Satellite company O3b Networks has linked up with Google and other investors to bring cheaper, high-speed wireless Internet access to areas unlikely to see investments in fiber infrastructure.

O3b stands for “other 3 billion,” a reference to the world’s population that still can’t access the Internet. O3b, which is based in the U.K.’s Channel Islands, said construction is under way on 16 satellites that will drop the cost for ISPs and operators to provide Internet access over 3G (third-generation) and WiMax networks.

Those satellites will provide backhaul capacity, also known as “trunking,” for ISPs (Internet service providers) and operators, essentially moving large amounts of data wirelessly between points where fiber-optic cable has not been dug into the ground, said Greg Wyler, O3b’s founder and CEO.

Developed countries benefited from an explosive laying of undersea fiber cables in the late 1990s, Wyler said. But as those high-capacity networks were created, demand dropped. Many fiber companies went out of business, then their assets were bought on the cheap, fostering the subsequent boom in inexpensive broadband subscription offerings, he said.

But “the emerging markets never saw that exuberance,” Wyler said. “Usage is growing and the demand is growing, but there isn’t the infrastructure to support the demand.”

Digging trenches for fiber networks in underdeveloped countries isn’t financially feasible, so the alternative is developing a low-latency backhaul network in the sky, Wyler said. Up to 40 percent of a mobile operators’ costs are consumed building transmission capacity between its home network and thousands of transmission towers, Wyler said. Laying fiber is expensive, however.

But so is the alternative. Buying backhaul capacity from geosatellites can cost a stunning US$4,000 per megabit per month, but Wyler believes O3b will be able to offer the same capacity for $500 or less by using different, cheaper medium-earth orbit (MEO) satellites.

Geosatellites orbit the earth at an altitude of 22,500 miles, while MEO satellites are around 5,000 miles. The latency, or the time it takes for a signal to make a loop between earth and the satellite, can be upwards of 600 milliseconds for a geosatellite because it is further out. For a MEO, latency is around 120 milliseconds, close to that of a fiber network, Wyler said.

The higher latency of geosatellites doesn’t mesh well with JavaScript-heavy Web-based applications, Wyler said. In addition to snappier Web access, Internet subscribers should also see cheaper prices due to the lower cost of backhaul capacity, he said.

O3b’s service should be activated by late 2010 and provide speeds of up to 10G bps (bits per second) to other areas including Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. O3b plans to launch 16 MEO satellites, which can send data anywhere between a 45-degree angle north to a 45-degree angle south of their orbits. The lifespan of a MEO is about 10 years to 15 years.

Among the investors and supporters are HSBC Principal Investments, a private equity provider; Liberty Global, an operator that provides phone and Internet access in 15 countries; and Google, which has supported other initiatives to broaden access to the Internet.

The three entities have collectively invested about $65 million in O3b’s project. The total cost of building and launching the satellites is expected to be around $650 million, Wyler said, with the rest of the cost financed through a debt-equity loan.

Google said high-speed access is necessary to use rich, Web-based applications. Use of those applications, ranging from Gmail to Google Docs, also serve to grow the available audience for Google’s advertising business, which has propelled the company’s success.

EchoStar Communications Corp. Monday invested $50 million in Gilat-To-Home Inc. to provide two-way satellite broadband Internet services.

As a result of the investment EchoStar (DISH) will hold approximately a 17.6 percent stake in Gilat-To-Home. Microsoft Corp. took a 26 percent stake in the new company in February.

Gilat-To-Home is a joint broadband venture whose partners include EchoStar, Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (GILTF) and Microsoft (MSFT).

The companies have teamed up to offer consumers MSN high-speed Internet access via two-way satellite. The deal takes aim at providing high-speed Internet access to areas where landlines fail to deliver.

Under the terms of the agreement, EchoStar will distribute and install the Gilat-To-Home broadband satellite Internet service powered by MSN along with DISH Network satellite TV service through its 23,000 nationwide retail outlets.
Charlie Ergen, EchoStar chairman and chief executive officer, said it made sense to formalize the relationship with Gilat-To-Home and have a solid working foundation for a long-term relationship.

“We hope that EchoStar’s agreement and investment with Gilat-To-Home will bring high-speed Internet access and hundreds of television channels into rural communities and other areas which may not be served by terrestrial broadband technology for years to come,” Ergen said.

Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft vice president of consumer group marketing, said the EchoStar investment would facilitate bringing the first two-way satellite broadband Internet access offering to market later this year.

