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Pol

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1010/07smos/


Terrestrial radio transmitters interfering with satellite

Radio signals on Earth are proving troublesome for scientists attempting to use data from a European Space Agency satellite to measure soil moisture and ocean salinity.




ESA officials say errant signals from television, radio and security networks have ruined early data collections by the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite, which launched in November 2009 and began science operations in May.

Orbiting 500 miles above Earth, SMOS uses an array of small antennas to measure faint radio signals containing clues on the properties of land and sea surfaces.

Arranged on three deployable arm-like structures, the satellite's 69 L-band antennas are stringed together in an interferometer array to maximize the sensor's sensitivity.

The MIRAS instrument collects microwave radiation coming from Earth's surface, a measurement known as the brightness temperature. Scientists studying the data can extract details of moisture levels in soil and the salt content of oceans.

The $439 million SMOS satellite is probing Earth's water cycle in a three-year mission.

The MIRAS instrument does its observations at frequencies between 1400 megahertz and 1427 megahertz, a band reserved for satellite research and radio astronomy by the International Telecommunications Union.

But the first global maps from SMOS show clusters of interfering signals scattered across southern Europe, the Middle East, India and China. The most offensive transmissions were coming from locations in or near cities like Madrid, Athens and Beijing.

According to ESA, the signals were either illegal transmissions within the SMOS frequency band or amplified interference from other bands leaking into the protected range.




"To ensure that the excellence of the mission would not be compromised, ESA embarked upon the tricky and lengthy process of having the illegal transmissions shut down and the excessive out-of-band emissions reduced," the space agency said in a statement.

Authorities are using the satellite's own data to trace the source of the signals. SMOS is designed to pinpoint moisture and salinity levels for its research mission, but officials are calling upon that precision to identify the locations of interference.

Officials are already seeing improvements as regulators retune over-powered transmitters and shut down those operating illegally.

Working with national spectrum management authorities, ESA first focused on improving the frequency interference in Europe. Spain, one of the early offenders, has reduced its unwanted transmissions and data there is already improved, according to ESA.

The SMOS mission is designed to shed light on Earth's water cycle. Soil moisture is linked to atmospheric humidity and the formation of precipitation, and scientists hope SMOS results will be considered by numerical weather prediction models to help make more accurate forecasts.

The salt content of the sea is a factor in ocean circulation, a network of conveyor belts that transport warm water to high latitudes and cool water to low latitudes, moderating the planet's climate.
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1630537751

Satnews Daily
 October 05, 2010

International Launch Services (ILS) + AsiaSat... Sequel Sign Up (Launch)

[SatNews] International Launch Services (ILS) and Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd. (AsiaSat) now have a contract for the launch of AsiaSat 7 satellite on an ILS Proton.



The satellite is under construction by Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, California. ILS and Khrunichev are implementing a mission integration schedule to support a 2011 launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. AsiaSat 7 is configured as a replacement satellite for AsiaSat 3S, one of AsiaSat's flagship satellites, operating at the orbital location of 105.5 degrees East. AsiaSat 7 is a Space Systems/Loral 1300 platform, with C- and Ku-band transponders, designed for a lifespan of 15 years. The projected orbital maneuvering lifetime of the satellite is expected to improve due to the performance of the ILS Proton launch vehicle.
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

kit105k



October 11, 2010

Sea Launch... Getting Set For Space Again (Launch)

[SatNews] International consortium Sea Launch plans to resume Zenit-3SL carrier rocket launches from its floating platform in the Pacific Ocean in 2011, the head of the Russian Rocket and Space Corporation Energia said on Monday.


Zenit-3SL launch vehicle, photo © RIA Novosti. Sergei Kazak
"All political conditions for resuming launches on the Sea Launch program have been met. All commissions in the United States have been passed. A license for 70 launches has been received," Vitaly Lopota said. There are enough contracts for satellite launches. The first launch is due at the end of next year," he said. Sea Launch was created in 1995. It incorporated Energia with a 25 percent stake, a Boeing subsidiary with 40 percent, Norwegian company Aker ASA with a 20 percent stake and Ukraine's SDO Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash with 15 percent.

Sea Launch announced its bankruptcy in June 2009. In July 2010, Energia subsidiary Energia Overseas Limited (EOL) received 95 percent in Sea Launch by a bankruptcy court ruling. A total of 30 rocket launches have been made from the Pacific platform since 1999, with 27 of them successful.

Pol

http://www.obj.ca/Technology/2010-10-13/article-1844885/Telesat-satellite-comms-for-Anik-G1-sold-to-single-customer/1

Telesat satellite comms for Anik G1 sold to single customer

Two years ahead of launching Anik G1, Telesat announced on Wednesday that Paradigm Services, a subsidiary of Astrium Services' telecommunications division, has signed a 15-year contract to use all communications transponders on the satellite.

The deal, whose financial details were not disclosed, will give Paradigm full access to X-band communications – a frequency commonly used for radars in the defence industry.
Anik G1 will give Paradigm a field-of-view over Canada, North America, South America and part of the Pacific Ocean, making communications possible in those areas.
Paradigm is already a client of the Canadian Department of National Defence, the British Ministry of Defence and others, using both its own satellites and leases like the one just inked with Telesat.
"Our decision to incorporate a unique X-band payload on Anik G1, and Paradigm's decision to lease the full payload for the satellite's lifetime, represent the type of innovative thinking about new market opportunities that has driven the success of both companies," stated Dan Goldberg, the president and chief executive of the Ottawa-based company.
"It is gratifying to know that the capabilities of Anik G1 will provide fixed and mobile services to Canada's DND and other allied civil and military agencies."  
Anik G1 will work in "geostationary" orbit, hovering in approximately the same spot over the Earth's surface, upon launching some time in the second half of 2012.
Telesat previously sold access to Shaw Direct on Anik G1's Ku-band frequency, which is expected to let Shaw offer more video content and programming for its subscribers.
Anik is a 40-year-old line of satellites that has offered television, communications and other services to a number of firms over the decades.
Telesat operates in Canadian dollars. In August, after it posted a net loss of $72 million in its second quarter of 2010 compared with a $187 million profit at the same time last year, analysts asked Mr. Goldberg if he was considering a foreign takeover as most of the loss was due to foreign exchange changes.
Mr. Goldberg did not disclose if directors in his firm was considering it, noting only that under Investment Canada Act rules, "we would have to demonstrate that the change in ownership, in control, has a net benefit in Canada."[/url]
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/photo-release-asia-broadcast-satellite-signs-abs-2-satellite-manufacturing-contract-with-space-systemsloral-2010-10-13?reflink=MW_news_stmp

