APSCC Monthly E-Newsletter March 2021
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APSCC Monthly e‐Newsletter March 2021 The Asia‐Pacific Satellite Communications Council (APSCC) e‐Newsletter is produced on a monthly basis as part of APSCC’s information services for members and professionals in the satellite industry. Subscribe to the APSCC monthly newsletter and be updated with the latest satellite industry news as well as APSCC activities! To renew your subscription, please visit www.apscc.or.kr. To unsubscribe, send an email to [email protected] with a title “Unsubscribe.” News in this issue has been collected from February 1 to February 28. INSIDE APSCC APSCC 2021 Webinar Series: LIVE Every Tuesday 9AM HK l Singapore Time The most frequent and largest ongoing virtual conference in the Asia Pacific satellite community – the APSCC 2021 Webinar Series incorporates industry veterans, local players, as well as new market entrants in a single event to reach a wide-ranging audience. The APSCC 2021 Webinar Series continues to play a vital role in supporting the industry in the Asia Pacific region and beyond with a brand-new format, a lengthened timeline, and a potentially unlimited reach. Register now and get access to the complete APSCC 2021 Webinar Series with a single password. To register go to https://apsccsat.com. SATELLITE BUSINESS Financial Closing for the SATRIA Indonesian Telecommunication Broadband Satellite to Reduce the Digital Divide over Indonesia February 26, 2021 - Satelit Nusantara Tiga (SNT) and Thales Alenia Space announce today the financial closing to fully develop the SATRIA program dedicated to reduce the digital divide over Indonesia. This crucial milestone follows the September 2020 signature of a Preliminary Work Agreement allowing to start the activities. Thales Alenia Space, acting as prime contractor for this program, initially signed on July 2019 for a consortium led by the domestic satellite operator Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN) on behalf of Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo), will deliver the High Throughput Satellite (HTS) based on its Spacebus NEO 200 full electric platform and fitted with a fifth- generation digital processor (5G). The company will also be in charge to provide two satellite control centers (main and backup), the telecommand and telemetry stations, and the ground mission segment linked to the fully processed payload. Since early September, the company has implemented all the planned contractual steps so far, including the preliminary design phases and has started the fabrication of the structure hosting the payload’s equipment. The SNT consortium as well as Kominfo are actively involved in all these phases taking advantage from now from the operational flexibility offered by the fifth- generation digital processor embarked on SATRIA. The full Ka-band SATRIA satellite, to be positioned at 146°E, will carry more than 150 gigabits per second over the full Indonesian territory. Dedicated to narrow the digital divide, SATRIA has the ambition to connect around 145,000 areas including 90,000 schools, 40,000 hospitals and public buildings as well as regional government sites not linked by existing satellite or terrestrial infrastructure. The satellite will contribute to the digital infrastructure developments in Indonesia counting more than 17,500 islands. ST Engineering Geo‐Insights and NUS‐CRISP Join Forces to Co‐Develop Advanced Remote Sensing and Geospatial Imagery Analytics Solutions February 25, 2021 - ST Engineering announced that its earth observation and geospatial analysis business, ST Engineering Geo-Insights, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP) on the joint research and development, and commercialisation of advanced remote sensing technologies and geospatial imagery analytics solutions. These have global commercial applications in enabling smart and sustainable cities especially in areas such as urban planning, mega infrastructure development, maritime safety and security, environmental monitoring, as well as agricultural growth tracking. Under the MOU, both parties will co-develop advanced remote sensing solutions leveraging CRISP’s unique intellectual properties, artificial intelligence and big data analytics, and collaborate on the commercialisation of these solutions in Singapore and in overseas markets. In addition, a geospatial imagery data hub will be set up to provide satellite imagery access to a wider pool of geospatial developers. This will help to accelerate the APSCC Monthly e‐Newsletter 1 March 2021 development of novel geospatial platforms and applications, and foster a vibrant local geospatial ecosystem. KVH Partners with Smart Ship Hub for KVH Watch Maritime IoT Solution February 