World of Satellite-News Updates

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May 8th, 2013
DigitalGlobe... Financially Speaking... (Business)

DigitalGlobe, Inc. (NYSE: DGI) has reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2013.


First quarter 2013 revenue was $127.6 million, a 47 percent increase compared with the same period last year. The company reported a net loss for the first quarter of 2013 of $60.6 million, or $(0.96) per diluted share, compared with net income of $3.8 million or $0.08 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2012. First quarter 2013 EBITDA was $(30.9) million. Included in this quarter's EBITDA is $66.8 million of one-time expenses related to the combination with GeoEye. The resulting EBITDA, not including combination-related expenses, was $35.9 million, with an associated margin of 28.1 percent.

"We are pleased to have successfully closed our combination with GeoEye in the quarter, and are on track in executing our integration plan," said Jeffrey R. Tarr, Chief Executive Officer. "We are more confident than ever in our ability to achieve 50 percent EBITDA margins after six quarters and deliver more than $1.8 billion in synergies. Taken together with our larger and more diverse revenue base, and the broader capabilities we are now able to offer our customers, we are well on our way toward our aspiration of building the global leader in geospatial information and insight."

 

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May 8th, 2013
Gilat Satellite Communications... @ eLearning Africa 2013... (Event)

Providing education to students dispersed in hard to reach locations can be...


...a challenging task. Gilat is committed to facilitating fair access eLearning in Africa and around the globe by providing fast, reliable, satellite broadband connectivity to even the most remote schools. eLearning Africa 2013 is being held at the Safari Conference Center in Windhoek, Namibia. Gilat currently enables tens of thousands of schools and millions of students around the world to access eLearning applications, online libraries and educational material regardless of the condition of the local region's terrestrial infrastructure.

Gilat invites all to join them in the session presented by the Vice President of Gilat, David Leichner, on Thursday, May 30, 2013, in the Med 13 track at 14:30 hours entitled, "Bridging the Gaps and Obstacles to Education for Children in Rural Areas."

 

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May 8th, 2013
Cobham... @ Broadcast Asia 2013 With... (SatBroadcasting™—Encoder + More...)

Cobham will introduce a lightweight, easy-to-connect...


...HD MPEG4 IP Encoder specifically engineered for broadcast applications at Broadcast Asia 2013. Able to operate in standard, low and ultra-low latency modes, the highly energy-efficient encoder also has balanced audio inputs and includes integral broadcast-standard IFB talkback.

Cobham will also demonstrate MediaMesh, an IP-based, rapid set-up field newsroom that takes advantage of groundbreaking technology to enable field reporters to get on air almost instantly. The ultra-lightweight MediaMesh unit includes a broadcast quality transmission path for live two-ways; remote camera control; high quality file transfer; plus a high-capacity internet connection that provides access to base newsroom computers and cell phones. All of this can be transported in a single, easily carried case and be operational within minutes.

Also featuring at the show will be one of the world’s smallest wireless HD camera transmitters. Cobham’s new Solo Micro HD transmitter, a matchbox-size addition to Cobham’s “Solo” range, employs MPEG encoding for excellent image quality retention, with integral COFDM modulation.

 

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May 7th, 2013
Arabsat + Al-BAWANI Co., Ltd. Collaborate To Build Headquarters In Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter

This project has been in collaboration with the High Commission for Development of Riyadh, where His Royal Highness the Prince of Riyadh issued his consent...
Arab Satellite Communications organization, Arabsat, has signed a contract to build its new headquarter in the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh by Al-BAWANI Co., Ltd. The new building will be constructed on a land provided by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Arabsat and covers an area of nearly 14,000 square meters.


Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh
Eng. Khalid bin Ahmed Balkhyour President and CEO of Arabsat stated, "This project has been in collaboration with the High Commission for Development of Riyadh, where His Royal Highness the Prince of Riyadh issued his consent so that Riyadh Principality take over the supervision of the design and implementation of the building through an international competition in which more than 25 local & global designers have participated. Al-BAWANI Co., Ltd will build Arabsat headquarter within 30 months "

Balkhyour praised the distinctive role and support done by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since the establishment of Arabsat, when the Kingdom hosted Arabsat headquartered in the Diplomatic Quarter and its main Station in Dirab outside Riyadh, allocating pieces of Land to these headquarters. The Kingdom also provided a grant to build Arabsat new headquarters, which will be one of the main features of the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh as expected by the High Commission for the Development of Riyadh.


