Archive for November, 2012

WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 11/30/2012

Friday, November 30th, 2012

ESA and the European Union’s executive commission may be on collision course over space policy authority.
[Space News – 11/30/2012]

Astrium is commissioned to build two new research satellites for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
[SatNews – 11/30/2012]

ESA and Germany disagree on test site for Ariane 5 ME upper stage.
[Space News – 11/30/2012]

Satmex 8 arrives at Baikonur Space Center where it will by launched by ILS aboard Proton Breeze M rocket.
[SatNews – 11/30/2012]

Orbital Science replaces SpaceX on Stratolaunch project.
[Space News – 11/30/2012]

U.S. Air Force expects throughput to double on the newest WGS satellites.
[Space News – 11/30/2012]

U.S. Strategic Command accepts firs Mobile User Objective System satellite for initial operational use.
[SatNews – 11/30/2012]

Telesat welcomes recently released Report of the Aerospace Review mandated by Minister Paradis addressing many of the critical issues facing Canada’s space industry.
[SatNews – 11/30/2012]

Syrians turn to satellites as the country’s Internet connections are shut down, although instances of jamming are making even that challenging.
[Computer World – 11/30/2012]

Globecomm is awarded option year two of five year contract from U.S. Government agency for $6.8 million to provide satellite and network services.
[SatNews – 11/30/2012]

Beam Communications Pty Limited enters into strategic product development initiative with Iridium Communications to build new end customer solution product.
[SatNews – 11/30/2012]

South Korea’s KSLV-1 carrier rocket scheduled for Thursday afternoon launch. [Ria Novosti – 11/29/2012]

Liftoff for Pleiades 1B payload aboard fourth Arianespace Soyuz mission of the year is a go for Friday evening.
[SatNews – 11/29/2012]

Much of more than $1 billion in commercial satellite capacity purchased annually by U.S. government sits idle because the agency responsible for allocating the bandwidth does not know when the capacity is not being used.
[Space News – 11/29/2012]

Defense bill amendment would extend U..S. commercial launch companies’ liability shield and allow NASA to keep using Russia to support International Space Station, provided minimum funding guarantee for NASA’s heavy-lift rocket also passes.
[Space News – 11/29/2012]

Encompass Digital Media acquires TIBA Satellite Services S.A.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 11/29/2012]

SES gets long-term capacity agreement on SES 4 with Level 3 Communications to deliver advanced corporate communications services to businesses across Brazil. [SatNews – 11/29/2012]

Comprehensive space weather forecasting system could cost $2 billion.
[Next Gov – 11/28/2012]

GOES-R replacement weather satellite program passes Mission Critical Design Review. [SatNews – 11/28/2012]

Japan selects SkyPerfect JSat-led consortium to build and launch two X-band military satellites.
[space News – 11/28/2012]

SupremeSAT-1, Sri Lanka’s first satellite, launched by China.
[gant daily – 11/28/2012]

Sea Launch will provide backup launch services for AsiaSat.
[Satellite Evolution Group – 11/28/2012]

Chinese launch places European-built Chinese-owned telecommunications satellite in orbit.
[Spaceflight Now – 11/27/2012]

SES signs deal with ESA to support innovation in satellite broadband communication.
[eqjuities.com – 11/27/2012]

SES to provide broadband services for Parliamentary election=s in Burkina Faso. [Satellite Evolution Group – 11/27/2012]

Astrium Services gets order to fit six UK Royal Navy mine countermeasure vessels with military X-band satellite communications capability.
[SatNews – 11/27/2012]

Hughes Network Systems announces new high-speed Internet service plans offering speeds up to 15Mbps for U.S. government agencies.
[SatNews – 11/27/2012]

NewCom launches iDirect based satellite distance education network serving 26 schools in Northern Colombia’s Paramillo Region.
[SatNews – 11/27/2012]

GeoEye partners with Japan Space Imaging Corporation to provide major Japanese ministry with access to comprehensive high-resolution satellite imagery of all of Japan.
[SatNews – 11/27/2012]

Range Global Services becomes distribution partner for VSAT provider X2nSat.
[The Maritime Executive – 11/27/2012]

