангулы Бердымухамедов распорядился создать Национальное космическое агентство, передает корреспондент ИА REGNUM. Как сообщает пресс-служба главы туркменского государства, данное решение принято в целях широкого внедрения научных достижений в экономику страны, а также налаживания, развития и совершенствования космической деятельности в Туркмении.

"Документом на Национальное космическое агентство при президенте Туркмении возложены функции по контролю за околоземной орбитой, налаживанию спутниковой связи, проведению научных исследований, связанных с космическим пространством, а также организации управления искусственным спутником с территории Туркмении", - отмечает пресс-служба Бердымухамедова.

Следует отметить, что правительство Туркмении приступило к переговорам с потенциальными партнерами о приобретении собственного национального искусственного спутника еще в 2009 году. Тогда туркменский лидер отметил, что наличие собственного спутника должно ускорить развитие в стране систем связи и интернета, телевидения, способствовать реализации экологических программ, совершенствованию методов разведки новых месторождений, а также успешной реализации госпрограмм.

В настоящее время Ашхабад определился с компанией, которая будет осуществлять этот проект и выведет Туркмению в число стран "космического клуба". Ею стала американская компания SpaceX, которая приняла обязательство запустить первый космический спутник Туркмении в 2014 году.
КМ
США берут курс на союз с исламскими радикалами
Америка пошла на конфликт с Китаем и Россией
В России повысят пенсионный возраст

На данный момент пять туркменских телеканалов - музыкальный канал "Туркмен овазы" (Туркменские мелодии), туристический канал "Туркменистан" на шести языках и национальные телеканалы "Алтын Асыр" (Золотой век), "Яшлык" (Молодость) и "Мирас" (Наследие) транслируются через спутник "Ямал-201" российского спутникового оператора "Газпром космические системы".



http://www.turkmenistan.gov.tm/?idr=1&id=110530a
30.05.2011 23:17

 Указ Президента Туркменистана[/size]

О создании Национального космического агентства при Президенте Туркменистана

В целях широкого внедрения научных достижений в экономику страны в эпоху нового Возрождения и великих преобразований, а также налаживания, развития и совершенствования космической деятельности в Туркменистане постановляю:

1. Создать Национальное космическое агентство при Президенте Туркменистана.
2. Возложить на Национальное космическое агентство при Президенте Туркменистана функции по контролю за околоземной орбитой, налаживанию спутниковой связи, проведению научных исследований, связанных с космическим пространством, а также организации управления искусственным спутником с территории Туркменистана.
3. Контроль за исполнением данного Указа возложить на заместителей Председателя Кабинета Министров Туркменистана Г.Мезилова, Н.Шагулыева, министра национальной безопасности Туркменистана Я.Бердиева и председателя Национального космического агентства при Президенте Туркменистана.

Президент Туркменистана,
Верховный Главнокомандующий Вооруженными Силами Туркменистана
Гурбангулы Бердымухамедов
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1875749395

June 07, 2011

Nigeria... Peaceful Resolution Request + Lauch Expectations (Satellites)

A request for "peace" between to Nigerian agencies and launch expectations...

Science and Technology Minister, Prof. Mohammed Kaoje Abubakar, who is now leaving this office, has urged officials of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) and Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited to close ranks by maintaining the peace between them. The minister spoke in Abuja when he talked with the board of NIGCOMSAT, led by former Science and Technology Minister, Prof. Turner Isoun. In a veiled reference to the bickering and altercations of top officials of the two agencies over supremacy, Prof. Abubakar affirmed his commitment to ensuring that NIGCOMSAT attains a full-fledged parastatal status under the Science and Technology Ministry "to erase doubts as to its legal status" by asking the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Dere Awosika, to engage all concerned to ensure that this is achieve' within the shortest possible time. The minister said it was out of place for NASRDA to create the impression that it is the singular authority to launch satellites in Nigeria, adding that this could potentially prevent any smooth enterprise in the sector. He added that the proper thing to do was for NASRDA to seek ways of cooperating with NIGCOMSAT Limited bring into reality the plan for space development and national growth.

