Дата: 21 марта 2009 (2009-03-21)
От: Oleg Vassilyev
Тема: ORBCOMM PROCEEDS WITH CAUTION FOLLOWING SATELLITE FAILURE
частное омское ЗАО КБ "Полет" снова крупно "макнуло" имя ПО "Полет" - филиал
ФГУП "ГКHПЦ им. М.В. Хруничева" :(
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http://www.space.com/spacenews/spacenews_summary.html#BM_3
ORBCOMM PROCEEDS WITH CAUTION FOLLOWING SATELLITE FAILURE
By PETER B. de SELDING
Space News Staff Writer
FRASCATI, Italy - Satellite two-way messaging service provider Orbcomm has
declared one of the six satellites it launched in June a total loss following a
power failure and said it will slow the entry into service of the other five to
evaluate whether they may have a similar defect, the company announced March
16.
In a conference call with investors and a filing with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC), Ft. Lee, N.J.-based Orbcomm Inc. said the failure
will not have a material effect on the company's overall operations. Orbcomm
has
a constellation of 27 satellites, with six spacecraft operating in each of four
orbital planes and the remaining used as in-orbit spares.
"We are working to develop operational procedures and software solutions to
minimize the risk of a similar problem on another satellite," Orbcomm Chief
Executive Marc J. Eisenberg said in the conference call. "We are starting to
put
satellites into limited service, with a watchful eye on their condition and
performance."
In its SEC filing, Orbcomm said the other five satellites launched in June
"have experienced outages of redundant power systems components that are being
investigated."
Orbcomm said the failed satellite was not the U.S. Coast Guard-ordered
demonstrator spacecraft designed to test an Automatic Identification System
(AIS) service to permit coastal authorities to collect information on ships in
their national territorial waters. The use of satellites permits authorities to
collect information on ships that are too far out at sea to be identifiable
from
ground-based radars.
All six of the satellites launched in June are equipped with an AIS payload,
and Orbcomm is under mounting competitive pressure to field an operational
service and line up government customers worldwide before the competition
arrives. The six spacecraft were built by Polyot of Omsk, Russia, in a contract
managed by OHB System of Bremen, Germany, an Orbcomm shareholder. Orbcomm had
previously announced an attitude control anomaly on one of the satellites due
to
a malfunction of the satellite's reaction wheels, an issue apparently unrelated
to the power failure.
In its SEC filing, Orbcomm said the failure occurred Feb. 22. The company is
taking a non-cash charge of $7 million, which it said is the value of the
satellite.
Several satellite builders in Canada and Europe are working on AIS technology
in hopes of securing a place in what they all say is a promising global market,
hoping to minimize Orbcomm's lead in service introduction with technology
advantages or service commitments from their governments. Com Dev of Canada is
building two AIS satellites and trying to lock in strategic partnership
agreements with potential AIS service providers and co-investors. The French,
Norwegian and European space agencies also have entered the AIS arena with
small
industrial contracts to test satellite designs. OHB is one of those companies,
leading a European consortium to design a system under contract with the
European Space Agency.
Orbcomm in January signed an AIS distribution agreement with Lloyd's
Register-Fairplay Ltd. of Britain, a terrestrial maritime information service
provider. Details of the agreement were not disclosed, but Eisenberg said
Lloyd's Register has purchased a license for Orbcomm data and that the
agreement
"includes annual [purchase] minimums."
Orbcomm is building a second-generation constellation of satellites, also
equipped with AIS payloads, with deliveries of the first 18 of these expected
to
start in 2010 and launches beginning in 2011. The satellites are being built by
Sierra Nevada Corp. of Sparks, Nev., under a May 2008 contract valued at $117
million. Eisenberg said Sierra Nevada, whose contract's value is tied to
construction milestones, has met all the milestones so far. Orbcomm has not yet
selected a launch services provider for the second-generation constellation.
Orbcomm Chief Financial Officer Robert G. Costantini said the company spent
$40.3 million in 2008 building the second-generation constellation, launching
the six satellites in June and moving its network operations center. For 2009,
he said, Orbcomm forecasts capital expenditures will total no more than $30
million as it continues milestone payments on the second-generation contract.
Costantini said that as of Dec. 31, the company had $81.2 million in cash and
restricted cash.
Eisenberg said Orbcomm's current cash position, plus cash from operations
expected in 2009, will be enough to meet the company's needs. "We do not
currently anticipate a need to access the capital markets as we move through
these difficult economic times," Eisenberg said.
Orbcomm reported 2008 revenue of $30.1 million, a 6.9 percent increase over
2007. Eisenberg said he was disappointed with the figure, which he said
reflects
the difficult environment for selling Orbcomm subscriber gear. But the
company's
growth priority is for services revenue, which in 2008 grew by 34.4 percent, to
$23.8 million.
Eisenberg said Orbcomm's 2009 priority is maximizing its position as "the only
company in the world with a commercially available space-based AIS data
offering" by expanding its international and U.S. government customer base
beyond the U.S. Coast Guard contract, which relates to a single satellite.
Дата: 21 марта 2009 (2009-03-21)
От: Boris Paleev
Тема: Hа МКС развернута последняя солнечная батарея. Теперь на станции достат
Hello All!
NEWSru.com :: В России Суббота, 21 марта 2009 г. 09:42
Hа МКС развернута последняя солнечная батарея. Теперь на станции достаточно
электричества
Через 10 лет после начала ее строительства Международная космическая станция
стала обеспечиваться электроэнергией в полном объеме. Центр управления полетами
дал команду на развертывание четвертой, последней, пары солнечных батарей,
питающих аппаратуру станции, сообщает ВВС.
Гигантские солнечные "крылья" были доставлены на МКС на борту шаттла Discovery
и смонтированы его экипажем при помощи механической "руки". Все элементы
питания станции теперь способны вырабатывать до 120 КВт электроэнергии.
Hовая пара батарей позволит удвоить объем энергии, используемый для выполнения
научных экспериментов - с 15 до 30 КВт. Развертывание устройства с размахом 73
м прошло без осложнений. "Это потрясающе, - сказал командир МКС Майк Финке. -
Все обитатели комплекса "станция-шаттл" издали крик восторга, когда два крыла
полностью развернулись".
С поверхности Земли после захода Солнца станция выглядит как сияющая звезда.
Увеличение отражающей поверхности сделает ее еще более яркой.
Четвертый комплект батарей был прикреплен к МКС в четверг. Вышедшим в открытый
космос астронавтам Стиву Суонсону и Ричарду Арнольду потребовалось для этого 6
часов и 7 минут.
Основной "хребет" станции, к которому крепятся не только батареи, но также
радиаторы и другое оборудование, теперь составляет в длину 102 метра.
Солнечные "крылья" - последние приспособления американского производства,
предназначенные для МКС. Их установка увеличила массу станции до 300 тонн. Ее
строительство завершено на 80%.
Уникальное оборудование МКС включает компоненты европейского производства - в
том числе соединительный блок Node-3, куполообразное окно и механическую руку.
Best regards, Boris
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