World of Satellite-News Updates

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May 3rd, 2013
Arianespace... The Three Satellite Launch Is Postponed...

Unfavorable weather conditions surrounding the Guiana Space Center in Kourou have caused...
...the Arianespace Flight VV02 launch to be postponed. Proba-V, VNREDSat-1 and ESTCube-1 satellites will await the next launch date, which will be "called" when the inclement conditions over the launch site improve....

The original news release was as follows...

The second Vega mission from French Guiana has entered its...

...final preparation phase as the lightweight launcher is readied for a nighttime liftoff on May 3rd with a trio of satellites as its payload. Activity at the Spaceport’s SLV launch site during recent days included completion of fueling for Vega’s AVUM bipropellant upper stage, which will inject the flight’s Proba-V, VNREDSat-1 and ESTCube-1 payloads into their respective orbits. This mission’s launch on Friday is set for a precise moment: 11:06:31 p.m., local time at the Spaceport, for a flight lasting 2 hours, 48 seconds from liftoff to separation of the final spacecraft in its payload “stack.”

The flight profile calls for Proba-V—the upper payload—to be released from its position atop Vega’s VESPA (Vega Secondary Payload Adapter) dispenser system at 55 minutes and 27 seconds after liftoff. It will be followed by VNREDSat-1 and ESTCube-1, both of which are riding inside the VESPA dispenser. During the mission, the initial powered phase will be performed by the Vega’s three solid propellant stages (designated the P80, Zefiro-23 and Zefiro-9), lasting 6 minutes and 19 seconds. The AVUM upper stage will be ignited for four separate burns for the payload deployment sequence, followed by a final burn that deorbits the upper stage to ensure that it does not remain as a debris threat.

Vega will release its satellites into Sun-synchronous orbits. Proba-V is to be injected at an altitude of 820km., while VNREDSat-1 and ESTCube-1 are intended for separations at 665km. orbital altitudes. Proba-V (which is named from the acronym: Project for On-Board Autonomy and Vegetation) is part of the Proba spacecraft series developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) in supporting the development of new space technologies. Its primary objective is to continue the mission performed by the Vegetation instruments carried on Spot 4 and 5 satellites, which also were launched by Arianespace. Built by QinetiQ Space Belgium, the Proba-V platform weighs 140kg. and will be placed into the same orbit as the Spot remote-sensing satellites.

The VNREDSat-1 optical satellite is part of Vietnam’s initiative to create an infrastructure enabling better studies of climate change effects, improving predictions for natural disasters and optimizing the country’s natural resource management. This 120kg. spacecraft was built by Astrium on behalf of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST).

ESTCube-1 is Estonia’s first satellite, designed and built by a team of students at the country’s National University of Tartu, under supervision of the Estonian Space Office. The project involved a collaboration of students from the Estonian Aviation Academy, Tallinn University of Technology and the University of Life Sciences was developed in conjunction with the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the German Space Center (DLR). In addition to extending a small conductive tether for testing of electric solar wind sail technologies, the 1.33kg. cubesat will help establish an Estonian infrastructure for future space projects.

Vega is tailored for launching 1,500kg.-class payloads to a reference altitude of 700km., providing Arianespace with a light-lift vehicle capable of accommodating scientific and governmental satellites, as well as commercial payloads. It was developed in an ESA program financed by Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden. The Vega launcher’s design authority and prime contractor is Italy’s ELV company, a joint venture of Avio and the Italian Space Agency. Arianespace handles launch operations, with Vega completing its launcher family, joining the medium-lift Soyuz and heavyweight Ariane 5 in side-by-side operations at the Spaceport.

Vega’s launch on May 3 is designated VV02 in Arianespace’s mission numbering system, and represents the debut of ESA’s VERTA (Vega Research and Technology Accompaniment) program, which will demonstrate the light-lift vehicle’s flexibility and versatility. The first Vega flight was performed from the Spaceport in February 2012, and served as the vehicle’s qualification mission.