Abubakar said he was satisfied with the work of NIGCOMSAT Managing Director, Ahmed Rufai, hence his recommendation for a fresh four-year term to the President in June last year. The minister enjoined the management of both agencies to cooperate and work in harmony, ensuring that both work for the good of Nigeria and asked the NIGCOMSAT Isoun to see that through during his tenure. The minister said he had goodwill towards all the agencies under his command. (Source: TNV (The Nigerian Voice).)

An additional development on the Nigerian space front was the NASRDA announcement regarding the launch of two satellites into the orbit before the end of this month, to complement the existing NigeriaSat-1. Known as NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X, the satellites will be launched before the end of June. The agency's Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Felix Ale, stated this during a lecture delivered at OSRC Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Akure. Ale said the satellites would provide a high resolution system to map Nigeria once in every four months. According to him, "the satellites would support the National Geospatial Data Infrastructure (NGDI) program of the government by providing high quality data and enhance human resources in the use of satellite data. (Source: Vanguard, by Dayo Johnson.)

Artistic rendition of NigeriaSat2, courtesy of SSTL
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1193254631

June 02, 2011

Sea Launch + Intelsat... Sending Off A STAR GEO (Launch)

The satellite, designed for 15 years of service life, will be driven into orbit by a Zenit-3SLB...

Sea Launch AG will launch the Intelsat 18 (IS-18) communications satellite in the second half of 2011 under a contract with Intelsat. Built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, IS-18 is one of ten STAR GEO communications satellites ordered by Intelsat and will carry a C- and a Ku-band payload and will be located in an orbital slot at 180 degrees East. IS-18 will have a launch mass of 3,200 kg (7,055 lb.) and is designed for 15 years of service. IS-18's C-band payload will serve Eastern Asia, the Pacific and the Western United States and its Ku-band payload will serve French Polynesia, Eastern Australia and the United States. The satellite will be lofted to an optimized geosynchronous transfer orbit using the reliable Zenit-3SLB vehicle launching from Site 45 at the Zenit Launch Complex located within the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. We are most pleased that Intelsat came to Sea Launch to provide the launch solution for IS-18," said Kjell Karlsen, president of Sea Launch. "This decision reflects our customer's continued confidence in our renewed capabilities to provide quality launch services on schedule and with maximum flexibility."
 
Artistic rendition of the Intelsat-18 satellite, courtesy of Orbital Sciences
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1695872139
June 02, 2011

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates... Critical Downlinking (Imagery

The Company is going to provide crucial data for disaster relief and monitoring....

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX: MDA) has revealed that RADARSAT-2 information will be used by the Government of Russia to enhance their ability to provide critical information to support disaster relief, improve the safety of maritime navigation, and increase its ability to monitor, and respond to oil spills, etc. MDA's deliveries of two RADARSAT-2 ground station solutions to ScanEx Research and Development Centre in Russia, included downlinks from the RADARSAT-2 satellite along with maintenance, training and support, for a contract value of over $4 million (CAD). The ground stations are located at the Samara State Aerospace University and the Northern Arctic Federal University, who will use the RADARSAT-2 data to support their educational and scientific programs.

С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Salo

http://www.spacenews.com/satellite_telecom/110607-astrium-build-kuband-measat-3b.html

Astrium To Build All Ku-band Measat-3b[/size]
By Peter B. de Selding

    PARIS — Astrium Satellites of Europe will build the all-Ku-band Measat-3b satellite for fleet operator Measat of Malaysia, permitting Measat to more than double its Ku-band capacity at the 91.5 degrees east orbital slot, Measat announced June 7.

    Measat-3b will carry 48 Ku-band transponders and will operate alongside the Measat-3 and Measat-3a satellites already at that orbital slot. But unlike these two spacecraft, Measat-3b will not carry a C-band payload.

    Measat said the satellite would carry direct-broadcast television and professional video services to customers in Malaysia, India and Indonesia, with sufficient capacity to "support a fourth market" that Measat did not identify. The India beam will be designed to cover the whole of the Indian subcontinent.

    In addition to expanding Measat's service offering, Measat-3b "will also add further redundancy to our fleet, creating the region's most robust satellite network able to provide the highest levels of service assurance to our customers," Measat Chairman Datuk Umar bin Haji Abu said in a June 7 statement.

