Really Rocket Science

All viral videos, to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

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Here’s a project that’ll keep you rocket scientists busy: a solar-power-assisted bicycle (and scooter, for the kids). Via Earth Techling…

Weighing around 50 pounds, the KPV features two options for recharging its LiFePO4 main battery pack. One option is connecting to mains electricity via the onboard AC-DC power supply, while the other is an emissions free method making use of 14 6″x6″ mono crystalline solar cells wired in a series, the output of which is controlled via a group of dpdt rocker switches. It is noted by Hope that one can direct “the output to charge any two batteries/capacitors from either the main 24 volt battery pack, 12 volt battery booster pack or 10.8 volt capacitor bank. The two extra electrical energy storage packs have been added for extended range functionality.”

A video from last fall demonstrates the power of the sun…

Dude, they busted the Dish Network truck. No TV party tonight.

The U.S. Border Patrol is out to get you, via KGBT-TV…

More than $2.3 million dollars of marijuana is off the streets after Border Patrol agents learned a cloned Dish Network van was being used to smuggle drugs.

U.S. Border Patrol agents reported tha the seizure happened in the rural Starr County community of La Casita on Wednesday, April 20th.

Court records were not immediately available but Border Patrol agents reported spotted a Dish Network van exiting a brushy area near the Rio Grande River.

Working on a tip that are drug smugglers are now using counterfeit vehicles from well-known companies as a cover, Border Patrol stopped the van.

Border Patrol agents reproted immediately noticing a strong odor of marijuana. Investigators looked inside and found 100 bundles with close to 3,000 pounds of marijuana worth $2.3 million dollars inside.

How quickly analysts respond to big stories in industries they “follow” or otherwise expert in their inner workings. Many examples exist, but this one really got me…

David Berliner, an adviser at BDO Consulting, told Kary that the deal may be all about gaining customers for Dish Network’s satellite service. He cited a similar situation — the $95 million acquisition of electronics chain The Wiz by Cablevision in 1998. Cablevision “got access to Wiz customers to sell Cablevision services,” said Berliner.

Customers at Nobody Beats The Wiz? There’s no real loyalty in retail consumer electronics.

The issue in this acquisition comes down to streaming rights. Blockbuster had a chance to buy Netflix 10 years ago for $50 million. You’ll recall Sling Media is now part of the DISH Network family and this deal gives them streaming rights to video content practically overnight.

Comcast: prepare for battle. Your on-demand service is now getting hit from all sides. Fiber, satellite, Internet, P2P, etc.

Back to Blockbuster. Was it really Netflix that killed it? Yeah, I think so. Check out this infographic from last month in SocialTimes…

SatNews Publishers announces release of free online Satellite Industry Database, a digital tool designed for professionals that instantly and easily provides critical satellite company information.
[SatNews – 02/18/2011]

UK Satellite and Cable Broadcasters’ Group fights proposal by House of Lords Communications Committee to restrict advertisements on pay and free-to-air channels to seven ad-minutes per hour.
[Hollywood Reporter – 02/18/2011]

Eutelsat revenue growth across all businesses up 13.3% in first half of 2011, with group share of net income up 25%.
[PR Newswire – 02/18/2011]

SES to launch SES-4 and SES-5 satellites this year, to meet needs of the largest European Direct-to-Home (DTH) providers and fuel growth in Africa and the Middle East.
[Peace FM Online – 02/18/2011]

European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli gets photo of Arianespace 5 launch of ATV Johannes Kepler from International Space Station.
[SatNews – 02/18/2011]

Global Xpress deal a "win-win" for Inmarsat and iDirect.
[NSR – 02/18/2011]

Division of Ottawa company Calian Technologies signs US$15 million contract to provide antennas and rf systems to VT iDirect.
[Winnipeg Free Press – 02/18/2011]

Strongest solar flare in four years disrupts ground communications.
[9NEWS.com – Denver – 02/18/2011]

Echostar to take control of numerous Hughes satellite farms around the country as part of acquisition.
[Broadcast Engineering – 02/17/2011]

