World of Satellite-News Updates

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Developing Space Programs To Launch Dozens Of Satellites In The Next 10 Years Countries like Kazakhstan and Vietnam are taking a swing at imaging Earth.
By Francie Diep Posted 03.04.2013 at 6:00 pm 3 Comments

Artist's concept of satellites, plus the International Space Station, in orbit over Earth NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Is it just me, or is it getting crowded in here?

More than 280 new observational satellites are expected to enter orbit around Earth over the next decade, Aviation Week reported from an analysis by Paris-based Euroconsult. About 30 percent of those spacecraft are expected to come from countries with developing space programs, such as Kazakhstan and Vietnam.

The satellites will provide their home countries with images for crop monitoring, weather forecasting, military observation, urban planning and everything else that developed programs already use satellites for. They'll also provide competition for companies that sell their satellite images to groups that don't have their own satellites. Governments and other groups spent $1.4 billion to buy satellite images in 2011. By 2021, Euroconsult expects the satellite-image industry to generate $4 billion in revenue.

Satellites in the works at developing space programs around the world include:

Gokturk-1, a Turkish satellite that will be able to take images at a 50-centimeter (20-inch) resolution in black and white. "Gokturk-1 is the most impressive example of a satellite with real capabilities that are not so far from the leading technologies of the top five nations in space," Philippe Campenon, deputy director for space and Earth observation at Euroconsult, told Aviation Week.

Two satellites from Kazakhstan, with resolutions of 1 and 7 meters. The former is set for a mid-2014 launch.

Four satellites from Vietnam. VNREDSat-1A, which has a 2.5-meter resolution in black and white, is supposed to go up in space this April.

Taiwan's Formosat-5, which has a 2-meter resolution in black and white. It's slated for a 2015 launch.

Kompsat-3, a South Korean satellite with a 55-centimeter resolution in color that's slated for launch in September.

 

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China’s Fourth Space Launch Center to be Operational in Two Years
March 5, 2013 | Satellite Today | Veronica Magan

Share Tags: China, Satellite Launch, Launch center
Publication: News.Xinhuanet.com
Publication Date: 03/03/2013

Jiuquan Satellite Lauch Center assembly tower.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
China has announced its fourth launch center will be ready for use in two years. The Wenchang center, located in the lowest latitude one in China at the north east coast of the tropical island province of Hainan, has been under construction since 2009.

According to the Xinhua news agency, the Wenchang launch center will be used for Long March-7 and Long March-5 rockets to launch space station capsules and cargo ships, and for synchronous satellites, heavy satellites, large space stations, and deep space probe satellites. It is designed to handle up to 10-12 rocket launches a year.

China currently has three other space launch bases, however, they are landlocked in western or northern plateau and mountainous regions, lack commercial development and are inconvenient for transportation. The new Wenchang launch center is expected to solve these problems and help rockets consume less fuel to get into orbit because of its better location.

 

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OTTilus Launches Business-Integrated Online Video Platform OTT TV Solution
March 5, 2013 | Satellite Today | Veronica Magan

Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin Share on email Share on print More Sharing ServicesShare [Satellite TODAY 03-05-13] OTTilus, a Pilat Media company, has announced the launch of the OTTilus Online Video Platform (OVP), an end-to-end enterprise-class, over-the-top (OTT) TV solution for delivering live, catch-up, and VOD services. OTTilus OVP promises to enable media organizations to expand their product offerings across multiple platforms, and integrate business operations around workflows, metadata, rights, ad campaigns, and analytics.


"Broadcast-quality media continues to make its way to all consumer screens over the open Internet. Therefore, content owners, broadcasters, and service providers need to expand and differentiate their OTT offerings, but at the same time maximize operational efficiency given that OTT monetization is still very uncertain," said Bob Lamb, managing director of OTTilus, on a statement.