PRESS RELEASE
Oct. 13, 2010, 7:00 a.m. EDT
Photo Release -- Asia Broadcast Satellite Signs ABS-2 Satellite Manufacturing Contract With Space Systems/Loral

HONG KONG and PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct 13, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) and Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) today announced that they have contracted for Space Systems/Loral to manufacture the ABS-2 spacecraft which is scheduled for launch in 2013.



ABS-2 will be one of the most powerful commercial satellites launched for service in the Eastern Hemisphere. The satellite will have over 12 kW of payload power and up to a total of 87 active C-band, Ku-band and Ka-band transponders across 10 different beams bringing increased capacity and transmission power to the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and CIS/Russia. The ABS-2 spacecraft is based on Space Systems/Loral's 1300 satellite bus, with a separated mass in excess of 6,000 Kg at launch and is designed for 15 years of operational life.

ABS-2 will be located at the 75 degrees East Longitude, ABS' prime orbital location where ABS-1, ABS-1A, and ABS-1B are currently located. From the 75 degrees East Longitude location, ABS-2 will cover four-fifths of the world's population and will expand the already successful business base of ABS-1, which has a current fill rate of over 90%. With the addition of ABS-2 to its fleet, ABS will become one of the largest FSS satellite operators in Asia in terms of number of active transponders in orbit.

ABS-2 is specifically designed for a wide range of services including direct-to-home, cable TV distribution, VSAT services, data networks, and telecommunications services. ABS-2 will provide continuity of service and expansion capacity to existing ABS-1 customers, and will also act as in-orbit spare and provide full backup for the ABS-1 transponders.

Tom Choi, CEO of Asia Broadcast Satellite, said: "We are very excited to confirm that Space Systems/Loral will build the ABS-2 spacecraft. We originally announced the preliminary agreement with Space Systems/Loral in June of last year, but we have had to postpone the start of manufacturing while we completed the process of bringing in a new financial sponsor into ABS. We sincerely appreciate SS/L's endless dedication and commitment in working to meet our requirements. We chose SS/L for their industry leadership, quality, reliability and the performance of their products and services. SS/L offers us the best assurance that we need to complete this important project."

"It is communications satellites such as ABS-2 that help bring essential services to even the most remote areas," said John Celli, president of SS/L. "Like the Asia Broadcast Satellite company, SS/L has a commitment to expanding the infrastructure that promotes commerce, learning, and can protect populations in emergency situations. We are very happy to reinforce this commitment with our sixth satellite contract of the year."

About Asia Broadcast Satellite

Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) is one of the fastest growing premium satellite operators in the world. ABS serves a global customer base with representatives in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America. ABS offers a complete range of End-to-End solutions including Direct to Home (DTH) and Cable TV distribution (CATV), Cellular Backhaul, VSAT and Internet Backbone services with diverse IP transit through its European and Asian internet gateways. ABS currently hosts over 175 TV channels making it as one of the fastest growing and top satellite distribution platforms and broadcaster of TV channels in the Asia Pacific.

ABS is rapidly expanding its satellite fleet and business worldwide through the recent acquisitions of ABS- 7 (formerly Koreasat-3), ABS-1A (formerly Koreasat-2) and ABS-5 (formerly Agila-2). ABS has also completed a strategic cooperation with Eutelsat for the ABS-1B/W75 satellite at 75 degrees E. ABS is planning the launch of a new state-of-the-art high powered satellite, ABS-2, that is scheduled to become operational in 2013. ABS-2 will be located at the 75 degrees East Longitude, ABS' prime orbital location covering four-fifths of the world's population across the Indian Ocean region.

ABS is committed to maintaining its aggressive growth through the announcement of more strategic partnerships, acquisitions and further additions to its satellite fleet of ABS-1, ABS-1A, ABS-1B, ABS-2, ABS-5 and ABS-7.
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1095219858


Satnews Daily
October 13, 2010

Nigeria... Pico Placement Planned (Satellite)

[SatNews] Business Day online is reporting that the Nigerian Federal Government, in its bid to avoid accidental loss of assets owned by the country in space, has instituted a mechanism to launch a locally built satellite that will monitor and download real time information about satellites.

This will be the first satellite to be launched in Nigeria before 2015. Known as a pico satellite, this will be one of the smallest satellites in the orbit for monitoring the country's space assets. Spencer Onuh, director and chief executive, Centre for Space Science and Technology Development of the Ministry of Science and Technology, noted that the satellite will be built in Nigeria by Nigerians and that the chances are high it will be launched from Nigerian soil. Onuh noted that "the pico satellite can also form part of disaster management. If you consider the oil pipelines as your asset, you can monitor them, you can track vandalism and serious leakages will be detected. It is flying at an altitude of 700km above sea level."

