Spitsbergen! Somebody in China decided to hack a couple of observation spacecraft via the Svalbard Earth Station in Norway. The scoop, via Bloomberg BusinessWeek…
Computer hackers, possibly from the Chinese military, interfered with two U.S. government satellites four times in 2007 and 2008 through a ground station in Norway, according to a congressional commission.
The intrusions on the satellites, used for earth climate and terrain observation, underscore the potential danger posed by hackers, according to excerpts from the final draft of the annual report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The report is scheduled to be released next month.
“Such interference poses numerous potential threats, particularly if achieved against satellites with more sensitive functions,” according to the draft. “Access to a satellite‘s controls could allow an attacker to damage or destroy the satellite. An attacker could also deny or degrade as well as forge or otherwise manipulate the satellite’s transmission.”
A Landsat-7 earth observation satellite system experienced 12 or more minutes of interference in October 2007 and July 2008, according to the report.
Hackers interfered with a Terra AM-1 earth observation satellite twice, for two minutes in June 2008 and nine minutes in October that year, the draft says, citing a closed-door U.S. Air Force briefing.
The draft report doesn’t elaborate on the nature of the hackers’ interference with the satellites.
I love a good customer service “moment of truth” situation. Something that’ll either keep or boot a customer. Whether it’s B2B or B2C, this is a moment when you should delight the customer — or else.
When a police officer in their driveway screamed for Ken and Linda Schutt to evacuate their home as a wildfire closed in, they grabbed two dogs, three framed photos and clothes in a suitcase. Two days later, they surveyed what was left of their double-wide mobile home and started taking care of business: call the insurance company, the utilities and HughesNet, their satellite Internet provider. That’s when the headaches began.
Linda Schutt said she called the Maryland-based HughesNet to cancel service and couldn’t believe how the customer representative handled the call.
“She wanted me to send back the equipment — the dish, the cable and modem. When I asked her what part of me saying that our house burned to the ground that she didn’t understand, she insisted I return their equipment. If we didn’t, she said we owed $100,” Linda Schutt said.
The Schutts temporarily put aside dealing with HughesNet. They’d lost everything in the Sept. 5 fire, including the American flag that was used on the casket of Linda Schutt’s brother after he was killed in the Vietnam War.
The week after the fire, she wrote HughesNet a letter complaining about the service and saying she’d never use the company again.
“I included the burned satellite dish because that’s all that we found. It wasn’t any good, but since they insisted they wanted their equipment, we sent what we could find,” she said.
On Saturday, Linda Schutt got a call from someone who she thought was a HughesNet representative. “I thought he was calling about my letter, but I later found out it was a bill-collecting agency,” she said.
That call also didn’t end well. “He also told me we owed $100 for the equipment,” she said.
On Tuesday, Schutt said she noticed Hughes withdrew $106.25 from her bank account, presumably the cost to replace the equipment.
Statesman Watch contacted HughesNet on the Schutts’ behalf. Spokeswoman Judy Blake said the complaint was referred to the company’s executive customer service team. Within minutes, HughesNet called Linda Schutt to tell her the $106.25 would be credited back to her bank account.
“I’m sorry that she went through that,” Blake said, referring to the customer service representative who first spoke with Schutt. “I don’t know what went wrong, but perhaps the customer rep didn’t have the authority to give her credit or thought about asking a higher-up.”
Schutt is happy to get the refund. “But that wasn’t the point. We could afford the $100. It’s just that after all we’d been through, they could have been a little understanding. It’s the principle. If Statesman Watch hadn’t called on our behalf, we’d still be fighting this,” she said.
The good people at Hughes should be reminded of the Two Rules of Business:
Communication satellites in geosynchronous orbit (GEO), approximately 22,000 miles above the earth, provide vital communication capabilities to warfighters. Today, when a communication satellite fails, it usually means the expensive prospect of having to launch a brand new replacement communication satellite. Many of the satellites which are obsolete or have failed still have usable antennas, solar arrays and other components which are expected to last much longer than the life of the satellite, but currently there is no way to re-use them.
The goal of the Phoenix program is to develop and demonstrate technologies to cooperatively harvest and re-use valuable components from retired, nonworking satellites in GEO and demonstrate the ability to create new space systems at greatly reduced cost. Phoenix seeks to demonstrate around-the-clock, globally persistent communication capability for warfighters more economically, by robotically removing and re-using GEO-based space apertures and antennas from de-commissioned satellites in the graveyard or disposal orbit.
