Really Rocket Science

That was some trip to China by French president Nicolas Sarkozy — got a lot of good press, too. Better than that 60-minutes interview in October.

Big nuclear power plant deal for Areva and some airplanes for Airbus to deliver — and Eutelsat CEO Giuliano Beretta made the trip, scoring an interview with China Daily. Nice profile on Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon. Incidently, Areva is now the parent company of Canberra Eurisys, developers of the titanium-encapsulated germanium detector on board NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter.

Are people concerned about all this technology transfer? We blogged about the Long March rocket launch of  Thales Alenia Space-built Chinasat 6B ("Zhongxing-6B") — which is a pretty advanced bird. Sarkozy’s not worried at all:

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said yesterday that he did not fear technology transfers to China, speaking a day after Areva of France signed a landmark deal to deliver state-of-the-art nuclear reactors.

“In the nuclear field, we’re going to create a joint venture.  I’m not worried about technology transfer,” Sarkozy told students at Beijing’s elite Tsinghua University, referring to the Areva deal.

I’m all for cleaner energy and better satcom for all. Even the A380 is billing itself as "cleaner & greener." Here’s an A380 performing a cross-wind test in Iceland, as documented by Icelandic TV:

Wow, now I know. Thanks to a new "killer app" from Google called My Location. The folks at AppleInsider see it:

New Google Maps feature could simulate GPS on iPhones

By Slash Lane

A new version of Google Maps introduced this week includes a beta feature dubbed My Location that was designed to simulate the GPS experience on mobile phones and handheld devices that do not include GPS hardware, like Apple’s iPhone.

Essentially, the My Location feature takes information broadcast from mobile towers near non-GPS equipped mobile phones to approximate the device’s current location on the map down to about 10 city blocks.

"It’s not GPS, but it comes pretty close (approximately 1000m close, on average)," the Mountain View, Calif.-based search giant explained on its website. "We’re still in beta, but we’re excited to launch this feature and are constantly working to improve our coverage and accuracy."

The My Location feature is currently available for most web-enabled mobile phones, including Java, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and Nokia/Symbian devices. However, it is not yet compatible with Apple’s iPhone.

Still, Apple has promised to continuously update and improve upon the feature set of its inaugural mobile handset, making it more than likely that the feature will turn up once it emerges from the beta stage.

For a more detailed explanation of My Location and a visual demonstration, please see the video below.

Just downloaded it on a BlackBerry and it works. Amazing.

 

Lagos Analysis Corp. (LANCOR) Files Lawsuit Against Nicholas Negroponte and OLPC Association for Patent Infringement. Negroponte’s OLPC Accused of Unauthorized Use of LANCOR’s Multilingual Keyboard Technology Invention in XO Laptops

BOSTON, MA–(Marketwire – November 27, 2007) – Lagos Analysis Corporation, a United States-based Nigerian-owned company with a subsidiary called LANCOR Management Limited, in Nigeria (LANCOR) announces today that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division holding at Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria against Nicholas Negroponte, One Laptop Per Child Association (OLPC) and its enablers in Nigeria.

The patent infringement lawsuit was filed on November 22nd, 2007 as a result of OLPC’s willful infringement of LANCOR’s Nigeria Registered Design Patent # RD8489 and illegal reverse engineering of its keyboard driver source codes for use in the XO Laptops.

LANCOR is seeking substantial damages as well as a permanent injunction to prevent OLPC from continuing to unlawfully manufacture, sell, distribute or offer for sale the XO Laptop, and any other products infringing on the RD8489 and using the illegally acquired keyboard driver source codes.

LANCOR is a pioneer in the development of advanced physical multilingual keyboard technology using four shift keys and characters with combining properties to allow for direct access typing of accents, symbols and diacritical marks during regular typing. LANCOR’s technology named Shift2 keyboard technology has been used to create a new class of region specific based keyboards called KONYIN Multilingual Keyboards, which are currently on sale globally. (http://www.konyin.com)

LANCOR has retained the law firm of Adedeji & Owotomo a Lagos, Nigeria-based law firm that specializes in intellectual property litigation. Both LANCOR and its legal counsel are extremely confident that LANCOR’s case will be successful.