    Measat said a launcher for the satellite has not been selected. Astrium Satellites said in a statement that Measat-3b, a Eurostar 3000 platform, will weigh about 5,800 kilograms at launch and deliver 16 kilowatts of power to its payload.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=531425039

June 10, 2011

Northrop Grumman... Bus'ing In Lower Costs (Spacecraft)

The first of several design, building and delivery steps have now been completed...

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) recently completed a systems requirement review (SRR) for a new spacecraft bus to reduce costs to space operations. Under the Modular Space Vehicle (MSV) program, the successful SRR and future preliminary design reviews and system implementation is part of a contract with National Aeronautics and Space Administration Ames in support of the Department of Defense (DoD) Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) office at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.  "We are delighted with the progress this team has made since the program kick off last December," said Steve Hixson, vice president, Advanced Concepts – Space and Directed Energy Systems. "Northrop Grumman is focused on supporting the program office and their vision of providing operationally responsive space assets in a manner that gives Joint Force Commanders more access to the outer limits of space."

The systems requirements review (SRR) is a joint meeting with the customer to verify that Northrop Grumman's design approach is consistent with the program budget and schedule. This program milestone also ensures that the contractor and customer share a clear, complete and unambiguous understanding of the system requirements, and are aware of the program's technical risks and management of those risks. "We're progressing toward a mission level systems requirement review which will happen in early summer," said Rick Hayner, MSV program manager. "The team has been totally engaged with our partners to ensure our MSV bus solution meets the capability envisioned by the ORS office. At this point, we're ready to proceed with preliminary design which will culminate in a preliminary design review this fall." Hayner also noted that the MSV is a multi-mission spacecraft bus employing a Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) and using network avionics architecture technology to allow for rapid manufacturing, integration and test.
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1575700342

June 09, 2011

Boeing...NEXT In Line (Satellite)

Testing and integration are part of this Company's new priorities for this new satellite...

The Boeing Company [NYSE] has received a contract from Thales Alenia Space to provide system integration and testing support for Iridium NEXT. Iridium NEXT is the next-generation satellite constellation being designed, built and launched by Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM). Thales Alenia is the prime contractor for Iridium NEXT. This long-term contract, extending through 2017, allows Boeing to continue its strong partnerships with both Thales Alenia and Iridium. In July 2010, Iridium also announced that it extended its long-term relationship with Boeing for satellite network operations support for the current Iridium constellation as well as Iridium NEXT. The Iridium satellite network is the world's farthest-reaching communications network and the largest commercial satellite constellation in existence today. Iridium is the only provider of truly global voice and data communications services. Boeing has maintained the software and managed Iridium satellite operations for more than 10 years. Iridium NEXT will seamlessly transition Iridium customers to the benefits of the company's planned enhanced satellite services and capabilities. Under this new contract, Boeing will work with Thales Alenia to provide support for the system integration and testing of the Iridium NEXT satellites. Boeing's Mission Operations group, out of its Chandler, Ariz., and Leesburg, Va., locations, will support this program.
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

АниКей

Цитироватьhttp://www.i-mash.ru/news/nov_predpr/14305-krasnogorskijj-zavod-im.-s.a.-zvereva-vyigral.html Сегодня, 09:31            

ОАО "Красногорский завод им. С.А. Зверева" признано победителем открытого конкурса на право заключения государственного контракта "Разработка опережающего задела бортовых приборов дистанционного зондирования Земли" в части разработки эскизного проекта на создание широкозахватной многоспектральной аппаратуры среднего разрешения.
[/size]

Конкурс был объявлен Федеральным космическим агентством (Роскосмос) в рамках Федеральной космической программы России на 2006-2015 годы (постановление Правительства Российской Федерации от 22.10.2005 г. № 635).


Целью выполнения ОКР является разработка эскизного проекта на создание широкозахватной многоспектральной аппаратуры среднего пространственного разрешения (АСР) для перспективного космического аппарата дистанционного зондирования Земли.


Изделие должно обеспечивать:

    съемку поверхности Земли в видимом и коротковолновом инфракрасном диапазонах спектра;
    преобразование движущегося изображения в цифровой видеосигнал;
    съемку звездного неба (одновременно со съемкой Земли) с целью высокоточного определения ориентации оптической системы оптико-электронного комплекса высокого разрешения;
    фотометрическую калибровку.


