Sat-ND, 21.8.97

• from: owner-sat-nd@tags1.dn.net
• Date: Thu, 21 Aug 1997 23:39:29 GMT

 

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LAUNCHES

Iridium completes first third

It seems those brush fires could be extinguished (cf. Sat-ND, 20.8.97) so that the first Delta II launch by Boeing since the merger with McDonnell Douglas could finally take place after a long series of delays.

The Delta II placed five Iridium satellites in space completing one-third of the Iridium communications system constellation. The 66-satellite system will provide a satellite-based wireless personal communications network.

This was the third time in 1997 that Delta II lifted five Iridium satellites into orbit and the fifth successful launch this year. There are six more Delta II launches scheduled this year including a NASA scientific mission (ACE) scheduled for August 25, from Cape Canaveral Air Station.

Meteosat 7 to accompany Hot Bird 3

The European weather satellite Meteosat 7 will, despite earlier reports (Sat-ND, 14.8.97,) be launched on September 3 aboard a Ariane rocket from Kourou, French Guiana.

According to the European Meteorological Satellite Organisation (Eumetsat,) it will as planned be launched together with Eutelsat's Hot Bird 3.

Meteosat 7 belongs to the first generation of European weather satellites that has been in use for more than 20 years. However, Eumetsat is already working on the second generation of weather satellites the first of which is expected to hit the skies in 2000.

Indostar shipped to Kourou

Orbital Sciences, known for its low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, has completed the construction of its first geostationary satellite, Indostar 1. The spacecraft is now on its way to the European launch centre in Kourou where it will be launched aboard an Ariane 4 rocket in October.

However, Orbital did not receive the contract to build Indostar 1; in fact it was CTA Inc. which was recently taken over by Orbital.

Indostar 1 is being built and launched for PT MediaCitra Indostar of Jakarta, Indonesia, to provide high-power S-band direct-to-home television programming. [Yes, S-band, 2.7-3.5 GHZ, just below the C-band. This is not too unusual in that region; the Asia Mobile Cellular Satellite (ACeS) system will use the same band although obviously not for that pathetic waste of time, money and resources we call television.] Indostar 1 will broadcast 40 digital television channels on five 70-watt transponders to the Republic of Indonesia's 14,000 islands.

Lauchspace Newsline

Freelance writer Keith Stein of Internet fame has dropped me a line or two saying in effect that his email service called "The Launchspace Newsline provides you with the latest headlines in space industry and operations. Subscriptions are currently free of charge, and can be obtained via the Launchspace Newsline home page at http://launchspace.com/newsline"

Okay, you might ask why I include every single piece of blurb with this so-called newsletter, but after all, this is a pubic service (my keyboard sometimes keeps missing out the letter L, I'm afraid,) and what's wrong with competition anyway?

But don't come crawling back to me whining, moaning and complaining when he starts to charge you for that ;-) I never will, and that's a promise. Trust me, I'm a doctor! And hey, I offer you that sexy Technicolor high definition HTML format anyway! Want some nasty pictures included? I guess I could arrange that anyway. -- Nah, not really. Don't bother asking for that.

SATELLITES

Windfall transponders

Following the successful launch of Agila-2, Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN) said is had added two more extended C-Band transponders to its available capacity of twelve transponders.

Now wait a minute: even those Chinese wonder launchers can't put a satellite directly into geostationary orbit. But let's assume nothing will go wrong -- then PSN will as a matter of fact get two C-band transponders in turn for the technical consultation provided to MPSC, Agila 2's operating company.

Adi Adiwoso, CEO and President Director of PSN said he was delighted "to increase our transponder capacity especially in such a cost effective manner." [Who wouldn't?] "PSN will either use the two new transponders for wholesale telecommunications or retain them for the expansion of PSN's Xpress Connection network," her added.

P.T. Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN, ) based in Jakarta, is the first private satellite communications company in Indonesia and one of the leading satellite companies in the Asia Pacific. PSN is focused on becoming a fully integrated provider of satellite-based telecommunications products and services in Asia, including the wholesale leasing of satellite capacity and several new services currently under development. (See also Sat-ND, 13.8.97 for more details on Filipino satellite systems.)