The satellite, according to Onuh, "is a five-year project plan and we hope that in the next four years we will be able to have it in space", stressing that "everything was designed here in NARSDA and it will be launched from Nigerian soil. We have a propulsion unit in Epe. There are a number of engineers in Alabama, United States, training in rocketry — they have done one already that went up to 10,000km in Atlanta. This earned our engineers first prize of the America Society of Engineers. There are agencies that will be pleased to launch it for us because we are using their materials and we can say we have materials that are space qualified which are being used in space already. Onuh stated that Nigeria will blaze the trail in this technology on the continent as no African country has such in place. Some components of the craft are being sourced locally, while others are imported, he said.
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20101022_9041.php?oref=topstory


Administration's weather satellite plan opposed globally
By Bob Brewin 10/22/2010

A host of weather-related groups around the globe strongly oppose the Obama administration's plans to reallocate spectrum weather satellites use to commercial cellular carriers in support of the National Broadband Plan. The groups include the World Meteorological Organization, weather agencies in countries such as Canada and Vietnam, state and local agencies, and commercial weather service providers in the United States.

Lawrence Strickling, assistant secretary for communications and information at the Commerce Department and head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said on Thursday he recommended 15 megahertz of spectrum in the 1675-1710 MHz band that weather satellite systems worldwide use be reallocated to support the national broadband plan, strongly supported by President Obama to provide advanced wireless Internet services. NTIA oversees federal spectrum.

WMO said the NTIA plan could end up threatening the operation of a global constellation of 20 weather satellites, including four geostationary operational environmental satellites and four polar-orbiting satellites the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration operates.

Michel Jarraud, secretary-general of WMO, a United Nations agency, said in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission that a spectrum sharing plan for weather satellites in the United States could influence other countries to try the same thing, which "would put at risk meteorological and hydrological activities worldwide" and jeopardize a global system whose operation costs run between $2 billion and $3 billion annually. "There is no alternative to spectrum for METSAT [meteorological satellite operations], and no alternative frequency band that can provide similar reliable and available service," Jarraud wrote.

Weather balloons also rely on the 1675-1710 MHz band, and while Strickling said NOAA launches only two balloons per day, Jarraud said 100,000 weather balloons are launched around the world each year, carrying radiosondes which collect data necessary to fine tune weather forecasts.

This past summer, administration officials publicly discussed the idea of sharing spectrum. In a June speech, Strickling said since it was impractical to change the frequencies of satellites in space, NTIA and FCC should figure out how to share the spectrum with cellular companies. He said FCC and NTIA also want to determine the possibility of distributing weather information to end users by other means, such as the Internet or satellite systems outside the 1695-1710 MHz band.

FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology launched an inquiry in early June to determine if the band that weather satellites currently use could be shared with wireless broadband companies, on the assumption that it was "relatively lightly used." The agency said it also wanted to find out if weather information could be downlinked to a small number of satellite dishes protected from interference and then distributed by terrestrial services, such as the Internet.

Several commenters offered a range of other operations the plan could adversely affect.

Ernst Koenemann, director of program development for the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellite, which operates three weather satellites, expressed concern in his letter to FCC that spectrum sharing in the United States could lead to similar moves around the world, and he urged the agency to keep the weather satellite spectrum inviolate.

Barry Lee Myers, chief executive officer of AccuWeather Inc., a commercial weather company that provides services to a range of media outlets and 50,000 websites told FCC "if the current availability of the weather satellite downlink transmissions were to end, there would be significant adverse effects on safety and economic activity in the United States." Paul Drewniak, senior manager of the Global Forecast Center and senior meteorologist for The Weather Channel told the agency there is no viable alternative to direct downlink of weather data directly from satellites and Internet distribution is susceptible to interruptions and outages.

Raytheon, which is developing the ground segment for the next generation of weather satellites, said in its filing with FCC that spectrum sharing would not only impair distribution of weather data, but also threaten distribution of missing child Amber Alerts. Raytheon said state and local agencies use the NOAA satellites to distribute these alerts when other communication systems are down.

Water distribution systems nationwide operate 11,400 stream gauges to monitor water flow, and Diane VanDe Hei, executive director of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, said in her filing with FCC -- with distribution of that data performed in real time over the NOAA satellites. Internet distribution, she said, degrades the real-time function and reliability of the current stream gauge system and impairs quick response in case of floods if Internet connections are lost.

Robert McAleer, director of the Maine Emergency Management Agency said real-time stream gauge data is critical for public safety and the protection of property. "Should [weather satellite] frequencies be lost altogether, our ability to provide warning and protection to the public will be similarly degraded. This is a risk that is wholly avoidable, and a risk the public must not be made to bear."

Strickling said on Thursday NTIA and FCC have not yet made a final decision on how to allocate federal spectrum for the national broadband plan. "We are on a long-term mission here, and when we can identify spectrum that is suitable for wireless broadband and that can be made available with a minimum of disruption to existing federal users, it is incumbent on us to take that spectrum and put it in the bank so that industry knows there will be spectrum available in the future as the market develops and technology evolves," he said.
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.spacenews.com/satellite_telecom/101022-globalstar-paying-settle-fcc-dispute.html

Fri, 22 October, 2010
 
Globalstar Paying $275,000 To Settle FCC Spectrum Dispute

BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan — Mobile satellite services operator Globalstar Inc. has agreed to make a "voluntary contribution" to the U.S. government to settle a dispute with U.S. regulators about spectrum the company had promised to abandon but continued to use for months.

In a consent decree agreed to with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Globalstar has agreed to pay $275,000 to the U.S. Treasury by mid-November and to forgo any court challenge of the decision.

Milpitas, Calif.-based Globalstar also has agreed to cease using certain radio frequencies that the FCC had determined in late 2008 were no longer available to it. Globalstar had sought, and received, early exemptions from the rule by asking for more time to transition its ground stations in South America, Europe, Asia and Australia so they do not use the frequencies in question, which are from 1618.725 to 1621.35 megahertz.

Ground terminals in France, Brazil, Turkey and Australia were subsequently switched to the more-restricted frequencies, but Globalstar's three Russian gateways continued using the forbidden radio waves.