Важным отличием АСР от разработанных ранее отечественных и зарубежных аналогов является обеспечение при широкой полосе захвата одновременной съемки в шести спектральных каналах, что позволит получить качественно новую информацию дистанционного зондирования Земли.


Изделие восполнит пробел в техническом и технологическом обеспечении отечественной системы космического природно-ресурсного мониторинга, в информационном обеспечении природохозяйственных отраслей, в мониторинге чрезвычайных ситуаций природного и техногенного характера.

Источник: и-Маш. Ресурс Машиностроения.
А кто не чтит цитат — тот ренегат и гад!

Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=664970607

 June 13, 2011

Orbital Sciences + THAICOM... Build Me Another, Please (Satellite)

Hybrid services for 78.5 degrees East are in this new build...

Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) has announced that THAICOM Plc. (SET Index: THCOM) has awarded the company a firm contract for the Thaicom 6 communications satellite.  Based on Orbital's GEOStar-2™ satellite platform, the Thaicom 6 satellite will be designed, manufactured and tested at Orbital's satellite manufacturing facility in Dulles, VA. The Thaicom 6 satellite is planned to be launched in mid-2013. The Thaicom 6 satellite's payload will offer hybrid Ku- and C-band services to the South and Southeast Asia and Southern Africa regions.  The satellite will generate approximately 3.7 kilowatts of payload power and will be located at 78.5 degrees East.

The Thaicom 6 satellite is the 34th geosynchronous-Earth orbit communications satellite ordered by Orbital's customers around the world, 23 of which are in orbit with 11 others in design, production or pre-launch preparations.  It is Orbital's second order of the year for its commercial communications satellites following the order in February by SES WORLD SKIES for the SES-8 satellite. Orbital's communications satellites are based on the company's GEOStar satellite platform, which is able to accommodate all types of commercial communications payloads. The GEOStar design is optimized for satellite missions requiring up to 7.5 kilowatts of payload power.  In most instances, the affordable GEOStar satellite can be built and delivered in 24 months or less. The GEOStar platform can also host separate government-sponsored payloads that take advantage of the satellite's spare mass, power and communications capacity, as well as its quick launch schedule and demonstrated record of in-orbit reliability. For example, Orbital and SES WORLD SKIES have already teamed with the U.S. Air Force to deploy the experimental Commercially Hosted Infrared Payload (CHIRP), built by Science Applications International Corporation.

Artistic rendition of the Thaicom 6 satellite
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=229440789

June 13, 2011

SpaceX...Thaicom 6 Is Eighth Aboard Ninth (Launch)

Thaicom has chosen SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket to launch its Thaicom 6 satellite.

Thai satellite company THAICOM Plc. (SET Index: THCOM) has chosen Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to launch the new Thaicom 6 telecommunications satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) from its Cape Canaveral launch site in the second quarter of 2013. The contract brings another international launch to the United States to fly with SpaceX. Thaicom is the eighth non-U.S. customer manifested for upcoming flights aboard the Falcon 9.

"This deal highlights the confidence that satellite operators have in SpaceX capabilities, and is the latest example of the effect SpaceX is having on the international commercial launch market," said Elon Musk, SpaceX chief executive officer (CEO) and chief technical officer (CTO). "Asia is a critical market and SpaceX is honored to support its growing launch needs with a reliable U.S.-based solution."

The Thaicom 6 satellite is designed to serve the growing satellite television market in South and South-East Asia, as well as Southern Africa. Built by Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Virginia , and expected to weigh about 3,200 kilograms at launch, the satellite will operate from 78.5 degrees east and carry 18 C-band and eight Ku-band transponders. Thaicom 6 is planned to be in service by the middle of 2013.

Arak Chonlatanon, CEO of Thaicom Plc., said, "The Falcon 9 will serve our unique needs at Thaicom. This dedicated launch vehicle is both cost-effective and best-matched to our requirements. We look forward to working closely with the SpaceX team to ensure that the Thaicom 6 satellite will be successfully launched."
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Salo

http://www.spacenews.com/satellite_telecom/110624-ohb-buys-ssc-space-systems.html

Fri, 24 June, 2011
OHB Buys SSC's Space Systems Division
By Peter B. de Selding

 LE BOURGET, France — Fast-growing satellite and rocket hardware manufacturer OHB of Germany, which already has operations in Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg, has established a foothold in Sweden with the purchase of the Space Systems division of SSC, officials with the companies said.

