Search:  

 
 
   News
newer
story category Europe's 'Super Satellite'
European enginners get to work on Alphasat I-XL
(old news - 08:45AM Monday Nov 26 2007)
tags: satellite · hardware · alternatives · world · networking
Latency will always be a problem with satellite broadband, but satellite operator Inmarsat and the European Space Agency say they've started developing a new bird that offers five times the capacity of existing satellites. According to the EETimes, the new satellite will be one of the largest and most sophisticated ever built. Some additional detail on the Alphasat I-XL from the original press release:
Alphasat I-XL will feature a new generation digital signal processor for the payload, and a 12-metre aperture antenna reflector. The spacecraft will have a launch mass of more than 6,000kg at launch, an electrical power of 12kW. Planned for launch in 2012, Alphasat I-XL has a design lifetime of 15 years.

Related:
  1. Nokia LTE Wireless Tests Surpass 100Mbps
  2. Eye-phone: Information at your Fingertips
  3. Netgear Offers Open Source WGR614L
  4. How To Tether The 3G iPhone
  5. Sprint Launches Airave Service
  6. The Year For FemtoCells is 2010
  7. Friday Morning Links
  8. Monday Morning Links
Forums » Europe's 'Super Satellite'
view: topics flat text 
Post a:

ztmike
1kwikgt
Premium
join:2001-08-02
·Comcast
·AT&T Midwest


edit:
November 26th, @10:21AM

Shows what i know..me=dumb

I thought satellites that were released in space never die unless something dies that couldn't be possibly fixed?

Unless something that dies that keeps it in orbit..
--
"I am the worst president in U.S history, I'm either stupid or dumb most of the time, but people still believe me." George W. Bush

voiplover
Premium
join:2004-05-28
Portsmouth, NH
·Axvoice

Re: Shows what i know..me=dumb

Space dust hitting the satellite at thousands of miles per hour puts holes in all kind of things.
The first satellites suffered solder hairs that grow rapidly in a vacuum environment....

wolfox
Gentle Wolfox

join:2002-11-27
Fayetteville, AR

Re: Shows what i know..me=dumb

Satellites carry a finite amount of compressed gasses on-board that are used through it's lifetime to correct it's place in space. Especially on geo-synchronous birds. When they run out of spritz, they fall from orbit and die.
--
The RIAA killed my legal webcast. Sadly it will never be mourned...

drjim
Premium,MVM
join:2000-06-13
Torrance, CA
clubs:

Re: Shows what i know..me=dumb

They don't "fall from orbit". When the onboard consumables get low, they let it drift North-South for a while, and then use the remaining fuel to boost it up and out to a graveyard orbit. About half the lift-off weight is fuel, and about 90% of that is used for North-South station-keeping. Once they're in the proper orbit, they drift very little East-West.
--
One man's Magic is another man's Engineering.

aaron8301
I can't get myself to go away.

join:2005-01-03
Clarkston, WA

Re: Shows what i know..me=dumb

Since they're solar powered, couldn't they be maneuvered via electric means?

Healbot
Premium
join:2003-07-16
Vancouver, WA
·Comcast

Re: Shows what i know..me=dumb

said by aaron8301 See Profile :

Since they're solar powered, couldn't they be maneuvered via electric means?
I don't think an electric motor can spin air that doesn't exist.

aaron8301
I can't get myself to go away.

join:2005-01-03
Clarkston, WA

Re: Shows what i know..me=dumb

Oh sure, you just HAVE to bring up stupid laws of physics... ugh!

drjim
Premium,MVM
join:2000-06-13
Torrance, CA
clubs:

Well...."kinda-sorta". Hughes (now Boeing) invented the "XIPS" Xenon-Ion-Propulsion-System which uses electric power to produce a plasma from Xenon liquid. It's very efficient, but still relies on having a tank of *something* to use. Eventually, you run out of "stuff" to use, which renders an otherwise "good" satellite defunct.
--
One man's Magic is another man's Engineering.

N10Cities
Is it quittin' time yet?

join:2002-05-07
Podunk, AR
clubs:
·World Lynx
·Cox HSI


edit:
November 28th, @07:46AM

Re: Shows what i know..me=dumb

said by drjim See Profile :

Well...."kinda-sorta". Hughes (now Boeing) invented the "XIPS" Xenon-Ion-Propulsion-System which uses electric power to produce a plasma from Xenon liquid. It's very efficient, but still relies on having a tank of *something* to use. Eventually, you run out of "stuff" to use, which renders an otherwise "good" satellite defunct.
---
bogey780

join:2004-03-19
Covington, LA
I don't know if this is the reason but this bird uses 12kW of juice. I imagine the hardiest of powerplants still needs some maintenance.

inteller
Sociopaths always win.

join:2003-12-08
Tulsa, OK

can't wait to see this fireworks show.

Europe doesn't have a very good history launching birds into orbit. Can't wait to watch this roman candle go up.
Lineage

join:2006-10-19
USA

Must you call it broadband?

Satellite is not broadband... it is just internet. Just like you wouldn't refer to dialup internet as "Dialup Broadband"
Brigrat

join:2003-09-01
Lovington, NM

Re: Must you call it broadband?

Just out of curiosity, why do you think it is not broadband? it has the same throughput and bandwidth of DSL in many areas, albeit with higher latency?
Lineage

join:2006-10-19
USA
·PeoplePC
·1and1
·EarthLink

Re: Must you call it broadband?