The FCC decision, published Oct. 6, is worded in a way that makes clear the agency's frustration with Globalstar's behavior. The decision came just weeks after the FCC told a Globalstar customer, Open Range Communications, that it could no longer use Globalstar's frequencies to develop a rural broadband service featuring ground transmitters combined with Globalstar's satellite signals.

Barbee Ponder, Globalstar's general counsel, said in response to Space News inquiries that the company "looks forward to a more positive working relationship with the Commission in the future."

Globalstar on Oct. 20 launched the first six of 24 satellites it has ordered to form its second-generation constellation. The launches occurred here aboard Soyuz rockets operated by the French-Russian Starsem company.

For these satellites and the 18 others scheduled for launch in 2011, Globalstar's regulatory home is France, not the United States. The regulatory authority for the eight most recent first-generation satellites in orbit, which will be part of the Globalstar system for another four or five years, remains the FCC.

Anthony J. Navarra, president of the company's global operations, said here that Globalstar's dispute with the FCC is not about a company flouting an FCC order, but rather a company questioning whether a national regulatory agency's reach should extend worldwide. Globalstar, he said, was not violating international or Russian regulations in using the frequencies the FCC forced it to drop.

Navarra said that while Globalstar, as part of the consent decree, will not challenge the FCC ruling in a U.S. court, the company will exercise its right to make continued appeals to the FCC.

The FCC has signaled that it will be reviewing the regulatory environment under which mobile satellite services providers operate as part of a strategy to ensure that at least one service provider survives over the long term to provide emergency communications when terrestrial communications fail, such as in a natural disaster.

In an Oct. 20 interview, Navarra said Globalstar will be purchasing 100,000 new Globalstar handsets using chipset technology provided by Qualcomm Inc. even though Qualcomm will no longer be supporting Globalstar starting in 2013. Another 150,000 Qualcomm-equipped terminals are in storage at Globalstar, he said.

These phones will be distributed as needed when Qualcomm ends its involvement in Globalstar's infrastructure. San Diego, Calif.-based Qualcomm has been replaced by Hughes Communications of Germantown, Md., to supply Globalstar chipsets.

Navarra said the Hughes gear is easily fitted side by side with Qualcomm's at Globalstar's gateway Earth stations and does not require a sizable investment. In some regions of the world, he said, markets will quickly upgrade to the faster service offered by the second-generation Globalstar. These markets will be using the Hughes technology.

In other markets, take-up of the second-generation capabilities will be slower, and these markets will be supported by the Qualcomm gear that Globalstar has in stock, in addition to hardware it can remove from gateway Earth stations whose markets have switched to the higher-capacity service, he said.
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.spacenews.com/civil/101022-marshall-ponders-debris-tracking-demo.html

Fri, 22 October, 2010
 
Marshall Ponders Debris Tracking Demo Satellite

WASHINGTON — NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is gathering information for the possible development of a demonstration satellite to track pieces of orbital debris that are too small to be seen by current systems but still pose a threat to operating spacecraft.

Spurred by the new U.S. National Space Policy that emphasizes tracking and mitigating orbital debris, Huntsville, Ala.-based Marshall may partner with industry and academia to field a low Earth orbiting satellite as soon as 2014, said Bruce Wiegmann, an engineer in Marshall's Advanced Concepts Office.

In the last decade, orbital debris has become a serious concern for spacefaring nations, with several high-profile events drastically increasing the amount of junk circling the Earth. China was widely criticized for shooting down one of its one weather satellites in 2007. Then in 2009, an operational Iridium communications satellite collided with a defunct Russian communications satellite. These two events increased the estimated number of pieces of small debris in low Earth orbit from 300,000 to 500,000, Wiegmann said in an Oct. 19 interview.

The U.S. Air Force has a mandate to catalog and track objects in Earth orbit with its network of ground radars, optical telescopes and the new Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) optical satellite that was launched in September. But the Air Force's systems can track only the 11,000 or so objects in space that are 10 centimeters in size or larger.

There have been five or six incidents, mostly in the 1990s, in which space debris is believed to have caused the degradation or failure of satellites on orbit, though without more sensitive tracking capabilities this is impossible to know for sure, Wiegmann said.

"We decided to look at the small debris because it's a hard problem and it's untracked," Wiegmann said.

In a notice posted Oct. 6 on the Federal Business Opportunities website, Marshall said it is seeking information for a potential demonstration satellite to track small debris in low Earth orbit and described a "straw man" set of requirements for the mission. Responses are due Oct. 27.

The satellite would use an optical, infrared, ultraviolet or other type of payload weighing between 100 and 200 kilograms and a platform weighing between 400 and 500 kilograms, the posting said. The satellite would launch around 2014 or 2015 on a Falcon 1e- or Minotaur 4-class U.S. rocket into a near-polar circular orbit between 800 and 850 kilometers high. It would be able to track objects between 1 and 10 centimeters in size from a distance of 1,000 kilometers, it said.

Marshall began drafting the mission concept in response to the U.S. National Space Policy issued June 28, Wiegmann said. The policy directs U.S. agencies to continue development and adoption of policies to minimize the creation of space debris; to develop and maintain systems for identifying and attributing actions in space; and to pursue research and development techniques and technologies to mitigate and remove on-orbit debris.

There are many challenges in tracking small pieces of debris, not the least of which is the great relative speed at which many of these pieces are traveling, which can exceed 15 kilometers per second, Wiegmann said. The albedo, or reflectivity of light, that debris has is also an issue because it widely varies depending on the type of object. This will be one factor in choosing the type of sensor, he said. The sheer quantity of debris in some orbits likely will make it necessary to have a sensor with a very limited field of view, one that perhaps observes only tens of pieces per day, he said.

Though the mission requirements are challenging, NASA and U.S. industry and academic institutions have the technology and engineering chops to get it done, Wiegmann said.