I suspect we’ll get a response from the good people at ViviSat and MDA in Canada. Although they’re talking about on-orbit refueling, not scavenging for parts.
DARPA seeks innovators for its satellite servicing technology programs, with goal of cooperatively harvesting and re-using valuable components from nonworking retired satellites in geosynchronous orbits. [SatNews – 10/21/2011]
China expects to launch its first Mars probe between November 8th and November 20th, following a two-year delay. [SatNews – 10/21/2011]
Boeing delivers 50,000th Combat Survivor Evader Locater combat search and rescue communications system to U.S. joint services. [SatNews – 10/21/2011]
Democratic Voice of Burma web site says Burmese government is preparing to allow licenses for satellite television receivers again following a six-year ban. [Advanced Television – 10/21/2011]
TSF (Telecoms Sans Frontieres) faces conflict and insecurity and can only be on site in daytime as it works to establish communications for humanitarian organizations in Sirte Libya, Gaddafi’s home town and where he was killed. [SatNews – 10/20/2011]
ViaSat-1, touted as DSL competitor, is in orbit following International Launch Services Proton rocket launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. [Space News – 10/20/2011]
Space Systems/Loral announces that ViaSat-1 is performing post-launch maneuvers according to plan. [SatNews – 10/20/2011]
Telesat, owner of nine Canadian beams on ViaSat-1, is delighted with the successful launch of the satellite; has 15-year agreement with Xplornet Communications for use of the capacity. [SatNews – 10/20/2011]
ViaSat-1, launched Wednesday afternoon aboard Proton rocket in Kazakhstan, will allow Xplornet of Canada to provide broadband service to 1.5 million North American customers, and download speeds up to 25 Mbps. [CBC News – 10/20/2011]
Russia’s space program – presently the only way that the United States can access the International Space Station, also seeks to match or even surpass the United States in overall space capabilities. [SatNews – 10/20/2011]
Hermes Datacomms announces that offshore and onshore VSAT services are back in full operation in Libya. [SatNews – 10/20/2011]
EUMETSAT’s Metop-A achieves 15 years of service, providing weather and climate monitoring for Europe. [SatNews – 10/20/2011]
Euroconsult consulting firm says governments will continue to drive Earth observation industry over the coming decade through new satellites and growing demand for data. [SatNews – 10/20/2011]
KVH opens Asia-Pacific headquarters featuring state-of-the-art demo and training lab to serve partners and customers. [MarketWatch – 10/20/2011]
Selex Elsag of Italy to upgrade NATO’s satellite communication systems and associated infrastructure. [UPI – 10/20/2011]
Indian media criticizes government for constant delays in the Indian military satellite program. [SatNews – 10/20/2011]
NSD reaches 20 million homes (100 million viewers) for its Indian pay-TV service. [SatNews – 10/20/2011]
Bently Walker selected by Wayuyu Taya Foundation to provide satellite Internet to Los Lechosos school in remote area of Venezuela. [SatNews – 10/20/2011]
Government and Defence markets prepare for significant growth in satellite data rates, according to leading international satellite market research and consulting firm NSR. [SAT PR – 10/19/2011]
Newtec expects significant growth based on the NSR report on Government and Defence markets, posturing its FlexACM as a solution for maximizing bandwidth efficiencies. [SatNews – 10/19/2011]
SkyBlue receives third extension to its Iridium frequency bandwidth approval for aviation satellite communications in China. [Satellite Today – 10/19/2011]
Caribbean’s newest low fare airline REDjet chooses Blue Sky Network for new tracking and communication systems. [MarketWatch – 10/19/2011]
Farm groups anxious for resolution of issue of interference by proposed LightSquared wireless network with GPS. [AgAlert – 10/19/2011]
European Space Agency picks Thales Alenia Space to lead nine-month study on satellite communications for unmanned aerial systems. [UPI – 10/18/2011]
Globe Wireless is granted Blanket Wireless Radio Station License by Japanese Ministry of Information and Communications, allowing it to offer Inmarsat FleetBroadband mobile satellite services in Japan and on Japanese registered vessels. [Marine Link – 10/18/2011]
Sir Richard Branson, children Sam and Holly, and troupe of dancer/acrobats, scale down, dancing, on walls of new Virgin Galactic Spaceport in New Mexico during dedication.