“We have received very positive feedback in early trials of the MSN Gilat-To-Home service,” Mehdi said. “This solution makes it possible for more consumers to get high speed access to MSN’s Everyday Web services and we look forward to making it broadly available later this year.”

The Gilat-To-Home services will be available in a variety of monthly service packages and to be introduced to the consumer marketplace late this year. The firm reports that its two-way satellite service could provide Internet access at speeds up to 10 times faster than normal modem speeds, with burst rates considerably higher.
Two-way service is designed to deliver high-speed Internet connections to personal computers via a single small satellite dish. The same dish will be capable of receiving up to 500 channels of DISH Network satellite TV programming, delivering a bundled service opportunity previously unavailable in the consumer market.

Hybrid networks involving IP and satellite technologies are now becoming much more prevalent around the globe, as the advent of IP is allowing both networking technologies to complement each other more and more.

“IP makes it possible to run different applications — voice, video, and data — all on the same network, and this carries important advantages for service providers because there is only one network to manage and provide training for,” said David Bettinger, chief technology officer, iDirect. “From the consumer’s point of view, there is only one vendor and one bill to pay. In reality, every satellite network is now a hybrid. A satellite terminal is either used as an edge connection or as the middle-mile approach with terrestrial circuits on either end. Satellite networks almost always terminate back into a terrestrial network.”

Certain sectors have been driving change. “Retailers started with terrestrial but then transitioned to VSAT to get more bandwidth,” said Bettinger. “They’re discovering that satellite technology has some powerful benefits in an IP-based world and are finding new ways to utilize satellite systems. You can’t multicast data across an MPLS network. MPLS will support this in the future but not now. Overlaying a terrestrial network with satellite allows retailers to develop and rollout creative new applications.”

Other industries have also benefited. “The oil and gas sector has always been a leader in satellite communications,” Bettinger said. “Energy companies operate huge terrestrial networks but they also have drilling rigs and vehicles that move around which require broadband communications. Satellite technology enhances corporate connectivity for these organizations. Secondly, the U.S. military is another example where satellite and terrestrial networks complement each other. The U.S. Department of Defense has embraced the concept of network-centric warfare. Situational awareness on the battlefield is becoming more important and satellite communications allows field commanders to send video back to headquarters in real time.”

The addition of IP technology is just another stage in the evolution of networks, said Mike Cook, senior vice president, Hughes Network Systems. “Satellite service providers have a long history of providing hybrid networks. Originally shared VSAT hubs relied on point-to-point backhaul circuits to connect to their client’s data centers. When Hughes began offering shared hub services we were faced with the same challenge. In order to provide a complete solution we had to provision terrestrial bandwidth. Over time, shared hub networks became much more complicated. A good example is BP’s retail point of sale network, which involves two different hubs, two different satellites and multiple backhauls to and from different data centers as well as suppliers and end users.”

In terms of cost benefits, Cook said, “Terrestrial telephone companies are driving their customers to MPLS networks. Typically the local connection is a fractional T1 circuit, which is single thread. It is also expensive, with a typical circuit in the $400 to $600 per month per site. If backup is desired, the price jumps up in the $500 to $700 range. Compare that to $200 to $300 per month for a DSL circuit and VSAT,” he said.

“We are really a managed service provider, not just a transport provider,” said Cook. “When you break that mindset we realized that we can provide additional services to our clients. We signed contracts with leading terrestrial carriers, which allowed us to provide the appropriate transport to our enterprise customers.”

O3b Networks is developing a new constellation of medium Earth orbit satellites which will be designed to deliver low-latency satellite bandwidth to developing nations. Almost exclusively, the bandwidth will interconnect with a terrestrial network of some type, including ISPs and cellular networks. “There are three billion people who don’t have Internet access. There isn’t a shortage of last mile technologies. The problem is the first 5,000 miles,” said Mike Serrano, O3b’s director of marketing. “There is no fiber or microwave infrastructure to connect to. O3b intends to fill this void and provide affordable, low-latency, high bandwidth to emerging markets. The low latencies will allow O3b to provide fiber-like performance. This allows us to backhaul cellular traffic with very little delay.”

Each of O3b’s satellites, to be built by Thales Alenia Space, can deliver up to 12 gigabits per second of capacity. The satellites will cover a large number of emerging markets, and STM-1 circuits that cost less than $1,000 per month would be available on long-term contracts, roughly one-third the price of an equivalent circuit on a geosynchronous satellite, said Serrano. “Our design gives us the best coverage at the best price-performance ratio,” he said. “Our mission is to be an IP transport company. Since our main clientele will be telecommunication providers, all of our bandwidth will be incorporated into hybrid networks of some kind. Our services will allow developing countries to build out cellular and Internet infrastructures quickly and affordably.”