"You can't do any type of debris removal until you can track it well," he said. "A lot of people say it's very hard to track the stuff. Just because it's hard doesn't mean you can't do it. Let's have the old American ingenuity and say, 'We're going to do it, and we're going to do it within three years.' It's not that hard."
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

Интересное применение спутников SPOT и GPS

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/spot-announces-availability-of-intrinsically-safe-is-spot-satellite-gps-messenger-2010-10-22?reflink=MW_news_stmp

press release
Oct. 22, 2010, 7:00 a.m. EDT

SPOT Announces Availability of Intrinsically-Safe (IS) SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger
New Rugged IS Certified SPOT Messenger Helps Keep Workers Connected From Remote Areas Via Reliable Satellite Technology

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Oct 22, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Globalstar Canada Satellite Co., a leading provider of mobile satellite voice and data services, announced today its new Intrinsically Safe SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger(TM) (SPOT IS(TM)) is now available in Canada and the United States. Ideal for harsh environments, SPOT IS(TM) sends one-way location-based messages via satellite to others even from remote areas beyond cell phone range.

The easily identifiable blue SPOT IS(TM) is certified Intrinsically Safe meeting Class I, Division 1, Groups A-D standards under UL 913 and CSA C22.2 No. 157. These certifications allow companies operating in potentially combustible environments where the presence of flammable gases or vapors may exist such as oil and gas and natural resources including mining, transportation and government, to take advantage of SPOT messaging functionality. Certification was completed by MET Laboratories, Inc.

Using both the GPS and Globalstar communications satellite network, the handheld SPOT IS(TM) enables workers to send predefined messages with their GPS location for checking-in with contacts or to summon help in an emergency.

"Companies are often challenged to provide safe work practices for employees and ensure lone worker requirements are met," said Jim Mandala, General Manager for Globalstar Canada Satellite Co. "The most efficient way to accomplish this is through effective communication. SPOT IS(TM) provides a rugged and reliable solution for employees who operate remotely often alone and in potentially hazardous work environments."

SPOT IS(TM) transmits activated messages based on varying levels of need:


  --  SOS notifies the GEOS International Emergency Rescue Coordination Center
      of your GPS location in a critical emergency.
  --  Help requests assistance from your contacts including co-workers,
      friends and family.
  --  Check-in/OK lets contacts know where you are and that you're okay.
  --  Custom Message lets you send a second predefined message to a list of
      new contacts.
  --  Track Progress sends your location automatically allowing your contacts
      to track a virtual "breadcrumb trail" of your location in near real-time
      using Google Maps(TM).

Coverage

SPOT satellite coverage works around the world, including all of the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Australia, Northern and Central Africa, portions of South America and North-Eastern Asia and hundreds or thousands of miles offshore of these areas.
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/China-set-to-get-big-chunk-of-global-satellite-market-by-2015/articleshow/6786204.cms

21 Oct, 2010, 01.49PM IST,PTI
China set to get big chunk of global satellite market by 2015

BEIJING: Bracing up to launch a host of new satellites, including a communication satellite for Pakistan next year, China has said it aims to become a major global player in the international aerospace industry by 2015 to get a big chunk of the commercial satellite market.

China is set to re-launch itself on the global aerospace industry with plans to take 10 per cent share of the world's commercial satellite and 15 per cent of the commercial launch business by 2015, Yin Liming, President of China Great Wall Industry Corp, (CGWIC) told state run 'China Daily' today.

Unveiling the specific target plans for the first time, he said China will conduct three commercial launches next year, including a communications satellite produced by France-based Thales Alenia Space for Eutelsat Communications.

"The other two launches, also communications satellites and both made in China, will be the PakSat-1R for Pakistan, and the NigComSat-1R for Nigeria, to replace a defunct Nigerian satellite launched in 2007", the Daily report said.

The PakSat-1R made in China was expected to be launched next year.

Pakistan Ambassador to China, Masood Khan, who addressed CGWIC yesterday, said the "joint space communication satellite" will be launched next year.

This will be a second satellite for Pakistan which currently has leased satellite called Paksat-1.

Khan also expressed hope that a Pakistan astronaut would travel to space in a Chinese spacecraft.

"We always say that Pakistan-China relations are deeper than oceans and higher than mountains. On the day a Pakistani astronaut boards Shenzhou we would say our friendship is as vast as the space itself," Pakistan news agency APP quoted him as saying.

Yin said his company plans to "invest hundreds of millions of yuan in the next few years to launch a batch of communications satellites and launch vehicles", to guarantee service", he said.

"This new business model will help sharpen our competitive edge in the global launch market. We aim to become a major player," he said.

China entered into the commercial launch market in the 1990s, and once enjoyed a nine per cent share of global business.

However, it suffered a major setback in 1996, when the launch of Intelsat 708 satellite failed.

Started in 1999, US banned the export of satellites to China containing components covered under the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

Due to the trade barrier, China was stripped of opportunities in the market and did not conduct any commercial launches between July 1999 and March 2005.
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6779609.cms

20 Oct, 2010, 01.02PM IST,PTI
Pak, China to launch joint communications satellite in 2011:Envoy

BEIJING: Pakistan is closely collaborating with China to launch a joint space communications satellite next year that will be a milestone in their friendship, the country's envoy here said today.

The new satellite called Paksat-1R will bring immense economic benefits to Pakistan, Pakistani Ambassador to China, Masood Khan, said.

He made the remarks while addressing an official function here to mark the anniversary of the establishment of the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC).

The agreement to launch the satellite and set up a joint communications project was reached during Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's visit to China in 2008.

The CGWIC, established in 1980, is the sole commercial organisation authorised by the Chinese government to provide satellites, commercial launch services and carry out international space cooperation.

It is actively involved in the international marketing of products and services using space technology.

As China prepares to develop Mars exploration technologies for starting a joint mission with Russia in 2011, Ambassador Khan expressed the hope that a Pakistani astronaut will travel aboard a Chinese spacecraft one day.
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1547959963

Satnews Daily
 October 20, 2010

ULA Delta II To Take It To The COSMOS And Make History (Launch)

History in the making will take place on October 29 at Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex-2. This is when a United Launch Alliance Delta II carries the COMSO-4 satellite into space at 7:20 p.m. PDT.  