 

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May 2nd, 2013
RAL Space + Brüel & Kjær...James Webb Space Telescope Prefers To Be Shaken...Not Stirred

The famous quote from James Bond about ‘shaken not stirred’ refers to his martinis, however shaken is also the preferred process for this satellite.
RAL Space provides space research and technology development for customers around the world. They offer space test and ground-based facilities where they design and build instruments, analyze and process data. They also operate ground-station facilities, and lead conceptual studies for future missions.



Working with space and ground-based groups around the world, they are now the largest space science department in Europe, and have been involved in over 150 missions in recent years, including the groundbreaking SOHO and STEREO solar missions, the Earth Remote-Sensing missions ERS-1, ERS-2 and ENVISAT, and solar system missions such as the Rosetta cometary lander, the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn and its moon Titan, and continuing work on MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is due to be launched in 2018 as the scientific successor to the venerable Hubble Space Telescope. The JWST’s 10-year mission is to find and study the first luminous objects, the assembly of galaxies, the birth of stars, the birth of planetary systems, and the origins of life.

JWST might appear serene, but that fragile mass of technology must endure being stowed as the 6-ton payload of a launch vehicle. The satellite and its components (such as MIRI) must endure the noise and subsequent vibration of the ~145 dB interaction between the rocket engines and launch-pad environment, the jarring transonic climb phase, pyroshock as stages separate, turbulent boundary layer excitation and more.

In 2010, RAL Space decided to replace their existing LDS V954 Vibration System with a more powerful and flexible one to meet its increased testing needs. Their older V954 had served them well, but with increasing payload masses and more severe tests required, RAL Space needed to improve their capabilities.

The new solution provides the increased capacity necessary for test programs going forward, and is based on the Brüel & Kjær’s LDS V8 electro-dynamic shaker, with the ability to operate in horizontal or vertical orientation. An integral slip table measuring 1200 mm x 1200 mm is coupled to the shaker as necessary, allowing large objects to be mounted securely. The slip table has nine high-pressure hydrostatic bearings arranged on a 3 x 3 matrix. This configuration provides for maximum overturning restraint for devices under test with a high centre of gravity. They also have an additional, interchangeable 750 mm x 750 mm slip plate for high acceleration testing.

The amplifier—a 56 kVA class ‘D’ switching amplifier—is forced-air cooled and incorporates an integral DC field power supply which is required for the shaker field coils. The shaker is also forced-air cooled and relies on a fixed blower device to pass air through the shaker for efficient cooling during operation.

 

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May 2nd, 2013
Astrium.. No Optical Illusion When VNREDSat-1 Optical Satellite Launches On May 3

The Company developed, constructed and will launch VNREDSat-1 optical satellite, capable of taking images of the Earth with a resolution of 2.5 meters.
Astrium, the European is the prime contractor for VNREDSat-1, the first Vietnamese Earth observation satellite, scheduled for launch on a Vega rocket from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou on 03 May.


Astrium received the order for the VNREDSat-1 program from the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) in July 2010, under an agreement signed in 2009 between the French and Vietnamese Governments. Under this contract, Astrium is responsible for the development, construction and launch of the VNREDSat-1 optical satellite, capable of taking images of the Earth with a resolution of 2.5 meters. In Vietnam, Astrium was also prime contractor for the design and construction of the satellite ground control segment and the satellite image receiving and processing stations. The company was also responsible for training the 15 Vietnamese engineers who will operate the satellite.

“VNREDSat-1 is another of Astrium Satellites’ export successes,” said Eric Béranger, CEO of Astrium Satellites. “This new satellite is further proof that our teams are among the best in the world; aside from their technological expertise and exemplary cost management, they also provide excellent customer support spanning from system design to in-situ operator training. We intend to continue in this vein, further boosting our competitiveness and consolidating our position as the world’s leading exporter of Earth observation satellites.”