LANCOR’s lawsuit alleges that OLPC purchased two KONYIN Multilingual Keyboard models (KONYIN Nigeria Multilingual Keyboard and KONYIN United States Multilingual Keyboard) with the express purpose of illegally reverse engineering the source codes for use in OLPC’s XO Laptops. "The willful infringement of our client’s intellectual property is so blatant and self-evident in the OLPC’s XO Laptops," said Solicitor Ade Adedeji, "we will have no problem establishing the facts of our client’s case against OLPC in any court of law."

"LANCOR treats its intellectual property as one of the Company’s most important resources," said Adé G. Oyegbola, chief executive officer of LANCOR. "This patent infringement lawsuit is another step in LANCOR’s continued protection of its intellectual property. LANCOR will continue to take aggressive steps to protect its intellectual property around the world. LANCOR is also in the process of filing a similar lawsuit against OLPC in a United States Federal Court," Oyegbola, added.

Via TR Daily (subscription):

The FCC’s International Bureau has proposed modifying 21 space station authorizations held by Intelsat North America LLC so as to include conditions requiring it to fulfill public service obligations that were established as part of the privatization of Intelsat under the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) Agreement.

Specifically, the modifications would state that Intelsat shall remain a signatory to the Public Services Agreement with ITO and that no entity shall be considered a successor-in-interest to Intelsat under the ITSO Agreement unless it has undertaken to perform the PSA obligations. Those obligations include providing connectivity and capacity to a group of “lifeline” customers for a predetermined number of years with price constraints.

The ITSO had expressed concern in 2005 when the FCC was considering the proposed transfer of control of certain PanAmSat authorizations to Intelsat that the resulting increase in Intelsat’s debt level could lead to a bankruptcy filing and the voiding of the public service agreement Intelsat had signed with ITSO. The FCC declined to place the conditions ITSO sought on its approval the Intelsat- PanAmSat transaction, but the State Department in consultation with the National Telecommuncations and Information Administration subsequently requested the conditions on Intelsat North America’s space station authorizations that the bureau is proposing in the current order.

Intelsat North America has 30 days from the Nov. 23 release date of the order to show why its licenses should not be modified as the bureau has proposed.

The theme of yesterday’s observance of Africa Industrialization Day was "Technology and Innovation for Industry – Investing in People is Investing in the Future."

Thus it’s more than a little fitting to note that InfoWorld yesterday reported that "a critical mass of countries are signing on to a plan for India to invest $1 billion in the Pan-African e-Network satellite project, a joint initiative with the Africa Union aimed at developing the region’s information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure:"

The African Union last year entered into an agreement that calls for the Indian government to supply funds for the project. The Indian government will finance the project over a period of five years through a grant to the African Union. Ethiopia for example, has been given a grant of $2.13 million from India for the project.

So far, 27 African countries have signed agreements for the project, designed to connect African countries by satellite and fiber-optic network. The countries that have signed for the project include Zambia, Gambia, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Mauritius and Tanzania.

The project will include installation of Very Small Aperture Technologies (VSATs) to carry VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) communication. The VSATs will be used for online education and telemedicine programs expected to extend ICT infrastructure to rural areas and other underserved communities. The telemedicine network will be used to share knowledge from Indian doctors with their African counterparts through an online training program.

"The project is significant to African countries because it overcomes limitations that make access to remote areas in most African countries difficulty by using VSATs," said Patrick Sinyinza, Zambia’s ambassador to Ethiopia, where the project is based.

 

More details of the project can be found here, while the official site is here.

It is hoped that creating the Pan-African e-Network will help ameliorate many of the challenges that individual countries have faced when trying to bring satcom to their citizens. (As an example, see this post which we wrote last year about Kenya’s problems bringing satellite connectivity to its residents.) 

Zeenews.com (the India edition) provides insights into India’s eagerness to pursue relations with Africa, a move that is fueled by China’s increasing investment in oil extraction in the region:

Despite its plethora of problems, Africa is a land of promise and opportunity because of its vast natural resource wealth. It is this reason that India, China, the European Union and the United States have not been able to resist the temptation to form partnerships with African countries that are mutually rewarding. China in particular, has been signing deals after deals with African countries to tap the continent’s natural wealth and, in turn, aid Africa’s industrialisation and development. Of late, Asian trade and investment has been rising in Africa and this is part of the global trend towards South-South co-operation among developing nations….

