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Sat-ND, 4.9.97

Sat-ND, 4.9.97

Sat-ND, 4.9.1997 -- "Rats!" said the tyrant



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Today's Headlines

LAUNCHES
GE-3 up, operating normally
Ariane 5, take two
SATELLITES
Meteosat with new World Record?
Car repair via satellite?
Another U.S. move to dominate space
DIGITAL
DirecTV: yes, JSkyB: maybe; PerfecTV: no
Digital accord in Italy
DirecTV on wireless cable
CHANNELS
HBCO around the clock in Budapest
Where to catch the Diana funeral
RUPERTWATCH
Rupert gains Chinese cable approval



LAUNCHES

GE-3 up, operating normally

A Lockheed Martin Astronautics Atlas IIAS rocket successfully launched the GE-3 commercial communications satellite into supersynchronous transfer orbit from Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) in Florida, USA.
The Atlas IIAS is the most powerful of the Atlas configurations presently launching payloads for commercial, military and government customers. Booster performance is increased through the use of four strap-on solid rocket boosters. It was the 32nd consecutive successful launch for the Atlas rocket, which started life in the 1950's as an intercontinental ballistic missile. The Atlas II series, including the II, IIA and IIAS, has had 100 percent operational success since the introduction of each launch vehicle.
Lockheed Martin has commitments for 27 Atlas launches through the 1990s, including 19 commercial and 8 Air Force missions. Four more missions remain in the 1997 manifest.
Thus far, all systems on the satellite are operating normally. GE-3 is a Lockheed Martin A2100 satellite design and features an advanced platform that offers greater reliability, flexibility, system redundancy and service life than previous designs. GE-3 will serve the broadcasting industry including the U.S. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) which will transmit its array of national programming and distance learning educational services. A sample of other customers from the cable programming and communications industries include Turner Broadcasting, Fox Sports and United Video (Spacecom).
The new spacecraft features 36-MHz bandwidth C and Ku-band transponders, shaped-beam reflector antenna design, 60 watts of Ku-band power and a 15-year service life. Service coverage will include all 50 U.S. states and the Caribbean region from the satellite's assigned orbital location at 87-degrees West Longitude.
In business since 1975, GE Americom pioneered the satellite distribution of video entertainment programming. One of the world's largest satellite service providers, GE Americom operates the GE Satcom, Spacenet and GStar satellite fleets -- four C-band, two Ku-band and four hybrid satellites. Through its GE Capital Satellites - Europe subsidiary, GE Americom plans to expand service to all Europe via Sirius 2, scheduled for launch during the fourth quarter of 1997. (The launch of Sirius 2 satellite on Ariane flight 102, along with Indonesia's Cakrawatra 1, has been postponed until the end of October following a malfunction of the satellite's onboard-computer.) GE Americom is also an equity partner in the South American NahuelSat S.A. satellite system.


Ariane 5, take two

An improved version of the European Ariane 5 launcher was moved to its preparation site yesterday. Tests to be performed there over the next two weeks will show whether the September 30 launch can take place as planned.
"The primary reason for the first Ariane-5 accident [on June 4, 1996] was clearly and rapidly established and it was relatively straight forward to correct," says Frederik Engstrom, director of launches for the European Space Agency (ESA.) Basically, the wrong software was used for the navigation system – or rather the right software (that of Ariane 4) for the wrong rocket (Ariane 5, which turned out to have a totally different flight behaviour.)
However, not only the software was replaced: modifications were made to the rocket to make it "more robust." According to Engstrom, all of the launcher's system have been reviewed since last year's accident. "This has been a huge effort and there is nothing that has been found to put into question the basic design of the rocket's systems."
The US$9-billion Ariane 5 programme is an effort to maintain Europe's current lead in satellite launch services by offering more reliability and the possibility of launching heavy payloads. Future versions of the launcher will be even able to carry two of today's average communications satellites into orbit.