Mr.Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Tuwajiri Chairman of Al-BAWANI Co., Ltd. said, "We thank Arab Satellite Communications Organization—Arabsat to provide the opportunity for Al-BAWANI Co., Ltd to build this edifice, important and distinctive architectural, and putting their trust in Al-BAWANI Co., Ltd,”

He also asserted his company's eagerness to implement the project according to the highest specifications and international standards and within the period specific, adding “We wish to meet Arabsat’s expectations and are looking forward to building a lasting strategic partnership with Arabsat "

 

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May 17th, 2013

St. Thomas More Cathedral School... Update On The CubeSat Mission... (Satellite)


St. Thomas More Cathedral School (STM) will take its first step in the

Mission Possible Project – STM-1 —by launching a weather balloon with their CubeSat. On May 22, 201,3 at 9:00 a.m. in the school’s parking lot, Student Mission Specialists will conduct a series of high altitude tests of their CubeSat. Their mission is four fold: The CubeSat will be lifted to an altitude of approximately 300 feet by the weather balloon; the CubeSat will operate under its own power; the telemetry and command link will be established and verified between the satellite and ground station; and the onboard cameras, both the Earth Observation Camera and the Asteroid Location Camera, will take test images.

We wish the students well with their launch endeavors!

Original story....

Students from St. Thomas More Cathedral School in Arlington gather to kick off Mission Possible: Building a Cubesat.

[SatNews] “It is a blessing to have our students rooted in faith as they explore new frontiers.”

On April 17, 2013, St.Thomas More Cathedral School kicked off—Mission Possible. STM’s goal is to be the first K—8 program in the United States to have a student-built satellite launched into orbit by 2014. Reverend Robert Rippy, Rector of the Cathedral of St. Thomas More, stated,”It is a blessing to have our students rooted in faith as they explore new frontiers.”

Eleanor McCormack, Principal, declared “It is an honor and a thrill to provide the students of St. Thomas More Cathedral School with such an awe-inspiring opportunity.”

With the assistance of STM Computer Teacher, Melissa Pore, and STM parent and NASA Mission Manager, Joe Pellegrino, STM students will help build a CubeSat satellite and then use the data the satellite collects for school research purposes. CubeSats are a class of research spacecraft called nano satellites. The cube-shaped satellites are approximately four inches long, have a volume of about one quart and weigh about 3 pounds.


ATK employee Joe Pellegrino displays hardware that will be used to prepare a cubesat for launch.

“As teachers, we have to take risks to meet the academic needs of today's students. We need to provide opportunities for them to discover and apply learning to real-world scenarios. Students are able to formulate their own ideas and conclusions through teacher-guided activities and make them the leaders of their own learning experience. We will build tomorrow's leaders by working hard today. Our future is in their hands,” stated Melissa Pore, STM Computer Teacher and Mission Manager.

"It was a teacher who sparked my interest in engineering when I was in grade school which led to rewarding career in the space industry. I hope to do the same with this CubeSat mission. For me, mission success is when a child turns to his / her parents and says ‘I want to become an engineer or scientist,’” expressed Joe Pellegrino, NASA Mission Manager and STM Parent.

STM received its first donation of $10,000.00 from ATK Space Systems to assist in the building and launching of this project. ATK Space Systems is a strong supporter of STEM initiatives in K-12 schools focusing on inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and engineering.

If you would like to learn more about the project, donate resources or your time, please contact Melissa Pore at [email protected] "This is the kind of venture that inspires kids to make a career out of science,”asserted Stephen Rozzi, STM parent and Spacecraft Manager.


Students from St. Thomas More Cathedral School are involved in building a cubesat for launch in 2014.

STM is the first K-8 program to offer this exciting opportunity. Students, through hands-on work, will develop skills and experience used in the aerospace industry.The CubeSat program creates important educational opportunities for our future leaders.

STEM is an educational initiative that focuses on the coordination of science, technology, engineering, and math in classroom lessons. The STM faculty is coordinating the STEM philosophy with the curriculum guidelines of the Diocese of Arlington to provide students with an authentic educational opportunity.

According to STM’s Assistant Principal, Marie Scheessele, “We are examining all curriculum guidelines including language arts, religion and fine arts to integrate STEM easily into a student’s daily educational experience.”

If you would like to learn more about the project, donate resources or your time, please contact Melissa Pore at [email protected].

 

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May 17th, 2013

Arianespace... Fueled For Flight (Launch)



The FM4 satellite for O3b Networks is readied for fueling in the Spaceport’s S5 payload preparation facility.
Photo courtesy of Arianespace.
[SatNews] The first Arianespace Soyuz mission for O3b Networks has moved into its

next phase of preparations at the Spaceport, as fueling is now underway with the global satellite services provider’s spacecraft that will provide connectivity for emerging markets worldwide. This upcoming medium-lift Soyuz launch—designated Flight VS05 in Arianespace’s launcher family numbering system—will orbit four O3b Networks spacecraft during a June mission from French Guiana.

