Really Rocket Science

None of us have on this planet long enough to remember a house or dwelling being reduced to a dirt mound. You rely on your forebears to pass along knowledge of what used to be where, and you might find it. What happens once it’s forgotten? Could be lost forever.

Satellites to the rescue!

Enter Bjoern H. Menzea of Harvard and Jason A. Ura of MIT, an anthropologist and computer scientist, respectively, who have collaborated on “Mapping patterns of long-term settlement in Northern Mesopotamia at a large scale,” published in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Using satellite images, they’ve uncovered thousands of previously-unknown settlements. Here’s the abstract:

The landscapes of the Near East show both the first settlements and the longest trajectories of settlement systems. Mounding is a characteristic property of these settlement sites, resulting from millennia of continuing settlement activity at distinguished places. So far, however, this defining feature of ancient settlements has not received much attention, or even been the subject of systematic evaluation. We propose a remote sensing approach for comprehensively mapping the pattern of human settlement at large scale and establish the largest archaeological record for a landscape in Mesopotamia, mapping about 14,000 settlement sites—spanning eight millennia—at 15-m resolution in a 23,000-km2 area in northeastern Syria. To map both low- and high-mounded places—the latter of which are often referred to as “tells”—we develop a strategy for detecting anthrosols in time series of multispectral satellite images and measure the volume of settlement sites in a digital elevation model. Using this volume as a proxy to continued occupation, we find a dependency of the long-term attractiveness of a site on local water availability, but also a strong relation to the relevance within a basin-wide exchange network that we can infer from our record and third millennium B.C. intersite routes visible on the ground until recent times. We believe it is possible to establish a nearly comprehensive map of human settlements in the fluvial plains of northern Mesopotamia and beyond, and site volume may be a key quantity to uncover long-term trends in human settlement activity from such a record.

That’s pretty awesome work. New science is magic!

14 month epic saga by Lockheed and USAF experts to save the first $1.7 billion Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite after it failed to reach proper orbit following launch may have been necessitated by a piece of cloth left in a fuel line.
[Washington Post – 03/17/2012]

North Korean plans to launch satellite meet with widespread criticism.
[The Telegraph – 03/17/2012]

Azerbaijan minister of Communications and Information Technologies expects the country’s needs for satellite communications to increase four-fold, given the mountainous terrain of much of the country.
[Trend – 03/17/2012]

LightSquared files opposition to FCC’s proposal to terminate the company’s authority to launch a nationwide network using the same frequencies as its mobile satellite service, claiming that 7 years of support for the plan over two administrations led the company to invest over $4 billion in the project, and termination leads to regulatory uncertainty that discourages needed investment in the nation’s wireless infrastructure.
[Market Watch – 03/16/2012]

New Boeing contracts with Asia Broadcast Satellite and Satellites Mexicanos feature the first all-electric commercial satellites that use light-weight xenon-fueled ion thrusters to cut satellite weight and launch costs.
[Aviation week – 03/16/2012]

Russian government to intentionally guide the large Express-AM4 telecommunications satellite, which was launched into useless orbit last August, into controlled atmospheric descent beginning March 20.
[Space – 03/16/2012]

Sprint terminates contract with LightSquared.
[CNN Money – 03/16/2012]

Head of National Broadband Plan talks about team’s successes, and the difficulty with finding spectrum for broadband illustrated by difficulties of LightSquared.
[Telecompetitor – 03/16/2012]

Globalstar VP says spectrum issues for national broadband capacity will be solved by engineers, not lawyers.
[Satellite Today – 03/16/2012]

Originally intended as “gap-filler” until now defunct TSAT became operational, WGS satellite program has become model of efficient satellite procurement as USAF orders continue, with 10 satellites now on order.
[Aviation Week – 03/16/2012]

Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTE, chooses Eutelsat’s KA-SAT for its unique approach to ensure that all homes in the Irish Republic will benefit from free reception of the RTE public service television and radio channels.
[SatNews – 03/16/2012]

Glowlink wins contract to provide spectrum-monitoring equipment for the U.S. National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration satellites.
[Satellite Today – 03/16/2012]

NovelSat modems, using technology aiming to increase satellite bandwidth capacity by 20 percent to 55 percent more than current DVB-S2 technology, are approved by Intelsat for use on its transponders.
[Satellite Today – 03/16/2012]

Astrium Services signs new multi-year contract with the French MoD’s Joint Logistices and Supply Agency to continue providing private satellite communications services to French forces deployed overseas.
[SatNews – 03/15/2012]

KVH is selected as preferred satellite communications solution provider for independent ship manager V Ships and will deliver mini-VSAT enhanced data applications to its fleet of more than 1,000 vessels.
[Satellite Today – 03/15/2012]

First global high-resolution map of boundary between Earth’s crust and mantle is produced based on data from ESA’s GOCE gravity satellite.
[SatNews – 03/15/2012]

Turnkey Satellite Uplink facility in North Platte, Nebraska constructed within four weeks of permit approval for major satellite internet provider by Oldcastle Precast using modular pre-cast building.
[PR.com – 03/15/2012]

DISA nears end of FCSA commercial satellite services build-out.
[Defense Systems – 03/15/2012]

Space Systems/Loral provides on time delivery of NASA propulsion system for moon exploration mission.
[Space Ref – 03/15/2012]

New DARPA Space Enabled Effects for Military Engagements program seeks to employ quickly deployable, disposable small and inexpensive satellites to meet need for military hotspots speedily.
[PC Magazine – 03/15/2012]

Ka-band’s surprising revenue leader is DirecTV.
[Space News – 03/15/2012]

Norsat’s 2011 full-year sales spike 90 percent despite satellite slump.
[Satellite Today – 03/15/2012]