Broadband in my book:

To be broadband, it must:

- Have data speeds comparable to DSL, Cable etc
- Have latency comparable to decent quality DSL, cable etc (on this, satellite fails)
- Have stability comparable to decent quality DSL, cable etc, which is in my experience with both around 95% uptime (on this, satellite fails: watch it die in fog, rain, snow, sleet, cloud cover, and when you accidentally bump the dish)
- Have stable speeds (on this, satellite fails except at 2am)
- Have priceing comparable to DSL, cable etc (on this, satellite fails: $700+ install anyone? Not to mention from what I've heard from alot of satellite users here, first install usally fails)

Piggie
Frying Noises in My Brain
Premium
join:2005-11-23
Orange Springs, FL
·HughesNet Satellit..
·Windstream

said by Lineage See Profile :

Satellite is not broadband... it is just internet. Just like you wouldn't refer to dialup internet as "Dialup Broadband"


EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!
bogey780

join:2004-03-19
Covington, LA

Re: Must you call it broadband?

Well broadband had a term before the internet came about. It was then co-opted by the internet crowd.

MysticGogeta
The Robot Devil
Premium
join:2005-03-14
League City, TX
clubs:
·Comcast

Well as much as I dislike the FCC I will use their definition

The term broadband commonly refers to high-speed Internet access. The FCC defines broadband service as data transmission speeds exceeding 200 kilobits per second (Kbps), or 200,000 bits per second, in at least one direction: downstream (from the Internet to the user’s computer) or upstream (from the user’s computer to the Internet).

This satellite will deliver plenty more then this so it is broadband internet. Dialup is 56 kilobits per second hence not referred to as broadband according to the FCC and is generally accepted to not be called broadband.
--
Team Discovery-Join the fight
jfmezei
Premium
join:2007-01-03
Beaconsfield, QC
·TekSavvy Solutions..

Re: Must you call it broadband?

The original definition of broadband was the use a medium (such as coax) with have multible separate channels, each operating at different frequency ranges.

This was in contrast with baseband where the medium had one channel encompassing a single frequency range and multiple users shared that one channel either in time division or stat mux.

your residential cable is considered boadband because it carried different channels of information on different frequency ranges. (your analogue TV channels, each on different frequencies, as well as internet service also in its own frequency range).

The term "broadband" for internet came from the fact that the first high speed internet service came from the cable companies whose media (the coax) is used in a broadband fashion.

"broadband" for internet was probably coined by mistake by clueless bimbos on news^H^H^H^Hentertainment channels like CNN etc and the term stuck.

Not all coax is broadband. 3270 terminals used baseband coax, as did ethernet when it was on coax (thin and thick wire).

mobile phones are hybrids. They have multiple channels, each occupying a different frequency range, but each channel also multiplexes different connections (GSM with time division, CDMA with collision detection/retransmission).

Boradband was genereally meant to say that the medium useed a wider spectrum of frequencies versus baseband that used a narrower range of frequencies.
NightHawke

join:2002-02-28
Rockport, TX

That's a Big Bird

When Arianne lofts this one to orbit, it'll break records for the largest single unmanned payload from ground to GEO.

One fun problem they are going to have with this design is the hardening of the processors. I'm certain that it'll be a robust design with plenty of fault tolerance built in.

hayabusa3303
Over 200 mph
Premium
join:2005-06-29
clubs:

Re: That's a Big Bird

Arianne 5 will have to be the rocket of choice here.

netwire
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Mooresboro, NC
·Millenicom
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Vonage
·WildBlue

Why Bother?

I've had WildBlue in the past, that is until I discovered that EV-DO was in my area (and I live in the sticks). With EV-DO expanding so quickly what is the point of expanding Satellite at all? Besides, the latency is too high for it to be very useful to many people and the cost is way to high!
--
Dell Inspiron 6000 (x1), Dell Inspiron 531s (x1), PowerBook TI 1GHz (x1), Emachine W3506 (x1), Home-made AMD 2600+ (x1) =+=+=+= Connected to the web via Sprint EV-DO Rev. A
voipdabbler

join:2006-04-27
Kalispell, MT

You're in the sticks on the east coast--makes a big differen

netwire,

You're fortunate because you live in "sticks" located on the super-densely populated east coast. Those of us in "sticks" farther west are just lucky to be able to get a cellular signal once and a while, let alone EV-DO. (There are still large areas near me where there is absolutely no cellular coverage.) EV-DO will never be built up out in the large, less-populated west. Outside large urban populations in the west, you'll only possibly see EV-DO along highways.

TMMerlin
The Devil made me do it

join:2003-06-19
Oxford, MI

Re: You're in the sticks on the east coast--makes a big differen

Hummm ...wasn't there a Pony Express braodband once upon a time ?

aaron8301
I can't get myself to go away.

join:2005-01-03
Clarkston, WA
·CableOne

said by voipdabbler See Profile :

Those of us in "sticks" farther west are just lucky to be able to get a cellular signal once and a while, let alone EV-DO. (There are still large areas near me where there is absolutely no cellular coverage.) EV-DO will never be built up out in the large, less-populated west. Outside large urban populations in the west, you'll only possibly see EV-DO along highways.
I second that, here in rural Washington (yes, you Easterners, Washington is a STATE). That's why Satellite TV and radio are so popular here, too.
Brigrat

join:2003-09-01
Lovington, NM
I live in a super rural area of SE New Mexico, and Alltel offers EVDO here...

batterup
I Can Not Tell A Lie.
Premium
join:2003-02-06
Netcong, NJ
clubs:

Question?

What was the name of the company that launched the first communication satellite. It just doesn't ring a BELL.
Forums » Europe's 'Super Satellite'


Tuesday, 07-Oct 05:33:01 Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Hosting by www.nac.net - DSL,Hosting & Co-lo | feedback | contact
over 9 years online! © 1999-2008 dslreports.com.republican-creole