World of Satellite-News Updates

[Red]

New Competition Open to Create 3D-Printed Rocket Engine
March 8, 2013
DIYRocket and Sunglass have partnered to launch the world’s first open source competition to create a 3D printed rocket engine. The contest will open on Mar. 9 during this year’s SXSW.

The competition challenges inventors, innovators and space entrepreneurs to develop a new engine design that can be initially used for small payload delivery, but later to “disrupt the space transportation industry.”

With this contest, DIYRockets seeks to open up space exploration to the public, inviting new ideas and cooperation to achieve new developments. Participants must use Sunglass’s free cloud-based collaboration platform to create, edit and share their 3D designs to be considered for the competition.

Sunglass will award a total of $10,000 in prizes for the winning designs, which will be selected by a judge panel of industry experts from NASA, MIT, TED, and other ventures. 3D printing startup Shapeways will provide $500 in free 3D printing to help create models or miniaturized prototypes of the top two designs.

 

[Red]

Film Studios, Exhibitors Partner for Digital Theatrical Delivery Via Satellite
March 8, 2013
Five American film studios and the country’s three largest exhibitors have reached an agreement to partner on the first digital theatrical delivery service via satellite. Regal, AMC and Cinemark, together with Universal and Warner Bros, announced the start of the Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition at last year’s CinemaCon. Lionsgate, Disney and Paramount have also joined the coalition, plus Sony and Fox and in negotiations to get involved.
DCDC is a network of satellites capable of distributing feature, promotional, pre-show and live content via digital distribution technologies. Its implementation would eliminate the need for most of the physical discs that are still shipped to digital-capable theaters, the standard practice since the conversion wave began in 2007.
According to Randolph Blotky, chairman and CEO of Technology Convergence Partners, the DCDC’s business model “will assure long-term consistent low-cost pricing to content providers and exhibitors across the industry.” The model is based on an important collaboration between studios and exhibitors, and marks the first time the three major U.S. exhibitors have partnered since the formation of DCIP – an effort facilitate digital conversion – in 2007.
The initial rollout for DCDC’s plan is scheduled for completion before the end of the year. Deluxe/EchoStar LLC will provide operations support for the DCDC network.

 

[Red]

SES to Launch Satellite Wi-Fi Internet for German Rural Communities
March 8, 2013
SES will launch a new broadband Internet service for small communities in Germany next month. SES Broadband Services will provide connectivity for rural towns with limited or no broadband coverage via ADSL or cable networks.
The company plans to use a single satellite antenna in each town and a connected Wi-Fi network to serve local households through conventional Wi-Fi modems. According to SES downloads speeds go up to 10Mbitps.
The company will offer the communities a complete solution that includes installation, maintenance and operation. Luxembourg Online will handle all consumer-related services. The investment amounts to approximately 20,000 euros, which can be subsidized by state funds dedicated to close the broadband gaps in Germany's rural areas.

 

[Red]

Millennium Space Systems, Air Force Sign Weather Satellite Gap Solutions Deal
March 8, 2013
The Air Force Space and Missile Center’s Defense Weather Systems Directorate has signed a contract with Millennium Space Systems for a 12-month research program on Systems and Spacecraft for space-based weather sensing.
As part of the USAF Weather Satellite Follow-On Activities (WSFA) risk reduction technology project, the company will identify affordable, low-risk, and schedule-responsive long- and short-term solutions for the looming weather satellite gap expected to occur in approximately two years.
For this, Millennium is developing a Disaggregated Weather Satellite Pathfinder (DWSP) concept, using a constellation of weather sensing satellites to provide gap-filling, augmentation, replenishment, and replacement of current legacy Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) requirements systems.

 

[Red]

Sat-Comm Unveils New Portable Newsgathering Flyaway Antenna at CABSAT
March 8, 2013
Mobile satellite and broadcast systems integrator Sat-Comm Broadcast has announced it will launch its new 75-Ka portable newsgathering Flyaway Antenna at the CABSAT show in Dubai next week.
The 75-Ka terminal provides high-bandwidth Ka-Band satellite connectivity from remote locations. The antenna has a built-in satellite modem, which broadcasters and other first responders can deploy quickly in the field to uplink contribution quality HD video without being tied into a long bandwidth commitment.
According to Sat-Comm Broadcast, the 75-Ka portable newsgathering Flyaway Antenna can be transported and operated by a single person. Additionally, the lightweight terminal complies with current IATA airline luggage regulations for both weight and size, and is approved for use on Avanti Communications HYLAS 1 & 2 satellites.
“The geographic footprint of the HYLAS 2 satellite in particular was very attractive to us. We see a huge potential for our products in the emerging markets that this satellite covers, where there is enormous demand for live news coverage but a less developed communications infrastructure,” said Rob Stanley, Sat-Comm Broadcast’s director of business development on a statement.

 

[Red]

Glowlink to Debut Signal Interference Removal Technology at SATELLITE 2013
March 8, 2013
Glowlink has announced it will unveil the Communications Signal Interference Removal (CSIRTM) at the SATELLITE 2013 Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C. the technology is capable of removing interferences from broadband communications signals, including those occurring in satellite communications.
According to Glowlink, the CSIRTM can restore the quality of signal reception without any a priori knowledge of the characteristics of the interfering signal. The CSIRTM can also be used in other broadband communications applications – both satellite and non-satellite based – such as bandwidth-efficient communications, carrier spectrum monitoring, and interference geolocation.
Glowlink will demonstrate the CSIRTM during the SATELLITE 2013 exhibition at the 4047 booth.