Dish Network’s Hopper whole-home DVR system, introduced at CES earlier this year, is now available to its customers
[CED Magazine – 03/15/2012]

U.S. Army anticipates purchasing all of its satellite communications systems and support services through CTS, a single, Multiple-Award Task-Order Contract with up to ten awardees.
[Gov Win – 03/14/2012]

NASA’s Robotic Refueling Mission experiment aboard International Space Station demonstrates that remotely controlled robots and specialized tools can perform precise satellite-servicing tasks in space.
[SatNews – 03/14/2012]

Eutelsat reorganizes names of its Satellites, unifying them under the company brand name.
[Satellite Today – 03/14/2012]

Globalstar, reporting positive quarterly adjusted EBITDA for the first time in four years, is expected to become world’s first LEO-based MSS provider with a second-generation constellation.
[SatNews – 03/141/2012]

Elwing Company, through its European affiliate Elwing Europe, announces agreement with Swedish satellite manufacturer OHB Sweden to partner in development of advanced platform technologies for satellites.
[SatNews – 03/14/2012]

Satellite contracts won by Boeing and SpaceX provide boost to California’s South Bay economy.
[Los Angeles Times – 03/13/2012]

Kratos is selected by Intelsat to extend its EPOCH Integrated Product Suite-based Fleet Control System to operate the Intelsat 27 satellite, currently under construction.
[SatNews – 03/13/2012]

Australian Satellite Communications deploys iDirect hub to support new partnership with Daltron, bringing satellite capabilities to Papua New Guinea-based ISP.
[Market Watch – 03/13/2012]

A new, dedicated VSAT Maritime Broadband Solutions Centre will be opened May 1, 2012 in Singapore by AST to specifically serve the Asia Pacific region.
[Satnews – 03/13/2012]

Verizon Mobile Satellite Services offers backup services and enhanced disaster recovery, using 20X20 ft. air shelters that can be set up in less than 20 minutes and provide protection from extreme weather for up to 12 people.
[Market Watch – 03/13/2012]

SES Government Services to be featured in Business Update on Aerospace and Defense on the Discovery Channel on March 21.
[Market Watch – 03/13/2012]

SES and ITC Global renew capacity deal to provide connectivity to rigs and vessels throughout the Gulf of Mexico region.
[SatNews – 03/13/2012]

SpaceX signs contracts with Asia Broadcast Satellite and Satelites Mexicanos for two launches aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
[SatNews – 03/13/2012]

Eutelsat and Es’hailSat select Arianespace to launch their EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1 satellite in 2nd quarter of 2013 aboard Ariane 5 launcher.
[SatNews – 03/12/2012]

Diversified Communications Inc. selects TCS to provide mixed C- and Ku-band access to its TCS OS-IRIS offering hosted on Intelsat 14. [Market Watch – 03/12/2012]

Dish Network closes on purchases of DBSD North America and TerreStar, important to its broadband plans.
[Market Watch – 03/12/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

This is probably as close as you’ll get to real drama at the Satellite 2012 show in Washington, DC. The annual show, dominated by geosynchronous communications satellite operators and their respective technical ecosystems, has a full conference schedule over several days. The conferences are pretty tame and not much is said beyond what’s on their PowerPoint pitches.

Enter the LightSquared and GPS interference fiasco. The event: a session entitled “LightSquared and GPS: Status Update and Lesson Learned.” The cast: an editor of Via Satellite as the moderator (Jeff Hill) and four combatants: Dr. Javad Ashjaee, President & CEO, JAVAD GNSS; Brock Butler, Director, Location Technology, Spirent; Jeff Carlisle, Executive Vice President for Regulatory Affairs and Public Policy, LightSquared; Jason Rademacher, Senior Counsel, Dow Lohnes PLLC; Bronson Hokuf, Principal Engineer, GPS Systems, Garmin Intl.

So who gets the prize? Nobody, as chronicled by Debra Baker of sister publication Communications Technology:

Despite the wrangling between the GPS industry and nationwide satellite broadband wannabe LightSquared being on the front burner inside the Beltway, it was not a standing-room-only group at this morning’s “LightSquared and GPS: Status Update and Lesson Learned” panel at Satellite 2012.

And it wasn’t much of a status update or a lessons-learned commentary. Rather, it was more of a marketing ploy by one panelist, a reiteration of test results from two others, and some pointed looks between LightSquared’s regulatory guy and a senior lawyer from Dow Lohnes who speaks FCC.

According to Javad Ashjaee, president & CEO of JAVAD GNSS, which last fall was tapped by LightSquared to develop a system that would eliminate interference issues for high-precision GPS devices related to the deployment of LightSquared’s proposed nationwide LTE network and, thus, heal its headache at the FCC, that job has been completed. In fact, any problems that had been caused by interference to such devices were the fault of the GPS industry itself and not by LightSquared’s business plan.

Ashjaee proclaimed that high-precision GPS device makers have known for several years that their gear was susceptible to interference but have chosen to do nothing to modify their filters. He said his company performed four tests with its new filter on 14 different GPS receivers, and no technical flaws were found. As such, he now wants at least his 2 mm by 2 mm filter to be included in all GPS devices.

He also categorized as “scare tactics” any aviation-industry talk of planes and helicopters going down due to interference from LightSquared’s proposed service. “LightSquared is tilted down 60 degrees and will have no effect on plans,” Ashjaee said. “It’s all over. There is no effort (by the aviation industry) to find a solution. They have grouped together to stop LightSquared. $14 billion in investment will be lost.”

Speaking for neutral-party tester Spirent, Brock Butler, director/Location Technology, said he’s tested LightSquared signals against GPS signals, and he believes today’s standards for receivers and for testing need to be better.