[SatNews – 10/18/2011]
NASA books flight on Virgin Galactic, with options for two more, to allow engineers, technologists, and scientific researchers to conduct experiments in suborbital space. [SatNews – 10/17/2011]
Newtec gives support for standardization and adoption of industry-wide counter-measures to combat interference, with the DVB accepted work topic Carrier ID as a first step. [SatNews – 10/17/2011]
NASA and Japan release the most complete digital topographic map of Earth produced to date. [SatNews – 101/17/2011]
Small satellites from less-than-500-kilograms to less than 100 grams prompt big ideas for next 25 years. [Space.com – 10/17/2011]
Astrium accepts financial backing from European Space Agency to build new high-speed data relay service for Europe while simultaneously creating a market for it. [Aviation Week – 10/17/2011]
Harris Corporation receives $51.5M delivery order for advanced satellite terminals under U.S. Army’s Modernization of Enterprise Terminals program. [Business Wire – 10/17/2011]
ViaSat wins U.S. DoD study contract to assess bandwidth cost reduction methods for commercial communication satellite systems. [Market Watch – 10/17/2011]
Locus Traxx to use GSM service from Vodafone, and ORBCOMM’s satellite network, to support dual-mode SmartTraxx shipment monitoring, reporting, and alerts solution. [TMCnet – 10/17/2011]
The American Soybean Association (ASA) and a coalition of 12 other national producer groups that represent American farmers and all major crop commodities are urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct additional targeted testing to ensure that any potential commercial terrestrial services offered by LightSquared will not cause harmful interference to Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) operations utilized by farmers to facilitate the production of an abundant and dependable food supply. In the agricultural sector, GPS-based technologies are responsible for an estimated $19 billion in higher annual farm revenue, in addition to considerable safety and environmental benefits. Thus, much is at stake for precision agriculture and this is why comprehensive testing is so important.
It would be totally unacceptable to expect the GPS community including government users, farmers, and other taxpayers to bear any cost for replacing equipment that ceases to function properly if solutions are found enabling LightSquared to move forward. Any costs associated with retrofitting or replacing GPS receivers must be borne by LightSquared.
“As users of GPS precision equipment in agricultural applications, we believe this additional testing is imperative,” said ASA First Vice President Steve Wellman, a farmer from Syracuse, Neb. “We need to know with certainty that any modifications and proposed solutions will work for new and existing precision agriculture equipment.”
This week, we received a strong endorsement of our view that LightSquared and GPS can co-exist from several of the country’s leading agricultural organizations: the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Sugar Alliance, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Farmers Union, National Potato Council and the Western Growers Association. These groups signed a joint letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture committees calling for them to work to ensure that the agricultural sector receives the benefits of LightSquared’s network alongside GPS. “We believe that both of these technologies have great potential to drive economic development in rural America and a reasonable agreement should be reached to allow for their future success,” the organizations wrote.