ESA and EUMETSAT sign agreement on Meteosat Third Generation weather satellite system.|
[SatNews – 11/26/2012]

GVF Ka Roundtable Assembly in London December 5th and 6th to bring leading satellite industry technology and service providers together to discuss the impact of Ka-band in the broadband satellite market.
[GVF Ka Roundtable Assembly]
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WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 11/23/2012

Monday, November 26th, 2012

European Space Agency enters cooperation arrangement with Russia under which Roscosmos will provide two Proton rockets to launch the Euro-Russian ExoMars mission in 2016 and 2018.
[SatNews – 11/21/2012]

SES’ Astra 2F successfully completes in-orbit testing and is now fully operational and in commercial service.
[SatNews – 11/21/2012]

China will launch Democratic Republic of the Congo’s first satellite, which will also be developed by China, in 2015.
[SatNews – 11/21/2012]

Ball Aerospace & Technologies part of team to build first space-based instrument to monitor major air pollutants across North America for NASA.
[SatNews – 11/21/2012]

International Launch Services successfully delivers the EchoStar XVI satellite into orbit aboard an ILS Proton rocket.
[SatNews – 11/20/2012]

Shipments of satellite nodes for smart-grid applications projected to quadruple by 2020.
[Telecom Engine – 11/20/2012]

Passengers aboard historic first flight of Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner made heavy use of in-flight broadband and cellular networks to tweet, text, make phone calls, and browse the Internet.
[SatNews – 11/20/2012]

Frontier Communications Offers Satellite Broadband to Washington State
[Daily Finance – 11/20/2012]

Lockheed Martin selected to support new generation of agile, commercially based military satellite communications technologies.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/19/2012]

Following successful financial and operational restructuring, SATMEX reveals new branding image, “SATMEX Reaching Higher.”
[SatNews – 11/19/2012]

Rockwell Collins gets $35 million award for satellite communications services from the U.S. Army at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
[Equities – 11/19/2012]

China sends third satellite in its “Environment I” family into orbit.
[SatNews – 11/19/2012]

Hughes wins $24 million contract from Mexican government for 11,000 site satellite broadband system.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/19/2012]

University of Glasgow’s School of engineering led development of Aerodynamic End Of Life Deorbit System for cubesats to ensure de-orbit and incineration in atmosphere at end of life.
[Satnews – 11/19/2012]

MTN to transform at-sea communications with first ever hybrid satellite and land-based solution for maritime industry.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/19/2012]

Having already delivered most accurate gravity map of Earth, ESA’s GOCE gravity satellite’s orbit is being lowered to obtain even better results.
[SatNews – 11/19/2012]

Dual effect of optimizing operational efficiency and improving crew welfare expected to drive strong marine satellite communications market growth over the next ten years.
[gnom.es – 11/19/2012]

Television stations in Chicago and Houston successfully complete alpha-phase field testing to Exede Newsgathering service from ViaSat using first High-Capacity Ka-band SNG vehicle built in the U.S.
[SatNews – 11/19/2012]

With 25 percent of all ships sailing the world’s oceans using satellite communications using Marlink’s equipment, the company turns to Asia and China for further growth.
[China Daily – 11/19/2012]

Iridium finalizes agreement with NAV CANADA regarding Aireon LLC, a joint venture to provide air traffic management agencies around the globe the ability to continuously track aircraft anywhere in the world, leveraging Iridium’s NEXT LEO constellation.
[SatNews – 11/19/2012]

Charlie Ergen’s bet to enter wireless industry frustrated by failure of bid to acquire MetroPCS Communications.
[Wall Street Journal – 11/18/2012]

FCC close to granting Dish Network approval to use spectrum for ground-based network, but may attach limits unpalatable to Charlie Ergen.
[Denver Post – 11/17/2012]

Air Force decision on disaggregation (disperse payload sets to larger numbers of smaller satellites) not expected until 2015.
[Space News – 11/16/2012]

While U.S. worries about Chinese efforts in space, European governments are concerned about American competitors such as SpaceX.
[Citizens in Space – 11/15/2012]