Spirent’s test results showed that most smartphones with GPS apps weren’t affected adversely by LightStream’s signals but, on the high-precision GPS receiver side, there’s a big problem.

Adds Bronson Hokuf, principal engineer/GPS Systems at Garmin, standards for consumer GPS gear are much less stringent than those for aviation, “but that makes sense.” He cited a National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) report released a month ago that found 75 percent of the receivers it tested experienced interference from LightSquared, “and it would take years to make any changes.”

Hokuf also mentioned a January FAA report that said LightSquared is not compatible with FAA specs for low-altitude planes and helicopters.

Only Mildly Ruffled Feathers

It was during the Q&A session that things got moderately contentious. There appears to be some disconnect regarding if and when LightSquared ever was required by the FCC to develop an integrated satellite/terrestrial handset (which one attendee said would be a boon to disaster-relief efforts). LightSquared’ Jeff Carlisle, president for regulatory affairs and public policy, said his company never was asked, but Garmin’s Hokuf said there was a change to the company’s FCC paperwork that does require one.

And then there is the idea of moving LightSquared’s operation from the upper 10 megahertz of its spectrum to the lower 10 megahertz to avoid interference issues. Carlisle said that issue should have been raised earlier, and that LightSquared now may have to shell out an additional $1 billion “to accommodate GPS.”

On the other hand, Jason Rademacher, a senior attorney at Dow Lohnes, said it would be no simple task to retrofit the entire aviation fleet to accommodate interference from one service provider.

And the battle between the filter manufacturer and the GPS maker? JAVAD’s Ashjaee refused to let go of the idea that because 75 percent of filters are bad, technology can cure this without hampering the future. He challenged Garmin’s Hokuf to test the JAVAD filter with Garmin’s gear, but Hokuf said his company is under no obligation to do this.

“This filter is the only one JAVAD makes that is LightSquared-compatible; the rest of its products are not,” Hokuf said. “You don’t take one product and demand that the rest of the industry use it. And Garmin already builds to FAA standards.”

And aiming at Ashjaee, he pointedly concluded, “Since you think it is so easy, we will be happy to compete with you on the open market.”

Replacement for solar storm early-warning satellite which is on its last legs is at least two years away.
[Discovery – 03/09/2012]

ILS announces new contract for ILS Proton launch of the MEXSAT-1 satellite.
[Market Watch – 03/09/2012]

Iridium Core 9523, smallest voice and data transceiver ever, reduces size and cost of building devices around Iridium’s global satellite communications system.
[Marine Link – 03/09/2012]

Thales Alenia Space receives order from German company OHB System to supply eight electronic modules for the last eight satellites in the Galileo constellation.
[SatNews – 03/09/2012]

NewSat enters agreement with AP Kypros Satellite Limited for an additional orbital slot and expanded frequencies in existing slots.
[SatNews – 03/09/2012]

Satellite phones installed by provider Aciv8me in remote islands of the Wellesley Island Group off Australia under Australian government’s Indigenous Communication Program offer free communications – lives are expected to be saved in the future.
[Market Watch – 03/09/2012]

Leading Mexican operator and integrator of satellite networks RED52 launches new services powered by UHP technology from Romantis Group, to provide advanced data and multimedia services to thousands of remote terminals across Mexico and Latin America.
[SatNews – 03/09/2012]

NSR free webinar March 28 to offer industry’s first in-depth discussion on key financial metrics within the FSS sector.
[SatNews – 03/09/2012]

Euroconsult report forecasts that number of satellite communications terminals in the global maritime market will likely double over the next decade.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

Boeing to showcase 50 years of innovation in satellite design and manufacturing at Satellite 2012.
[SatNews – 03/09/2012]

During Newtec test on Intelsat 72 MHz Ku-band transponder using Wideband, Clean Channel Technology, Equalink, and Newtec’s 2nd generation Bandwidth Canceller, a staggering 372 Mbps of throughput was reached.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

Prototype of new radar system developed by Lockheed Martin is now tracking orbiting space objects, bringing the U.S. Air Force’s Space Fence program closer to revolutionizing our nation’s space situational awareness.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

Newtec successfully tests new high speed Ka-band technology for SES Broadband, featuring download speeds above 10Mbps, which is to enable SES to rollout SES Broadband Ka-band services later this year.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

Spacecom announces that its AMOS-3 satellite at 4 degrees West now has “one-hop” Ku-band capacity to served needs between the U.S. East Coast and the Middle East.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

Glowlink releases new Model 1020 with 200 MHz instantaneous bandwidth spectrum monitoring while offering the same range performance as other products, increasing monitoring speed of satellite spectrum by as much as 15X.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

NASA monitoring solar flares; massive eruption on the sun may impact GPS and satellite communications.
[CBS local – Baltimore – 03/08/2012]

Winegard to show new airline checkable 1.2m auto-acquire flyaway antennas weighing less than 88 lbs. each at Satellite 2012.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

One Horizon Group signs agreement with IEC Telecom Group to provide IP-optimization solution to IEC Telecom Group and subsidiaries in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore,, and Congo, increasing satellite bandwidth efficiencies.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

Maritime satellite communications market exceeds 5.5% in terminal growth, $1.4 billion in revenues.
[Sat PR News – 03/08/2012]

Comtech Xicom debuts new high efficiency, 750 Watt peak power, Ku-band traveling wave tube amplifier (TWTA).
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

ViviSat, the only U.S.-based provider of in-orbit servicing, to show satellite companies at Satellite 2012 that it is ready to build its mission extension vehicles.
[SatNews – 03/08/2012]

Isle of Man reported to be fifth nation most likely to return to the moon; bustling space and satellite industry on the island hosts four of the world’s top 10 satellite companies.
[SatNews – 03/07/2012]