 The transaction, described as an asset deal in which OHB assumes the risks of the Space Systems division's future performance, was concluded for a symbolic price of 1 Swedish krona, or about 15 U.S. cents, according to two officials.

 The Space Systems division has reported revenue of about 10 million euros ($14 million) per year in recent years and counts 53 employees who will remain where they are and will be organized under the name of OHB Sweden, OHB Chief Executive Marco R. Fuchs said June 23.

 In an interview, Fuchs said OHB hopes to take advantage of any increase in Swedish government space spending in the coming years. Sweden's space budget is not increasing now, and SSC — 100 percent government-owned but operated as a profit-making enterprise — had been trying to sell the Space Systems division for about a year.

 The Space Systems division includes SSC's work as a subcontractor on the OHB-led Small-Geo satellite platform, which is being financed by the 19-nation European Space Agency (ESA). Fuchs said OHB wanted to consolidate the Small-Geo contracting team and that a purchase of the Swedish team by a larger company might have meant relocating it or shutting it down.

 In a June 20 statement, OHB said SSC has "an essential share in the development and construction of the [Small-Geo] platform, which is of material importance to the OHB Group."

 In a transaction that had similar motivations, OHB recently purchased the Belgian operations of Thales Alenia Space of France and Italy when the Franco-Italian manufacturer decided that the Belgian operation was too small to be retained on its own.

 Under ESA's geographic-return rules, each nation contributing to an ESA program is promised that most of its contribution will return in the form of contracts to its national industry. The new OHB Sweden thus stands to gain with any increase in Swedish space spending.

 SSC Chief Executive Lars Persson said June 22 that SSC is glad the transfer of ownership was done with a company that already works with the Space Systems division.

 "It is really a good fit and it will be good for OHB to open operations in a new country," Persson said in an interview. "This is very much the right step for the people in the division, and for the industry. The division is going into a bigger company with a full order book."

 Persson confirmed that SSC had been trying to sell the division for a year and had reviewed other possible transactions that offered less in the way of growth for the division.

 In addition to its work on the Small-Geo satellite platform, the new OHB Sweden manages the Swedish Prisma two-satellite formation-flying system, which includes an experimental satellite fuel that SSC believes one day should replace hydrazine.

 The German space agency, DLR, has recently leased the Prisma system from SSC to test its capabilities and give Germany a better idea for future formation-flying projects.

  "This is a buildup of expertise that has occurred over more than 20 years," Persson said of the division. He said OHB has made no commitment to retain the staff in Sweden, and he declined to comment on whether the transaction's terms included a cash investment by SSC to sweeten the offer.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

http://www.spacenews.com/civil/110624-data-relay-project-battling-headwinds.html

Fri, 24 June, 2011
European Data-relay Project Battling Headwinds
By Peter B. de Selding

 LE BOURGET, France — A European project to relay data from low-orbiting Earth observation satellites to ground users via satellites in higher orbit is proving more difficult than expected to organize as government agencies and the private sector debate who manages what risks, European government and industry officials said.

 The latest evidence that the European Data Relay System (EDRS) was in trouble came when a planned June 23 contract-signing ceremony for a dedicated EDRS satellite was canceled at the last minute because the signatories had not agreed on terms.

 "There has been some trouble between the different companies involved regarding their different contributions," said Johann-Dietrich Woerner, chairman of the German space agency, DLR. "We and ESA [the European Space Agency] will now be playing the role of moderator. What we want is for Astrium Services to do its job."

 Astrium Services in January was selected as EDRS operator in a public-private partnership with ESA and DLR. The EDRS project is budgeted at just under 400 million euros ($560 million), with 75 percent of the funds coming from ESA and the remaining share from the private sector, led by Astrium Services.

 In return for its in-kind contribution of manpower and its role as EDRS operator, Astrium would have exclusive rights to sell EDRS services. While the 19-nation ESA, and the 27-nation European Union's executive commission, are both expected to have a long-term appetite for EDRS services, neither has committed to any purchases.