TerreStar Networks withdraws bankruptcy restructuring plan which would have given ownership to Echostar and other creditors.
[Denver Post – 02/17/2011]

Orbital awarded contract for SES-8 satellite by SES WORLD SKIES.
[Trading Markets – 02/17/2011]

Panasonic Avionics signs Letter of Intent with Scandinavian Airlines to deliver full broadband connectivity and mobile phone service on SAS’ domestic, pan-European, and intercontinental flights.
[SatNews – 02/17/2011]

Yahsat’s first satellite arrives successfully at launch site.
[zawya – 02/17/2011]

KVH unveils world’s smallest, most affordable maritime VSAT antenna, measuring just 14.5", providing download speeds as fast as 2Mbps on KVH’s proven mini-VSAT broadband network.
[SatNews – 02/17/2011]

SES Astra and Eutelsat both win long-term capacity deals in Italy and Germany, continuing to ramp up their capacity market rivalry.
[Satellite Today – 02/17/2011]

TeleCommunications Systems announces exclusive arrangement with Cisco to commercialize IT communication services on the World’s first space router.
[Marketwire – 02/17/2011]

EchoStar and Hughes combination expected to deliver substantial value to shareholders.
[Satellite Spotlight – 02/16/2011]

Ariane 5 launches second European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) for servicing of the International Space Station, carrying aloft its heaviest payload ever (19,700 kg).
[SatNews – 02/16/2011]

Intelsat plans landmark African satellite launch, with New Dawn, the region’s first private sector communications satellite, to be launched from French Guiana March 29.
[Broadcasting Cable – 02/16/2011]

TeleCommunications Systems SwiftLink Tactical Transportable Tropo Solution receives 2010 Satellite Spotlight Product of the Year Award from TMC.
[SatNews – 02/16/2011]

Tennis enthusiasts across European Russia, Siberia, and Ukraine enjoyed coverage of Australian Open 2011 from leading Russian satellite broadcaster NTV-PLUS and Global Crossing.
[SatNews – 02/16/2011]

50 years ago NASA launched Explorer 9, a balloon satellite (satelloon), as U.S. raced to catch up to Soviet Union in space race.
[The Atlantic – 02/16/2011]

Globecomm Systems completes satellite uplink hub for Televisa at its Mexico City Broadcast Center.
[SatNews – 02/16/2011]

Boeing hands over first LightSquared satellite, SkyTerra 1, for service after post-launch testing is completed.
[Space Daily – 02/15/2011]

U.S. Air Force and Lockheed in talks over AEHF satellite, and financial fallout from engine failure preventing the satellite from reaching intended orbit.
Reuters – 02/15/2011]

NewCom international telemedicine project connects Haiti hospital with top doctors in U.S.
[MMD Newswire – 02/15/2011]

Blue Sky Network, which developed technology to pass packet-based data over Iridium satellites for tracking aircraft, finds other uses for its satellite technology.
[xconomy – 02/15/2011]

RRsat carries over 50 religious broadcast channels worldwide.
[PR Newswire – 02/15/2011]

Sky-Stream selects iDirect TDMA to power Apple TV platform in Dubai.
[Satellite Today – 02/15/2011]

Echostar to buy Hughes Communications for about $1.32B.
[Bloomberg – 02/14/2011]

$78 billion in additional Pentagon cuts:  diminishing demand for commercial SATCOM?  Maybe not.
[NSR – 02/14/2011]

Avanti Communications shares expected to soar as company is transformed by operations based on the new HYLAS 1 satellite, and its follow-on satellites to be launched.
[Sharecast – 02/14/2011]

New report by Global Industry Analysts projects world satellite transponders demand to exceed 7,150 36-MHz transponder equivalents by 2015.
[Benzinga – 02/14/2011]

Glonass-K replacement set for launch February 24.
[Satellite Today – 02/14/2011]

XipLink to provide bandwidth optimization technology to Middle Eastern Internet service provider Icces for Saudi Arabia-based network.
[Satellite Today – 02/15/2011]

Wireless advances could put end to new cell towers – small cubic antenna systems acting as outdoor femtocells could be backhauled by fiber or satellite.
[R&D Magazine – 02/11/2011]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services

Interested in government payloads hosted by commercial spacecraft? There’s a blog for that! That’s right, rocket scientists: Space News and Intelsat General put together a Drupal-based blog entitled "Hosted Payloads" last week. Good idea, but will you have enough content to sustain it?