France decides against privatizing military satellite communications system.
[Space News – 03/07/2012]

LinkScape and KNS partnership Maritime Ku-band and C-band solutions feature antennas from 60cm to 320cm, fully integrated antenna/modem technology, a single 1 unit below-deck unit, and fastest internet on the market.
[SatNews – 03/07/2012]

Thuraya launches latest generation of dual-mode satellite and GSM phone “XT-DUAL.”
[Market Watch – 03/07/2012]

NASA and government of Bermuda sign agreement to establish temporary mobile tracking station on Cooper’s Island to support launches from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
[SatNews – 03/07/2012]

DARPA’s InSPIRE program is sponsoring Zero Robotics Autonomous Space Capture Challenge, seeking to develop computer algorithms that allow satellite to capture space object that is tumbling and spinning.
[SatNews – 03/07/2012]

Hughes Network Systems makes available Hugh High QoS Service baed on the advanced HX platform to Virtual Network Operators, allopwing them to offer high-bandwidth Internet and private network access to customers without a high upfront investment.
[SatNews – 03/07/2012]

NASA’s twin GRAIL satellites begin mission of mapping moon’s gravitational field.
[SatNews – 03/07/2012]

Avanti Communications Group signs contract with CommCarrier Satellite Services of Kenya for satellite bandwidth over East Africa on the HYLAS 2 satellite for five years.
[4-traders – 03/06/2012]

New Zealand marine electronics specialist Electronic Navigation and SatComms Australia enter joint venture to provide new satellite options for New Zealand mariners.
[Fish News EU – 03/06/2012]

LightSquared announces extension of emulation on its SkyTerra-1 satellite network for existing customers.
[Market Watch – 03/06/2012]

Dish stock moves up sharply as investors bet Charlie Ergen’s stated plan to build a wireless-internet network from the ground up with spectrum he has acquired is a bluff, and he will end up selling the spectrum.
[Bloomberg – 03/07/2012]

Boeing teams up with telecommunications company Artel to sell satellite bandwidth to U.S. government agencies.
[Press-Telegram – 03/06/2012]

V.Ships, World’s largest independent ship manager serving fleet of over 1,000 vessels, selects KVH mini-VSAT Broadband as its preferred satellite communications service.
[Market Watch – 03/05/2012]

Iran aims to place satellites in geostationary orbits.
[ABNA – 03/05/2012]

FCC denial of Dish Networks’ request for a needed waiver for its new wireless network, opting instead to take public comments before making a rule change later this year, sets back Dish’s network plans.
[Wall Street Journal – 03/02/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

“Beware the Ides of March,” they told Caesar. Lightsquared is facing a milestone date on 15 March 2012 in their agreement with Sprint. According to Bloomberg, the part of Brutus will be played by Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint…

Sprint Nextel Corp. plans to end a network-sharing agreement with billionaire Philip Falcone’s LightSquared Inc. wireless venture as early as next week, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Sprint is preparing to take the step as LightSquared approaches a March 15 deadline to meet certain conditions under the agreement, said the people, who wouldn’t be identified because the information isn’t public. Sprint and LightSquared struck an 11-year deal to share network expansion costs and equipment in June provided LightSquared secure regulatory approvals for its wireless service by December. Though Sprint pushed the deadline back, it doesn’t plan more extensions, the people said.

The loss of Sprint would fuel concerns about the viability of LightSquared and mark another setback for Falcone. The hedge fund manager has invested about $3 billion from his Harbinger Capital Partners in LightSquared in an effort to create a national wireless carrier to compete against AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless.

Playing the part of Julius Ceasar will be Philip Falcone.

UK Scientists to help satellites dodge sun storms, by giving enough advance warning to allow operators to move, reconfigure, or shut down satellites in harm’s way.
[Reuters – 03/02/2012]

Military strives to increase bandwidth and link satellite and terminal design while turning to commercial suppliers for hosted payloads, as bandwidth demand is not reduced by two wars winding down.
[Defense Systems – 03/02/2012]

The launch of the first Mobile User Objective System satellite in February signals a new era of comms-on-the-move in the Defense Department.
[Defense Systems – 03/02/2012]

Pasta-shaped radio waves beamed across Venice, demonstrating an apparent solution to radio congestion using the twisted radio waves to transmit separate channels on each, at the same frequency.
[R&D Magazine – 03/02/2012]

Loral Space and Communications suspends preparations to spin off the company’s satellite manufacturing division to focus on strategic transaction with unnamed buyer or group of buyers.
[Space News – 03/02/2012]

Syria blocks Red Cross from Homs neighborhood, cutting off communications and jamming satellite signals as it is accused of overrunning district, performing execution style killings and a scorched-earth campaign.
[The Republic – 03/02/2011]

DigitalGlobe’s images of Baba Amr district of Homs, Syria show damage caused by recent fighting between the Syrian army and rebels.
[SatNews – 03/01/2012]

Avanti Communications chief executive says the launch of a third broadband satellite, HYLAS 3, will give the company the ability to “cherry-pick” customers in Africa.
[4-traders – 03/01/2012]

SES drops ASTRA name, renaming ASTRA Broadband Services as SES Broadband Services, and ASTRA2Connect as SES Broadband.
[SatNews – 03/01/2012]

Lockheed Martin announces success of in-orbit testing of the first Advance Extremely High Frequency satellite.
[UPI – 03/01/2012]

Datum Systems as new multi-function data interface for PSM-500 series modems that supports optional Advanced Ethernet IP or Dual G.703 interface.
[SatNews – 03/01/2012]

International Datacasting is awarded new contract to provide the Canadian Forces Radio and Television broadcast services for up to an additional five years. [SatNews – 03/01/2012]