Fueling was initiated with FM4 (Flight Model 4) in the launch site’s S5 payload preparation building, where the satellite was transferred after verification of its platform and payload during activity in the separate S1B clean room facility at the Spaceport. O3b Networks’ other three satellites will follow in the fueling process, enabling them to be integrated on a dispenser system that is to deploy the cluster of spacecraft during Arianespace’s Soyuz flight.

Built by Thales Alenia Space, these spacecraft are to operate in Ka-band at a medium-orbit altitude of 8,063km.—offering high-speed, low-cost, low-latency Internet and telecommunications services for O3b customers in emerging markets. The satellites have a trapezoidal-shaped main body that facilitates their integration on the Soyuz payload dispenser system. In addition to the first batch of four O3b spacecraft for the upcoming Soyuz mission, another Arianespace flight is scheduled to orbit four more later this year, followed by an additional four in 2014.

The June mission will be Arianespace’s fifth Soyuz liftoff from the Spaceport since this workhorse medium-lift vehicle was introduced at French Guiana in October 2011. Soyuz is part of the company’s complete launcher family, which also includes the heavyweight Ariane 5 and light-lift Vega.

 

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May 17th, 2013

STRONG... A Site To Behold... (SatBroadcasting™—Equipment)


[SatNews] STRONG, a leading provider of consumer Digital TV reception equipment in Europe, has started its web shop at which is the company's further step towards e-commerce. By creating an account with user name and password, customers enjoy many advantages, such as access to their order history and invoices copies. Quick and easy purchasing is possible as guest without registration.

In the first phase of the virtual sales, STRONG offers software with recording and time shift function for STRONG’s digital HD satellite receiver SRT 7002 and the digital HD satellite receiver THS220 from THOMSON. The receiver software enables the recording of television or radio programmes to external USB storage devices such as an external hard disk drive or a USB stick. Programming of events can be done quickly and conveniently via the electronic program guide (EPG). With time shift programmes can be paused and resumed after the break. STRONG plans to expand the web shop to additional European countries and to include receivers and accessories, as well.

 

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May 17th, 2013

U.S. Strategic Command... Space Ops Coalition...



Air Force Brig. Gen. David D. Thompson, Stratcom's deputy director of global operations, U.S. Strategic Command.
[SatNews] Recognizing the value of multinational coalitions for operations in the land, maritime and air domains, officials at

U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska hope to forge a coalition that shares assets and capabilities in space. The United States and its allies are discussing details for the first agreement of its kind promoting combined space operations, Air Force Brig. Gen. David D. Thompson, Stratcom's deputy director of global operations, told American Forces Press Service.

The agreement could spell out specific areas in which the participating nations will work together, and what each will contribute to those efforts, Thompson said. The agreement will formalize an arrangement tested last year during a period discovery. Based on the findings, the U.S. and its allies agreed in September to continue working toward closer combined space operations. Thompson said he hopes the agreement will be the first step in forging international military-to-military cooperation in space that is essential to all. The Stratcom staff already is promoting the concept with what is hoped to be the next wave of nations to join the coalition.

"Our intent with combined space operations is to mirror some of the partnerships we have in other mission areas that are long-term and enduring," Thompson said.

Space is vital to military operations, providing an array of capabilities that give space-faring nations' forces a military advantage, he said. These include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities that enhance warfighters' situational awareness, space-based communications that provide them instant, global communications, and global positioning systems that deliver highly accurate navigation and targeting positions.

"This gives them an awareness and understanding that enhances their capabilities to conduct operations the way no other armed forces can today," Thompson said. "That's why it's vitally important to our military forces." (Source: Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service.)

However, as more nations, organizations and commercial companies vie to take advantage of space-based capabilities, the once-pristine space domain is becoming increasingly congested and competitive, Thompson said.

Of particular concern to military leaders, space is an increasingly contested domain, with potential adversaries hoping to level the playing field by denying access to space and space-based capabilities, he said. The response, Thompson said, must be the same unity in numbers that has proven itself out in every other domain. Coalitions provide more capability than any one nation can provide alone, while also sending an important deterrent message to potential adversaries, he said.

Unlike recent coalitions, formed for specific periods to accomplish specific objectives, Thompson said he hopes those formed for operations in space endure.

"We have enduring requirements and enduring interests that are common among ourselves. So we see this as a longer-standing coalition with these nations," he said.

Working together to support their shared interests and objectives, Thompson said, the coalition members will help ensure that space remains a global common open to all.

"Joining together in a coalition is a statement of assurance that each nation is committed to effective, mutually supportive conduct of operations in space," he said. "We are united in a coalition sense when it comes to operations in space and providing those capabilities for each nation."

