Ball Aerospace OMPS Commences Data Collection on NPP Satellite

Ball Aerospace & Technologies’ Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) has begun collecting Earthview image science and solar calibration data onboard the U.S. National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite.

The NPP satellite was launched in October. OMPS is one of five instruments onboard the NPP’s bus, which completed commissioning in November. OMPS data aims to provide the U.S. government with ozone layer date to help determine if synthetic chemicals are affecting the Earth’s climate. Ball Aerospace said that all five instruments would be returning scientific data before the end of January.

Q-Kon Upgrades Network with iDirect iDX 3.0 Software

African satellite network operator Q-Kon has upgraded its system to run on iDirect’s iDX 3.0 software.

Q-Kon said the upgrade aims to enable the company to integrate TDMA and SCPC connectivity on a single network and offer an efficient and scalable VSAT solution for African enterprise service providers.

SES Deploys Emergency Satellite Communications Service in South Sudan

SES successfully deployed its Emergency.lu communication service in Bentiu and Maban, South Sudan and has launched full operations in the field.

Emergency.lu is a rapid communications solution for global disaster relief and humanitarian missions, developed and implemented as a public-private partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg and a consortium of Luxembourg companies SES TechCom, Hitec and Luxembourg Air Rescue.

Spacecom Amos-5 Enters Service

Spacecom has launched commercial service on its Amos-5 satellite after the spacecraft successfully completed in-orbit testing.

Amos-5 was built by ISS Reshetnev and launched in mid-December. The satellite is equipped with a C- and Ku-band payload to carry African broadcast and data communications services. The satellite’s pan-African C-band covers the entire continent while its three Ku-band beams provide coverage over the Francophone, Central and Southern Africa regions.