 Satellite operators Intelsat and SES have been talking about it for years, so why not blog about it? Cisco’s IRIS is up, and CHIRP will be going up this year, with a second EGNOS payload on Sirius-5 to follow. Brilliant idea to get Intelsat to sponsor the "microsite."

The timing is actually pretty good. Today’s Wall Street Journal has a piece on space budgets and actually gives some ink to hosted payloads, with Intelsat saying it’s working on three hosted payloads…

Intelsat and other companies have also joined with some Pentagon offices to champion putting more "piggyback" military payloads aboard privately funded and operated satellites.

Such arrangements offer expanded surveillance and communication capabilities significantly faster than, and at a fraction of the cost of, building and launching military satellites. Intelsat has three such agreements in place with the U.S. government and is discussing several others, industry officials said.

What I find peculiar is the Pentagon is talking to two Luxembourg-based companies for hosted payloads. Why not talk to the home boys at U.S. Space LLC? I’d rather deal with Telesat, as they fly a WAAS payload on Anik F1R.

To really get a taste of the details and possibilities of hosted payloads, you should read the Jon Glass story in GeoPlace.com. Excellent summary…

 "It’s the speed and cost efficiency that is really driving the government’s interest in this," adds Jeff Foust, senior analyst with Futron Corp., a technology-management consulting firm that helped organize several government/industry workshops on hosted payloads. "There’s a steady stream of opportunities for hosted payloads, because you have 20 to 25 commercial GEO satellites being ordered and launched every year, plus you have special opportunities such as Iridium NEXT that have a much larger number of satellites in a global system."

Because hosted payloads are relatively new, developing a set of policies and procedures that make it easier for government agencies and the private sector to partner on projects is a challenge. This includes developing mechanisms that regulate contracts and pricing as well as enable federal agencies to take advantage of available opportunities. Because of existing regulations and bureaucratic barriers, government agencies can find it difficult to move at the same speed as the private sector.

A key purpose of hosted-payload workshops has been to give industry and government officials a forum to identify potential barriers and begin to develop solutions. The important thing, notes Foust, is that with the new U.S. space policy, government supporters of hosted payloads now have the official backing of the administration to pursue opportunities.

"It’s a trite phrase, but the use of hosted payloads has the potential to be a win-win," adds Foust. "It’s an opportunity for the industry to maximize potential revenue by making use of satellite capacity that otherwise might go unused. For the government side, it provides a greater degree of flexibility to get important payloads up faster and less expensively than the traditional way of doing business. There’s a great potential here to do more with less and provide some real savings to the taxpayers."

Oh, and SES WorldSkies has a blog now, too. Good luck commenting on that one. SEO, anyone?

Clooney-sponsored Satellite Sentinel Project to monitor election proceedings in volatile Sudan.
[CBN News – 01/07/2011]

New Israeli military technology speeds up warfare, harnessing digital and satellite technology to enable response to battlefield changes in seconds.
[msnbc – 01/07/2011]

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. wins contract from the European Space Agency to provide spectrometer as part on instrumentation for Sentinel 5 Precursor atmospheric monitoring mission.
[Satellite Today – 01/07/2011]

GeoEye wins contact from Republic of the Maldives for vessel monitoring system for fisheries management and safety.
[SatNews – 01/07/2011]

Colorado Springs military contractor Infinity Systems Engineering wins $17.4M 5 1/2 year contract from Air Force Space Command for communications and engineering support on three military communications satellite systems.
[Colorado Springs Gazette – 01/07/2011]

