Astrium Takes Control Of Spot Image
July 15, 2008 at 9:45 am | In Remote Sensing Law, Remote Sensing Law Current Events | Leave a Commentby Joane Irene Gabrynowicz with the blog faculty
Source: Aviation Week
By Michael Taverna
EADS’s Astrium Services unit has acquired a majority stake in Spot Image in a move that promises to propel the company to the forefront of the international space imagery market.After more than a year of negotiation, Astrium agreed late last week to acquire most of French space agency CNES’s holding in Spot Image, giving it an 81% stake in the Toulouse-based optical imaging specialist with five subsidiaries and strategic agreements around the world. Spot Image will be integrated into the Earth Observation Div. of Astrium Services alongside Infoterra, a German-based radar imaging specialist with affiliates in France, the U.K., Spain and Hungary. However, it will remain an independent French company, and CNES will retain a small golden share.
By gaining control of Spot Image, said Astrium CEO Eric Beranger, EADS is now in a position to develop an integrated strategy for the full range of Earth observation services and applicationsalong the entire geo-information value chain. It will be able to develop and market combined optical-radar product offerings and, together with Astrium’s satellite telecommunications and navigation divisions, bundle services to address new markets. A top priority will be solidifying the company’s government and defense foothold in the U.S.
Spot Image CEO Herve Buchwalter said the shareholding change will reinforce the SpotImage’s ability to launch new programs under public private partnership funding schemes, as Infoterra has done with its TerraSAR-X and Tandem-X radar satellites. Specifically, the deal will permit development of a medium-resolution wide swath imager to replace the Spot 5 spacecraft. Spot 5 has been the bread and butter performer for Spot Image, providing the majority of its revenues and helping drive steady sales growth.
Early design of the Spot-5 follow-on, which is currently known under the code name Astroterra but will eventually be called Spot 6, was kicked off early this year pending conclusion of the shareholding agreement.
Astrium officials say CNES will provide no financing for the spacecraft, suggesting that the PPP arrangement will include some sort of French government presales guarantee. Taking advantage of progress in miniaturization, the new spacecraft will use Astrium’s Astrobus 250 imaging satellite bus, designed for satellite significantly smaller than Spot 5.
Spot Image is already participating in a PPP initiative for a pair of high-resolution companion spacecraft, Pleiades, to be launched in the first quarter of 2010 atop a Soyuz booster from Kourou, French Guiana. Pleaides will offer 70 cm multispectral resolution over a 20 km swath, making it a perfect complement to Spot 6.
Spot Image also has strategic agreements that give it access to several other advanced imaging satellites. These include Taiwan’s two-meter resolution Formsat-2 and Koreas’s Kompsat-2, which has a resolution of one meter.
Space Agencies Continue Talks on Global Exploration Strategy
July 15, 2008 at 9:28 am | In Space Law | Leave a Commentby P.J. Blount with the blog faculty
From NASA:
RELEASE : 08-174
Space Agencies Continue Talks on Global Exploration Strategy
WASHINGTON — Representatives of 11 space agencies from around the world gathered in Montreal July 10 – 12 to continue the coordination of programs to extend human and robotic presence throughout the solar system.
In May 2007, multilateral space agency discussions resulted in the release of “The Global Exploration Strategy – The Framework for Coordination.” The document is a product of a shared vision of space exploration focused on solar system destinations where humans may someday live and work. It represents an important first step in coordinating space exploration efforts toward common goals. The framework envisions a coordination mechanism to facilitate international planning, leading to the establishment of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group, or ISECG.
During last week’s ISECG meeting in Montreal, hosted by the Canadian Space Agency, the participants made significant progress on a number of areas that will facilitate cooperation. Among the accomplishments were establishing an ISECG secretariat to be initially hosted by the European Space Agency; plans for conducting effective public engagement; and development of tools for sharing information on exploration capabilities and mission plans across agencies. The participants also took initial steps toward identifying critical space infrastructure interfaces, such as between spacecraft, lunar rovers and lunar habitats, which if standardized would increase opportunities for international cooperation.
The agencies reaffirmed the importance of the steps taken in Montreal toward ensuring a comprehensive global approach to space exploration and maintaining an open dialogue as the space exploration architecture planning of individual space agencies moves forward.
Attending the meeting were representatives of Australia, Canada, the European Space Agency, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Ukraine and the United States.
New rules for second KC-X competition create controversy
July 15, 2008 at 9:21 am | In Aviation Law | Leave a Commentby P.J. Blount with the blog faculty
From Flight Global:
New rules for second KC-X competition create controversy
The US Department of Defense will reopen the competition for the KC-X contract with two major changes to the evaluation criteria that are already being challenged by Boeing supporters in Congress.
The Pentagon’s controversial changes will assign rankings to the 808 individual requirements in the contract solicitation – with a special focus on downplaying the value of life-cycle cost estimates for maintenance and fuel — and clarify the US Air Force’s desire for greater fuel off-load capacity than now provided by the ageing KC-135E fleet.
Both changes would do nothing to undercut the premise of the USAF’s original decision to award the contract to the Northrop Grumman/EADS North America KC-30B, a larger aircraft than the Boeing KC-767. USAF officials credited the KC-30B’s larger size as a prime factor in their decision. . . .
Federal Register: Notification of Policy Revisions, and Requests for Comments on the Percentage of Fabrication and Assembly that Must Be Completed by an Amateur Builder to Obtain an Experimental Airworthiness Certificate for an Amateur-Built Aircraft
July 15, 2008 at 9:18 am | In Aviation Law | Leave a Comment
by P.J. Blount with the blog faculty
The FAA published a Notification of Policy Revisions, and Requests for Comments on the Percentage of Fabrication and Assembly that Must Be Completed by an Amateur Builder to Obtain an Experimental Airworthiness Certificate for an Amateur-Built Aircraft in today’s Federal Register (73 F.R. 40652-40654):
SUMMARY: This notice announces revisions to (1) Chapter 4, Special Airworthiness Certification, Section 9 of the FAA Order 8130.2F, Airworthiness Certification of Aircraft and Related Products, (2) Advisory Circular (AC) 20-27G, Certification and Operation of Amateur-Built Aircraft (AC 20-27G is the result of combining AC 20-27F and AC 20-139, Commercial Assistance During Construction of Amateur-Built Aircraft), and (3), requests comments on the percentage of fabrication and assembly that must be completed by an amateur builder to obtain an experimental airworthiness certificate for an amateur-built aircraft. This action is being taken because the FAA has determined that the existing Order and ACs do not adequately state the required levels of fabrication/assembly or guidance on use of commercial assistance. As a result, the existing Order and Advisory Circulars require revision. The FAA is seeking comments on these revisions.
Analyst: Sirius-XM Merger Approval Imminent
July 15, 2008 at 9:07 am | In Space Law Current Events | Leave a Commentby Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz with the blog faculty
Source: Satellite Today
After multiple delays, the approval and merger of the Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio should be approved by the end of July, Tom Watts, an analyst with Cowen and Co., said in a July 14 research report. The combination was approved in March…read more.
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