 WBMSAT satellite communications consulting services/aa href=”http://www.spacenews.com/article/air-force-decision-on-disaggregation-not-expected-until-2015″


WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 11/16/2012

Saturday, November 17th, 2012

Highway work knocks out communications to Russian space facility, putting at risk return of astronauts from International Space Station until repair was affected.
[South China Morning Post – 11/16/2012]

Sri Lanka’s first communications satellite expected to be launched November 22 from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China.
[Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses – 11/16/2012]

Hunter Communications and SATMEX announce multi-transponder agreement for Satmex 7, and entrance into the Canadian marketplace.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/16/2012]

Google reportedly has held talks with DISH Network regarding potential mobile network joint venture.
[TeleGeography – 11/16/2012]

Lack of commercial satellite capacity in Asia-Pacific region huge risk for defense agencies’ ability to find capacity on the spot market in case of Pacific region engagement requiring communications capabilities for the warfighter.
[National Defense Magazine – 11/15/2012]

As Afghanistan drawdown progresses, EADS Satcom venture expects shift in customer base from military to organizations involved in emergency management and humanitarian relief.
[Bloomberg Business Week – 11/15/2012]

The second Advanced Extremely High Frequency U.S. military communications satellite is turned over to the 14th Air Force for operation following successful in-orbit testing.
[UPI – 11/15/2012]

Delivery of satellite-based communications nodes for smart grid applications expected to quadruple by 2020.
[DailyFinance – 11/15/2012]

Mark Dankberg of ViaSat named Visionary Executive of the Year at SATCON 2012.
[SatNews – 11/15/2012]

Spacecom, operator of AMOS satellite fleet, named Most Promising Company of the Year at SatCon 2012.
[SatNews – 11/15/2012]

Newtec IP modem capable of up to 380 Mbps wins Satellite Markes and Research Most Innovative Product Award.
[SatNews – 11/15/2012]

No new expensive satellite programs for the military in the foreseeable future, given today’s budgetary environment, according to Air Force’s Space and Missiles Center commander General Ellen Pawlikowski.
[National Defense Magazine – 11/14/2012]

Soyuz rocket launch puts Russian Meridian communications satellite into orbit. [Spaceflight Now – 11/14/2012]

Hughes contract  is to help the Air Force develop options and reduce acquisition risk for architecture to provide the U.S. and allied forces with protected satellite communications in future hostile environments.
[UPI – 11/14/2012]

Mexico says Orbital Sciences-built Bicentenario satellite is ready for January, 2013 launch.
[Fox News Latino – 11/14/2012]

Inmarsat’s $1.2 billion Global Xpress system will be focused on service quality, requiring mandatory Earth station testing in co-ordination with the Global VSAT Forum.
[SatNews – 11/14/2012]

Cobham is selected by Inmarsat to provide land-based satellite communication terminal antennas specifically designed to support the Global Xpress network.
[SatNews – 11/14/2012]

RRsat acquires SM2 Sports & Media Solutions, a U.S-based premier provider of occasional-use international sports distribution and syndication services.
[SatNews – 11/14/2012]

Globecomm Systems gets NATO contract to upgrade the GPS-Based Force Tracking System for more capacity and additional features.
[SatNews – 11/14/2012]

ATCi provides multiple cable TV and satellite channels with disaster recovery services to ensure seamless, uninterrupted programming.
[Herald Online – 11/14/2012]

Thuraya recognized as Satellite Communications Player of the Year by the Arab States Broadcasting Union.
[AME Info – 11/14/2012]

SES announces contract with Telespazio Brasil to uses SES-4 Ku-band capacity for high-speed broadband and high quality voice to companies operating in remote inland communities.
[SatNews – 11/14/2012]

Avanti begins installation of Ka-band VSAT services on HYLAS-2 for South African “Working for Water” programme.
[Gadget – 11/14/2012]

Paradigm to provide Global Xpress land terminal integration services for the Inmarsat Global Xpress global Ka-band network.
[SatNews – 11/14/2012]