EchoStar Advance Technologies acquires Utah-based Moved Networks, a technology innovator delivering advanced solutions for large scale streaming of quality video on the internet.
[SatNews – 01/07/2011]

Newcom International of Miami is ranked fourth fastest growing teleport in the world for 2010 by the World Teleport Association.
[Satellite Spotlight – 01/07/2011]

ARTEL wins first contract award for satellite services under the new $5B General Services Administration and Defense Information Services Agency joint-contract vehicle.
[PR Newswire – 01/06/2011]

Spot Connect lets Bluetooth phones communicate with satellites.
[Mobile Magazine – 01/06/2011]

Comtech wins $27.2M order to provide satellite communications equipment to U.S. Army.
[M2M – 01/06/2011]

Shares of Gilat Satellite Networks surge after contracts with Colombia’s Ministry of Information Technology and Communications are extended.
[Bloomberg – 01/06/2011]

Albania’s DigitAlb pay-TV platform extends to 2020 its satellite capacity at Eutelsat’s 16 degrees East neighborhood.
[PR Newswire – 01/06/2011]

Iridium’s Direct Internet software package makes it easier and faster to connect to the Internet using the 9555 and 9505A satellite phones.
[SatNews – 01/05/2011]

RapidEye signs partnership agreement with NiK Insaat Ticaret of Turkey to add the company to its distributor team in Turkey.
[SatNews – 01/05/2011]

ISRO plans to launch at least two large communications satellites this year to mitigate shortage of transponders due to failure of two consecutive GSLV missions.
[Economic Times – 01/05/2011]

Integral Systems Inc. wins $10M five-year IDIQ contract to modernize U.S. Coast Guard’s satellite communications for its large cutters.
[Satellite Spotlight – 01/05/2011]

DTH and the drive towards Hybrid – even though terrestrial networks seem to be the more logical source, there is not dearth of satellite-enabled solutions.
[NSR – 01/05/2011]

GlobaLogix acquires Blast Energy Services satellite division, adding fully integrated satellite services to its comprehensive suite of services supporting recovery and analysis of data for its energy industry customers.
[Business Wire – 01/05/2011]

Lubbock County Texas plans to integrate Spacenet’s satellite equipment and services into its mobile command vehicle that is used across state to maintain data, voice, and video communications during emergency situations.
[TMCnet – 01/05/2011]

Lockheed Martin Space Systems wins sole source contract from NASA for Systems Engineering for In-Space Servicing.
[SatNews – 01/04/2011]

Thales Alenia Space signs contract with French space agency CNES to produce Surface Waves Investigation and Monitoring instrument for teh China France Oceanography Satellite.
[SatNews – 01/04/2011]

Voice of Russia reports plans for about 50 space launches from three launching pads and 10 combat training and test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2011.
[SatNews – 01/04/2011]

Globecomm Systems wins $7.3M managed services contract from a Government prime contractor.
[TMCnet – 01/04/2011]

Blue Marble Network announces new Maritime VSAT service for Asia Pacific market.
[SAT PR News – 01/04/2011]

Perla Group International procures $4.5M of satellite and teleport infrastructure and plans to build world class teleport in the Mediterranean, likely in Cyprus.
[Marketwire – 01/04/2011]

Intelsat plans to immobilize "Zombiesat" Galaxy 15 following communications shutdown and equipment reset caused by loss of power – considers moving it to one of Intelsat’s orbital slots and fully testing the satellite’s communications capabilities.
[Aviation Week – 01/04/2011]

Indian developer Tripura launches Geo-Spatial 3D satellite-based imagery system to track terrorists and curb crime.
[Satellite Today – 01/03/2011]

Failure of India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle on December 25 caused by snapped connectors.
[Spaceflight Now – 12/31/2010]

Orbital-built KOREASAT-6 launched from European space center in French Guiana.
[BusinessWire – 12/30/2010]

Charles Ergen of Echostar and Dish Network accumulates debt of bankrupt satellite operators TerreStar Networks and DBSD North America in challenge to Harbinger Capital, pursuing broadband spectrum owned by the bankrupt companies.
[The Wall Street Journal – 12/30/2010]