Al Jazeera platform of 10 channels uses new footprint of Eutelsat’s EUTELSAT 7 West A to reach viewers from Morocco to Nigeria.
[Sacramento Bee – 03/01/2012]

Telemar to launch SeaMore, a new, joint full-service communications solution with Vizada for the maritime community.
[SatNews – 03/01/2012]

European Union’s TV information services move to the EUTELSAT 9A satellite.
[Sacramento Bee – 03/01/2012]

Canada’s MDA awaits decision on contract bid to U.S. DARPA before deciding whether to shelve its work on a space vehicle to service satellites and perform other chores in orbit.
[Space News – 03/01/2012]

Hughes Network Systems completes installation of its latest technology, HN NOCXT, for Pagaso Banda Ancha at its new teleport in Toluca, Mexico.
[SatNews – 03/01/2012]

BepiColombo, an ESA mission to the planet Mercury in collaboration with the Japanese space agency is now planned for launch in August 2015.
[SatNews – 03/01/2012]

YAHSAT launches new VSAT service on opening day of CABSAT show.
[Khaleej Times – 02/29/2012]

Laptop stolen a year ago from NASA contained formulas used to control the International Space Station.
[Nextgov – 02/29/2012]

LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja resigns after failing to get government clearance for the company’s planned LTE network; Philip Falcone takes seat on the board.
[Wireless Week – 02/28/2012]

New research program at Rensselaer Polytechnic seeks to define next generation of low-orbit satellites that are cheaper to launch, longer lived, more maneuverable, and easier to hide; research could also define means to guide dead satellites and debris to Earth.
[R&D Magazine – 02/28/2012]

Raytheon’s U.S. Air Force satellite terminal system achieves two critical milestones and is its first Advanced Extremely High Frequency terminal for the Air Force to enter production.
[Space Daily – 02/28/2012]

SES announces that Saudi-based communications service provider ICCES will use Ku capacity on SES-4 to help customers extend their VSAT-delivered services across Saudi Arabia, North Africa, Libya, Tunisia, and other key countries.
[SatNews – 02/28/2012]

C-COM completes successful testing of Ka-band mobile antenna with Avanti Communications.
[Market Watch – 02/28/2012]

SES signs new long-term multiple transponder contract with GlobeCast.
[SatNews – 02/28/2012]

Comtech EF Data partners with O3b as provider of modems, advanced VSAT solutions, and RF products.
[SatNews – 02/28/2012]

U.S. Air Force undersecretary unveils familiar military space budget strategy.
[Satellite Today – 02/27/2012]

Second Ariane 5 launch in 2012, scheduled for May to orbit Japan’s JCSAT-13 and Vietnam’s VINASAT-2, completes its initial assembly at spaceport in French Guiana. [SatNews – 02/27/2012]

Comtech Telecommunications Corp receives $2.0 million order to support global maritime fleet upgrade.
[Market Watch – 02/27/2012]

Etisalat signs with Intelsat for multi-year capacity on Intelsat 22, scheduled to launch in late March 2012.
[SatNews – 02/27/2012]

SeaSpace becomes first commercial company to provide an NPP solution to customers, as it releases its first NPP image to be broadcast over California since Direct Broadcast was turned on earlier that day by NASA.
[SatNews- 02/27/2012]

Boeing Defence Australia pursues renewal of operations contract at Pine Gap satellite intelligence facility near Alice Springs that it lost to Raytheon in 2005 after holding the contract for 30 years.
[SatNews – 02/27/2012]

ITU considers application of Azerbaijan for new orbital position.
[TMCnet – 02/26/2012]

Awesome idea: using a 20 km (12.7 mile) evacuated tunnel to launch payloads into space using magnetic-levitation technology. Where do you start with such a grand scheme? Try the inventor of mag-lev, James Powell.

The company leading the charge is Startram. Next Big Future published an interview with Mr. Powell the other day, which I found very interesting:

Question 1: How did the Startram concept originate?
Gordon Danby and I invented the superconducting Maglev transportation system in 1966 when we were working for Brookhaven National Laboratory. Based on our 1966 inventions, Japan has built and is operating a 300 mph Maglev passenger transport system. Subsequently, in the 1990s, I started working on how to use Maglev to launch large volumes of payloads into orbit at very low cost. I realized that traveling in evacuated tunnels with no air drag, maglev vehicles could reach orbital speeds with extremely low energy inputs. At 8 kilometers per second, it takes only 10 kilowatt hours of electrical energy per kilogram of payload. Using magnetic levitation and propulsion, spacecraft operating in a maglev can propel multi-ton payloads to orbit, albeit at high g forces. I have collaborated with a number of people on this project and we have all come to the conclusion that this concept is feasible.

Question 2: You have developed GEN 1, and GEN 2 concepts. What distinguishes each of these generations?
GEN 1 Startram is designed to accelerate unmanned cargo craft to orbital speed of 8 kilometers per second in an evacuated underground tunnel. The cargo craft leaves the tunnels exit into the atmosphere at an altitude of about 16,000 feet. It then coasts up through the atmosphere into space. Upon reaching the desired orbital altitude, a small on-board rocket is fired to establish the payload’s final orbit. With the aid of an onboard rocket, this GEN 1 system should be able to take cargo into LEO. Due to the 30g loads as it accelerates in the evacuated tunnel GEN 1 would not be able to take humans or live animals into orbit. The GEN 2 system would be considerably more difficult to develop and implement, and would require a magnetically levitated tube leading to an altitude of 60,000 feet, where the atmospheric density is very low. GEN 2, however, would have the capacity to take humans directly to orbit.