 

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May 17th, 2013

ATK... A Shield Bearer For GPS IIF-4 (Launch)



Artistic rendition of the GPS IIF-4 satellite in orbit.
[SatNews] ATK (NYSE: ATK) provided critical hardware for the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V that

launched the U.S. Air Force's Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF-4 satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. GPS IIF-4 is the fourth satellite delivered by prime contractor Boeing as part of the GPS IIF contract for 12 next-generation GPS space vehicles. GPS IIF satellites continue to modernize the GPS constellation while providing positioning, navigation and timing services to civil and military users worldwide.

"ATK is proud to provide technologies that enabled the launch of the GPS IIF-4 satellite, which will bring enhanced capabilities to our soldiers and allies as well as civil users," said Blake Larson, president of ATK Aerospace Group. "Our support to this mission comes from all corners of ATK and highlights the broad cooperation we have with ULA."


For the ULA Atlas V rocket, ATK produced the 10-foot diameter composite heat shield, which provides essential protection for the first stage of the launch vehicle. The assembly was fabricated using advanced fiber placement manufacturing techniques at ATK's Iuka, Mississippi, facility. This is the 38th Atlas V launch using ATK-built composite structures.

The Atlas V rocket flew in the 401 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. ATK manufactured the Reaction Control System propellant tank for the Atlas V at its Commerce, California, facility. ATK also recently completed qualification of a new retrorocket, and eight of those solid motors supported separation of the spent first stage. The Atlas retrorocket is built at ATK's Elkton, Maryland, facility.

The Block IIF series will replace the GPS Block IIA satellites that were launched between 1990 and 1997. The IIF space vehicles provide improved accuracy, enhanced internal atomic clocks, better anti-jam resistance, a civil signal for commercial aviation and a longer design life.

 

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May 17th, 2013

SPUTNIX... TabletSat Coming To Fruition... (Satellite)



“Building blocks” of the SxPA onboard control system. From left to right: Multifunctional interface transition adapter from SpaceWire to data bus CAN, 12C, UART, 4-port router of the SpaceWire network with the power control function and RMAP support, onboard computer, the central network manager, is based on LEON3 processor and RTEMS operational system, with inbuilt 4—port SpaceWire router and CAN, 12C, UART interfaces.
[SatNews] SPUTNIX specialists working on creation of a microsatellite platform TabletSat have assembled and tested the onboard control system equipment based on Space Plug-and-Play Architecture (SPA) specifications. This set of open standards has been developed by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, AIAA, jointly with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, AFRL. The onboard control system is a hardware and software complex that, on board a satellite, unites support systems and payload into a unified information system. The onboard control system of the microsatellite platform TabletSat unites support systems (orientation and stabilization equipment, telemetry and telecommands, GPS navigator, power supply control), payload and high-speed payload transmission unit with use of serial data bus SpaceWire.


Stand for the onboard control system testing
Based on SPA recommendations, SPUTNIX has developed its own set of Sputniх Plug-and-Play Architecture specifications (SxPA). SxPA is a Plug-and-Play architecture whose key objective is to quickly aggregate and configure microsatellite subsystems with the use of Plug-and-Play principle. This principle allows to plug the device in the system without its preliminary preparation and without preparing the onboard control system, i.e. it ensures an automated process of device recognition and data exchange between devices.

The key difference between SPA and SxPA is that the SPUTNIX standard simplifies some SPA-architecture approaches, making it less demanding to SpaceWire network hardware and software resources. Thus, it is optimal for the range of tasks solved by microsatellites of TabletSat class with a weight of 10 to 50kg. The standard is optimized for application in SpaceWire CAN networks, but also allows for integration into system devices with 12C and UART interfaces through the use of standard minute and low-power adapters.

The functional onboard control system includes one or several SxPA-network manager processors, a network of multiport SpaceWire routers with an infinite number of subscriber units connected to them or with gateways to other non-SpaceWire subnetworks. The Plug-and-Play functions are supported in the onboard control system on the hardware and software levels.

For testing the SxPA technology, SPUTNIX specialists have created a stand consisting of key components of the onboard control system’s infrastructure united into a network, and a number of SxPA-compatible subscribers connected to this network and their simulators (up to 50). The test was about plugging network subscribers in and out “on the fly” and controlling the process of their recognition/uninstallation by the manager, and data exchange between them. The experiment showed that the system was operating as expected, with the SpaceWire network capacity not less than 30Mb/s, and with power consumption of all onboard control system’s components within several watts.


“The result is extremely important to us as it confirms the correctness of the concept that we selected for the construction of a microsatellite platform and of the hardware and software solutions for implementation of a space Plug-and-Play. The next step will be to improve the software in order to obtain a fully functional flight system of recognition of add-on support devices and payload”, said Stanislav Karpenko, SPUTNIX Technical Director.

In the near future, the SxPA software developed by SPUTNIX with use of ANSI C is planning for source code distribution with an open BSD license. SxPA specifications are available already now—they can be found on the company website.