Satellite Today :: New President for the U.S., New Beginnings for Satellite

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Scott Chase

Never in the course of human events have the results of a U.S. presidential election been so closely watched by so many people across so many time zones. Dozens of happy notes of congratulations have streamed across my computer screen from England and France, Brazil, Argentina, China, Kenya, and Sri Lanka, and other countries.

Most of these notes come from good old friends in the global satellite-enabled communications marketplace, as you might expect. There is a constant underlying theme of excitement that the United States has a young and charismatic new president entering the White House next January. It is the exhilaration of promise . . . and hope about the directions this historic presidency will pursue.

Over my desk I have a large photo of the last similarly young and charismatic president in the White House, John F. Kennedy, smiling as he signs the Communications Satellite Act of 1962. A crowd of co-sponsoring senators and congressmen circle behind, all with looks of eager anticipation. In 1962, the space age was only five years old. There were no geosynchronous satellites, but Dwight Eisenhower had bounced his words off an orbiting balloon a bit earlier, and private industry was busy building test spacecraft for NASA.

About the same time, the space agency also awarded a contract to Hughes Aircraft Company to build its Syncom birds. Syncom I was launched on Valentine’s Day 1963, and carried “The Star-Spangled Banner” for about 20 seconds before it suddenly went silent. A few months later JFK made the first two-way call via satellite between heads of state, dialing up Nigerian Prime Minister Abubaker Balewa.

During the race, our contemporary presidential candidates did not flesh out a compelling vision for the future of commercial space and space exploration. In the heat of the campaign, larger issues claimed priority. But the votes are in: Can Mr. Obama and his advisors now craft a national policy that injects excitement, vision, and that all-American pioneer spirit into our global orbital and planetary efforts? Can space once again grab the attention and the imagination of a new generation of engineers, technicians, service providers, marketers, and all the disciplines that will keep our sector strong and relevant in the years ahead?

With the election over, I’ll leave the bombast behind. As we all embark on fresh beginnings, you have a golden opportunity to be in Washington, D.C., as the first few months of the Obama administration unfold.

Come watch history being made! Join us at SATELLITE 2009 in late March and open up a new chapter in your own personal and professional story. You’ll be glad you did.

PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE WITH SATELLITE 2009
REGISTER TODAY!

New for 2009!

IP Technology Pre-Conference Program
Brought to you by the editors of Via Satellite, this program drills down on all things IP, with a keen editorial look at what new applications are on the horizon, how the technology is shaping our future and most importantly, how our marketplace can monetize IP technology. IP technology affects and is utilized in the leading market segments satellite technology serves - military, civil space, broadcast. IPTV is the hottest IP technology as it continues to show steady growth in markets around the globe, especially in Europe and the United States.

Specific topics include:

IP and the Satellite Sector
IP Protocol in Space
IP Communications and the Military
IP and the Hybrid Network
IPTV: Lessons from Europe and Around the Globe

Presented By

The IP Technology Pre-Conference Program is included with the SATELLTIE 2009 Full Conference registration or individually with the Pre-Conference Program registration package. Register Now!

With less than 20 weeks to go until SATELLITE 2009, the Conference and Exhibition continues to grow and evolve to best suit the needs of the satellite end-user community. NEW For 2009 – The Mobile Satellite User’s Association (MSUA) will co-locate their 6th annual event, MSUA 6, with SATELLITE 2009!

MSUA-6 and SATELLITE 2009 will join forces for the first time to bring you two conferences and exhibition show floors, all under one roof in March in Washington, DC. This unique partnership will enhance the array of technologies on display in the exhibit hall and attract more buyers and sellers of satellite-enabled communications technology than ever before! For more information on the first-ever co-location of SATELLITE and MSUA, please click here. Exhibit and sponsorship opportunities at MSUA 6 are currently available – call or email Michael Cassinelli at +1-301-354-1691 for options and availability.

More than 200 companies have already reserved their exhibit space at what is shaping up to be the largest, most dynamic, co-located event in our 28-year history. The show floor is currently 93% sold-out – if you’ve waited to secure your exhibit space for the 2009 show, we highly encourage you to contact us as soon as possible as the number of available prime locations on the show floor is decreasing every day. Please click here to view our current exhibit hall floor plan, and call or email Michael Cassinelli at +1-301-354-1691 today to strategically position your company at the largest, most dynamic event in the global satellite-enabled communications market!

Please welcome SATELLITE 2009's newest exhibitors:

• A.F. Consulting	• MESL Microwave Ltd
• A1 Microwave Ltd.	• Peak Communications
• A-Alpha Waveguide	• RUAG Aerospace
• ABS-CBN INTERNATIONAL	• Sencore, Inc.
• Astrotech	• Sky Perfect JSAT Corporation
• Commtact - Mobile SAT	• Starling Advanced Communications
• Equipment Management Technology	• TBC Integration
• Hardigg Cases	• US Monolithics
• KMIC Technology, Inc.	• Verimatrix, Inc.
• LP Technologies, Inc.	• Wuxi Huaxin Radar Engineering Co., Ltd.

Featured Sponsorship: Column Wraps
Your brand and message will not be missed with this high-traffic, high visibility sponsorship. Located on the L Street Bridge where all attendees enter and exit the exhibit hall, you have the opportunity to promote your company’s brand, message, and booth number on four-sided signage on one of six columns located directly outside of the exhibit hall. Call or email Michael Cassinelli at +1-301-354-1691 today for pricing and customization options – only two positions are still available!
To see other sponsorship opportunities, click here.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Washington Capitals NHL Game

7:00 p.m. Friday, March 27
Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW, Washington D.C.