SATELLITES

Meteosat with new World Record?

German news agency dpa reported today that Meteosat 7, launched some 24 hours ago, had reached "its final position over the equator" at 0 degrees this afternoon.
Of course, nowadays the transition from an elliptical [more or less egg-shaped] transfer orbit to a circular geostationary orbit does no longer take months – however, 24 hours would in my humble opinion be a new world (space?) record. But that's exactly what dpa claims, citing experts from the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt [the town with the by far ugliest name in Germany.]
Besides, the satellite's antennas were pointing towards Earth, but that's not a real surprise. Neither is an ESOC spokeswoman's statement that the mission was "running flawlessly" and there were "no problems whatsoever."
But geostationary after 24 hours? Sorry, folks, I do not believe that part of the story.


Car repair via satellite?

One of the giants in the satellite bizniz, Hughes, is actually a subsidiary of car maker General Motors (GM.) Soon, GM cars will come equipped with satellite-based remote diagnostics – thanks to OnStar.
OnStar is a communication service from General Motors that combines Global Positioning System satellite technology and a hands-free, voice-activated cellular phone, linking the driver and vehicle to the 24-hour OnStar Center, where Advisors provide real-time personal help.
How does it work? If anything is wrong with the car, a warning light starts flashing. At the touch of a button, OnStar subscribers can get an immediate analysis of the severity of the problem by a human advisor. Initially, OnStar will be able to interrogate 266 system codes that cover more than half of all service and repair incidents a GM customer may encounter. OnStar plans to incorporate additional diagnostic codes into its interrogation database over the next few years.
The OnStar advisor, by the way, does not much more that reading a predefined message based upon the error codes transmitted by the customer's car. However, drivers who feel more investigation is necessary can ask the advisor to interrogate the vehicle further. The advisor can then send a coded signal to the vehicle that checks the status of functions that operate with a warning light and also check those related functions that do not have a warning light. [Why not?] And so on... in the end, the driver will know whether he or she has to turn off the car and wait for roadside assistance or whether it's sufficient to have the problem checked during the next regular maintenance visit.
By the way, OnStar will have both a data and fax capability in 1998. Using a standard phone jack, drivers can plug in a laptop and send faxes, access a database, or connect with an Internet online service. [All free-hand while driving? Don't think so!]


Another U.S. move to dominate space

The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO; those guys who send up spy satellites, too) is studying the feasibility of a constellation of communication satellites that would relay data to and from military, intelligence and civil spacecraft.
The Defense News weekly quoted U.S. space and defence officials as saying the so-called National Space Communication Program would replace separate satellite relay systems operated by NASA and the Department of Defense. The NRO was establishing the system requirements with input from the military and civilian space sectors and U.S. industry officials.
The program may be launched late next decade. The system also would relay communications to and from NASA's space shuttle [so far on NASA's TDRS system,] the planned international space station and civilian spacecraft. The system would be owned and operated by the U.S. government [which obviously would get a grip even on international satellite communications. BTW: Today I saw that a German news magazine has something like "The U.S. rule the world" on the cover of its current issue. Unfortunately, they may be right.]



DIGITAL

DirecTV: yes, JSkyB: maybe; PerfecTV: no

Japan Satellite Broadcasting Inc. (WOWOW) will provide television programs for three channels on the digital satellite broadcast platform DirecTV due to start next November.
WOWOW President Shoji Sakuma said his company will provide contents for two movie channels and one music and sports channel [what a strange combination] to DirecTV Japan Inc., a joint venture between DirecTV International Inc. of the United States [Hughes, GM, see above] and several Japanese corporations.
DirecTV's broadcast service will begin service ahead of Rupert Murdoch's Japan Sky Broadcasting Co. (JSkyB), now slated for launch next April. [Any problems there?]
WOWOW earlier said it would provide programmes from its library to more than one broadcasting platform. Sakuma confirmed negotiations were underway with JSkyB to provide it with TV programming. A decision is expected next spring. However, WOWOW will not supply PerfecTV with what in a grotesque misconception of reality still is called "content" in the bizniz.