This will represent the 350th launch in Delta program history and it will occur during our year long 50th anniversary celebration of the program.  The mission was procured by Boeing Launch Services and was launched for the Italian Space Agency, the Italian Ministry of Defence and Thales Alenia Space.  The first Delta launch occurred on May 13, 1960.  

COSMO-SkyMed, the new system for Earth observation entirely developed and produced in Italy, is based on a constellation of four radar satellites. Each satellite is equipped with a high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) operating in X-band and flexible and innovative transmission equipment for the high-speed downlink of the acquired data to the receiving ground stations.

The system ground segment consists of infrastructure devoted to the management of the constellation (Mission Planning and Control Center and Satellite Control Center), services for the management and planning of user requests, and services for the gathering, processing, archiving and distribution of data to the users.

Delta II's launched the first three COSMO satellites on June 7, 2007; December 8, 2007 and October 24, 2008.
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

instml

Проект МАКСМ будет обсуждаться в рамках заседания глав космических агентств в ноябре
ЦитироватьПроект создания Международной аэрокосмической системы глобального мониторинга (МАКСМ) будет обсуждаться в рамках секции по астероидной защите во время заседания глав космических агентств в ноябре. Об этом рассказал сегодня руководитель проекта МАКСМ, директор Научно-исследовательского института космических систем имени А.А. Максимова (НИИ КС) В.А.Меньшиков во время выставки «Интерполитех-2010».
«В настоящее время разработан Устав МАКСМ. Он передан в Париж (в Международную академию астронавтики (МАА)- ред.) для регистрации. Проект МАКСМ будет представлен во время заседания глав космических агентств, на специальной секции по астероидной защите»,- сказал Меньшиков.
Ранее руководитель Роскосмоса А.Н.Перминов сообщил, что в ноябре 2010 года в Вашингтоне пройдет заседание рабочей группы по сотрудничеству в области космоса в рамках Российско-Американской Президентской комиссии.
Проект МАКСМ - это активно продвигаемая на международном уровне инициатива российских научных и общественных организаций, главной отличительной чертой которой является возможность эффективного предупреждения мирового сообщества о грозящих угрозах глобального характера, в том числе и космического происхождения. В основу проекта положена концепция выявления с использованием специальной аппаратуры космического, авиационного и наземного базирования т.н. "предвестников" стихийных бедствий, которые проявляются в виде аномалий геосферы и прогнозирования на этой основе катастрофических явлений геологической или метеорологической природы.
Кроме того, использование МАКСМ для социально-экономического развития африканских стран планируется обсудить в декабре в Африке, сказал Меньшиков.
«Цунами, засуха, землетрясения уносят в Африке миллионы жизней, которые можно было бы спасти при помощи МАКСМ»,- отметил руководитель проекта. «С этой точки зрения, Африка и Южная Америка являются наиболее перспективными континентами в плане применения системы для предупреждения экологических катастроф».
Заседание в Африке инициировано Международной академией астронавтики, добавил он.
Директор НИИ КС также отметил, что вкладом российской стороны в проект Международной аэрокосмической системы глобального мониторинга могла бы стать Многофункциональная космическая система Союзного государства (МФКС). В рамках данного совместного российско-белорусского проекта разрабатываются средства для  обеспечения органов государственного управления и других потребителей данными комплексной мониторинговой информации, связью и телевещанием в повседневной деятельности и в условиях чрезвычайных ситуаций с целью повышения безопасности грузоперевозок, эффективности контроля особо важных, опасных подвижных и стационарных объектов, высокоточного определение координат местоположения.
С 26 по 29 октября с.г. НИИ КС представляет МФКС, а также другие перспективные проекты в области обеспечения безопасности, потенциальными потребителями которых могут быть органы государственной власти и спецслужбы, на выставке «Интерполитех-2010» на ВВЦ.
Как отметил Меньшиков, интерес к разработкам НИИ КС проявляют как российские, так и зарубежные потребители. В частности, вчера Государственный секретарь Союзного государства П.П.Бородин ознакомился с работой специального мобильного мониторингового комплекса, представленного предприятием на выставке.
А ранее в НИИ уже обращались представители Бангладеш, изучающие возможность приобретения комплекса для своих нужд, сообщил Меньшиков.
Специальный мобильный мониторинговый комплекс предназначен для обеспечения специальных служб данными контроля обстановки при нахождении на территории объекта или конкретного района. Его оборудование размещено на автомобильном шасси и имеет автономное электропитание. Он способен обеспечивать потребителей космической и навигационной информацией с точностью определения координат 20-30 м, с отображением результатов на электронных картах местности или в архивированном виде, осуществлять видеоконтроль опасных природных и техногенных явлений и объектов, обеспечить сотовую связь и интернет доступ.
http://www.roscosmos.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=13342
Go MSL!

Pol

http://www.space-travel.com/reports/New_Intelsat_Satellite_Delivered_To_Launch_Base_999.html

New Intelsat Satellite Delivered To Launch Base

-
by Staff Writers
Palo Alto, CA (SPX) Oct 28, 2010

Space Systems/Loral reports that a communications satellite that it designed and built for Intelsat arrived safely at the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, where it is scheduled to launch in November aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle.
"Intelsat 17 was delivered to launch base nearly two months ahead of the contract delivery date," said John Celli, president of Space Systems/Loral.

"We always strive to help customers achieve their business objectives and in this case, an early launch date was highly desirable. This is the 45th satellite that we have delivered to Intelsat and our long-term, collaborative relationship helps both our companies maximize efficiencies and ensure the highest quality."

Intelsat 17 will be positioned at 66E, effectively next to Intelsat's successful Asian video distribution neighborhood located at 68.5E, on the Intelsat 10 satellite, which has been serving customers since 2001.