Defense Information Systems Agency proposes completely new approach to commercial satcom buying practices by creating Assured SATCOM Services in Single Theater program. [Defense Systems – 10/14/2011]
From Skyterra to present day LightSquared – tiny satellite company takes gutsy risks in ambitious plan for nationwide wholesale satellite/terrestrial LTE network, finds itself embroiled in political partisan and lobbying battle. [National Journal – 10/14/2011]
KORE makes available their KORE Global Connect M2M network delivering cellular and satellite services complemented by Iridium satellite services, enabling ubiquitous global coverage. [SatNews – 10/14/2011]
Viasat airborne satellite communications systems exceed 500,000 operational flight hours; over 200 satcom equipped government aircraft transmitting ISR and C2 in theater. [MarketWatch – 10/14/2011]
October 20 launch of Europe’s first Galileo navigation satellites will also mark the first Russian Soyuz rocket launch from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. [SatNews – 10/13/2011]
Charlie Ergen moving to fashion Dish Network into media empire based on delivery of video and data, leveraging acquired assets such as Hughes Communications and Blockbuster, and targeted online TV service Hulu. [Business Week – 10/13/2011]
Eutelsat Board of Directors proposes Jean-Martin Folz as Board member; if elected he will be appointed by the Board as Chairman of Eutelsat, to succeed Giuliano Berretta. [SatNews – 10/13/2010]
Orbcomm successfully launches VesselSat1, an Automatic Identification Service (AIS) enabled satellite built by OHB affiliate LuxSpace Sarl, onboard Indian Space Research Organization rocket. [Satellite Today – 10/13/2011]
Two companies working on “remote robot gas stations” that could extend life of aging satellites running out of fuel. [Space.com – 10/13/2011]
KVH bundles TracPhone V3 hardware with 1 GB data plan in special 3-year mini-VSAT broadband package in bundle promotion. [MarketWatch – 10/13/2011]
Emerging Markets Communications announces first HD on demand pay as you go satellite videoconferencing service available for deployment to Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia (soon to include China and Central and South America). [AMEinfo – 10/13/2011]
Connectify announces strategic partnership to offer Iridium AxcessPoint Connect to the mobile communications market. [MarketWatch – 10/13/2011]
Home2US renews long-term capacity agreement on SES-1 and adds six new television networks and five new radio channels from Greece and Cyprus to its DTH lineup. [MarketWatch – 10/13/2011]
French Navy patroller Cormoran to use Vizada’s satellite broadband connection and airtime for everything from surveillance to crew welfare. [SatNews – 10/13/2011]
Netherlands plans to join the Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) program to increase its satellite communications capacity. [Aviation Week – 10/12/2011]
Indian Space Research Organization uses strategic delay to avoid possible encounter with space debris; accomplishes successful launch of four satellites, including Indo-French Megha-Tropiques. [SatNews – 10/12/2011]
Lockheed Martin successfully completes end-to-end system test of first MUOS satellite, whose payload will provide immediate 16-fold increase over legacy UHF satellite communications in number and capacity of satellite links. [PR Newswire – 10/12/2011]
Fort McMurray, Alberta to become major gateway for satellite broadband in Canada, as Xplornet Communications announces completion of 4G satellite ground station. [Canada Newswire – 10/12/2011]
General Dynamics SATCOM technologies chooses Wavestream’s 16 Ka-band amplifier for their Model 20 Satcom-on-the-Move terminal. [SatNews – 10/12/2011]
Eutelsat announces successful launch of W3C satellite by a Longh March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, Eutelsat’s 2nd launch in 2 weeks. [TMCnet – 10/11/2011]
United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket placed atop its Cape Canaveral pad for the next Delta 4 launch which will carry the 4th WGS satellite aloft in January 2012. [Spaceflight Now – 10/11/2011]
Sofradir wins key contract to supply technology to new European Union Earth observation satellites. [Satellite Today – 10/11/2011]
Spacenet Mexico launches digital cinema distribution network powered by iDirect’s Evolution platform. [PR Newswire – 10/11/2011]
NASA releases interactive educational video game called NetworKing that allows players to “build” complex communications systems and gives an insider’s perspective into how astronauts, mission controllers, and scientists communicate during space missions. [MarketWatch – 10/11/2011]
RRSAT offers customers 26% data rate increase using NovelSat3G-Sat modulation technology. [The Street – 10/11/2011]
Expand Networks to demonstrate innovative satellite network optimization techniques that dramatically increase bandwidth efficiency at SATCON NY, [SatNews – 10/11/2011]
Satcom Direct includes Aircare Access(R) assistance 24/7 tele-medical support in suite of business aviation services. [San Francisco Chronicle – 10/11/2011]
European Commission adopts decision meant to allow it to “adopt appropriate enforcement measures” in use of 2 GHz MSS spectrum as deadlines for 2 operators to deploy services there expired in May. [EUROPOLITICS – 10/10/2011]
Hughes Europe will provide satellite communications support to the Istanbul Seismic Risk Mitigation and Emergency Preparedness project in Turkey. [Satellite Today – 10/10/2011]
Satcom Direct launches Satcom Integration, offering consulting services, products, custom integration, and software applications. [Digital Journal – 10/10/2011]
Developed by the Information Technology Office at NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., NetworKing gives players an insider’s perspective into how astronauts, mission controllers and scientists communicate during space missions.