Question 3: You have also developed a GEN 1.5 concept.
Yes, the GEN 1.5 would effectively be a hybrid between GEN 1 and GEN 2. GEN 1.5 would use rockets after it entered the atmosphere to overcome atmospheric drag forces. instead of using the GEN 2 magnetically levitated evacuated launch tube that would ascend to an altitude of 60,000 feet, where the atmospheric density is very low. It would need a longer tunnel and an optimized hybrid rocket, but it could still be built within twenty years. It could bring about 100 passengers to orbit on each launch. It could be used for tourism, and would be considerably easier to implement than GEN 2.

Question 4 : You have claimed that a GEN 1 system could be developed for $20 billion. Given the tendency of large-scale projects to go overbudget, is this cost estimate realistic?
The cost would probably be more than $20 billion. I could see this project costing $40 billion, due to red tape and developmental difficulties. But even at $40 billion, the project would be a bargain. We have already sunk $150 billion into the international space station and have little to show for it.

Question 5: You also claim that a GEN 1 system could deposit large payloads into orbit for only $50 per kilogram, or about 1% of current launch costs. How confident are you of those figures?
The costs would depend greatly on how much payload you put into orbit. The system is completely reusable, and the electricity needed isn’t very expensive, only about 1 dollar per kilogram of payload. The $50 per kilogram figure is based on putting 100,000 tons per year into orbit. The current launch rate is about 200 tons per year, so this assumes that a major push into space occurs.

Question 6: What activity could justify putting 100,000 tons into orbit?
We see space-based solar power satellites as being a main driver of startram. There have been extensive studies on solar power satellites, and the biggest hurdle is the cost of putting so much material into orbit. Startram effectively solves that problem. And if we can have enough solar power satellites beaming clean, low cost electric power closer to earth, that would greatly ameliorate the world’s long term energy situation.

Question 7: How high would the evacuated tunnels need to be? Could they be made from standard materials?
The higher the better, but we would like to get to an altitude of 4 kilometers or higher. There are places in Alaska, China, and Peru that could provide that altitude. They would be drilled using conventional boring machines and lined with concrete. The construction methods would be similar to the building of the chunnel between Britain and France, only simpler, and require a much smaller excavation volume.

Question 8: Wouldn’t maintaining an evacuated tunnel present difficulties?
Most of the time the tunnel would be mechanically sealed with a shutter, and would only open for the few seconds when the cargo craft is accelerating in the tunnel. The tricky part would be the transition from a near vacuum to the atmosphere. We propose to use a magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) current to pump the air away. The combination of an MHD window and a steam ejection system would effectively solve the problem. The small amount of air that managed to get through the MHD would be frozen by cryopanels and then pumped out after the cargo craft had left the tunnel, and it had been reseated by the mechanical shutter.

Question 9: How would you power this system?
The best way would be through superconducting magnetic energy storage. Between launches, superconducting loops store the energy required for the launch in a sequence of superconductivity loops located along the acceleration tunnel. As the magnetically levitated cargo craft approaches a given superconducting energy storage loop, a pulsed heating coil inside the superconductor into its normal high resistance state. The stored magnetic energy created by the superconductor current then inductively transfers into a closely coupled copper loop (more than 99% of the stored energy is transferred). The copper loop then powers the aluminum propulsion windings in the acceleration tunnel, magnetically accelerating the cargo craft to higher speed . This concept has not been demonstrated but I don’t anticipate that being a major problem.

Question 10: What is the most common criticism that you receive from this concept?
The concept is sufficiently radical that many people have a hard time grasping it. The aerospace industry has been fixated on rockets for the past fifty years, and costs have only come down marginally. Failure rates are still high. I haven’t received any trenchant criticisms regarding any specific detail of the concept. There are no potential “showstoppers” to this idea, it is simply a matter of getting enough funding.

Question 11: Assuming adequate funding, how long would it take to get a system up and running?
With an aggressive program, it could be done within a decade. With a more pedestrian effort, it would probably take 20 years. But the technical issues associated with Startram are much less than the comparable issues associated with the Apollo program, and Apollo took less than a decade to meet its objectives.

Question 12: Have you been actively seeking funding for Startram?
Not actively. I have been more focused on getting funding for our new 2nd generation maglev system, which is much lower in cost than the present 1st generation Japanese Maglev system that was based on our original 1966 inventions. The new 2nd generation Maglev system can transport fully loaded highway trucks, personal autos, and freight containers at lower cost than by highway. The much higher revenue for the 2nd generation Maglev system will enable private investors to build maglev routes without needing Government subsidies. So far, given the costs of developing Startram, neither the Government nor venture capitalists are interested. But GEN 1 could be privately financed if sufficiently wealthy individuals or corporations realized that this system could bring in revenues of hundreds of billions of dollars per year.

Question 13: Do you see the development of Startram as inevitable?
I do. If humanity is going to have a large-scale presence in space, then Startram will be need to be developed. Conventional rockets can’t get much better, and are far too costly, unreliable, and dangerous. The space elevator would require a breakthrough in materials, and collisions with space debris would be a serious problem. Once the GEN 1 and GEN 1.5 systems are developed, the entire solar system will rapidly become within humanity’s reach.

This is proven technology and should be pursued by both NASA and the commercial space industry.