Intelsat 17's C- and Ku-band capacity, and multi-continental coverage, will offer programmers distribution in a region that extends across Asia and into Europe and Africa.

It will replace Intelsat 702, which was also built by Space Systems/Loral and was launched in June 1994.
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=2145375866

Satnews Daily
 October 31, 2010

European Space Agency... Lowered Orbit, Heightened Life (Satellite)

[SatNews] ESA's Earth-observing satellite Envisat has moved to a lower orbit in order to conserve fuel and extend its life by three years, and is once again delivering invaluable data to thousands of scientists.

Envisat, launched in 2002, has a unique combination of 10 different instruments that collect data about Earth's atmosphere, land, sea and ice – providing scientists with the most detailed picture yet of the state of our planet. Initially intended to stay in orbit for five years, the decision was taken to extend the mission until 2010. However, given the overall excellent condition of the satellite, ESA Member States agreed last year to fund the mission through to 2013.


This image is one of the first acquired by Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument (27 October 2010 around 7:30 UTC), just a few hours after the Earth-observing satellite reached its new orbit. The image features the Volga delta in Russia and Kazakhstan and the northern Caspian Sea. Preliminary checks indicate the instrument is delivering the same high-quality data as it did before the satellite's orbit was lowered from 800 km to 783 km, beginning on 22 October. The size of the image is about 800 by 700 km. Credits: ESA

In order for the satellite to stay operational another three years, engineers from ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, The Netherlands, came up with a plan to minimize fuel use by moving it to a lower orbit so it would no longer have to correct for the gradual change in orbit inclination during this period. The Envisat orbit change project, called 'Envisat 2010+', to lower it from about 800 km to about 783 km, began on the morning of October 22 . The 8000-kg satellite was lowered by about 10 km with two 28-minute repositioning moves. Following another two manoeuvres on the evening of October 26, the satellite was lowered an additional 7 km, reaching its new final altitude. Envisat's instruments were slowly switched back on starting on October 27 , and the satellite is now gradually resuming its normal activities.

Users will start receiving Envisat data and products again on November 2. A mini-commissioning phase is scheduled for November and December. Many different teams will verify the quality of the 'new' Envisat data of more than 100 measurements about our planet, including sea-surface temperature, vegetation indices and greenhouse gas concentrations. Envisat 2010+ is an ambitious project with teams from three ESA establishments – ESTEC, the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, and the Earth observation centre (ESRIN) in Frascati, Italy — working round the clock to ensure minimal disruptions for the satellite's numerous operational and scientific data users.[/img]
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1718063847

Satnews Daily
 October 31, 2010

Lockheed Martin... Interoperability Success (Satellite)

[SatNews] Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has completed Intersegment System Testing (IST) of the second Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications satellite at the company's facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif.

 This critical milestone marks the completion of pre-launch verification for the new eXtended Data Rate (XDR) service which will provide substantial enhancements in the capacity, coverage and connectivity of protected communications for warfighters around the globe. AEHF is the successor to the existing five-satellite Milstar constellation and will provide global, highly secure, protected, survivable communications for warfighters operating on ground, sea and air platforms. Completion of IST for the second AEHF satellite marks the culmination of an extensive suite of interoperability tests with new XDR capable user terminals demonstrating protected anti-jam communications at data rates up to 8 Mbps via highly agile satellite spot beams. New and enhanced strategic and tactical applications such as real-time video and voice and data conferencing will be enabled by this XDR service providing a ten-fold increase in system capacity, coverage and network connectivity.

Col. Michael Sarchet, commander of the Protected Satellite Communications Group at the U.S. Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center said, "This major milestone represents completion of our single-line flow activities and moves the program another critical step closer to the full deployment of the AEHF system and delivery of unprecedented protected communication capabilities to the warfighter." The second AEHF satellite has completed all testing and will be placed in storage next month. The third AEHF satellite is progressing through thermal vacuum environmental testing at the Lockheed Martin facility in Sunnyvale, Calif.

The AEHF team is led by the U.S. Air Force Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing at the Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Sunnyvale, Calif., is the AEHF prime contractor and system manager, with Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, Redondo Beach, Calif., as the satellite payload provider. Lockheed Martin is currently under contract to provide three AEHF satellites and the mission control segment to the U.S. Air Force. The program has also contracted advanced procurement of long-lead components for a fourth AEHF satellite. A contract award to begin full scale production of the fourth satellite is expected in late 2010.

С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=2096094895

Satnews Daily
 October 27, 2010

Thales Alenia Space and Iridium...NEXT Is Now! (Launch)

[SatNews] News of a big step forward...Thales Alenia Space announced today that its contract with Iridium Communication (Nasdaq: IRDM), providing for the construction of 81 communication satellites in the Iridium NEXT low-orbit constellation, is now in full effect. With the closing of Iridium's Coface credit facility, the FSD (Full Scale System Development) contract between Iridium and Thales Alenia Space replaces the  Authorization to Proceed (ATP), signed by the companies on June 1, 2010.  As of June, Thales Alenia Space has, in fact, had full-scale system design and development underway through its work under the ATP.

Iridium is a major provider of mobile satellite voice and data communications services. Iridium NEXT will replace Iridium's current constellation, ensuring continuity of the world's only truly global mobile satellite service.  Iridium NEXT also will expand the capacity and capabilities of the company's existing global service. The launch of the first satellites is scheduled for the first quarter of 2015.

Thales Alenia Space is the Iridium NEXT prime contractor, responsible for managing engineering development, systems integration and manufacture of a space segment comprising 66 operational satellites, 6 in-orbit spare satellites and 9 ground spare satellites. To perform this large scale contract, Thales Alenia Space has established strategic industrial partnerships and plans to subcontract roughly 40 percent of the work to companies in North America. Thales Alenia Space France, Italy and Belgium will be heavily involved in the project, with activities shared between operations in Cannes, Toulouse, Rome and Charleroi.

