Connexion Granted Regulatory Authorizations for Mobile Broadband Data Service
FCC Reinstates EchoStar's Ka-Band License
Intelsat Enables Vodacom to Grow in Africa
Industry Canada Grants Approval to Hughes For SPACEWAY Satellites in Canada
ViaSat Wins Contract From Honeywell Space Systems
Aerospace Commission Releases Final Report
Cubic and Satellite Security Systems to Offer Satellite GPS Asset Tracking System
PanAmSat Expands Satellite Coverage of United States and Latin America With 22nd Spacecraft
Delta IV Succeeds In Lifting Eutelsat W5 Satellite
Attack on Iraq Will Lead to Virus Attack According to Hacker
Islamic Cleric With Ties to Bin Laden Predicts Cyberattacks Against West
Europe Online and BT Broadcast Services Team Up
KVH Intros High-Speed Internet For Europe
Regulatory agencies from Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium and The Netherlands have granted authorization for The Boeing Company to use a range of Ku-band radio frequencies for its Connexion by Boeing mobile information service. The authorizations were granted to support demonstrations of the service with Lufthansa German Airlines and British Airways that will begin in the first quarter of 2003. The two leading European air carriers are pioneering the use of broadband connectivity onboard commercial aircraft and will begin three-month service demonstrations in January and February, respectively. "We are extremely pleased with the willingness of the regulatory agencies to authorize the commercial service demonstrations planned for early next year," said Connexion by Boeing President Scott Carson.
The Federal Communications Commission reinstated EchoStar Communications' license to launch a Ka-band satellite with high-speed Internet capabilities. In June, the FCC revoked the company's license for using the high-speed frequency because it said the company missed construction milestones. The FCC said this week that EchoStar should have provided more thorough documentation.
Intelsat South Africa has signed a five-year contract with Vodacom International, a subsidiary of the Vodacom Group, to provide satellite capacity to enable Vodacom's expansion of mobile telecommunications services to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Tanzania. Intelsat is providing capacity on its 904 satellite at 60 Degrees E to carry the telecommunications traffic generated to and from more than 20 base stations and switching centers around and inside the African countries, as well as into the public switched network.
"Major Southern African mobile communications operators are increasingly relying on satellites because they offer cost-effective and rapid deployment into remote areas where conventional infrastructure is limited or non-existent," commented Johan Prinsloo, Regional Director, Intelsat South Africa. "We consider this expansive satellite network a landmark achievement for supporting the extension of mobile telecommunications in the region." Andrew Mthembu, Deputy CEO of the Vodacom Group commented, "The Democratic Republic of Congo is a huge country with vast distances between the cities, so building our network there was complex. Using Intelsat satellites, we were able to easily connect Kinshasa to the other main areas such as Lubumbashi and Mbuji-Mayi."
Industry Canada has granted HNS approval to use the SPACEWAY North American satellites at 99 degrees and 101 degrees west longitude to provide services to, from and within Canada. This authorization permits SPACEWAY satellites to utilize Ka-band spectrum for advanced broadband services to earth stations licensed in Canada. SPACEWAY's coverage footprint will exceed 80% of Canada's population, including many geographically dispersed and underserved areas. "We are delighted with the timely approval of our SPACEWAY Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) application by Industry Canada. As a result, HNS can now fulfill its objective to provide next-generation broadband services for DIRECWAY customers throughout all of North America. It's notable that SPACEWAY is the first international Ka-band FSS satellite operator to be authorized in Canada," said Mike Cook, senior vice president and general manager of SPACEWAY. Scheduled for launch in 2003, with commercial service beginning in 2004, SPACEWAY will provide full-mesh connectivity for delivery of high-bandwidth, multimedia services.
ViaSat Satellite Ground Systems has received a contract from Honeywell Space Systems in Clearwater, Florida for two mobile S-Band Tracking and Telemetry/UHF-Band Command Destruct integrated antenna systems. These systems are for the second phase of the Ballistic Missile Range System Technology program (BMRST) and will be delivered in July 2003. These tracking and telemetry systems combine the ability to receive an S-band telemetry data signal with the ability to transmit high-power UHF Command Destruct tones. Each of the antenna systems consists of a 5.4-meter reflector, elevation over azimuth pedestal, and a specialized telemetry tracking/UHF feed. The complete system includes a uniquely designed trailer/mounting base that provides full roadworthy towing as well as a stable tracking platform. The antenna systems are transportable by C-17 aircraft, as well as by sea or highway.
The Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry, which was charged with assessing the future importance of the domestic aerospace industry for the economic and national security of the US, presented its final report.
To boost the aerospace industry, the commission recommended closer cooperation between NASA, the Department of Defense and the private sector. The commission thinks all three should be working toward delivering better access to space, promoting scientific research and searching for a way to convert the government's programs into some sort of commercial success. In particular, the report states, NASA should be focusing on new and better ways to propel and power spacecraft -- something the agency already is doing in looking at nuclear fission as a potential power source.
NASA and the Pentagon also need to shore up launch facilities and equipment at Kennedy Space Center and the adjacent Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the report says. The commission made several suggestions, including considering bringing the two entities under some sort of central control to help cut costs.