World’s satellite sector, in unprecedented show of unity, presents letter signed by close to 100 satellite companies to chairman of UNIDROIT conference expressing opposition to Draft Space Assets Protocol, that threatens the stability of satellite financing.
[SatNews – 02/24/2012]

Director of Defense Intelligence Agency reveals that Beijing is developing missiles, electronic jammers, and lasers for use against satellites, under guise of supposedly non-military space program.
[SatNews – 02/24/2012]

ESA signs $1.8 billion deal with Thales Alenia for six next generation weather satellites, after acrimonious debate over decision not to award to Astrium of Germany.
[Space News – 02/24/2012]

MEASAT has a partnership agreement with Belgium Satellite Services for satellite capacity on the soon-to-be launched AFRICASAT-1a for coverage in the Middle East, Africa, and Southern Europe.
[SatNews – 02/24/2012]

Satellite bandwidth demand keeps soaring despite budget cuts.
[Defense Systems – 02/24/2012]

United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, with 200th Centaur, successfully launches Mobile User Objective System-1 satellite.
[Market Watch – 02/24/2012]

News that the son of Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has taken the helm of APT Satellite Holdings sends shares of the Hong Kong-traded stock up nearly 50%.
[Deal Journal – Wall Street Journal – 02/24/2012]

Long March 3C launches fifth Compass-G satellite into orbit.
[NASA Spaceflight – 02/24/2012]

U.S.A.F. and Lockheed Martin deliver the second Advanced Extremely High Frequency Flight communication satellite to Cape Canaveral.
[SatNews – 02/24/2012]

Intelsat gets subcontract to provide satellite connectivity for Iraqi Ministry of Defense network of 150 remote VSAT terminals.
[Ottawa Citizen – 02/24/2012]

SES announces that Brazil’s Rede Novo Tempo de Comunicacao has renewed and expanded a long-term capacity agreement for the distribution of its video and radio channels throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, and Western Europe.
[SatNews – 02/24/2012]

South African satellite systems company SunSpace says its Sumbandila satellite has paved way for South African satellite to be built over which the South African National Defence Force could have total control.
[Engineering News – 02/24/2012]

Motorvision, Europe’s leading automotive-themed content provider, selects Asia Broadcast Satellite to distribute is content across the Asian continent.
[SatNews – 02/24/2012]

Death of American journalist Marie Colvin in Syria raises concern about the safety of using satellite phones in areas of conflict.
[Radio Free Europe – 02/24/2012]

GE Satcom is rebranded Signalhorn following its recent acquisition.
[SatNews – 02/24/2012]

C-Com and iSat partner on X-band enhancements for iNetVu terminal.
[Satellite Today – 02/24/2012]

Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen says Dish Network needs to package mobile wireless services with its video offering to remain competitive, explaining rationale for investing $4 billion in wireless spectrum since 2008.
[Wall Street Journal – 02/24/2012]

Army leaders outline plans to upgrade tactical communications network, pushing satellite communications down to the company level.
[www.army.mil – 02/23/2012]

U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin team deliver second Advanced Extremely High Frequency Flight communication satellite to Cape Canaveral.
[SatNews – 02/23/2012]

Google asks FCC to approve satellite antenna farm that would sit next to its existing data center in Council Bluffs, IA.
[DesMoines Register – 02/23/2012]

Etilisat to quit Indian telecoms market on heels of recent Indian Supreme Court decision cancelling 122 mobile licenses.
[The Vision Research – 02/23/2012]

Entry of Eutelsat’s new ATLANTIC BIRD 7 satellite into MidEast market spurs growth of digital and HDTV channels across Middle East and North Africa.
[Sacramento Bee – 02/22/2012]

Comtech Telecommunications Corp is awarded $1.0 million contract for medium-power Tri-band amplifiers for a vehicle-mounted tactical satellite communications system.
[Market Watch – 02/22/2012]

As LightSquared’s troubles continue, layoffs begin.
[Wireless Week – 02/22/2012]

Scandinavian satellite company Viasat Broadcasting extends its live broadcasting rights to the National Football League in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland until the end of the 2017 NFL season.
[Satellite Today – 02/22/2012]

LightSquared withholds $56.3 million payment to Inmarsat.
[Bloomberg Business Week – 02/21/2012]

Loral selects FMV for Thor 7 software contract.
[Satellite Today – 02/21/2012]

Gilat selected by JSC NURSAT to deploy broadband satellite communications solution in Kazakhstan.
[Market Watch – 02/21/2012]

Newtec enters agreement with InSat to supply and install Sat3Play hub and terminal technology and deliver next generation Ka-ban d communications over Afghanistan.
[Satellite Today – 02/21/2012]

Boston City Council may pass resolution requiring satellite companies to install dishes in locations that don’t affect aesthetics of a neighborhood.
[The Boston Channel – 02/21/2012]

Y1B satellite launch delayed till April.
[Khaleej Times – 02/20/2012]

Scientists seek “celestrial broom” to clean up space mess jeopardizing low earth orbit satellites.
[New York Times – 02/18/2012]

Moscow blames radiation damage to an SRAM chip aboard the Phobos-Grunt probe for its failure, but skepticism meets the official conclusion.
[IEEE Spectrum – 02/16/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services

Governments have jammed satellite reception for years, most recently in Libya, Egypt, Bahrain, et. al. Broadcasters have been complaining for years, but now they’ve the got power of the ITU behind them.

At the WRC-12, the ITU membership voted in favor of government to take “necessary actions” when satellite broadcasts are jammed. The European Broadcast Union, along with media freedom-fighters, human rights advocates and broadcasters such as the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Radio France Internationale, RFE/RL, Inc.’s Radio Farda. Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW), and Voice of America.

Naturally, the EBU was jumping for joy yesterday:

The change, adopted by 165 member states of the WRC (out of 193 ITU members), was to article 15.21 of the regulations, which now reads, “If an administration has information of an infringement of the Constitution, the Convention or the Radio Regulations (in particular Article 45 of the Constitution and No. 15.1 of the Radio Regulations) committed by a station under its jurisdiction, the administration shall ascertain the facts and take the necessary actions.”