With China`s influence growing over energy-rich Africa, India has already pressed the alarm button. New Delhi is following Beijing’s path to increase oil and gas imports from the resource-rich continent to reduce dependence on Middle East nations like Iran….

The prospects for partnerships with African countries have also grown in the recent past with a surge in investments by Indian companies in nations like Libya, Sudan, Nigeria, Egypt and Gabon. The co-operation holds significance as Africa has the potential to play an important role in enhancing India’s oil supply security through diversification of its crude oil import sources. Significantly, Africa has 10% of the world’s total oil and gas reserves and its hydrocarbon exploration potential remains relatively untapped.

To give a push to Indo-African ties, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier this year visited Nigeria – Africa’s largest oil producing country. In Abuja, Singh announced a "strategic partnership" with Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua and signed four agreements to bolster bilateral relations, including in the energy sector. Singh’s historic visit to Nigeria was the first by an Indian Prime Minister in the last 45 years.

The investments by China and India into African infrastructure, beyond the oil industry, are in sharp contract to the limited investments by American and European companies. Few US companies have invested in the region except for the oil and mining sectors, and official US government figures show that American holdings in the sub-Saharan region total just USD 19.6 billion, according to Zeenews.

"Qualcomm has won a federal contract to provide a satellite-based tracking system for U.S. and Mexican trucks participating in a contentious experiment that opens the border to long-haul commercial traffic," SignOn San Diego reports:

Federal officials said yesterday that the San Diego-based company’s OmniTRACS system will allow the U.S. government to closely monitor trucks from both countries, including compliance with regulations that prohibit truckers from driving more than 11 hours per day.

Although Qualcomm is best-known for its prominent role as a chip-maker in the wireless industry, the company also is a major designer of satellite tracking systems for vehicles.

Qualcomm will provide tracking technology for 100 trucks at a cost of $367,000, officials said.

U.S. transportation officials hope the tracking system will soften congressional opposition to the two-month-old pilot project. Five carriers from Mexico and three from the United States are participating in the program, which is limited to a maximum of 100 carriers from each country.

OmniTRACS uses geosynchronous satellites and "helps fleets improve productivity, reduce operating costs, enhance customer service, and increase security." Features include:

    * Automatic satellite vehicle positioning
    * Two-way text and data communications
    * Highly reliable message delivery
    * Customizable reports
    * AS/400, Windows®, or web-hosted operation
    * Panic Buttons (available option) 

We’re not sure what the Panic Button achieves, but we assume it won’t be ignored like the car alarms that bleet plaintively in our local mall parking lot. 

Qualcomm has a nice flash demo of OmniTracks here. The system predates commercial use of GPS, and its next iteration — OmniVision — will provide real-time directions and maps using Maptuit’s NaviGo to truckers on the move:

Maptuit NaviGo is a real-time, hybrid  in-cab navigation service that provides professional truck drivers and trucking companies with interactive maps for increased routing efficiency and improved driver satisfaction.  QUALCOMM plans to offer NaviGo on the OmniVision platform later this year….

The OmniVision mobile computing platform is an integrated system consisting of hardware, software and network infrastructure, enabling delivery of two-way data communications and value-added services to enterprises in a mobile environment.

Big news in the SatCom industry – Andrew Corp. has announced the sale of its satellite communications business to private equity firm Resilience Capital Partners. It appears that Andrew Corp. will receive $39 million total over three years based on meeting "certain financial targets". It will also own a 17 to 20% stake in a new SatCom company Resilience will create from the sale. More details on the sale here.

Andrew Corp’s SatCom business is well known. Check out their extensive list of products and services here. They also run a world-class training institute – "The Andrew Insitute" – which offers free training on how to use their products. They even offer online videos and guides, with product information and installation instructions for many of their products. For interested parties, check out the videos on their "SureGround Grounding Kit" or their "Positive Stop Connectors".

By the way – if the name "Andrew Corp" doesn’t ring a bell, you might recognize its products from the distinctive "red lightning bolt" logo, seen here:

And one last thing – we’re not exactly sure why Andrew Corp sold its SatCom business. But it might be related to the recent loss of a patent infringement lawsuit. In September, a Pennsylvania jury awarded TruePosition Inc. $45.3 million in damages from Andrew Corp. for violating its patent on "locating wireless phones using the wireless network control channel". This is the second patent infringement lawsuit Andrew Corp has lost to TruePosition. More info on both suits here. 