"A strong aerospace industry will enable the United States to defend itself, compete in the global marketplace, maintain a highly skilled workforce and provide all Americans with the ability to travel safely and securely anywhere in the world," said former Rep. Robert Walker, chairman of the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry.
Cubic Corp. has signed a joint marketing agreement with San Diego-based Satellite Security Systems (S3) to offer military and civilian customers in the homeland defense market a tracking system that uses the government's satellite Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.
The system features two-way communications, which allows messages that are sent back to the tracking unit to be displayed. The system also allows information, such as rate of acceleration, turning radius and speed, to be determined and displayed in real-time. The Cubic/S3 system includes Cubic's PC-RIS product, a proprietary software system that produces maps showing precise location data and visual positions of objects or vehicles (both stationary and in-motion), coupled with S3's GlobalGuard(TM) system, the unit that tracks the objects, using GPS. While many tracking systems use cellular technology, this system uses satellite technology, which is more reliable and offers better geographical coverage, with a reach that extends across North and South America.
PanAmSat successfully completed the final customer transition to its Galaxy IIIC satellite, making the spacecraft the 22nd in its global fleet. Operating at 95 degrees west longitude, Galaxy IIIC will support some of the world's video and telecommunications powerhouses for their operations across North America, South America and the Caribbean. At the commencement of service, approximately 70 percent of the transponders on Galaxy IIIC were already under contract with customers.
"The successful transition of customers on to Galaxy IIIC marks the completion of our â…ÐÂ GET http://207.68.131.197:80/msdownload/of over $2.5 billion, which is now behind us, resulting in a satellite fleet with the greatest average lifespan in the industry. Our primary focus now is increasing the utilization of our satellites, which are operating at 70 percent of capacity. By beginning service on Galaxy IIIC, PanAmSat has done what it set out to do-- provide its customers with one of the most modern, flexible and reliable fleets in the market," said Joe Wright, president and chief executive officer of PanAmSat.
Launched June 15, 2002, Galaxy IIIC is a Boeing 702-model satellite containing 24 C-band and 52 Ku-band transponders. Galaxy IIIC takes over for Galaxy IIIR and Galaxy VIIIi, which will continue to provide partial services at 95 degrees west longitude. Customers were transitioned from Galaxy IIIR to Galaxy IIIC including DIRECTV Latin America. DIRECTV Latin America, which was also transitioned from Galaxy VIIIi, will use the satellite's extended Ku-band payload for distribution of its Direct-To-Home programming. This new satellite is the latest and most powerful addition to the coveted Galaxy neighborhood that serves nine of the top 10 cable networks in North America. In total, PanAmSat's fleet has an average remaining life of over nine years and is one of the youngest fleets in the industry.
Boeing's new Delta IV rocket successfully launched a communications satellite for Paris-based Eutelsat S.A. in the vehicle's maiden flight. The Delta IV lifted the Eutelsat W5 satellite into space Wednesday at 5:39 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Roughly 37 minutes after liftoff, the rocket deployed the W5 spacecraft to a geosynchronous orbit.
The Delta IV rocket that deployed W5 was a Medium+ (4,2) configuration of the five-member Delta IV family of rockets developed by Boeing Expendable Launch Systems, a major program of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. Eutelsat's W5 spacecraft, built by Alcatel's Alcatel Space unit, will serve telecom users and service providers for video distribution and contribution links, occasional-use video, particularly satellite news gathering, as well as Internet backbone connections. W5's coverage will enable Eutelsat to increase its market presence in Asia as far as the Pacific, company officials said.
Melhacker, a Malaysian virus writer who is sympathetic to the cause of the al-Qaeda terrorist group, told Computerworld he will launch a triple-threat worm if the U.S. attacks Iraq. The hacker says he has developed and tested a "three-in-one" megaworm code-named Scezda that combines features from the well-known SirCam, Klez and Nimda worms. Melhacker, who is believed to be Vladimir Chamlkovic, claims he has ties to Russian and Pakistani virus writers.
A fundamentalist Islamic cleric with ties to al Qaeda claims that radical Muslim groups are planning to employ cyberattacks to disrupt the economies of the West.
Europe Online has entered into an agreement with BT Broadcast Services to build a broadband Internet, DSL and multi-media services for the consumer market. BT is looking to expand its offering of broadband services and create a media-enabled network, company officials explained. Under the terms of the agreement, both parties will pool their past, present and future work to bring affordable broadband Internet, DSL, and multimedia services to the development of the broadband digital converged market. The services would be used either on a personal computer or a television. BT Broadcast will make available satellite capacity and up- linking/infrastructure services to the joint BT Broadcast/Europe Online market, Europe Online officials said.
KVH Industries introduced its new TracNet 2.0 Mobile High-speed Internet System which provides seamless, two-way Internet access throughout Europe by combining broadband Internet-via-satellite downloads and a wireless return path. "TracNet 2.0 is a powerful link to the Internet, e-mail, and company intranets thanks to Internet data delivered by high-powered satellite downloads, built-in networking capabilities, and extremely broad coverage areas," explained Mads Bjerre-Petersen, managing director of KVH Europe A/S.
December 4-6, 2002
San Diego, CA
ACT Conferences
http://www.actconferences.com/sif2002/
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