25, 2021 - KVH Industries, Inc., announced that remote vessel and voyage management platform Smart Ship© Hub is now a KVH Watch® Solution Partner and will offer KVH Watch services as part of its wide range of remote technical and operational management solutions. The Smart Ship Hub platform provides performance advisory and predictive diagnostics for vessel performance optimization as well as remote video-based maintenance and surveys and a wide range of related services that rely on real-time data feeds. KVH Watch is an IoT Connectivity as a Service solution that provides Flow, secure 24/7/365 machine-to-cloud satellite connectivity for remote monitoring of onboard equipment plus the ability to perform on-demand Remote Expert Interventions using video, voice, or text via KVH’s global HTS network. KVH Watch is designed for maritime equipment manufacturers, multicard service providers, and shipyards seeking affordable monthly subscription-based connectivity that L-band and cellular services cannot deliver at deep sea. SES Networks to Power Ultimate Guest Connectivity Experience on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady February 24, 2021 - SES Networks has announced today that it is working with Virgin Voyages to provide its fleet with the industry’s leading high-speed, low-latency connectivity. The ultra-modern Wi-Fi service will be free for every sailor. That’s pretty fly for Wi-Fi! Virgin Voyages’ Lady Ships will boast incredible speeds, unprecedented reliability, and all the bandwidth passengers could possibly need thanks to SES Networks’ satellite-enabled Signature Cruise Solution. Sailors on board the fleet will be able to stream their favourite HD movies, game online without lag, and seamlessly keep posting to the ‘gram while living for the moment and getting their full dose of Vitamin Sea. SES Networks’ Signature Cruise Solution is an end-to-end service that combines SES’s low-latency O3b satellite constellation, its upcoming next- generation O3b mPOWER system and its highly reliable geostationary (GEO) fleet to ensure seamless connectivity across the globe. Both O3b and O3b mPOWER systems are operating in the medium earth orbit, around 8,000km above earth’s surface. The O3b mPOWER, when operational in 2022, will deliver significant increase of flexibility and throughput, and can deliver multiple gigabits per second to any Virgin Voyage ship sailing anywhere on earth during seasonal peaks and in areas of high density. Comtech Awarded Fast Tracking Ground Station Antenna System Contract from NASA February 24, 2021 - Comtech Telecommunications announced today that its Mission-Critical Technologies group’s Space & Component Technology Division, which is part of Comtech’s Government Solutions segment, was awarded a contract from NASA’s Glenn Research Center for a Ka/S-band antenna system and radome to be installed at its new Aerospace Communications Facility in Cleveland, OH, supporting high bandwidth space and aeronautics communications research. Yahsat Enters Into Two Strategic Partnerships to Deploy Mission Ready Defense Vehicular Systems February 24, 2021 - Al Yah Satellite Communications Company has announced that its dedicated government arm, Yahsat Government Solutions, has signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) – one with NIMR, the leading manufacturer of combat-proven wheeled military vehicles and the other with L3Harris Technologies, the global aerospace and defense technology innovator – during the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX 2021) in Abu Dhabi. With this announcement, Yahsat has further cemented its leadership as a provider of satellite-enabled Comms-On-The-Move (COTM) solutions for ground defense vehicular mounted systems. The two separate MoUs with NIMR and L3Harris underpin Yahsat’s commitment to service excellence when fulfilling the needs of its customers and the communities it serves. They pave the way for Yahsat and its technology partners to provide an exclusive suite of offerings for key defense and civil government customers, backed by round-the-clock maintenance and support. Yahsat’s ready-to-deploy solutions unlock countless opportunities for defense users, supporting a wide array of land-based applications, ranging from Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance to Border Control and Beyond Line of Sight (BLoS) operations. UK and Australia Signed New ‘Space Bridge’ Partnership February 23, 2021 - New Space Bridge will unlock improved access to trade, investment and academic research opportunities, better advice to businesses and innovative bilateral collaborations. The UK and Australia share future ambitions for space and have similar plans to increase the size and job creation potential of the sector. This agreement