A United Kingdom-led mission to put a satellite in orbit around the moon, potentially enabling lunar colonists to use mobile phones to communicate with each other, has inched a step closer to blastoff.

The British National Space Centre has announced that it will undertake a technical-feasibility study of the MoonLITE, or Moon Lightweight Interior and Telecom Experiment, mission, which Lord Drayson, the U.K. minister of state for science and innovation, said could help answer fundamental questions about the composition of the moon.

The study will report with a full mission schedule and costs late next year. It is expected to take nine months, with the support of NASA, which is assessing any potential contribution it could make to the science and technology of the mission. A tender process for the feasibility study contract will run until March.

Depending on the outcome of the study, the MoonLITE mission could launch by about 2014, the BNSC said, reiterating that no decision will be made to proceed with, build, or launch the MoonLITE mission until the study has reported its findings.

The plan for the mission is to put a satellite in orbit around the moon for use as a telecommunications station, relaying data from a network of geophysical instruments on the moon’s surface back to Earth.

The instruments will gather data on the strength and frequency of moonquakes, as well as on the thickness of the crust and core. They also aim to determine whether organic material or water is present in the moon’s polar regions.

In addition to relaying this scientific data back to Earth, the satellite system should also ensure a full four-bar mobile signal for lunar colonists living in a moon base, which NASA wants to build after 2020.

A New View in 2009: DigitalGlobe Announces Launch of New Satellite

The launch partner for DigitalGlobe’s much-anticipated WorldView-2 satellite has finally been announced. The first satellite to detect four additional bands of color, this newest earth-orbiter will soon be producing some of the most accurate satellite images available. Engineers in oil and gas, environmental protection, construction, and city planning will find these images invaluable to planning cost-efficient construction and research projects.

DigitalGlobe has announced plans to launch its third commercial imaging satellite in mid-2009. The company, which supplies high-resolution satellite images to hundreds of government and commercial clients including Google Earth, has selected Boeing Launch Services for the launch of WorldView-2. The launch will be the third partnership between DigitalGlobe and Boeing Launch Services – Boeing successfully launched DigitalGlobe’s previous satellites, QuickBird and WorldView-1, which launched in September 2007.

Satellite imaging has uses in hundreds of industries including agriculture, coastal management, environmental studies, defense mapping, urban planning, homeland security, and disaster relief. The technology has also found mass appeal in online applications like Google Earth, Google Maps and MSN Live Search Maps, which offer users satellite images of locations around the globe.

The WorldView-2, which costs around $400 million, is the only satellite of its kind to be built without any government funding.

WorldView-2 will offer several improvements on its predecessor’s image capture and storage capabilities and help companies keep up with the increasing demand for high-resolution satellite images. The new satellite will fly at an altitude of 800 km and produce the highest-resolution pictures yet, capturing images with a resolution of 0.46 meters at Nadir (note that imagery must be resampled to 0.5 meters for non-US Government customers). The satellite will also feature improved communications: Images can be downloaded directly to clients, significantly decreasing the time customers normally wait to receive requested images.

Additionally, WorldView-2 will introduce four new bands of color: coastal, red edge, yellow, and near-infrared-2. The improved detail and image qualities of WorldView-2 will allow for increased spectral analysis to improve Geospatial accuracy in GIS, mapping and other environmental applications. Satellite imaging companies across the country will benefit from the higher quality of data collected by the new satellite.

“The greatest advantage of the WorldView-2 is the additional bands,” said Leopold J. Romeijn of Houston-based Satellite Imaging Corporation. “Using this satellite, you’ll detect more information from the surface of the earth.”

Previous high-resolution satellite images were only available in panchromatic and four standard colors: red, green, blue (RGB) and near-infrared (NIR). The addition of WorldView-2’s four new colors will provide a wealth of information for vegetation cover to deliver detailed landcover classifications and support agriculture and forestry management. Romeijn said that the WorldView-2 will be especially helpful to federal agencies and private companies in need of good environmental data.

“If you’re looking at a forest or agriculture crops, the additional bands can help you far better analyze the health and vigor of the crops and forest vegetation. That’s a big advantage – the WorldView-2 is going to be a good system to work with,” Romeijn said.

