Really Rocket Science

 Satellite Industry News Bits July 2, 2009

DigitalGlobe's WorldView-2 satellite to be launched from Vandenber Air Force Base on October 9.
[Satellite Today - 07/03/2009]

EchoStar wins stay of contempt order in TiVo case in a U.S. Federal Court of Appeals.
[Satellite Today - 07/03/2009]

Global handset navigatikon subscribers to reach 26 million by 2010 according to ABI Research report.
[Satellite Today - 07/03/2009]

Globalstar completes financing of $738m to fund its next-generation satellite system.
[Satellite Today - 07/02/2009]

SES places five year 650 million euro bond, the company's first since 2006.
[Satellite Today - 07/02/2009]

Satcom Direct successfully sends and receives satcom datalink (AFIS/ACARS) messages between onboard flight and ground stations over the Inmarsat-4 satellite constellation.
[TMCnet - 07/02/2009]

Solaris Mobile discovers issues with W2A S-band payload and files insurance claim.
[Satellite Today - 07/02/2009]

VSD acquires Television Direct to Sailors program from SES Americom subsidiary Americom Government Services.
[Satellite Today - 07/02/2009]

Viasat awarded $21m contract for Multifuncional Information Distribution System terminals from U.S. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in San Diego.
[Satellite Today - 07/02/2009]

MEASAT-3a successfully relocated to 91.4 degree orbital slot in preparation for in-orbit testing.
[SatNews - 07/01/2009]

Sirius FM-5 performing maneuvers successfully following June 30 launch from Baikonur on Proton Breeze M launch vehicle.
[SatNews - 07/01/2009]

IDL Corp., an Iridium Global Service Provider, develops multi-channel satellite communications interface that can act as emergency communication system.
[TMCnet - 07/01/2009]

World's largest communications satellite, TerreStar-1, successfully launched from Kourou - to be used for mobile communications; Terrestar has roaming agreement with AT&T.
[San Francisco Chronicle - 07/01/2009]

Koreasat-2 satellite sale to be sold to Asia Broadcast Satellite by KT Corporation subject to U.S. governmental approval.
[SatNews - 07/01/2009]

BSkyB signs transponder deal with SES Astra for 24 transponders at 28.2 degrees east on a long-term basis.
[Satellite Today - 07/01/2009]

Inmarsat FleetBroadband 150 service, designed to handle IP data, goes live on Inmarsat-4 fleet; hardware providers need to increase working hours to keep up with equipment demands.
[BusinessWire - 07/01/2009]

Globecomm Systems promotes Keith Hall to President and Chief Operating Officer.
[newsday.com - 07/01/2009]

Sea Launch gets approval of bankruptcy judge to continue operations as it restructures under Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
[Satellite Today - 06/30/2009]

This 4th of July weekend, the International Space Station will appear as the brightest star at dawn and dusk to most of U.S. - see http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings for a schedule when it can be seen from your area.
[SatNews - 06/30/2009]

Vancouver, Canada based telecommunications Telus Corp. adds satellite television to its suite of services, contracting to sell Bell's TV service in British Columbia and Alberta.
[Vancouver Sun - 06/30/09]

Worth of DigitalGlobe satellite imagery emphasized by contract signed with National Geospatial Intelligence Agency through March 31, 2010 for $12.5m per month.
[SatNews - 06/30/2009]

Wavestream receives orders in excess of $50m from General Dynamics for solid-state power amplifiers for U.S. Army satellite communications terminals.
[Fox Business - 06/30/2009]

Eutelsat Communications launches new service, FRANSAT, enabling satellite access from metropolitan France to all French free Digital Terrestrial Television channels.
[TMCnet - 06/30/2009]

Iridium to begin offering new satellite communications service in Japan for ships at 10-20% less than its previous service, 50 times faster at 128 kbps.
[TMCnet - 06/30/2009]

Historic Ulysses space mission to receive last command from earth and turn transmitter off on June 30, after 18.6 years in space.
[SatNews - 06/29/2009]

Orbital Sciences and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport break ground at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility for launch facilities for the Taurus II space launch vehicle.
[SatNews - 06/29/2009]

Thales Alenia wins Russia satellite contract worth about 250 million euros to supply communications satellites.
[Reuters - 06/29/1009]

First signal successfully received from GOES-O satellite, launched to complete coverage of Western Hemisphere.
[aero-news.net - 06/29/2009]