ILS to launch Satmex 8 in 2012.
[Satellite Today – 12/30/2010]

ImageSat settles spy satellite dispute with Serbia.
[Satellite Today – 12/30/2010]

India’s NRSC plans to launch 30 satellites by 2020.
[Satellite Today – 12/29/2010]

Turkey’s test satellite 3USAT debut set for September 2011.
[Satellite Today – 12/29/2010]

Satellite optimization enhances service delivery in a 4G world.
[TMCnet – 12/29/2010]

Upcoming NSR webinar – The Satellite Industry Year in Review . . . and a Look Ahead to 2011.
[gotomeeting.com]

WBMSAT PS satellite communications systems services

Last week’s on-target Ariane 5 launch occurred at sunset in French Guiana, providing an excellent view of the vehicle’s ascent – including the separation of its two solid boosters at an altitude of some 67 km., and the payload fairing’s jettisoning at 106 km.    Estimated orbital parameters at the injection of its cryogenic upper stage:
– Perigee: 249.4 km. for a target of 249.4 km.
– Apogee: 35,922 km. for a target of 35,907 km.
– Inclination:  2.99 deg. for a target of 3.00 deg.

Watch the launch from KSC pad 40 live on SpaceFlightNow.com. A big deal for private launchers, the demo payload Dragon is test whether it will one day get supplies to the ISS. The low-down, via SpaceX…

This is the first flight under NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to develop commercial supply services to the International Space Station and encourage the growth of the commercial space industry.

COTS is also an acronym used by government acquisition officials for ―commercial off-the -shelf,‖ meaning that the government should, when possible, take advantage of commercially available products of equal quality and utility when doing so is the most cost-effective option.

After the Space Shuttle retires, SpaceX will make at least 12 flights to carry cargo to and from the International Space Station as part of a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract for NASA awarded in 2008. The $1.6 billion contract represents a minimum of 12 flights, with an option to order additional missions for up to $3.1 billion. Only SpaceX has the ability to return cargo from the station.

This has been a strong government-commercial partnership. SpaceX has only come this far by building upon the incredible achievements of NASA, having NASA as an anchor tenant for launch, and receiving expert advice and mentorship throughout the development process.

With the savings NASA will see by using SpaceX for low-Earth transportation, billions of dollars are freed up for other activities such as accelerating exploration efforts that go beyond low-Earth orbit, advanced telescopes and Earth science missions.

The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft were designed to one day carry astronauts; both the COTS and CRS missions will yield valuable flight experience toward this goal.

 Go Falcon 9!

Undoubtedly, the Delta-IV Heavy is my favorite launch vehicle. ULA just popped an NRO payload into orbit the other day, via Aviation Week…

 United Launch Alliance (ULA) racked up its fourth successful flight of a Delta IV Heavy, which blasted off Nov. 21 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., carrying a classified satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.

The launch occurred at 5:58 p.m. EST. ULA halted commentary about seven minutes after liftoff. At the time, the vehicle was performing as expected.

The launch had been delayed from Nov. 18 to replace ground support equipment pyrotechnic ordnance lines, and on Nov. 19 due to anomalous temperature data signatures in the common core strap-on boosters. The problem was traced to faulty temperature sensors, which were replaced.

The Delta IV Heavy, currently the nation’s most powerful unmanned rocket, debuted on a demonstration flight six years ago, then flew two operational missions in November 2007 and January 2009.

The rocket, which was built by ULA in Decatur, Ala., is comprised of a common booster core with two strap-on common booster cores. Each is powered by an RS-68 cryogenic engine and an RL10B-2 cryogenic engine powers the second stage. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne builds both engines.

The payload was encased by a 5-meter diameter aluminum, tri-sector payload fairing.

The launch was the eighth and final flight this year for ULA. The company’s next launch is with another Delta IV Heavy for the NRO, scheduled for Jan. 11, 2011, from Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg AFB, Calif.

 Love this video edit by the USAF 45th Space Wing…