“For any young person who ever dreamed of one day contributing to space missions, NetworKing lets players develop a kingdom of multiple space communication networks working together to support space missions,” said Barbara Adde, policy and strategic communications director for SCaN at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
To successfully construct fast and efficient communication networks, players must first establish command stations around the world and accept clients conducting space missions, such as satellites and space telescopes. Resources are earned throughout the game as players continue to acquire more clients. Players can strategically use accumulated resources to enhance and increase their networks’ capabilities.
Players with the most integrated communications networks will have the ability to acquire more complex clients, such as the International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope and the Kepler mission.
“As a simple and fun introduction to the complex world of space communications, NetworKing gives players the opportunity to enjoy a challenging game while absorbing the basic concepts of space communication,” said Daniel Laughlin, games researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “It’s an engaging way to increase interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics areas of study and open minds to potential careers in those fields.”
First global map of salinity of ocean surface produced from data collected by NASA’s Aquarius, aboard the Aquarius/SAC-D satellite/observatory. [SatNews – 09/23/2011]
RRsat expands backup and disaster recovery with Spacecom, acting as Spacecom’s remote and mirror Earth station for telemetry monitoring, tracking, and commanding (TT&C) and In-Orbit Testing (IOT). [SatNews – 09/23/2011]
U.S. Department of Defense tracks NASA’s Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite as its orbit decays, expecting to predict when – and possibly where – it will re-enter the atmosphere. [SatNews – 09/22/2011]
SES-2 satellite built by Orbital, with CHIRP hosted payload, successfully launched from French Guiana. [Market Watch – 09/22/2011]
Japan launches new military Information Gathering Satellite known as Optical-4, with primary mission to provide early warning of impending hostile launches (prompted by 1998 North Korean missile launch). [SatNewqs – 09/22/2011]
Two vessels receive Inmarsat-sponsored award recognizing extraordinary courage and seamanship for their rescue of a party of 64 students from sinking Canadian tall ship Concordia. [SatNews – 09/22/2011]
Defense Department’s 1000 lb., $150M 10-channel high power UHF satellite set to launch September 27 from Kodiak, Alaska – expected to free troops in the field from carrying heavy radio equipment and fiddling with antennas. [Stars and Stripes – 09/22/2011]
Sea Launch, now 95% owned by Russian aerospace giant Rocket & Space Corp. Energia and headquartered in Switzerland, set to launch its first rocket Friday in over two years – ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 7 for Eutelsat. [LA Times – 09/22/2011]
Virgin Galactic unveils new $8M Final Assembly, Integration and Test Hangar (FAITH) at Mojave Air and Space Port for final stages of production of WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo. [SatNews – 09/22/2011]
Thrane & Thrane to manufacture broadband terminals for Inmarsat’s Global Xpress network. [Reuters – 09/22/2011]
Ariane 5 lifts off from French Guiana with Arabsat 5C and SES-2 one day after being delayed by local strike by French Guiana workers. [xinhuanet – 09/21/2011]
China receives first contract in Europe to build communications satellite for Belarus and launch from Xichang Satellite Launch Center. [Satellite Today – 09/21/2011]
South Africa’s one and only satellite, Sumbandila, out of contact with its Mission Control and not downloading any images since being hit by blast of solar radiation in July. [SatNews – 09/21/2011]
LightSquared claims filter developed by high-precision GPS receiver manufacturer Javad GNSS will fix problem of potential interference by LightSquared planned LTE network, can be adapted for receivers already in the market, and won’t make devices more expensive for consumers. [Wireless Week – 09/21/2011]
Following successful trial on one of its LNG tankers, MOL LNG Transport Co. Ltd. is adding the KVH TracPhone V7 satellite communications system and mini-VSAT Broadband service to three of its LNG tankers. [SatNews – 09/21/2011]
MTN Satellite Communications and Sensory International partner to deliver global VSAT services and connectivity to superyachts. [Market Watch – 09/21/2011]
Harris opens new and totally advanced center for manufacturing of tactical radios and assured communication systems. [SatNews – 09/21/2011]