Satellite Imaging Corporation is one of many companies that processes and interprets images gathered from DigitalGlobe’s satellites. The processed images help in the planning and design of pipelines, roads, mapping, and other projects. For more information about the WorldView-2 or imaging solutions from Satellite Imaging Corporation, please call (1) 832-237-2900 or visit www.satimagingcorp.com.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. has received an order from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute for the launch of a South Korean multipurpose satellite aided by Japan’s domestically developed main rocket the H-2A, it said Monday

It is the first overseas order receipt for satellite launch operations using a Japan-made rocket since the government outsourced the manufacturing and launch of domestically built rockets to Mitsubishi Heavy in fiscal 2007.

However, the major Japanese heavy machinery manufacturer declined to disclose the amount of the contract.
The launch of the Korea Multipurpose Satellite-3, or KOMPSAT-3, is slated for fiscal 2011 at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) space center in Tanegashima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, Mitsubishi Heavy said in a press

Kirtland AFB NM (SPX) Jan 16, 2009 Air Force officials here are delaying the launch of Tactical Satellite-3 until repairs to a spacecraft avionics component, critical to the system’s operational capability, are complete.
Although scheduled to launch in late January, the program team is working with the manufacturer to resolve the problem.

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate here administers the satellite program, known as TacSat-3. When ready, the TacSat-3 launch will occur at NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va.
“We’re very disappointed in the delay, but the fix is necessary to assure the on-orbit performance of the satellite,” said Thom Davis, a TacSat-3 program manager.

“Had we not discovered and corrected this problem, we would have had a potential catastrophic mission failure.”
The satellite originated five years ago to address military requirements for responsible, flexible and affordable spacecraft operating in the cosmos.

It consists of three pioneering experiments: the Raytheon Company-constructed Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer hyperspectral imager; the Office of Naval Research’s satellite communications package; and AFRL’s space avionics experiment.

The trio of payloads will offer real-time imagery (within 10 minutes of collection), sea-based information transmitted from ocean buoys and plug-and-play avionics to support the warfighter in keeping one step ahead of the adversary.
Project partners include AFRL’s Sensors Directorate, NASA, the Department of Defense’s Operationally Responsive Space office, the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center’s Space Development and Test Wing, Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Air Force Space Command, the Office of Naval Research, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

The European Space Agency says the launch of its GOCE Earth Explorer satellite will not take place earlier than February due to a system failure.

The ESA said Russian authorities responsible for the rocket that will carry the GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer) satellite into orbit have completed their investigation of a failure in the rocket’s upper state guidance and navigation system.

The anomaly was discovered during the spacecraft’s launch preparation tests last month at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. The cause of the anomaly has since been identified and reproduced, but the necessary hardware changes will require a minimum of two months of additional work by the manufacturer, the ESA said.
Officials said an exact launch date will be determined after all corrective measures have been fully implemented and validated.

Today, at the 2009 International CES, TerreStar Networks Inc. and Comneon, a leading supplier of protocol stack software for mobile communications, announced that the integrated satellite-terrestrial multi-mode handset designed by EB (Elektrobit Corporation) for TerreStar has successfully demonstrated VOIP connectivity using satellite simulation in a Comneon test lab.

TerreStar expects to be North America’s first integrated satellite-terrestrial communications network to utilize an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) to deliver ubiquitous access and personalized applications and services over wireless devices, such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). The TerreStar handset uses the Comneon IMS Device Framework as a client solution for its next generation integrated mobile satellite and terrestrial communications network.

TerreStar is planning to launch the world’s most powerful commercial communications satellite in June 2009 and is finalizing development of its first-of-its-kind multi-mode integrated satellite-terrestrial handset – together with its design partners EB and Comneon, a fully owned subsidiary of Infineon technologies. This integrated platform is designed to enable mobile voice, data and video services over a reliable and secure satellite-terrestrial mobile broadband network to government, emergency responders, enterprise and consumers interested in “anywhere” coverage throughout the United States and Canada.

Comneon’s portable IMS terminal framework, executable across a wide variety of operating systems and processor architectures, will allow TerreStar to provide users increased flexibility and ease of access to mobile applications – across a large number of terminal types and diverse customer segments.

“Comneon is a key contributor to our handset ecosystem, and is creating innovative solutions that will help us bring to market an end-to end, state-of-the-art device and feature-set,” said David Marshack, Senior Vice President for Product and Device Technology. “TerreStar plans to use this technology to deliver maximum flexibility, reliability and performance.”