Enjoy an exciting game of hockey with your colleagues as the Washington Capitals take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. SATELLITE 2009 has secured discounted ticket rates that are available only through the registration system. Click here to learn more!

The SATELLITE 2009 Press Room is your one-stop-shop for the latest news and product releases in the satellite marketplace. Here's a recent headline:

Peak Communications, Ltd Announces New Product Release; Remote Mounted Agile Converters
Brighouse, Essex, United Kingdom - Monday, November 3rd 2008 - Adding to their range of Agile Frequency Converters, Peak Communications is now able to offer L-Band Up & DownConverters in a rugged, remote mountable packaging style, saving valuable rack space and with the ability to be positioned closer to the antenna/ RF system.

Read more

Read all Press Releases

For the sixth year in a row, SATELLITE 2009 is a proud participant in the Department of Commerce's International Buyer Program. The U.S. Commercial Service located in your local U.S. Embassy or Consulate helps connect international attendees with U.S. companies exporting products and services. As a representative of a qualified company, you can attend SATELLITE 2009 with an official delegation under the support of the U.S. Commercial Service.

For more information on the International Buyer Program, tips on obtaining a visa or for an official letter of invitation, please click here.

Marlink to Purchase WaveCall Brand from Sea Tel
Marlink, a maritime satellite communications provider, has agreed to purchase the WaveCall brand from Sea Tel, Marlink announced Nov. 3.
Marlink said it will package its maritime VSAT solution and full-service support network with the Sea Tel 4006 Ku-band antenna system.
"This next generation of WaveCall combines state-of-the-art equipment with fast and cost-efficient service and support based on customers' true needs," said Tore Morten Olsen, CEO of Marlink.
Sea Tel's 4006 Ku-band antenna is comprised of above deck and below deck equipment designed to withstand extreme marine conditions and maintain a stable connection for vessels that require "always on" satellite communications.

IDC Provides Satellite Technology for European Digital Cinema Rollout
International Datacasting Corp. (IDC) has signed a memorandum of understanding with OpenSky for the provision of IDC's broadband satellite technology for the rollout of a new digital cinema distribution network in Europe, IDC announced Nov. 3.
Under the terms of the memorandum, IDC, through its wholly-owned subsidiary PROFLine B.V., based in the Netherlands, will provide a complete end-to-end solution capable of satellite distribution of both file based digitally rendered movies based on the Hollywood JPEG200 standard as well as alternative live events content. The solution is based the IDC's SuperFlex Pro Cinema product line including Datacast XD for content management, the company's latest SFX4104 DVB-S2/IP receivers and Sensio 3D encoding and decoding technology.
The agreement also includes an initial order of uplink broadcast equipment and an initial deployment of IDC's satellite receivers to multiple theatres across Italy.
Financial details of the memorandum were not disclosed.

EMS CEO: Satellite Communications "Exceptional" In Third Quarter
EMS Technologies Inc. reported strong third quarter financial results and credited the growth to "exceptional performance in satellite communication for both the Inmarsat and Iridium markets."
"In a challenging global economic climate, EMS overall revenues grew 20 percent compared with the third quarter of last year," EMS CEO Paul Domorski, said in a statement.
Third quarter revenues from satellite communications grew about 30 percent for EMS, which reported third-quarter revenues at $87.8 million and net earnings of $6.1 million, both figures up from the same period in 2007, the company announced Oct. 31.
"Quarterly revenues from our LXE mobile logistics products and services business were the highest since 2006, and restructuring efforts that were begun in the second quarter of this year contributed to higher profitability in the third quarter," said Domorski. "We maintained a healthy backlog in defense and space systems, and we began work for the first customer for our new line of in-flight connectivity antenna offerings."

Atrexx Provides Satellite Communications for Libyan Oil Industry
Atrexx, a telecommunication and broadcast solution provider based in Germany, has signed contracts to provide satellite communications to European suppliers in the Libyan oil and gas industry, Atrexx announced Oct.30.
Atrexx will provide its 2way2sat solution, a dedicated, IP-based virtual private network, to remote exploration sites and to drilling teams based in the region. The 2way2sat solution uses iDirect 5100 service modems.
"We consider ourselves to be proactive in the identification of those industries that will benefit most from satellite-based wireless area networks," Markus Schäfer, a spokesman for Atrexx, said in a statement.
"These include primary energy suppliers as well as providers of renewable energy such as solar factories and wind farm operators."

Irdeto Moves into Taiwan
Irdeto has opened an office in Taiwan, continues its push into Asia, Irdeto announced Oct. 27.
"In the past 15 months, we have added three new offices in the Asia-Pacific region, including Singapore and Tokyo, because we believe so strongly in the growth potential in the Asian pay-TV market," CEO Graham Kill said in a statement. "The Taiwan office opening allows us the ability to not only provide our proven solutions but to assist Taiwanese operators in maximizing their growth potential in the digital TV era by providing our expanded solution offerings."
In a separate announcement, Irdeto said it had a deal to deliver its latest DVB-C conditional access technology to Taiwan-based multi-system operator, Taiwan Fixed Network (TFN) Media, a subsidiary of Taiwan Mobile, one of Taiwan's biggest fixed and mobile networks telecoms service providers.

Lockheed Martin Completes Acoustic Testing of GEO-1
Lockheed Martin completed acoustic testing of the first geosynchronous orbit spacecraft in the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) program, GEO-1, the company announced Oct. 27.
Thermal vacuum testing is scheduled for March in preparation for delivery of the satellite to the U.S. Air Force for a planned launch in 2010.
SBIRS is designed to provide early warning of missile launches and simultaneously support other missions, including missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness.
Lockheed Martin is under contract to provide two geosynchronous orbit satellites as well as two highly eccentric orbit payloads for the program.