Digital accord in Italy

The major players of the Italian TV market have reportedly signed a preliminary agreement for a single digital platform.
Pubcaster RAI, Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset, Cecci Gori Communications, Canal+ and its majority-owned Telepiù pay-TV and telecommunications giant Telecom Italia joined an alliance that probably will not just dominate Italy's digital TV business but is expected to extend to other Mediterranean countries. No further details yet – I guess we'll have to wait for the next issue of sat-italy!


DirecTV on wireless cable

Wireless One and DirecTV announced a "co-operative marketing agreement" that enhances Wireless One's wireless cable service to multiple dwelling units in Southeast USA by adding a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) product.
As many as 206 channels are available for multifamily properties -- apartment, college and condominium residents. In addition, the agreement provides an exceptional choice of programming services to hotel, motel, hospital and nursing home residents. The package gives a selection of programming not available anywhere else. Wireless One is the largest wireless cable TV provider in the Southeast USA.



CHANNELS

HBCO around the clock in Budapest

Hungarian Broadcasting Corp's (HBCO) channel MSAT started broadcasting around the clock on Budapest's AM Micro network reaching an estimated 500,000 television households.
Previously, the time slot from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily was occupied by another broadcaster. These 500,000 households add to the 1,100,000 TV households that receive the company's broadcasting signal via satellite-to-cable transmission.
HBCO's CEO Peter Klenner stated that the addition of these households permits MSAT to upgrade its programming from the former music video format to popular U.S: serials for these important early evening hours. The additional hours are expected to boost prime time advertising revenues by up to 30 percent.
Programming for this 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. time period includes Beauty and the Beast, Cops, Persuaders, Homicide, Sirens, Fire, Poirot, the Big Easy and Pacific Blue. [Trash. Nothing bit rotten old trash, although it may be new to Hungarian viewers.]
HBCO's MSAT claims to be the largest satellite-to-cable television company in Hungary with a technical (read: theoretical) reach of more than 50 percent of all television households in the country.


Where to catch the Diana funeral

One of the biggest events in the history of radio and television will take place next Saturday: the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.
The BBC is currently preparing for the biggest single live broadcast operation in its history, with 100 cameras, 300 technicians and 22 outside units in London alone. BBC World will televise the occasion to 187 countries while BBC World Service radio will cover the funeral in 44 languages.
Viewers all over Europe can also tune into the original BBC transmission provided they have access to the German news and events channel Phoenix, either in digital or analogue format. Phoenix will take over domestic BBC programming in its full length, i.e. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CEST with German commentary on one audio subcarrier and the original BBC commentary on the other.
Sky News, the only unscrambled BSkyB channel, will be dedicated to funeral coverage from 6 a.m. to midnight, with no commercial breaks. BSkyB coverage will be supplied to 40 countries where it has cable and satellite customers.
Lots of channels will televise the event in the U.S. as well, but I was a bit surprised when read a press release that "E! Entertainment Television will air [...] a three-hour, live E! News special covering the funeral of Princess Diana." Is a funeral what U.S. professionals regard "Entertainment Television?" Questions!



RUPERTWATCH

By Dr Sarmaz


Rupert gains Chinese cable approval

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp satellite TV unit Star TV said China has allowed its Chinese Channel Phoenix [not related to the German Phoenix I mentioned above] to broadcast in southern China's Guangdong province o the regional television network.
Star TV is the first foreign satellite television operator that has secured such an approval, a spokeswoman for the company said. However, a television set should be equipped with the necessary reception facilities to pick up Phoenix's frequency, a Star TV spokeswoman said. No idea what that means: a decoder? Or is some kind of out-of-band frequency being used? Who knows!



Copyright 09/97 by Peter C. Klanowski, pck@LyNet.De. All rights reserved.

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