 Germany has agreed to finance more than half of ESA's EDRS investment, but only on condition that the program uses a laser-communications terminal developed by Tesat-Spacecom of Backnang, Germany, and that the dedicated EDRS satellite be provided by OHB Technology of Bremen, Germany.

 In a June 23 interview here at the Paris air show, Woerner said Germany remains solidly behind EDRS and expected the current problems to be solved in the coming weeks. Any attempt by Astrium Services to reduce its own costs by bypassing OHB and the Small-Geo satellite platform being developed with German government funds, he said, will not be accepted.

 ESA Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain has also been actively backing EDRS as an example of ESA's ability to spur innovative projects through novel financing. ESA's past public-private partnerships have been in telecommunications, an established market where the market risk assumed by the private sector is well known.

 That is not the case with EDRS. In a June 20 briefing here with journalists, Dordain conceded that a pricing model for data-relay services like EDRS does not exist elsewhere and will need to be invented by Astrium Services and the program's government sponsors.

 Dordain said the demand by government agencies, civil and military, for rapid delivery of Earth observation data — "we're thinking of five minutes rather than an hour or more," he said — is certain. Europe will have, in the coming years, some 15 Earth observation satellites in orbit as part of the European Commission's Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) program.

 "Even if it is not guaranteed, GMES is the anchor tenant for EDRS," Dordain said. "There is a market, clearly identified."

 But another ESA official said that, at least for now, that tenant is anchored by nothing more than a promise of future interest in EDRS. The official agreed that it has not helped Astrium Services' attempts to close the financial case for EDRS that the European Commission has been unable to commit to some of the GMES hardware investment it had promised.

 In addition, the GMES services budget, which would be a prime candidate for EDRS purchases, has been funded at a very low level up to now, the official said.

 Dordain said that EDRS would use a Eutelsat commercial telecommunications satellite to be launched in 2013 to host a laser communications terminal for EDRS. A year or two later, the dedicated EDRS satellite, equipped with an identical terminal, would be launched into an orbit sufficiently distant from the Eutelsat satellite to offer the full benefits of data relay.

 Astrium Services Chief Executive Eric Beranger made no mention of EDRS during a June 23 briefing here. Asked about its status, Beranger said EDRS "is a complicated topic."

  "This is a totally new market, with a large number of players," Beranger said, referring not only to potential EDRS customers but also the government and industry participants involved in developing EDRS. "As you multiply the players involved, it gets even more complex. I know that ESA, OHB, Eutelsat and we are all committed to make it happen. It's just taking a little longer than we thought to set up the contract vehicle."
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

http://www.spacenews.com/contracts/110629chinese-firm-orders-three-optical-imaging-satellites-from-surrey.html

Wed, 29 June, 2011
Chinese Firm Orders Three Optical Imaging Satellites from Surrey
By Peter B. de Selding

 PARIS — Small-satellite specialist Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) of Britain will build three high-resolution optical Earth observation satellites for a Chinese customer that has agreed to pay most of the system's construction, launch and insurance costs up front in return for seven years' exclusive use of the imagery, SSTL announced June 29.

 Beijing-based Twenty-First Century Aerospace Technology Co. Ltd. (21AT) will be paying 110 million British pounds ($170.2 million) to cover the entire cost of the three satellites' delivery in orbit, expected to occur in 2014.

 Guildford-based SSTL will be building the 1-meter-resolution spacecraft under contract to its subsidiary, DMC International Imaging Ltd., which currently operates a small fleet of disaster-monitoring Earth observation satellites called the Disaster Monitoring Constellation.

 The 21AT company has been a partner in this constellation and financed the construction and launch, by SSTL, of the Beijing-1 satellite, which has a 4-meter ground resolution and has been in orbit since 2005.

 Under the contract announced June 29 and signed June 27 in the presence of British Prime Minister David Cameron and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, 21AT will make a series of payments, beginning immediately, that will be used to build the three satellites.

 Sir Martin Sweeting, SSTL's founder and chairman, said neither SSTL nor its DMC subsidiary will need outside financing to build, launch and insure the three satellites given the timing of the payments expected from 21AT.