 

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May 3rd, 2013
Here's Looking @ Earth... Ventura Conflagration (Imagery—NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory)

A series of wildfires in Ventura County, California (northwest of Los Angeles), have burned more than...
...6,500 acres as of May 3rd, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The Suomi NPP satellite passed over the blaze on May 2, 2013, around 21:30 Z, capturing this high resolution imagery with its visible and infrared energy sensors.


Image is courtesy of NOAA/NASA.
A stream of smoke is clearly visible moving west over the ocean, as are the heat signatures from the active fires areas. The fires are expected to be contained by May 4th, and fire weather conditions in the region seem to be improving, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center.

 

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May 3rd, 2013
Entropic... Obtaining The Golden Node (SatBroadcasting™—MoCA Band E Certification)

Entropic (Nasdaq:ENTR) has announced its Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA(R)) 1.1 silicon...
...has received golden node certification by the MoCA Board of Directors for the Band E frequency, which is a mid-RF band used in DIRECTV homes. Upon this approval, Entropic's golden node can be leveraged by National Technical Systems (NTS), the MoCA authorized lab, to execute the MoCA certification testing on new MoCA 1.1 Band E devices.

Entropic's MoCA 1.1 Band E solution, embedded in Ethernet-to-Coax Adapters (ECAs), will be used to certify MoCA Band E-compliant devices in the frequency range of 475 to 625MHz. Entropic was a key contributor to MoCA's Specification Working Group and Certification Working Group to help define and test the advanced features of the MoCA 1.1 Band E solution, and is proud to drive the standard forward.

Entropic's MoCA 1.1 silicon has been golden node certified for Band D frequencies used by cable, telco/IPTV payTV segments since 2008. With the launch of this new Band E certification, copies of Entropic's MoCA golden node can be released to MoCA members interested in serving all three Pay-TV segments, under the "MoCA Test Bed Participation Agreement."

 

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May 3rd, 2013
NASA... Nine Year Old Names Asteroid To Be Visited (Spacecraft)

An asteroid that will be explored by a NASA spacecraft has a new name, thanks to a...
...third-grade student in North Carolina. NASA's Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft will visit the asteroid now called Bennu, named after an important ancient Egyptian avian deity. OSIRIS-Rex is scheduled to launch in 2016, rendezvous with Bennu in 2018, and return a sample of the asteroid to Earth in 2023.

The name for the carbon-rich asteroid, designated in the scientific community as (101955) 1999 RQ36, is the winning entry in an international student contest. Nine-year-old Michael Puzio suggested the name because he imagined the Touch-and-Go Sample Mechanism (TAGSAM) arm and solar panels on OSIRIS-REx look like the neck and wings in drawings of Bennu, which Egyptians usually depicted as a gray heron. Puzio wrote the name suits the asteroid because it means "the ascending one," or "to shine."

TAGSAM will collect a sample from Bennu and store it for return to Earth. The sample could hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules that may have contributed to the development of life on Earth. The mission will be a vital part of NASA's plans to find, study, capture and relocate an asteroid for exploration by astronauts. NASA recently announced an asteroid initiative proposing a strategy to leverage human and robotic activities for the first human mission to an asteroid while also accelerating efforts to improve detection and characterization of asteroids.

More than 8,000 students, all younger than 18, from more than 25 countries worldwide entered the "Name that Asteroid!" contest last year. Each contestant submitted one name with a maximum of 16 characters and a short explanation for the name. The contest was a partnership with The Planetary Society in Pasadena, California; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts; and the University of Arizona. The partners assembled a panel to review the submissions and submit a top choice to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Committee for Small Body Nomenclature. The IAU is the governing body that officially names a celestial object.

The Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research Program survey team discovered the asteroid in 1999, early in NASA's Near-Earth Objects Observation Program, which detects and catalogs near-Earth asteroids and comets.