SIRIUS has announced "Doctor Radio", a "24/7 Health and Wellness Channel" that will launch in early 2008. The new channel will be a collaborative effort from SIRIUS and the NYU Medical Center and will feature content from doctors and medical experts.

From the press release:

To serve Americans’ hunger for health, medical and wellness information, SIRIUS’ Doctor Radio will cover the human condition and the complexities of the bodies we inhabit, as well as entertain a little bit along the way. Doctor Radio will give listeners direct access to the best doctors in every field, breaking down barriers between the medical world and the everyday world, and giving listeners information to make important decisions about their health and well-being. NYU Medical Center doctors will take new medical research and findings and translate them into easy-to-understand advice and knowledge in an innovative and new way to better peoples’ lives. 

This announcement comes just five years after GE Medical Systems and NBC launched "The Patient Channel", a television channel that distributes health-related content to US hospitals. NBC also maintains "The Newborn Channel", a similar health-related network that focuses on parenting. 

Want to check out these channels but don’t want to visit the hospital? Both channels are carried by AMC-3, transponder 1K – check out Lyngsat for the latest downlink information and tune-in.

On the other side of the content spectrum, XM Radio has just announced the launch of the Led Zeppelin channel this Thursday.

From the site:

A 24/7 celebration of the music and magic of Led Zeppelin. A handcrafted channel dedicated to everything Led Zeppelin, including studio albums, rare and archival concerts, interviews, and listener interaction. A continuous and mystical radio voyage into the past, present, and future of the mighty Led Zeppelin.

This is part of "Whole Lotta Love Week" in America. It also coincides with the release this Tuesday of "Mothership", the newest "greatest hits" album in the Zeppelin catalogue, hand-chosen by the three remaining members of the band and remastered for sonic perfection (read Pitchfork’s review). The band is also re-releasing the live album "The Song Remains the Same", including versions on HD-DVD. But perhaps the biggest news is the release of the entire Led Zeppelin catalogue exclusively on iTunes tomorrow. For $99, you can purchase the "box set", which includes every single Led Zeppelin album. If you don’t already have copies of all albums in vinyl or CD, that’s a fantastic price for an essential part of anyone’s music collection.

Of course all of this recent Led Zeppelin mania has been inspired by their upcoming concert in London this December. For those who are lucky enough to go but already bought your plane tickets, you better call the airline – the concert has been postponed for two weeks because guitarist Jimmy Page broke his finger. I just hope it’s not his left ring finger – the solo on "Stairway" wouldn’t sound the same without those crazy arpeggios at the end. 

A Delta 4 Heavy rocket will launch the DSP-23 (Defense Support Program) satellite from Space Launch Complex 37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station tonight (Launch Window: 8:39-10:41 p.m. EST; 0139-0341 GMT). Built by Northrop Grumman, the DSP satellites have been the spaceborne segment of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD’s) Tactical Warning and Attack Assessment System since 1970.

DSP satellites use infrared sensors to detect heat from missile and booster plumes against the Earth’s background. Air Force Defense Support Program satellites provide early detection and warning of missile launches and nuclear explosions to National Command Authorities and operational commands.

The launch will be broadcast LIVE via satellite (G26 @ 93° West, transponder 5, analog C-band, dowlnink frequency 3800 MHz Vertical) and webcast on the United Launch Alliance site — if they can get it right. ULA’s prior webcasts haven’t worked well. SpaceFlightNow will have real-time text updates. At 11:00 p.m. EST, you can watch it in HD on HDNet, which is available on Dish Network and DirecTV, and many other multichannel providers. HDNet may not stay on DirecTV much longer, given the lawsuit they’ve got going on. DirecTV want to put HDNet in a higher-priced package with other HD channels, and Mark Cuban doesn’t like that at all.

You’ve got to admire how he’s going about this. He saw the future and it was in HD. Yes, he grabbed old shows like Hogan’s Heroes — it was simple to convert from 35mm film to HD, but there wasn’t much content around when he started. Broadcasting launches from the Cape is something we like to see, even if it pre-empts regulars programming. In this case, for example, NASA TV will not be broadcasting the launch (showing STS-122 roll out instead).