General Dynamics receives FCC license for its Coms-on-the-Move terminals enabling continuous access to private- and government-owned communications satellites while on-the-move in vehicles. [PR Newswire – 09/21/2011]
Eutelsat and MultiChoice Africa Announce Winners of the First DStv Eutelsat Star Awards in competition by over 800 students from across Africa. [Sacramento Bee – 09/21/2011]
Gilat subsidiary Spacenet gets renewal contract valued at up to $27M from U.S. retail giant for critical network solutions and potential store expansion. [Market Watch – 09/21/2011]
NASA expects 26 of heaviest metal parts of a 20-year-old research satellite, which should break into more than 100 pieces as it enters the atmosphere this week, to reach Earth – but no one knows where. [R&D Magazine – 09/20/2011]
Russia’s Proton-M carrier rocket successfully launched with a military purpose spacecraft aboard. [SatNews – 09/20/2011]
Satmex signs multi-year multi-transponder lease agreement with Telefonica subsidiary Media Networks Latin America. [SatNews – 09/20/2011]
Ratheon fields first AEHF satellite communications terminals to U.S. armed forces tactical units. [Space Daily – 09/20/2011]
NewSat Jabiru-1 contracts reach $279M with latest $40.2M contract with Quicklink Communications. [Satellite Today – 09/20/2011]
Marlink and Sea Tel team up to provide satellite communications for third Kaisei expedition seeking viable solutions to problems associated with marine debris in North Pacific Gyre. [Maritime Executive – 09/20/2011]
Vizada and ARINC renew partnership to deliver mobile satellite services to commercial, government aviation customers. [Military & Aerospace – 09/20/2011]
Zhongxing-1A satellite carried aloft by Long March-3B from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province, China. [SatNews – 09/19/2011]
Senate Appropriations Committee approves $500M in funding for commercial spaceflight as part of NASA’s 2012 budget. [Satellite Today – 09/19/2011]
LightSquared CEO claims U.S. politicians using company as a pinata after being denied opportunity to testify at U.S. House Armed Service Committee hearing. [Satellite Today – 09/19/2011]
Component crunch slows delivery of Ka-band communications satellites as only two companies manufacturing Ka-band TWTs, L-3 and Thales, are unable to keep up with demand. [Space News – 09/16/2011]
Low-cost Disaster Warning Dissemination System conceived by India Space Research Organization can reach general public in local languages with early warnings of potential weather dangers using satellite-based Direct-to-home television broadcasts. [Microwaves&RF – September 2011]
DISH Network’s Blockbuster brand will unveil a streaming service on Friday, via the Denver Business Journal…
CEO Joe Clayton and Blockbuster President Michael Kelly are scheduled to unveil the service from San Francisco in a press conference dubbed “A Stream Come True” (held via Ustream web streaming service, appropriately enough).
Dish Network (Nasdaq: DISH), which rarely underplays a promotional opportunity, promises the service will be “the most comprehensive entertainment package ever!”
In addition to having the webstreaming technology that Blockbuster used, Dish Network has been rumored to be bidding for the online video service Hulu.
Whatever the outlines of the new Dishbuster service, it’s likely to salt Netflix’s recent wounds.
Shortly after buying Blockbuster, Ergen said the purchase wasn’t meant to knock Netflix from the top spot in movie-streaming, because Netflix likely had an insurmountable subscriber lead.
Last week, though, Netflix forecast actually losing subscribers this quarter, and falling 1 million short of its third-quarter projections.
On Monday, the 24 million-subscriber company surprised observers and sent its stock price lower by announcing it’s splitting the company — Netflix will focus exclusively on online movie streaming, and a new wholly owned subsidiary, called Qwikster, will carry on Neflix’s legacy business of shipping DVDs to subscribers by mail.
You put in three years of work into designing, planning and building a spacecraft. You test, test and test again. You select a dependable launch vehicle and schedule it. Lots of time and money goes into this kind of rocket science.
Final campaign begins and then, 30 days later, it’s launch day. Attendez une minute! The Union des Travailleurs Guyanais (UTG) decides to strike. That’s right: the Trade Union of French Guiana Workers has caused Arianespace to postpone the launch indefinitely.
The Trade Union of French Guiana Workers (UTG) initiated a strike within the TELESPAZIO company making unavailable certain means of measurement in the Space Center which are absolutely necessary for an Ariane launch. Consequently, Arianespace and CNES have decided to adjourn the launch.
Pay them what they want and get on with it! Somebody at Telespazio France is gonna get slapped.