The OTTilus OVP is available either as a cloud service or an on-premise end-to-end or modular solution, and can be deployed quickly out of the box or tailored to meet specific client needs. OTTilus offers a broadcast-grade content factory, backend management software, and player applications that support all major streaming formats and end-user devices from smartphones to tablets to smart TVs. The system can support operations ranging from single-channel streaming services to complex multichannel, multiservice environments with large content and subscriber volumes.

 

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NOAA Assumes Operational Control of Suomi NPP Environmental Satellite
March 5, 2013 | Satellite Today | Veronica Magan

Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin Share on email Share on print More Sharing ServicesShare [Satellite TODAY 03-05-13] The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite, a partnership between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was transitioned to NOAA for operational organization control.

Suomi NPP continues the observations of Earth from space that were pioneered by NASA's Earth Observing System. The satellite provides important data for understanding long-term climate change, and for increasing our ability to improve weather forecasts in the short term.

NASA launched Suomi NPP in 2011 and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) program based at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt., Md., has been helping maintain the instruments in addition to providing the ground system, with NOAA institutional organizations providing operational mission support. The NOAA operations group now assumes responsibility for Suomi NPP.

The Suomi NPP mission is a bridge between NASA's Earth-observing missions and NOAA's next-generation JPSS. Suomi NPP carries new instruments for Earth observation that JPSS will use operationally. The first satellite in the JPSS series, JPSS-1, is targeted for launch in early 2017.

 

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Globecomm Maritime Upgrades Access Chat Service, Offers Live Video Chat Onboard Ships
March 5, 2013 | Satellite Today | Veronica Magan

Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin Share on email Share on print More Sharing ServicesShare [Satellite TODAY 03-05-13] Globecomm Maritime has launched its optimized chat and video conferencing service designed for maritime satellite communications. Access Chat Plus enables maritime users to make video calls and live chat over satellite using a fraction of the data and at a fraction of the cost of shore side applications.


Just as its predecessor, Access Chat Plus also allows instant messaging and voice calling. Globecomm Maritime is offering both versions of the service with customized pricing available when it is bundled with the company’s airtime service contracts.

“Voice and video conferencing applications use a great deal of bandwidth and that makes it very expensive for seafarers. We identified the need for a tool that gives ships the same functionality but keeps cost under control,” said Trevor Whitworth, senior vice president Sales & Marketing at Globecomm Maritime said on a satatement.

Access Chat and Access Chat Plus are “light” applications in terms of set up and data usage. Both are no more than 1Mb in size and can be installed asily on any Windows or Android device, with an Apple OS version due in by the second quarter of this year.

 

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Russia’s Glonass Constellation Back to Full Strength
March 5, 2013 | Satellite Today | Jeffrey Hill

Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin Share on email Share on print More Sharing ServicesShare [Satellite TODAY 03-05-13] After several years of setbacks and frustration, the Russian government now finally claims that its Glonass orbital satellite geolocation constellation has once again reached full strength. According to Russian space agency Roskosmos’s information and analytical center website, 24 Glonass satellites are currently functioning, while two more non-operational spacecraft are being serviced. Another two satellites are in orbital reserve, while one more satellite is undergoing flight-testing.

Glonass has had a bumpy ride to full operational status. Last month, Russian investigators announced that a contractor that helped develop the Glonass satellite navigation system was suspected of fraud causing 9.5 million rubles ($300,000) in losses. Moscow police detained Alexander Galkevich, the former head and main designer of the Gonets satellite system. Galkevich, who helped develop the Glonass system commissioned by the Russian government, is suspected of signing fraudulent contracts for work that was never done.

Despite the setbacks, the Russian government plans to begin testing its second Glonass-K navigation satellite this year. Russian Space Systems Co. (RSSC) Deputy Head Grigory Stupak originally announced that the second Glonass-K satellite would be tested by the end of 2012. The first Glonass-K satellite was successfully tested in February 2011.