BUSINESS

FCC clears MCI take-over

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved the take-over of the U.S: telecommunications monolith MCI Communications Corp. by British Telecommunications plc -- strings attached.

The FCC in its statement said the United States-United Kingdom route "is one of the most competitive in the world because of substantial liberalisation and deregulation of the US and UK telecommunications markets." The transfer of control of MCI's licenses and authorisations to British Telecom was "in the public interest given commitments made and actions taken by MCI and BT."

For instance, British Telecom had to accept a rate of 7 cents per minute for US-outbound calls in the United Kingdom, "one of the lowest in the world." All the other gory details are more or less on telephony-related, so I'll omit them except for this one, of course:

The FCC agreed to provisionally transfer control of MCI's Direct Broadcast Satellite license to BT. (Those licenses play an important part in the DTH deal between PrimeStar and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.) The transfer is still subject to any final rules adopted in proceedings relating to DBS licenses, and the outcome of pending applications for review of the order granting MCI's DBS licenses. [Well, I guess it will be the same as almost all over the world: once anybody has a license and broadcasts via satellite, there's no real was of switching them off again.]

Funnily enough [I use this phrase too frequently, I know,] BT and MCI had just recently issued statements that doubted the merger will go ahead as planned as BT is concerned it will pay too much for MCI that said it expected losses of up to US$800 million this year.

DIGITAL

PAS, the Internet satellites?

PanAmSat Corp. said that several of its international Internet service provider (ISP) customers have recently expanded their use of PanAmSat satellite capacity to meet growing demand for Internet access services.

ISPs in Paraguay, New Zealand, Indonesia and elsewhere have dramatically upgraded services to accommodate increased Internet traffic as more and more users log on the the World Wide Web.

PanAmSat ISP customers that have recently added to existing services include

• New Zealand's Internet Group, now using a 9 megabit per second (Mbps) link, up from 1.544 Mbps;
• CBN.Net, one of Indonesia's largest ISPs, which now utilises a duplex E1 or 6 Megahertz (MHz) circuit to connect to the Internet, up from 4 MHz of capacity;
• Red Cientifica Peruana of Peru, up to 512 from 256 kilobits per second (kbps);
• Costa Rica's CRNET, also up to 512 from 256 kbps; and

• Paraguay's Planet Internet, up to 256 from 192 kbps of satellite capacity.

Telstra to expand European services

Australian telecommunications company Telstra said it had entered the next phase of its push into the European corporate marketplace with the launch of a suite of integrated data communications solutions, including a series of ATM, VSAT and Frame Relay services.

The initial roll-out will see four key products: Accelerate ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode,) Fastway VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminals) International, Global Frame Relay, and Dial Connect -- according to Telstra, an inexpensive simple and secure interface for PC users, via a dial-up service over a standard telephone line, to a range of electronic information services including the Internet and secure, closed user group intranets for sharing specific information with select users. Following the launch of Dial Connect in Australia in March this year, the service will benefit Australian and New Zealand multinational corporations based in Europe.

You would by any chance be interested in the fact that Telstra is now also offering "an innovative range of high-quality, value-added telecoms' services to all occupiers of Arlington Business Parks in the United Kingdom," no? What a pity.

CHANNELS

Radio Netherlands drops analogue channel

As from August 29th there is an important change if you listen to Radio Netherlands' analogue audio subcarriers on Astra transponder 58.

Because of financial restrictions imposed on us by the Dutch Ministry of Culture, we've had to find ways of cutting back our transmissions costs, whilst retaining as many listeners as possible. And because we're in a period where both analogue and digital systems have to operate side by side, that is no easy task. Earlier this year, we thought we would have to stop both analogue audio subcarriers on transponder 58. We have been announcing that fact for a couple of months, and frankly very surprised at the extent of the reaction, especially since our English language programmes are also available via the World Radio Network.

We've now made the following decision. As from Friday August 29th, we will discontinue to use the subcarrier on 7.38 MHz. However, we will retain the channel on 7.56 MHz, at least until the end of this year. We are changing the programme mix, in order to make maximum use of the single resource. That means you can hear English at the following times: 2330-0125 and 1830-2025 UTC. English on the World Radio Network, Astra transponder 22, subcarrier 7.38 MHz, remains at 0930-1025 and 1830-1925 and 2330-0025 UTC.