At the CTAM Show in Washington last summer, held annually by the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing, trade publication Television Week held a luncheon and discussion with Dan Rather, formerly of CBS News and leader of Mark Cuban’s original news program, Dan Rather Reports. Really good interview; honest, candid and insightful: watch it here.

Also got to give him credit for doing what he wants to, whether it’s competing on Dancing With The Stars on ABC, or picking a fight with Bill O’Reilly of Fox News.  He talked about these topics and more in his closing keynote speech at the BlogWorld Expo in Las Vegas . Here’s the transcript, courtesy of Fast Company:

Connection between Dancing With the Stars and blogging. Dancing With the Stars taught me value of different mediums. People complimenting me for blogs is nothing like little old ladies telling me i should have won and that I was cheated on Dancing With the Stars.

I started my blog in 2004 because I did an interview with the Dallas Morning News about the Dallas Mavericks. I expected to see a write up that equated with the conversation. What was written was different than the email exchange. I decided it was time to start a blog. I put up a link to the article and then put up the email exchange. The response was amazing and was an accelerator for me to start blogging.

All of a sudden they realized they weren’t in charge of me. They had to realize they had to pay attention to people. Blogging isn’t just about people getting things off their chest, it’s a way for ideas and the truth to come out.

Over time I understood what blogging meant to me. Before kids and marriage I knew I could call up my buddies and we talked about everything on our minds: sports, tech, politics — but it was limited to the 5 or 10 drunks I knew

I got to talk to a whole universe of people. It was about how everyone was responding to me. More than 1 million people read the blog in 2004, and the software couldn’t support the comments. But it was the response coming back that mattered.

Are you honest in what you write or are you not? Are you just writing to get people to read. If you do that than you’re no different than mainstream media.

I learned you have to be brutally honest. Once you are honest you can define your brand.

If you’re gonna go the corporate route. MSM is trying to introduce blogs. If you’re a reporter for the newspaper — you’re a reporter. Either you’re a reporter or you’re not.

As exciting as we think our opinions are — we’re gonna run out. I think I’m gonna be able to whip something out in 15 minutess and I say someone is going to call me on that. I wrote a blog recently about facebook about opening its api vs what google is doing for opensocial. As i started doing more homework I realized I was not only gonna look like an idiot to readers but I was gonna feel like one. It becomes stronger when you do the work behind it.

The blogosphere is changing and becoming corporatized. You have to compete with nonbloggers; it’s your opinion vs The New York Times and The Dallas Morning News. You have to understand where you fit. As others enter your brand starts to dissipate.

Replenish yourself through good old fashion research and work. Decide if it’s full time or part time. Is it who you are or not who you are.

When you take the step to get paid to blog you’re going to lose ability to be perfectly honest. Someone is going to want something for paying your bills.

Bill O’Reilly is a moron. I’ve fallen into that trap. I’ve done my f you blogs. The hardest ones are the ones where you scream and yell at someone. It feels really really good. Then you remember these blogs are forever. The Internet archives are there forever. Whatever you write is going to be there forever.

What appears to be an honest answer that brands you today may not be in 2008. People Google you. When we hire people we Google them.

I don’t hold myself back but I’ve got a lot more money than you. I don’t care. I’m the luckiest guy in the world. I can sit up here and not care. But not everybody is that fortunate. But I’m not saying muzzle yourself. Just be honest.

Mark Cuban takes questions from the audience.

Q: When starting should you worry about ads?
A: GoogleAds cheapen it. They need to be appropriately placed. Once you start getting some traffic and you realize you can turn it into a business then you can make decisions about it.

Q: Have you ever considered turning off comments because of haters?
A: I’ve turned them off; deleted them. Anonymity makes people say the darndest things. They say I can’t dance because my toes are funny.

Q: How do you marry your business with blogging?
A: I have this site called Sharesleuth where we investigate companies. I’ll take a position in the stock prior to publishing. I’m open and transparent. We are factual. We haven’t been sued or questioned.

Q: Did it work asking people to vote for you on your blog?
A: I was a complete whore. I put it on facebook and on my blog. I spent more time on trying to get votes than my dancing.