The Glonass constellation was designed to provide an unlimited number of ground-, sea-, air- and space-based users with navigation services. Glonass is only the second worldwide navigation system to enter full operations following the United States’ GPS system. The European Union is currently developing its Galileo global system, which is scheduled to go online in 2014. India has been planning its own IRNSS navigation system over the Northern Indian Ocean with an expected launch date later this year, but has recently entered a partnership with Russia to use the Glonass system. China plans to launch its Compass navigation system by the end of 2020.

The Russian government may spend 346.5 billion rubles ($12 billion) on its Glonass satellite navigation system between 2012 and 2020. In 2011, the Russian Ministry of Economics agreed on a draft development program for the Glonass project with space agency Roskosmos. The draft was submitted for government’s approval in late January 2012.

The expenditures include 146.9 billion rubles ($5 billion) to support the system and 138.3 billion rubles ($4.6 billion) to build and develop it, according to the report.

Last month, Brazil became the first country outside of Russia to host part of the Glonass satellite navigation system. The Brazilian Space Agency and Roskosmos will jointly operate the system, which has been installed at the University of Brasilia.

Among other uses, Brazil expects the Glonass system to be used by the host university “to conduct aerospace and biomedical research. This initiative registers an account to Brazil as a country of choice for strategic partnerships of mutual interest in the space,” said Jose Raimundo Coelho, president of the Brazilian Space Agency.

The installation in Brazil will help Glonass accuracy in South America and benefit research in aerospace laboratories. The agreement signed between both space agencies establishes technical cooperation for Glonass as well as support for research studies on satellite navigation systems, and contribute to the training of personnel with technical expertise in this system.

 

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ViaSat Demonstrates High-Throughput Ka-band Satellite Communications System on H-3 Helicopter
March 5, 2013 | Satellite Today | Veronica Magan

Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin Share on email Share on print More Sharing ServicesShare [Satellite TODAY 03-05-13] ViaSat has successfully demonstrated a high-performance Ka-band satellite communication system that delivers beyond line-of-sight broadband for rotary wing aircraft. The system provided sustained data rates of 4 Mbps from the Sikorsky H-3 helicopter to a ground station and 8 Mbps to the helicopter.

Using the new ViaSat VR-12 Ka antenna, isolated by a patent-pending shock and vibration isolation system that enables the antenna to maintain lock with the satellite on the ground and in-flight, the system was able to overcome the inherent high shock, vibration, and repetitive signal blockage from rotating blades.

Flight conditions for the demonstration included severe banking and operation through several rotor orientations while running data-intensive applications. During the tests, operators were able to simultaneously run five VoIP calls, three VTCs from air to ground, and stream videos from the Internet to the aircraft. All applications ran without packet loss or video dropout.

According to ViaSat, the system can be used on manned and unmanned rotary wing platforms regardless of the number of blades, blade size, number of rotors, or their orientation on the airframe.

 