 In a June 29 interview, Sir Martin said the British and Chinese parties have agreed that any unforeseen increases in launch or insurance costs will be financed by 21AT. "We have estimated these costs conservatively, but of course we cannot be sure of what the market rate will be until we go to the market to contract the launch or the insurance," Sir Martin said.

 The three identical satellites will be evolved versions of the spacecraft design that SSTL has been building for a number of years, with the most recent models built for Nigeria as part of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation. These spacecraft are scheduled for launch aboard a Russian-Ukrainian Dnepr converted ballistic missile in the coming weeks.

 For the 21AT contract, Sir Martin said SSTL and the British government consulted with the U.S. government to calm any concerns about technology transfer as the spacecraft are built.

 SSTL and DMC, based on their experience with the Disaster Monitoring Constellation, for the past year have been seeking partners for what they called the DMC3 constellation, which would employ a business model resembling the sale of satellite telecommunications bandwidth.

 Instead of owning the satellites or operating them, DMC3 customers would lease a certain amount of capacity — meaning image-taking ability — over a certain amount of time. Depending on the capacity agreed to, other customers would also use the satellites.

 Sir Martin said SSTL and DMC have focused on 21AT almost exclusively in recent months as the first DMC3 customer because of the exceptionally large demand in China for Earth observation for urban planning and general land management in addition to disaster monitoring.

 "When we talked to them about it, they said they could use basically all the capacity we had on the three satellites," Sir Martin said. "Now that we have this contract under our belts we will look for other customers to add a fourth satellite."

 For 21AT, adding a fourth satellite would build backup capacity in to the constellation and also reduce the amount of time between visits of a satellite over a given area of China. The contracted image requirement for 21AT then would be spread over four satellites instead of three.

 The satellites being developed are expected to weigh about 350 kilograms at launch and to offer a ground resolution of 1 meter in black-and-white mode, and 4 meters in color. Ground resolution means the diameter of an object that could be detected by the satellite, if not necessarily identified with precision.

 Each spacecraft will be able to swivel on its axis by 45 degrees off nadir, permitting it to image areas not directly beneath it and thus increasing the revisit rate. Each image will have a swath of 23 kilometers.

 The satellites will have an on-board memory storage capacity of 128 gigabytes and an image-transmission capability of 320 megabits per second.

 The Chinese customer will be able to command the satellite to take images of a given area, but will not have control of the spacecraft. No Chinese engineers will be trained in satellite design for the program, and for the moment SSTL has no intention of launching the satellites aboard a Chinese rocket. These concessions were made to reassure British and U.S. government officials that the transaction steers clear of technology-transfer concerns, which in the United States are known as ITAR rules, or International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

 Sir Martin said that while the transaction might be seen as competing with current and planned Earth observation satellites owned by Astrium Services — which like SSTL is owned by the Astrium division of Europe's EADS aerospace giant — the deal would have been more difficult to accomplish without the help of Astrium and EADS.

  "EADS provided us with financial guarantees for the customer that our former owner, the University of Surrey, could not have provided," Sir Martin said, referring to guarantees that would reimburse 21AT in the event of a contract breach by DMC or SSTL.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

http://cybersecurity.ru/space/126730.html

Великобритания и Китай подписали соглашение по космическому сотрудничеству
(15:53) 01.07.2011
   
Великобритания и Китай подписали масштабное соглашение по космическому сотрудничеству. Согласно подписанному соглашению британские и китайские компании создадут три совместных спутника высокого разрешения для дистанционного зондирования Земли. Основная часть контрактов подписана между британским дистрибутором спутниковых данных DMCII и пекинской 21АТ. В совместном заявлении сторон говорится, что компании создадут спутники, которые смогут фотографировать земную поверхность в разрешении менее метра. Полностью к запуску аппараты должны быть готовы к 2014 году.

Сообщается, что основным оператором трех спутников будет китайская 21АТ (Twenty First Century Aerospace Technology Company), эта же компания получит доступ к 100% емкости новых аппаратов. Операционное управление аппаратами также будет осуществлять китайская компании. В то же время британская DMCII может без ограничений использовать мощности аппаратов и работать с графикой по своему усмотрению.

В китайской компании говорят, что их в первую очереди интересуют возможности по картографированию китайской территории и предоставлению данных местным заказчикам.

