| News: In-Orbit
Back Up Services |
| Satellite
operators have two great fears - the fear of a satellite launch
failure and the fear of an in-orbit failure. Launch failures are
tough to take, but are all part of the business. Most critical satellite
systems or constellations provide in-orbit spares. Take the ICO
constellation for example. They need 10 satellites in 2 orbital
planes to provide the coverage they require. But, they planned and
purchased 12 satellites, giving one satellite in each plane as a
spare. Unfortunately they have used up one of these spare satellites
on their maiden
launch. The good thing about a launch failure is that you basically
bite the bullet and move on with the next launch, especially if
you have multiple satellites in a constellation. My point is, you
do not have the headaches of lost service and service recovery problems.
More.. |
|
| News: Mechanical
Bugs |
| NASHVILLE,
Tenn. — Mechanical engineers at Vanderbilt University are working
on a two-and-a-half year program to develop robotic bugs. This project
is part of a larger program funded by the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA) that is exploring the use of mobile micro-robots
for military reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. The basic
idea is that soldiers could carry large numbers of these lightweight,
mechanical scouts and use them to investigate the terrain ahead,
detecting enemy troops, minefields and other hazards. More..
|
|
|
 |
| News: Orbital's
BSAT-2a Satellite Launch |
Orbital
Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that the company-built
BSAT-2a geosynchronous (GEO) communications satellite was successfully
launched on March 8 aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French
Guiana. Liftoff of the Arianespace S.A. launch vehicle occurred
at approximately 5:51p.m.(EST) and the BSAT-2a satellite was deployed
into transfer orbit about a half-hour later. The satellite will
be placed into final geosynchronous orbit and moved to its 110 degrees
East longitude operational location over the next few weeks.
See
story |
| |
|