Monday, January 28, 2013

Ball Aerospace completes $75 million expansion of satellite manufacturing facility

The 90,000-square-foot expansion project of Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. -- a principal manufacturer of spacecraft, components and instruments -- has finally been finished, signaling the company’s aim to be one of aerospace prime contractors.

The expanded facility, which Ball Aerospace started building in 2005, will be used as a new satellite manufacturing center that will work on contracts for NASA’s Joint Polar Satellite System, the B612 Foundation’s Sentinel Mission, DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-3 remote-sensing satellite, and various U.S Department of Defense and national security missions.

The company also stated that the expanded aerospace manufacturing center in Boulder includes new environmental testing systems, 60 percent more cleanroom space, as well as added built-out capacity for a bigger thermal vacuum chamber used to test spacecraft.

"We've been able to win a large number of (government) contracts because of our cost-effective model," said David Taylor, president and chief executive of Ball Aerospace. "We are going to grow that market while looking for other sources."

Taylor added, “The expansion we proudly unveil today also affirms our commitment to growing Colorado’s dynamic aerospace economy.”

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Monday, January 14, 2013

Champion Entertainment launches state-of-the-art satellite uplink facility in West Houston

Champion Entertainment Inc. recently announced that the company will be opening its Vyvx satellite uplink system in West Houston using cutting-edge fiber optic. The facility will provide Energy Corridor and West Houston with the only high definition (HD) broadcast uplink and Internet Web broadcasting system available for private use. The company also accomplished a share exchange agreement recently with ACIE Corporation, scheduled to be finalized later this year.

In a statement, CEO Kurt Neubauer said, "No longer do individuals have to travel in excess of 25 miles from the energy corridor, battle traffic and parking issues to be interviewed by networks on stories of regional and national importance. Our uplink facility is state-of-the-art network capable HD and provides the absolute finest equipment available to get the story to the networks. Being 25 miles closer and located just off the West Sam Houston Toll way in the convenient WestChase area will save an executive or celebrity valuable time."

Once the satellite uplink facility is established in West Houston, individuals appearing on network shows like MSNBC, CNN, the Today show and more, will no longer have to go downtown just to perform a remote live broadcast.

Champion Entertainment Inc. has numerous original properties for production, co-production and sale currently under development. Its new Vyvx uplink studio is expected to be up and fully operational sometime in February of this year.

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Thursday, January 10, 2013

Norwegian Space Center announces request to build platform for NORSAT-1

The Norwegian Space Center is now accepting bids to create the platform for NORSAT-1, the new Norwegian satellite that will investigate solar radiation, space weather and monitor shipping traffic.

Magne Osmundsen, Senior Advisor for Industry Coordination at the NSC and project manager for the new satellite said that during this year, the Norwegian Space Center will procure a new small satellite, initially named NORSAT-1, to carry out different scientific experiments.

NORSAT-1 will be carrying an AIS receiver to be able to accomplish ship detection from space. The new satellite will be a more advanced version of the AISSat-1, launched last July 2010, so that it can test out new detection algorithms. The new AIS receiver will require a bigger satellite platform to allow the satellite to detect and track maritime traffic in both Norwegian waters and international waters.

The new satellite will also measure Total Solar Irradiation (TSI) and electron plasma coming from the sun, with the help of two instruments currently developed by Norwegian and international research teams.

The Norwegian Space Centre will coordinate the development and the integration of the instruments for the new satellite platform.

In a statement, Norwegian Space Centre Director Bo Andersen said, “Several Norwegian companies make satellite components, but because no Norwegian company produces entire satellite platforms, we are publishing a call for bids internationally.”

NORSAT-1 has its launch set for 2015 to a polar orbit at approximately 600 kilometers height.

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Thursday, January 3, 2013

NEC plans on investing ¥10 billion to create factory for satellites

Japanese multinational IT company NEC Corp. is rumored to be planning on investing ¥10 billion yen (approximately $114.5 million) to establish a new factory in Tokyo that will produce low-cost space satellites for emerging countries. Sources are claiming that the multi million company is looking to begin the production in fiscal 2014, which begins in April of that same year.

NEC plans on manufacturing small satellites at the plant to be erected in the suburb of Fuchu, as part of the country’s joint effort with the central government to help Japan obtain contracts from other countries that are looking to build and launch their own satellites. While the ¥10 billion yen figure is seen as a competitive cost on the worldwide scale for building and launching a commercial satellite factory, NEC has already been successful in cutting down the cost of producing small satellites and other related equipment to prices between ¥6 billion and ¥8 billion (approximately $68.7 million to $91.6 million).

Japanese engineering firm IHI Corp. has already developed a rocket worth ¥3 billion yen ($34.4 million) that is able to carry a small satellite into space. When merged with NEC’s satellite, the Japanese public-private consortium will be able to offer a launch package that is competitive.

The new plant of NEC, which will be outfitted with a vacuum chamber for durability and performance testing, will have the capacity to manufacture and assemble eight satellites at a time.

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