 

[Red]

Intelsat’s McGlade Elected Chairman of the Board
March 11, 2013
FSS satellite operator Intelsat announced a number of executive appointments March 11, most significant of which involves the company’s board of directors electing eight-year Intelsat CEO and Deputy Chairman Dave McGlade to the position of Chairman, effective April 1. In addition to his new role, McGlade will remain CEO of the operator.
Following the announcement, McGlade promoted Intelsat Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Strategy Stephen Spengler to the position of President and CCO, effective March 18. Spengler, who has been with Intelsat in various executive positions since 2003, will maintain his responsibilities covering corporate strategy, product innovation, global sales, government sales, including oversight of Intelsat General, marketing, product development and corporation communications, but will be adding responsibilities in developing Intelsat’s overall business.
Intelsat General Counsel Phillip Spector will transition to a new role as a member of Intelsat's board of directors, effective April 1. Spector has served as Intelsat’s executive vice president of business development and general counsel since 2005. Michelle Bryan will take over for Spector as executive vice president, general counsel and Chief Administrative Officer and will maintain her responsibilities covering human resources and corporate services. Prior to joining Intelsat, Bryan served as General Counsel of U.S. Airways Group and Laidlaw International.
“On behalf of the Intelsat team, I thank Phil Spector for his many years contributing to Intelsat's success,” McGlade said in a statement. “He has helped to build this company into the premier satellite company that it is. I look forward to continuing to rely on his judgment and expertise as we serve together on the Intelsat board.”
Additionally, Intelsat Vice President and CTO Thierry Guillemin was promoted to executive vice president and CTO. Guillemin, who has worked in the satellite industry for more than 25 years, is responsible for satellite operations, spacecraft development and acquisition. Guillemin will maintain responsibility for network and teleport operations, network engineering, satellite operations, space systems management and planning, and will acquire joint responsibility for the company’s information technology.
“As a company, Intelsat is focused on providing its customers with services that support their future growth,” said McGlade. “With the organizational changes announced today, Intelsat is securing a highly experienced and knowledgeable executive team and board, providing leadership into the future.”

 

[Red]

Russian Satellite Collides with Fragments of Destroyed Chinese Spacecraft
March 11, 2013
An active Russian spacecraft has collided with a piece of space debris, believed to be from a destroyed Chinese satellite. The impact between Russia’s Ball Lens in the Space (BLITS) and China’s Fengyun 1C Satellite, occurred on Jan. 22, however the cause of the crash was not determined until now.
According to the Center for Space Standards & Innovation (CSSI), based in Colorado Springs, Colo., the piece of China’s spacecraft has been orbiting our planet since 2007, when the Chinese destroyed it in an anti-satellite demonstration.
BLITS is a retroreflector demonstration satellite designed for precision satellite laser-ranging experiments. It was launched in 2009 with a five-year life expectation. The spacecraft weighs 7.5 kilos and, according to CSSI, it was struck by a .08-gram piece from Fengyun 1C.
Russian scientists from the Institute for Precision Instrument Engineering (IPIE) in Moscow reported the collision to CSSI on Feb. 4 after noticing an “abrupt change” on BLITS’ spin period from 5.6 seconds to 2.1 seconds. They also reported a sudden decrease of 120 meters in the semi-major axis of its orbit.
It is still unclear whether BLITS will be able to continue operations or if it was completely damaged by the collision.

 

[Red]

Glowlink Introduces Ultra Wideband Spectrum Monitoring System
March 11, 2013
Glowlink has announced its new DSP based carrier spectrum monitoring system with 300 MHz instantaneous bandwidth and affordability. The Model 1030 can monitor an entire satellite beam or beams without retuning, and is capable of measuring and characterizing large bandwidth carriers in a single coherent capture. The system can also detect, capture and characterize fast-sweeping or frequency-hopping satellite interferences that sometimes affect an entire beam.
The Model 1030, a member of Glowlink’s advance DSP based carrier spectrum monitoring products, preserves the same features of this line of products such as ease of use and transport, powerful signal processing algorithms. It also includes Signal Under Carrier (SunCar), Transponder Operating Point (TOP), and Paired-Carrier monitoring technologies.

 

[Red]

Romantis Announces UHP 3.0 Software Upgrade for UHP VSAT Platform
March 11, 2013
Romantis, a global provider of satellite capacity and satellite networking equipment, has announced a new UHP 3.0 software upgrade for its Universal Hardware Platform (UHP). UHP 3.0 is the latest generation of high-throughput, universal UHP VSAT platform with increased performance, advanced Quality of Service (QoS) and multi-profile operations.
The new software enhances UHP’s satellite router performance to processing 60,000 packets per second and up to 150 Mbps aggregate throughput. It also increases the number of supported TDMA Inroutes (up to 254 per network), including Fast-Hopping MF-TDMA and TCP/IP acceleration; and the number of supported Terminals (up to 2,040 per Inroute or above 500,000 per network).
UHP 3.0 also features new advanced traffic management capabilities such as Group Hierarchical QoS, Traffic Policies and Hierarchical 680-channel Traffic Shaper.
Plus, adaptive technologies combine automatic Transmission Level Control (TLC) and DVB-S2 Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) available both for TDM/TDMA networks and SCPC channels. Multi-profile operations with dynamic switching between different configuration settings and/or modes of operations, including TDM/TDMA, SCPC and Hubless TDMA are also included.