Iran jams foreign satellite news in attempt to isolate Iranian public.
[SatNews - 06/29/2009]

Pacific Teleports becomes Pactel international.
[SatNews - 06/29/2009]

SpaceX gets new round of financing from Steve Jurvetson and his DFJ partners.
[SatNews - 06/29/2009]

European Space Agency plans to build 35m antenna south of Malargue in Mendoza province, Argentina as part of the ESA Tracking network.
[SatNews - 06/29/2009]

SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES signs multi-year agreement to deliver Retro TV content on two transponders of AMC-3.
[SatNews - 06/29/2009]

Companies such as Iridium benefit as Maritime regulations like SOLAS and GMDSS are increasing demand for satellite-based solutions on all seas around the globe, but will satellite companies be able to support the increase from low data rate to high data rate?
[NSR Report - June 2009]

WBMSAT PS - Satellite Communications Consulting Services

You're out there having fun, in the warn California sun. Pfft! Your iPhone or iPod runs out of juice -- and you're not having fun any more.

What do you do? Enjoy the silence? You might, yes.  Pull out your solar-powered MintyBoost!

There are some really nice features about this charger:

• It's solar powered!
• It's small.
• Large battery capacity- 3.7v @2000mAh
• On board charger charges via solar, USB or wall wart. Accepts input power from 3.7v to 7v.
• Remove the solar cell after charging and you have a nice compact USB power supply.
• Unplug the solar cell and use the Velcro to secure the MightyMintyBoost inside a backpack or messenger bag- now plug in a larger solar cell attached to your bag for even faster charging. Using a slightly larger solar cell (6v/250mAh) you can generate enough power to fully charge an iPhone in about 5.5 hours and an iPod Touch in 4 hours.

 
How to make a solar iPod/iPhone charger -aka MightyMintyBoost - More cool how to projects

WBMSAT PS - Satellite Communications Consulting Service

I like this effect, courtesy of NASA:

Awesome: Arianespace is in final preparations for launching the world's largest communications satellite ever.  The spacecraft was mated with the launcher yesterday. The launch is scheduled for 1 July 2009. Their stock price could use a little "launch," too.

The ensuing satcom smartphone, running Windows Mobile, will be offered by AT&T, according to Computerworld:

The carrier will resell satellite service and phones from TerreStar Networks, a startup that is set to have its first satellite launched on July 1. TerreStar is developing hybrid satellite/cellular handsets designed to be about the same size as a conventional smartphone.

TerreStar's satellite will sit 22,000 miles above North America and provide service across the U.S. and Canada, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Using licensed 2GHz radio spectrum, it will provide voice service as well as data at approximately 64K bits per second, said TerreStar Chief Technology Officer Dennis Matheson.

AT&T will resell that service in a hybrid offering, aimed initially at local, state and federal governments, Matheson said. The carrier will also resell the handsets, though not initially in its retail stores. The handsets will switch between satellite and 3G (third-generation) coverage as users roam in and out of cellular coverage areas. TerreStar is still working on a resale deal with a Canadian carrier.

Satellite phones have the advantage of working essentially anywhere across a region of the world, but the market has been limited by large handsets and high prices for devices and service. TerreStar is taking advantage of SDR (software-defined radio) chips coming from Infineon and Qualcomm to integrate satellite capability into the same processors that handle cellular connectivity. This will help the company match the size of other smartphones and eventually bring the cost of its handsets down to that of a BlackBerry, Matheson said. Qualcomm's work should lead to a satellite and CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) phone, which might allow for a future hybrid service from Verizon or Sprint Nextel.

The spacecraft itself is very cool -- with 500 spot beams and a beam forming technology developed by HNS:

Dennis Matheson, TerreStar Networks CTO said, “The design, manufacture and delivery of TerreStar-1 has been a team effort. We have relied on our colleagues at Space Systems/Loral for their experience and support in delivering the integrated satellite and ground system that makes our new services possible. We now look forward to a flawless launch by our partner Arianespace.”

“It has been a pleasure working with TerreStar Networks on this challenging project,” said John Celli, president and chief operating officer at Space Systems/Loral.  “With its 18-meter unfurlable reflector and extraordinarily powerful S-Band feed array, TerreStar-1 was designed to provide next generation capability for mobile devices.”