In addition to all this, Radio Netherlands is available digitally via Astra transponder 102. There are more English language programmes available through that system, although we realise that the availability of digital receivers outside the Benelux is still limited and won't change until next year.

Full details are available http://www.rnw.nl/

(Jonathan Marks, Radio Nederlands Wereldomroep)

LAW & ORDER

premiere porn

For the first time in German broadcasting history, a channel might be shut down temporarily. The public won't notice anyway as it's just a pay-TV channel that is concerned.

In an unprecedented move, the governing body of Hamburg's local media authority has decided to ask its members to temporarily suspend the broadcasting license of premiere, the country's one and only analogue pay-TV channel, for broadcasting five movies that according to German law are pornographic.

premiere does not even deny this fact. In a statement, the company said the law was outdated and did "not correspond to the youths' viewing habits a well as social reality." Whatever that may mean I know, it gets really funny when I have to translate German-language press releases. That's why I usually don't do it.

I have a problem with that, anyway: I know I'll get a press release from the Hamburg media authority tomorrow by snail-mail while right now I just have premiere's respond as an email.

However, it would be quite satisfying to see any of that completely superfluous channels switched off for a while, even if it was just for a week. Unfortunately, the channel will not be completely taken off the air but just be switched off at the midnight hour. What's even more humiliating, premiere might be forced to broadcast an insert during that time accusing itself of illegally broadcasting pornographic material.

The channel has announced to take the matter to court. premiere has had so far several clashes with its licensing media authority but has so far complied with its rulings. The companies chances of prevailing in court are rather bad as German laws do not allow any pornography on TV, whether scrambled or not. It seems premiere has just gine a bit too far in attracting new subscribers.

RUPERTWATCH

Rupert goes North

Telia Infomedia, Television, the largest cable operator in Scandinavia, is the first company to sign up for British Sky Broadcasting Ltd.'s two new 24 hour-channels, 'Sky News & National Geographic Channel,' and 'Sky Entertainment.'

Both channels will, most likely inaccessible to DTH viewers, transmitted via Telenor's satellite capacity at 1 deg W. Telia, which has 1.4 million connected households in Sweden, will carry both channels in its new digital cable tier scheduled to launch next autumn.

"According to research, Scandinavian viewers want to see more general lifestyle entertainment, wildlife and nature documentaries, and news programming that is relevant to their own lives," says Kirsten McConnell, BSkyB's international distribution & marketing manager. "As a result, we have selected top-rated programmes that we believe will appeal to Swedish viewers." [Oh wow, it's really that easy!]

Telia's analogue cable package currently comprises 39 channels. Once offered digitally, it will have the capacity to carry up to six times as many. [Sound like a pretty modest compression rate.] In addition to BSkyB's two Scandinavian channels, Telia will also offer customers Sky News and CMT.

Telia Infomedia Television is a Subsidiary of Telia AB, Sweden's telecommunications Company.

FEEDBACK

Microsoft signs on

George Konstantopoulos has spotted a Microsoft test card on Intelsat K (21.5 deg. W,) 11.500 GHz h, in unscrambled PAL.

That's the satellite where Microsoft TV usually is, I think. So guess where Microsoft's five-hour transmission hinging upon MSIE4.0 will take place tomorrow, as far as Europe is concerned? Thanks a lot George, and don't forget to pay your US$14.95 to Microsoft for this udderly redundant pay-per-view event <GGG>

NASA TV

However, George has a question free now in return for his contribution. The question is, in a nutshell, whether NASA TV can be received in Greece.

The answer is a resounding no. To my knowledge, it can't be received anywhere in Europe except over the Internet; and if you really badly need it, consult a search engine of your liking to find it -- I don't have the URL at hand. But via satellite? No.

However, hold your breath as TELE-satellite International's Dr Dish may have good news for you. To quote a recent article from his mailing list: "In drdish@tv, we just asked the public how they feel to receive NASA TV in Europe. John Locker got the idea and still discusses the matter with different satellite organisations in order to find a cheap way to get the signal from the US to Europe and to make it affordable to a large audience (private persons, schools and organisations). At the next show in September we will hopefully get some positive results."

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