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Sequestration Leaves U.S. Government Satellite Industry Exposed
March 6, 2013
Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin Share on email Share on print More Sharing ServicesShare [Satellite TODAY 03-06-13] Satellite companies with exposure to Defense Department and broader government budgets in the United States should expect to see incremental headwinds as across-the-board cuts as a result of government sequestration are implemented, according to a new report from analysis firm Needham.
The much discussed sequester, officially enacted March 1, will result in an 8 percent (or $42.7 billion) reduction in the U.S. Department of Defense’s full-year 2013 budget compared to its prior budget. The total reduction in 2013 U.S. governmental spending is $85.7 billion, which will be split equally between defense and domestic programs.
Needham Analyst Richard Valera named specific companies that would feel the impacts of sequestration. “Our most exposed name is Harris Corp., with about 70 percent of its revenue derived from the U.S. government,” Valera wrote in the report. “We note that KVH and ViaSat, which we like for their respective commercial broadband satellite initiatives, both have significant Department of Defense exposure, which does create some risk to our forward estimates in a post-sequestration world.”
During its most recent Jan. 29 earnings call, Harris’ management stated that the company was already seeing a sequestration-like slowdown in much of their business and had lowered their forward guidance to attempt to account for the enactment of sequestration.
“In fact, under orders from Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, much of the DoD’s procurement operations already went into a sequester-like slowdown in January of this year,” said Valera. “Additionally, some of our covered companies have substantial backlogs relative to our next 12 month estimates for DoD/U.S. Government revenue, which we think could help to buffer against the sequester for at least a couple of quarters.
Valera notes that determining how the sequester will translate to incrementally reduced sales or bookings is challenging since many companies have already been seeing some level of pre-sequester slowdown. According to ViaSat’s recently reported third quarter and full-year 2013 results, the company derived 47 percent of its revenue from its Government Systems segment in an unusually strong quarter for this segment.
“Our next 12-month revenue forecast [for ViaSat] calls for its government revenue to represent a more moderate, but still substantial 39 percent of total revenue,” said Valera. “While ViaSat’s Government exposure is certainly significant and potentially exposed to sequestration-related cuts, we think the impact could be mitigated by a healthy funded backlog of $391 million in its Government Systems business against our NTM revenue estimate of $471 million.”
Needham also noted that Comtech has recently seen declining exposure to the Department of Defense as its MTS and BFT programs wind down. In Comtech’s most recently reported quarter, it derived 43 percent of its revenue from the U.S. government. “We would look for more color on sequestration’s potential impact on the company on its upcoming earnings call on March 8,” Valera added.
For KVH, Needham forecasts that the company will derive about 35 percent of its NTM revenue from U.S. military and government programs. “We believe the company’s backlog solidly supports our 2013 first half DoD-related forecast, but we see incrementally higher risk in the second half of 2013 as we would look to see some incremental DoD-related orders to support our estimates,” Valera said.
Much of KVH’s recent TACNAV business, however, has been with non-U.S. military organizations, which should be unaffected by sequestration.

 

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ViaSat-1 Sets Guinness World Record
March 6, 2013
Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin Share on email Share on print More Sharing ServicesShare [Satellite TODAY 03-06-13] The ViaSat-1 satellite has earned the Guinness World Records title for the highest-capacity communications satellite in the world. The spacecraft, which powers ViaSat's Exede Internet service, was launched in October 2011. By that time, ViaSat-1 had more capacity than all other communication satellites covering North America combined.
According to ViaSat, this satellite provides 100 times the capacity of a typical Ku-band satellite, and 10 times the throughput of any Ka-band satellite launched before it over the United States and Canada.
This is the second major recognition for ViaSat-1 in the past month; the first was indirect when in the FCC’s annual benchmarking report, 2013 Measuring Broadband America, ViaSat’s Exede Internet service was ranked as top among DSL, cable, fiber and satellite providers in surpassing advertised speeds.
In addition to powering the 12 Mbps Exede Internet service, ViaSat-1 is also expected to provide the bandwidth for a new generation of enterprise services, including in-flight broadband for commercial aviation.

 

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GE Aviation Signs Deal to Provide Inertial Navigation Technology for Boeing
March 6, 2013
Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin Share on email Share on print More Sharing ServicesShare [Satellite TODAY 03-06-13] GE Aviation has singed a new agreement to provide inertial reference units for Boeing's wideband phased array satellite communications systems for airborne mobile communications.
The inertial reference unit provides the technology to deliver orientation and position using Global Positioning System (GPS) data for next-generation satellite communication systems. This can be used for land vehicles, airborne and seaborne applications for the purposes of surveillance, target acquisition, and satellite antenna pointing. The reference unit combines inertial data and GPS data to provide the user with high-accuracy continuous location, heading, pitch, and roll data in both stationary and moving vehicles.
Boeing's Ka-band phased-array satcom antenna system allows customers to take advantage of the significant increase in bandwidth offered by next-generation Ka-band satellites to transport data between aircraft in flight and the ground network.