Iridium NEXT will offer complete backward compatibility with Iridium's current devices and services. Thales Alenia Space developed a sophisticated, yet flexible solution to meet this requirement. Based on its LEO platform product line, specifically developed for constellations, each Iridium NEXT satellite will carry a sophisticated active transmit/receive L-band antenna, Ka-band crosslink and feeder link antennas, 2-axis solar arrays and advanced onboard processing hardware and software needed to manage and route voice and data traffic through the Iridium network.

"This is a very important milestone, not only for our customer Iridium and for our company, but for all the financial institutions that have worked so hard on this project," said Reynald Seznec, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space. "The contract clearly shows that our company is a pivotal player in today's market for communication satellite constellations. We have been able to combine our technical expertise with a unique industrial organization that allows us to set up a production chain, demonstrate our long experience in the management of industrial consortiums, and prove our ability to help customers carry out the procedures needed for financial arrangements."

"We are extremely pleased to have closed the Coface financing and to have moved onto the FSD as we aggressively push forward to deliver Iridium NEXT," said Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium. "Today marks another important milestone since our June 1st decision to choose Thales Alenia Space as our prime contractor. The Thales Alenia Space team is now fully engaged in designing Iridium NEXT and we feel great about the partnership that is developing between our two companies as work accelerates on this exciting venture."

С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=1263362145

Satnews Daily
 October 27, 2010

Astrium... Kazakhstan Konsiderations (Contract)

[SatNews] The partnership between Astrium and JSC NC Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary (KGS), the national company charged with the development of Kazakhstan's space program, has reached another major milestone with the signature of a contract for a Satellite Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) Centre in Astana.


Direct link to Astrium's homepage...Astrium and KGS signed the agreement, under which Astrium will provide and install the various test equipment (mechanical, radiometric, thermal and acoustic facilities) at the new AIT Centre. Astrium will also assist KGS in the construction of the AIT Centre to ensure coordination with the test equipment. This follows a major contract signed in October 2009 by Astrium and KGS for the development of two Earth observation satellites. The AIT Centre will form part of the 'Space City' that the Kazakhstan space agency, Kazcosmos, is developing in Astana. The city will also include the ground segment for the two Astrium-built satellites, as well an administrative building and a museum dedicated to the country's long space history.

A Joint Venture signed between KGS and Astrium in October 2009 to jointly manage the Astana AIT Centre and implement Kazakhstan's future satellite programs will now become operational. Kazakhstan has been involved in spaceflight since the very beginning. In 1957, the Soviet Union chose Baikonur as the launch site for the first satellite, the legendary Sputnik 1. Then, in 1961, the world's first astronaut, Yuri Gagarin, took off from Baikonur. Baikonur is still Russia's primary launch site under lease from the Republic of Kazakhstan. Since the early space age, all the human Soyouz flights to the Space Stations have taken off from Baikonur. Kazakhstan is now developing new ambitions in space as part of the program A New Kazakhstan in a New World. One of the goals of this program — launched ten years ago — is to provide the country with the most advanced technology and to develop Kazakhstan's own industrial expertise. Astrium, the European leader in space technology, is offering Kazakhstan its know-how via a strategic and technological partnership that will help the country fulfil its space ambitions
С уважением, Павел Акулаев

Pol

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1011/01china/

China sets new record for annual launch activity
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: November 1, 2010


Sunday's launch of a navigation satellite was the 12th flight of a Long March rocket in 2010, eclipsing the record for most Chinese space missions in a single year.

This weekend's flight broke an annual record China set in 2008, when it conducted 11 launches of human, scientific and military payloads.

This year, the country's burgeoning space program has launched 12 rockets, all successfully.

Payloads include four Beidou navigation satellites launched in January, July, August and October. China plans to continue a rapid pace of Beidou flights over the next two years, eventually reaching an intermediate stage of deployment by 2012, when it will provide positioning services over China and neighboring regions.

China will have launched 14 Beidou satellites by 2012 to achieve the localized coverage in the Asia-Pacific region, according to official government sources.

Three Long March flights have orbited Yaogan military reconnaissance satellites, beginning in March when a trio of spacecraft blasted off on a Long March 3C rocket.

Two more Yaogan payloads, believed to be electro-optical or night-vision radar spy satellites, were sent into space in August and September.

State-owned Chinese media outlets report the Yaogan satellites accomplish scientific experiments, survey land resources, estimate crop yields and contribute to natural disaster response efforts. But observers believe the spacecraft are actually operated by the Chinese military.

Long March rockets in June and October sent Shijian technology demonstration payloads into orbit.

The June launch of Shijian 12 started a groundbreaking rendezvous test that reached a crescendo in August, when it approached another Chinese satellite. China released no official account of the demo, but independent analysts using U.S. military tracking data concluded the spacecraft must have passed within about 600 feet of each other.

Other boosters launched a Tianhui mapping satellite, the Chinasat 6A television broadcasting spacecraft and the Chang'e 2 probe to the moon.

Chang'e 2 launched Oct. 1 and reached the moon five days later.

At least three more satellites are planned to launch this year, potentially extending the record to around 15 missions by the end of December.

China is preparing another Long March rocket to haul a Fengyun weather satellite to orbit as soon as Nov. 4. Another communications satellite and Beidou navigation platform could follow later in November and December.

The pace of Beidou launches, coupled with increased activity in China's human space program, should continue a frenzied launch manifest through 2011.

China is testing the core module of a mini-space station named Tiangong 1 for launch late next year. Future Chinese astronaut crews will visit the complex starting in 2012, according to state media.

This year's record launch rate comes as NASA and China open a joint dialogue on potential space cooperation. NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden visited China last month, and his hosts afforded him unprecedented access to human spaceflight facilities.

Although the talks did not include discussions on specific partnerships, according to NASA, the visit provided a basis for further dialogue.
С уважением, Павел Акулаев