Telesat and Panasonic sign pre-launch long-term agreement for capacity on Anik G1 allowing Panasonic to expand aeronautical broadband service over Latin America.
[SatNews – 11/14/2012]

Globalstar petitions FCC to use its licensed MSS spectrum terrestrially to support mobile broadband applications throughout the U.S.
[SatNews – 11/13/2012]

SES announces iPad application showcasing the SES global fleet of 52 satellites and including over 150 satellite footprints, with 3D earth navigation and augmented reality view.
[SatNews – 11/13/2012]

Beam Communication’s RapidSat700 offers portable satellite solution for disaster recovery, operating with the Inmarsat BGAN network.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/13/2012]

MTN extends contract with Norwegian Cruise Line for VSAT communications, crew calling, Internet services, access to MTN Worldwide TV, and related services around the globe.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/13/2012]

Inmarsat promoting new satellites and technologies it says will transform communications in Africa.
[IT Web – 11/13/2012]

RRsat will launch new C-band DVB-S2 MCPC platform with complete coverage of Africa.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/13/2012]

Red Cross chooses Exede Enterprise satellite services from ViaSat to provide satellite connectivity during disaster response.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/13/2012]

Israel’s Orbit Technologies announces contract worth up to $150 million to provide hundreds of Ka-band communications systems to one of the world’s largest satellite ventures, a consortium providing high-speed broadband to billions of people.
[Globes – 11/12/2012]

Satellite imagery shows North Korea has been testing rocket engines.
[abc6 – 11/12/2012]

Ka-band comes of age as enterprise, defence, and military organizations look at Ka-band to upgrade capability and capacity of their satellite communications.
[Milsat Magazine – November 2012]


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WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 11/09/2012

Saturday, November 10th, 2012

In spite of Hurricane Sandy, CCW + SATCON NY show will go on at the Javits Convention Center in New York City November 14 – 15.
[SatNews – 11/09/2012]

Ariane Flight VA210 delayed 24 hours due to high winds aloft.
[Arianespace – 11/09/2012]

Newly release Euroconsult report anticipates that 1,075 satellites will be built for launch worldwide over next 10 years.
[SatNews – 11/09/2012]

Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen says Dish and DirecTV “have to consider” combining under pressure of stagnating growth.
[Bloomberg – 11/09/2012]

U.K. Chancellor announces additional £60 million investment in European Space Agency over next five years.
[4-traders – 11/09/2012]

Northrop Grumman is working with U.S. Air Force to develop more affordable military satellite communications.
[UPI – 11/09/2012]

Boeing unit in Colorado Springs gets $49.4 million defense contract for software engineering and other services for a military communications satellite.
[Seattle PI – 11/09/2012]

Sixth 2012 Ariane 5 launch imminent – to loft EUTELSAT 21B and Star One C3 satellites.
[Broadband TV News – 11/09/2012]

South Africa-based Blue Sky Satellite Communications planning launch of pre-paid satellite internet services across Africa in January 2013.
[Mining Weekly – 11/09/2012]

Obama administration imposes sanctions on Iranian officials accused of blocking internet access, mobile phone lines, and satellite signals.
[Bloomberg – 11/08/2012]

SSPI Celebration of Future Leaders and a Navy Seal to be highlights of annual Gala dinner in Manhattan.
[SatNews – 11/08/2012]

Naval Air Warfare Center to procure up to 80 Ku band Satcom On The Move terminals and 80 Ka-band conversion kits.
[FedBizOpps – 11/08/2012]

Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center awarded as many as 17 contracts worth up to $84.3 million to help it explore concepts for a future generation of protected military satellite communications architecture.
[Defense Systems – 11/08/2012]

NASA to placed pollution-monitoring sensor on a commercial communications satellite for launch in 2017.
[SpaceFlight Now – 11/08/2012]

Hills Holdings of Australian wins a multi-million dollar four-year contract to provide the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s satellite network in 51 countries.
[Manufacturer’s Monthly – 11/08/2012]

NewCom International partners with U.S. Agency for International Development to bring Internet to schools in violence-prone regions of Columbia.
[PRWeb – 11/08/2012]

