Space Business Ventures Capitalize On Olympic Games

From satellite imagery to mobile communications, the Summer Olympic Games have made their way onto business plans within the space industry.

Globalstar USA, the subsidiary of Globalstar L.P. [GSTRF], announced international roaming service in Australia and Tasmania as well as coverage of up to 230 statute miles off the mainland.

“Once the games have concluded, we foresee a continuing market in travel and tourism, as well as construction, mining and agriculture,” said Dennis McSweeney, vice president and general manager of Globalstar USA.

Likewise, the first one-meter resolution image of the Olympic Park in Sydney was collected by Space Imaging’s Ikonos satellite. The image showcases the main stadium, superdome, athletics and aquatic center, along with the tennis, hockey and baseball venues.

For passengers aboard JetBlue Airways and Legend Airlines flights, DirecTv Inc. [GMH] will provide NBC Cable Network’s coverage of the Sydney games to airline passengers through a broadcasting agreement.

Finally, an estimated 4 billion viewers will be thanking Intelsat for beaming the competitions to their television sets. Eight satellites will be used for transmitting the games to more than 100 channels, which are dedicated for transmission. Overall, company officials estimate 40,000 hours, or 4-1/2 years, of programming during the two weeks of the summer games will be transmitted.