“We are proud to help make the TerreStar vision of a fully integrated satellite-terrestrial multi-mode handset a reality,” said Christian Mucke, Managing Director of Comneon. “Comneon’s leadership and experience in mobile software solutions, innovation and operational capabilities can help enable TerreStar to deploy the first integrated satellite and terrestrial broadband network. This will help bring ubiquitous IP applications and services to mobile customers in North America.”
ES instrument.

Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE:ORB), one of the world’s leading space technology companies, announced today that it has been selected to design, manufacture and test a new commercial communications spacecraft known as New Dawn. In late 2008, Orbital was authorized to proceed on the New Dawn program by Intelsat, Ltd. which formed a joint venture with Convergence Partners to own and operate the satellite. The New Dawn satellite will address the growing needs for fixed satellite services such as voice communications, wireless backhaul, Internet connectivity and broadcast media applications across the continent of Africa.

“Orbital’s commercial satellite business ended 2008 on a high note, with our selection for the New Dawn satellite, which was the second order we received during the year from Intelsat,” said Mr. Michael Larkin, Orbital’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Space Systems Group. “We are very appreciative of Intelsat’s repeat orders for our STAR satellites and the close working relationship that has developed between our two companies over the past several years.”

Mr. Larkin added, “The New Dawn order also represented the fourth order of the year for our communications satellites from all customers, making 2008 another very solid period for our commercial satellite business. Our design, engineering and production staff is now working on a total of 10 GEO satellites and is eager to begin new satellite projects in 2009.”

The New Dawn spacecraft will be based on Orbital’s proven STAR-2 platform. It will generate approximately 4.8 kilowatts of electrical power to support 16 Ku- and 14 C-band active transponders covering Africa with two deployable antennas. Following the launch and completion of its in-orbit testing process, New Dawn will be located at 32.9 degrees East Longitude. The New Dawn satellite is scheduled to be placed in service in early 2011.

In addition to the New Dawn satellite, Intelsat also ordered the IS-18 communications spacecraft from Orbital in 2008. The company’s two other GEO satellite orders in 2008 were the AMC-1R satellite for SES Americom and the Koreasat 6 satellite, for which Orbital is teamed with Thales Alenia Space, for KT Corporation of the Republic of Korea.

About Orbital

Orbital develops and manufactures small- and medium-class rockets and space systems for commercial, military and civil government customers. The company’s primary products are satellites and launch vehicles, including low-Earth orbit, geosynchronous-Earth orbit and planetary spacecraft for communications, remote sensing, scientific and defense missions; human-rated space systems for Earth-orbit, lunar and other missions; ground- and air-launched rockets that deliver satellites into orbit; and missile defense systems that are used as interceptor and target vehicles. Orbital also provides satellite subsystems and space-related technical services to government agencies and laboratories.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. , Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The Boeing Company  (NYSE: BA) today announced that the U.S. Air Force has authorized the Commonwealth of Australia’s provision of US$234 million for Boeing  to complete production of the sixth Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite.

With this authorization, Boeing is now fully funded for the production of all three WGS Block II satellites, and is on track to deliver the first in this new series in 2011. The first of three WGS Block I satellites went into service in April, and the second is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2009.

Australia is providing funding for WGS-6 as part of a cooperative agreement between the U.S. and Australian governments. A memorandum of understanding signed by both governments in November 2007 gives the Australian Defence Force access to WGS services worldwide in exchange for funding the constellation’s sixth satellite. Boeing received long-lead materials funding for WGS-6 in December 2007 .

“The arrangement between the U.S. government and the Commonwealth of Australia will benefit both nations, and Boeing is very proud to be providing this vital communications service to the U.S. armed forces and our allies,” said Craig Cooning , vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems. “This sixth satellite will substantially expand the constellation’s overall communications capacity and operational flexibility.”

The WGS Block I and II contracts, together valued at US$1.8 billion , include six satellites, associated ground-based payload command and control systems, mission-unique software and databases, satellite simulators, logistics support and operator training. Boeing also performs final satellite processing and preparations for launch, as well as initial orbital operations and on-orbit testing.

One difference between the Block II and Block I satellites is that the Block II satellites include a radio frequency bypass capability designed to support airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms requiring additional bandwidth.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems ( http://www.boeing.com/ids/ ) is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis , Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32.1 billion business with 71,000 employees worldwide.
SOURCE Boeing