Assured access to cyberspace and space a priority for Obama’s defense strategy.
[NextGov – 11/07/2012]

DirecTV considers potential acquisition of Vivendi’s Brazilian telecom unit, GVT.
[Satellite Today – 11/07/2012]

Visiongain analysts report $755.8 million value for maritime satellite market in 2012, with potential growing during the next decade.
[Satellite Today – 11/07/2012]

NASA details robust approach to dealing with deluge of counterfeit parts.
[SatNews – 11/06/2012]

NASA explores options for larger payload fairings to increase cargo carrying capacity of its Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket now in development.
[SatNews – 11/06/2012]

New Russian satellite will relay International Space Station communications; U.S. upgrade to ISS systems adds SMS and email “Spot the Station” service.
[E&T Magazine – 11/06/2012]

O3b and Harris CapRock plan strategic marketing alliance to provide ultra high-speed, low latency exploration and production communication capabilities for Oil and Gas market.
[SatNews – 11/06/2012]

KVH is presenting three-part free webinar series, “SATCOM 101″ to help explain the sometimes confusing world of maritime satellite communications beginning November 13, followed by webinars in December and January.
[SatNews – 11/06/2012]

TCS one of 20 awardees on $10 billion Global Tactical Advanced Communications Systems and Services contract for DoD agencies.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/05/2012]

First Azerbaijani satellite to be launched in February 2013.
[Trend – 11/05/2012]

Inmarsat sees growing demand for data services at sea.
[Tech Hub – 11/05/2012]

KVH opens office in Japan as customer base in the region expands.
[NASDAQ – 11/05/2012]

Gilat Satcom launches new VSAT service to provide Southeast Africa with high-bandwidth Internet connectivity.
[Satellite Today – 11/05/2012]

Russian satellite helps Iran bypass sanctions.
[Jewish Press – 11/03/2012]

Proton launch puts two Russian satellites into orbit.
[Spaceflight Now – 11/03/2012]

Loral Space closes sale of Space Systems/Loral to MacDonald, Dettwiler.
[NASDAQ – 11/03/2012]

Hurricane forecasting could be severely degraded under Obama administration’s plan for sharing spectrum.
[NextGov – 11/02/2012]

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Electric Performance

Friday, November 9th, 2012

Performed by The Lords Of Lightning,
Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/LordsOfLightningUk
Group website here: http://www.arcadiaspectacular.com
Music: Supafrequency by Freefall Collective
Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Freefall-Collective
Soundcloud of track here: http://soundcloud.com/freefall-collective-sound/sets/supafrequency/


WBMSAT Satellite Industry News Bits 11/02/2012

Friday, November 2nd, 2012

RSCC and Eutelsat partner on long-term roadmap for advanced satellite resources in Russia.
[Sacramento Bee – 11/02/2012]

SATCON and CCW in New York City will take place as planned.
[SatNews – 11/01/2012]

China launches Venezuela’s first remote sensing satellite, VRSS-1.
[SatNews – 11/01/2012]

Russia’s Mission Control Center adjusts ISS orbit to miss fragment of Iridium-33.
[Xinhuanet – 11/01/2012]

Iridium Communications gets five-year contract to upgrade Defense Department’s dedicated Iridium(R) gateway ensuring compatibility with Iridium NEXT, the largest commercial space program underway anywhere in the world.
[SatNews – 11/01/2012]

USAF AEHF-2 satellite successfully completes in-orbit tests.
[Patrick Air Force Base News – 11/01/2012]

Astrium Services and China’s Center for Earth Observation and Digital Earth sign three agreements ensuring continuity of commercially available high-resolution and large-area services covering China.
[SatNews – 11/01/2012}

Space Systems Loral is selected by the USAF Space and Missile Systems Center to develop affordable design concepts for next generation Protected Military Satellite Communications.
[SatNews – 11/01/2012]

NYC mayor gets AT&T CEO promise to provide satellite trucks to boost capacity and offer cell phone charging for those affected by Superstorm Sandy.
[CNET – 11/01/2012]