Goddard will provide overall mission management, systems engineering, and safety and mission assurance. The University of Arizona is the principal investigator institution. Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Denver will build the spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages New Frontiers for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

 

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May 3rd, 2013
Astrium... The First Leg Of The Journey (Satellite)


The SES-6 satellite, designed and manufactured for satellite operator SES by Astrium has...
...begun its journey to space. The satellite left Astrium’s facility in Toulouse, France, after completion of its final integration and test campaign and is now en route to Baikonur, Kazakhstan, in preparation for its launch on a Proton vehicle. Based on the highly reliable Eurostar E3000 platform, SES-6 is equipped with 43 C- and 48 Ku-band transponders (36MHz equivalent). It will enable the delivery of next generation broadcast services, including HD video distribution and mobile services, from its 40.5 degrees West location in geostationary orbit, covering North and Latin America, Europe and the Atlantic Ocean.

SES-6 will have a launch mass of 6,100kg, a wingspan of 40m once its solar arrays are deployed in orbit, and a spacecraft power of 13kW at the end of its 15-year design lifetime. Launch and Early Orbit Phase operations will be conducted from the Astrium spacecraft control centre in Toulouse. SES-6 will be the sixth Eurostar satellite in the SES fleet, following the successful launch of ASTRA 2F in September 2012. Three more Eurostar E3000 for SES are currently in final integration and tests in Astrium facilities.

 

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May 3rd, 2013
Telenor + KDDI... Teaming Strength (M2M)

Japanese operator KDDI has partnered with Telenor Connexion to...
...strengthen its global M2M offering. The deal with Telenor will enable KDDI’s enterprise customers to deploy their telematics services overseas. KDDI, the second largest telecom operator in Japan, has a large base of domestic M2M customers, especially in the automotive, security and utility industries.

By partnering with Telenor Connexion, KDDI will now be able to offer its customers a one-stop-shop solution for overseas deployment including M2M monitoring and management.

Under the agreement, Telenor Connexion will provide KDDI with a full business setup including access to Telenor’s vast roaming network in more than 190 countries, a global SIM as well as service provisioning and technical support 24/7. KDDI’s global M2M offering will be launched in May 2013.

 

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May 3rd, 2013
ITT Exelis... Cosmic Antennas (SATCOM

ITT Exelis (NYSE: XLS) has been awarded a contract by...
...NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, California, to provide specialized antennas for the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere & Climate-2 (COSMIC-2) program. By analyzing GPS signals altered by atmospheric conditions, COSMIC-2 satellites will provide insights that advance the study of meteorology, ionospheric research, climatology and space weather. Under the agreement, Exelis will provide JPL with 25 high-accuracy multiband Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antennas.

“Our antennas will ensure the satellites in the COSMIC-2 constellation receive signals clearly and effectively across multiple signal bands from GPS satellites,” said Paul Eyring, senior director of programs for antennas, sensors and microelectronics for Exelis Electronic Systems. “These antennas offer the next-generation sensor system performance that will help advance this important field of scientific research.”

COSMIC-2/FORMOSAT-7 is a joint program sponsored by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Taiwan’s National Space Organization. The program’s planned constellation of 12 satellites will support a variety of atmospheric and ionospheric observation missions, providing a range of real-time atmospheric and space weather data. Each satellite will include two Exelis GNSS antennas.

 

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May 2nd, 2013
Here's Looking @ Earth... Bay Of Biscay Blooming... (Imagery)

Springtime in the Bay of Biscay, off the coast of France, as in most places, is...
...a season of abundant growth. On April 20, 2013, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of the dynamic growth of a springtime phytoplankton bloom.


The swirling colors indicate the presence of vast numbers of phytoplankton—tiny plant-like microorganisms that live in both fresh and salt water. Although these organisms live year-round in the Bay of Biscay, it is only when conditions are perfect that explosive blooms occur. In spring, the lengthening sunlight, the increased nutrient load swept into the Bay from ocean currents and from snowmelt carried by freshwater rivers, combined with warming waters create the perfect conditions to spur phytoplankton in to tremendous growth. The result is a swirling, multi-hued discoloration that can be easily seen from space. Each year, typically from March through April, such blooms occur in the Bay of Biscay. By May, however, conditions are not as favorable and the blooms fade, then disappear.