Ideally suited to provide critical services to government, emergency responders, rural communities and commercial users, the satellite uses 2 GHz spectrum to provide voice, data and video communications to satellite/terrestrial mobile devices the size of a typical smart phone.  Space Systems/Loral, working with Hughes Network Systems, has developed a two-way ground based beam forming technology that enables the satellite to reallocate resources based on demand, thereby maximizing capacity.

TerreStar-1 is based on SS/L’s 1300 space-proven platform, which provides the flexibility to support a broad range of applications and technology advances. The satellite will be capable of generating over five hundred spot beams covering the Continental U.S., Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Arianespace will probably webcast the launch (expect a media advisory in a few days). Terrestar's annoying us with registration on their "Countdown to Communicate" site. Yeah, I registered and I'm still waiting for my e-mail confirmation. If it doesn't arrive in seconds, you lost me.

Overall, they seem to be doing things rights. With Dean Olmstead on their Board, would you expect anything less?

 

Satellite-launch services provider Sea Launch Co and 5 affiliates filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing liquidity concerns and recurring losses from operations.

In a filing on Monday with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Sea Launch listed assets of up to $500 million and liabilities of more than $1 billion.

The Long Beach, California-based company said in the filing it intends to explore the sale of one or more of its divisions.

Sea Launch, which offers commercial space launch capabilities from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan, is owned by among others Boeing Co (BA.N), Russia's RSC Energia and Norway's Aker ASA (AKER.OL).

The case In re Sea Launch Co LLC et al, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware. No. 09-12153.

WBMSAT PS - Satellite Communications Consulting Services 

Inserting local ads via satellite TV broadcasts are a technological challenge. Addressing by household? Stop dreaming.

Wait, it's real? Yes, and DISH Network was first to sign an agreement with Invidi last November:

Dish Network will be using Invidi’s Advatar technology to deliver addressable, targeted national and local television advertising, the satellite provider said Monday.

In a deal with Invidi Technologies, Dish Network will be among the first pay-TV providers utilizing Invidi’s system to sell addressable and targeted advertising according to specific household viewer geographic and demographic and other pre-determined viewer metrics.

Many of Dish Network’s advanced receivers support targeted advertising delivery, dynamic commercial insertion, and reporting on broadcast television and national programming networks.

Invidi’s system complies with all privacy laws and the company’s privacy policy, according to Dish Network. Traditional satellite broadcast delivery is currently limited to all homes receiving the same commercials. Dish Network viewers will benefit from this new technology through the increased relevance of the advertisements they receive.

Now DirecTV is getting into the boat:

DirecTV will use software from startup Invidi Technologies to deliver the targeted ads, beginning in 2011. The software can home in on the geographic region of viewers by picking up information from set-top boxes, said Michael Kubin, executive vice president of Invidi Technologies.

"We know exactly where a viewer is located, and to advertisers who want to avoid waste, that makes all the difference," Mr. Kubin said.

The new service will allow DirecTV, which has 18 million subscribers, "to compete for a large slice of the TV budget, which is local advertising," said Tracey Scheppach, senior vice president and video-innovations director at Publicis Groupe's Starcom Worldwide.

Advertisers have been clamoring for more precision and rival cable operators have ramped up their own local ad offerings. At the same time, lawmakers are growing increasingly concerned about the privacy implications of ad-targeting technologies. On Thursday, Congress plans to hold a joint subcommittee hearing on privacy and digital advertising. "DirecTV stands ready to work with Congress on addressing any privacy concerns they may have with respect to consumers," a DirecTV spokesman said

 Great. Getting ready for annoying local ads...

Amnesty International is telling us the BBC's satellite feeds from Iran are being jammed. But they still got this report out:

I especially like this report. The Internet? Its a war zone:

More and more of Iran’s pro-government websites are under assault, as opposition forces launch web attacks on the Tehran regime’s online propaganda arms.

What started out as an attempt to overload a small set of official sites has now expanded, network security consultant Dancho Danchev notes. News outlets like Raja News are being attacked, too. The semi-official Fars News site is currently unavailable.

“We turned our collective power and outrage into a serious weapon that we could use at our will, without ever having to feel the consequences. We practiced distributed, citizen-based warfare,” writes Matthew Burton, a former U.S. intelligence analyst who joined in the online assaults, thanks to a “push-button tool that would, upon your click, immediately start bombarding 10 Web sites with requests.”

Whoa, inside one of the Blue Angels jets. Enjoy.