Towerstream announces it is waiving its fee for it Rapid Install wireless broadband solution to business in Manhattan affected by Hurricane Sandy.
[SatNews – 11/01/2012]

New ARINC Direct ConnectOnboard Communications System offers three capabilities in one portable device using iPad application as user interface.
[SatNews – 11/01/2012]

Milcom 2012 is cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy.
[Satellite Today – 10/31/2012]

Digitalization of MSOs across India spurs increased investment in terrestrial cable networks, creating stronger long-term competitor to DTH.
[NSR – 10/31/2012]

Some $2.1 billion euros worth of upcoming C4ISR and communications capabilities opportunities to support NATO missions and operations discussed at recent NATO Communications + Information Agency conference in Rome.
[SatNews – 10/30/2012]

Norsat satellite locator app now available for devices using Android operating system.
[Daily Finance – 10/30/2012]

Harris gets $50.5 million order from U.S. army for advanced satellite communications terminals.
[UPI – 10/30/2012]

Following acquisition and integration of Danish satcom company Thrane & Thrane earlier this year, Cobham establishes new strategic business unit – Cobham SATCOM – that combines all of its satellite businesses into one organization.
[SatNews – 10/30/2012]

South Africa-based Blue Sky Satellite Communications aims to launch satellite Internet services on a prepaid-bandwidth basis.
[YouTube – 10/30/2012]

ViaSat gets orders in excess of $11 million for Joint IP Modem Network Control Centers, remote modems, and Joint IP Modem enhancements that enable the Department of Defense to complete roll out of interoperable network services to warfighters.
[SatNews – 10/30/2012]

First SPOT 6 satellite data is successfully received and processed in Russia.
[SatNews – 10/30/2012]

Novel smartphone solution for indoor navigation wins best satnav application at European Satellite Navigation Competition.
[SatNews – 10/30/2012]

Astrium Services’ DNSG System “XRACER,” an ND SatCom product, is winner of “Best of IBC 2012″ award.
[SatNews – 10/30/2012]

Globecomm Systems’ Long Island and Maryland facilities provide 100% availability while weathering Hurricane Sandy.
[SatNews – 10/30/2012]

OnAir and Honeywell sign agreement making OnAir the distributor of Inmarsat’s Global Xpress Ka-band aircraft connectivity services to the business and general aviation segment.
[SatNews – 10/30/2012]

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft splashes down in the Pacific after trip to International Space Station.
[Satellite Today – 10/29/2012]

Taxability of international communications such as those facilitated by satellite among topics at recent IFA Congress in Boston.
[Business Standard – 10/29/2012]

Inmarsat launches IsatPhone Pro humanitarian aid package providing NGOs with total of 3,000 minutes per month, shared between 3 SIMs, for one monthly charge.
[SatNews – 10/29/2012]

CASBAA membership continues to expand and diversify, including recent new members Vietnam, with 74% pay TV growth between 2009 and 2011, and Myanmar, with 49% growth in TV advertising over last few years.
SatNews – 10/29/2012]

Spacecom gets orders from DRS Technical Services for C-band capacity on AMOS-5 and Ku-band capacity on AMOS-3 to serve U.S. Department of Defense.
[SatNews – 10/29/2012]

How best to provide communications as world events intensify to be shared at SIA’s 2012 DoD Commercial SATCOM Users’ Workshop December 13-14, with Government Only sessions December 12.
[SatNews – 10/29/2012]

Hurricane Sandy prompts set up of satellite communications center by Red Cross.
[WITN – 10/27/2012]

U.S. could be without crucial weather satellites for a year or more.
[NY Times – 10/26/2012]

South Korean satellite launch postponed due to rocket glitch.
[Satellite Today – 10/26/2012]

Video of hurricane Sandy taken from International Space Station.
[Nextgov – 10/26/2012

NSR Report assesses key financial metrics for leading global and regional fixed satellite services operators.
[NSR – October 2012]

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Trick or Treat on Mars

Thursday, November 1st, 2012

Via Emily’s tweet

COOL. In Curiosity self shot you can see upside down reflection of landscape, plus turret, in ChemCam’s ‘scope mirror!

Get more here.