Непосредственным производством трех космических аппаратов DMC-3 займется головная компания DMCII Surrey Satellite technology LTD. Стоимость каждого аппарата составит порядка 110 млн британских фунтов.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"

Salo

http://www.spacenews.com/civil/110701-eumetsat-withhold-constellation.html

Fri, 1 July, 2011
Eumetsat Members Withhold Approval of Polar-orbiting Weather Satellite Constellation
By Peter B. de Selding

 PARIS — Europe's meteorological satellite organization, Eumetsat, will spend the next three months trying to persuade its member nations to finance a next-generation polar-orbiting satellite constellation following its inability to win unanimous approval for the work the week of June 27, a senior Eumetsat official said July 1.

 While the delay will not by itself cause problems for the second-generation polar system, called EPS-SG, it illustrates the concern that many of Eumetsat's 26 member nations have about government spending, even for programs whose value is not questioned, the official said.

 "We have a fairly tight schedule for this now and our member states, some of which are having well-known budget issues, have asked to review the spending to see if it could be reduced," said Ernst Koenemann, Eumetsat's director of program development.

 In an interview, Koenemann said Eumetsat's ruling council, meeting in Copenhagen June 28-29, gave a broad endorsement of the EPS-SG program. But four nations — Austria, Greece, Portugal and Spain — withheld support for what Eumetsat calls its EPS-SG Preparatory Program.

 Eumetsat wanted to spend 46 million euros ($66.7 million) to start early design work on a constellation of polar-orbiting satellites to succeed the current Metop spacecraft. As always, Eumetsat is placing the accent on data continuity, meaning that EPS-SG is to be operational before the last Metop satellite — Metop-C, planned for launch in 2016 — is retired.

 Two industrial consortia, led by Thales Alenia Space of France and Italy and Astrium Satellites of France, Germany and Britain, are working on EPS-SG system studies that are scheduled for completion late this year. Eumetsat will select whichever design it deems superior.

 Darmstadt, Germany-based Eumetsat has two basic EPS-SG configurations in mind.

 The first would be two sets of two satellites each, whose launches would be staggered to provide 15 years of operations. The estimated budget for this system would be 2.3 billion euros for Eumetsat members, and 540 million euros to be paid by the 19-nation European Space Agency (ESA), which has long partnered with Eumetsat in the design and development of new-generation weather satellites.

 The second configuration would offer 20 years of continuous in-orbit service by building three sets of two satellites. Adding the third pair would give the system more backup in the event of a launch failure but would increase the cost to Eumetsat to 3.24 billion euros. The cost to ESA would be the same 540 million euros for design and development.

 Koenemann pointed out that in addition to providing greater in-orbit security in the event of a launch or satellite failure, the second option would cost slightly less, on an annual basis, than the first.

 One of the reasons Eumetsat cannot afford to delay decisions on EPS-SG has to do with ESA's own budget schedule. ESA's share of the polar meteorological satellite program will be decided at a conference of ESA government ministers to occur in October or November 2012.

 To prepare for that conference, at which ESA's mid-term budget and program priorities are fixed, ESA has scheduled a meeting of its ruling council for April 2012, meaning Eumetsat must have its own EPS-SG plans settled by then.

 Koenemann said Eumetsat will be visiting its four hold-out member nations in the coming weeks and has scheduled a special meeting of its council for Oct. 5 to seek support for the EPS-SG preparatory program.

 Eumetsat had less trouble at its Copenhagen council meeting in securing support for its network of specialized facilities that study selected meteorological and environmental phenomena. There are eight Satellite Application Facilities currently.

 As Eumetsat becomes more closely associated with the operation of Europe's broad Global Monitoring for Environment and Security, or GMES, satellite-based Earth observation effort, its Satellite Application Facilities' role will increase, broadening Eumetsat's portfolio beyond weather forecasting to environmental surveillance.

 At the council meeting, Eumetsat members approved a five-year Satellite Application Facility operations program. The cost is 80 million euros, of which one-third is paid for by the nations hosting the facilities.

  Eumetsat also agreed to a slight loosening of its data-access policy while agreeing to allow its members to charge fees for access to data by commercial organizations, which is a major source of revenue for some national meteorological offices.
"Были когда-то и мы рысаками!!!"