Ingrid Deltenre, Director General of EBU said, “From the EBU’s point of view, this decision taken by so many countries participating in WRC-12 is a first important step in the right direction. Now we expect ITU services to be vigilant and ready to react to deliberate attempts to obstruct the free flow of information.”

What “necessary actions” might be remains to be seen.

Falcone’s telecom troubles mount, as the Harbinger Fund investments in LightSquared jeopardize investors’ value and a group of investors sues in federal court.
[Wall Street Journal – 02/18/2012]

Latest Pentagon spending plans scale back push to use commercial satellites to supplement the military’s communication and space efforts.
[Wall Street Journal – 02/17/2012]

Second attempt to launch Atlas V rocket with first MUOS satellite is scrubbed due to weather conditions.
[Central Florida News – 02/17/2012]

U.S. bankruptcy court approves TerreStar reorganization plan; Dish Network prepared to close previously approved acquisitions of TerreStar and DBSD upon FCC approval of license transfers.
[Satellite Today – 02/17/2012]

Eutelsat and ViaSat receive Industry Innovators Awards from the Society of Satellite Professionals International for development and launch of their High Throughput broadband Satellites, KA-SAT and ViaSat-1.
[Sacramento Bee – 02/17/2012]

General Dynamics demonstrates first MUOS satellite-based communications on JTRS HMS Radio.
[Market Watch – 02/17/2012]

NSR free webinar coming February 22 – Military budget cuts and troop drawdowns: What’s the impact on commercial satcoms?
[NSR – 02/17/2012]

NASA selects 33 small “cubesat” satellites to fly as auxiliary payloads aboard rockets.
[SatNews – 02/17/2012]

Global Satellite USA launches Iridium Pilot, Iridium’s second-generation maritime broadband platform.
[SatNews 02/17/2012]

Satlink expands the reach of God’s Leaning Channel into Asia on the ABS1 satellite at 75 degrees East.
[SatNews – 02/17/2012]

United States, in review of future satellite needs, examines opportunities to increase international collaboration and orders from commercial providers, U.S. Air Force official says.
[Fox Business – 02/16/2012]

SES-4 successfully performs post-launch maneuvers.
[Market Watch – 02/16/2012]

Media Networks Latin American signs long-term capacity deal with SES fior multiple transponders on AMC-4 to launch new DTH wholesale pay TV service.
[SatNews – 02/16/2012]

LightSquared may be looking to Department of Defense to save its LTE network; FCC still believes satellite spectrum can be used for wireless buildout but will tread more carefully next time.
[Washington Post – 02/16/2012]

Avanti partner STM buys Ka band capacity on HYLAS 1 to enable launch of Enterprise services in Spain.
[Proactive Investors – 02/15/2012]

Comtech EF Data wins Industry Innovators Award from Society of Satellite Professionals International for MetaCarrier technology that adds carrier ID information to a reference carrier using spread spectrum technology.
[Market Watch – 02/15/2012]

Officials eye changes to GPS receivers, but move comes too late for LightSquared.
[Nextgov – 02/15/2012]

NSR reports that FCC statement all but negates years of work from both the FCC and the mobile satellite industry.
[SatNews – 02/15/2012]

Swiss to build clean-up satellites to attack the space junk issue.
[R&D Magazine – 02/15/2012]

ORBIT Communication Systems and Milano Teleport receive orders for complete C-band VSAT solution for supertankers of one of worlds leading shipping companies based in Greece.
[SatNews – 02/15/2012]

Newly announced Intellian t80W maritime satellite TV antenna system uses WorldView LNB that automatically switches polarization and frequency according to satellite tracking onto, and satellite control system intelligence and dual antenna system that allows seamless reception of TV programs on a global basis.
[SatNews – 02/15/2012]

Harris CapRock Communications signs contract to provide telecommunications systems and infrastructure for Chevron’s Big Foot platform project in the Gulf of Mexico.
[SatNews – 02/15/2012]

IO Sat one of first customers providing services on Spacecom’s AMOS-5 satellite.
[SatNews – 02/15/2012]

NASA budget request includes funding for again launching astronauts, further exploration into space, and continuing research, providing jobs and technology that will boost the economy.
[SatNews – 02/13/2012]

Google applies for FCC licenses for “antenna farm” in Kansas that hint at possible super head-end for capturing satellite television signals for over-fiber distribution.
[Kansas City Star – 02/14/2012]

FCC bars use of satellite spectrum terrestrially for broadband networks, sending LightSquared back to Square One.
[New York Times – 02/14/2012]

Gilat develops customized solution for O3b Networks’ satellite network.
[Globes – 02/14/2012]

Xplornet Communications’ 4G broadband satellite service on ViaSat-1 goes live over Canada.
[Digital Journal – 02/14/2012]

Global Telesat Corp. launches E-Commerce mobile satellite solutions portal on worldwide web.
[Market Watch – 02/14/2012]

ORBIT awarded services contract from U.S. Air Force to install service communication management systems on KC-135 Stratotankers.
[Market Watch – 02/14/2012]

UtiliSat to offer end-to-end managed network services to U.S. government agencies under new GSA custom SATCOM solutions small business contract.
[Market Watch – 02/14/2012]

FAB Express Trucking selects VeriWise(TM) satellite tracking systems to manage dry van fleet.
[Market Watch – 02/14/2012]

Obama budget targets LightSquared.
[Nextgov – 02/13/2011]

YAHSAT begins transmission of High TV 3D.
[Satellite Today – 02/13/2012]

ViaSat phases out WildBlue brand for new Exede service on ViaSat 1.
[Satellite Today – 02/13/2012]

Spectacular view from International Space Station includes lights of hundreds of cities plus massive Aurora Borealis on the horizon.
[SatNews – 02/13/2012]

WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services