Q: Future of blogging — what can change it? What can take over?
A: The history of all of this is the Website. A lot of people were setting up sites in the 90s. People were putting up sites and speaking their mind. There were forums in Compuserve and Prodigy. Then it was an application that changed it all Don’t think the game is gonna change all that much. I’m not a huge fan of UGC and YouTube. Whenever it is easier to create everybody does. The longer and longer the tail becomes. MSM is also adopting easy tools … other things will come up. It’s gonna be hard to have more than just the ultra long tail. Viewers or readership impact. Look at the music industry. It’s so easy to create a song right now, everybody does. It’s harder to stand out. It will come down to content is king, with marketing being a major part of it.

Q: What about facebook’s new advertising?
A: It’s an advertising forward. It’ll be okay the first couple of times. Then everybody turns into a super spammer and they ain’t your friend no more. Someone will get paid to send and someone to receive. There are much better alternatives.

Q: Do you write your own blog?
A: Yes I do unlike Donald Trump. See I always go back to the people I pick on. Yes I write my own blog.

Q: Do you find Bill O’Reilly’s attacks on you to be a net plus or a net minus?
A: It’s neither. I’ve been putting my e-mail out in the public since 1986. I put it up on the JumboTron. I’ve said it on Letterman and and Leno. It’s the same 25 people saying the same thing. He says I’m gonna get you. It sounds like my 4-year-old daughter.

We put together HDNET and Magnolia so you can see it before it goes to theaters also DVD releases same day. Sneak preview on HDNET. Redacted in limited theaters — theaters don’t want what we’re giving free previews of . But at the end of the day, even if you have large screen, you’re going to the movies — it’s a different experience.

Q: What do you think about UGC now? Do you still think YouTube is not a real business?
A: If the media writes about it, then more media writes about it. YouTube is subsidizing any video you want to put on the Internet for free. Because they hide behind the Digital Millennium Copyright Act — Google can’t get in trouble if someone puts up South Park. South Park has to find it and request it be taken down. They don’t know what’s there. They are hiding behind the DMCA. they can’t put ads around what they don’t know is there. Let Google pay. They can’t sell ads around non-licensed content. If it were any other company in the world, they’d be gone. But they can subsidize a lot of things.

Q: Is facebook overvalued?
A: It’s cheap at the value Microsoft gave if they ever really get to monetize their members. Facebook is the only place where there’s all that information about me. Facebook has the opportunity to be gianormous. But the biggest opportunity is a new OS right now. Microsoft is like 25 years old. Mac is great but you can only use it on Apple. It’ll be great to have something like what Google is proposing with a mobile OS.

Q; If facebook were for sale would you buy it?
A: Yeah I’d buy it but I can’t afford it. The two companies I would buy are Verizon and facebook.

Another highlight at BlogWorld was the world’s larget pajama party, held at the Hard Rock Cafe.

A la suite d’une anomalie constatée sur l’un des équipements du lanceur Ariane 5, Arianespace a décidé de reporter le lancement prévu le vendredi 9 novembre afin de procéder à des vérifications complémentaires. Une nouvelle date de lancement sera communiquée dès que possible.

Translation: Arianespace has postponed tonight’s Ariane 5 lift-off following the detection of an anomaly on the launch vehicle. Additional verifications on the launcher are being performed.  A new launch date will be announced shortly.

Le poop, via Arianespace:

Tonight’s Ariane 5 lift-off has been postponed by Arianespace following the detection of an anomaly on the launch vehicle.

Both the launcher and its dual-satellite payload are in a safe mode, and the Ariane 5 is being moved back to the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building. The electrical anomaly involves a flight support unit on one of the launcher’s two solid propellant boosters, and this unit will be swapped out with a new one.

A new launch date for the mission will be announced shortly. The flight will be Arianespace’s fifth Ariane 5 mission of 2007, and the launcher carries the Skynet 5B and Star One C1 satellites.

Skynet 5B was built by Astrium, and will be delivered in orbit to Paradigm Secure Communications. The spacecraft is to provide military telecommunications services for the United Kingdom’s armed forces, NATO and other countries.

Star One C1 is a Thales Alenia Space-manufactured satellite, which will be used by Brazilian satellite operator Star One for communications, multimedia and broadband Internet services over South America.