SpaceBoomerang has finally signed up to Twitter. For those who are interested in following all of my posts when they're uploaded, head on over to Twitter and search for me, or click on the link at the bottom of my blog.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
SpaceBoomerang on Twitter
SpaceBoomerang has finally signed up to Twitter. For those who are interested in following all of my posts when they're uploaded, head on over to Twitter and search for me, or click on the link at the bottom of my blog.
NBNCo Satellite Details due out within a month
In what is seen as one of the biggest satellite contracts in Australia for several years, NBNCo has indicated that information about the upcoming NBNCo Satellites tender will be out within the next month.
Following the recent hung parliament, where broadband to the bush featured heavily in the independents decision to back the Gillard Labor Government, the satellite will form a key pillar of the NBNCo network - particularly to those who live beyond the economic reach of the planned fibre network.
Mike Quigley, CEO of the NBNCo, has recently told the Commsday conference in Melbourne, that the NBNCo corporate plan and business model will be provided to the government by the end of the week, who are likely to release selected information, including some costings and a roll-out timetable "in the near future".
As reported in my blog here, on July 14th this year, NBNCo announced that they would be spending $1 Billion Australian to Build, Launch and Operate 2 Ka-Band Communications Satellites to service the needs of Australians who cannot cost effectively receive other communications services.
Following the recent hung parliament, where broadband to the bush featured heavily in the independents decision to back the Gillard Labor Government, the satellite will form a key pillar of the NBNCo network - particularly to those who live beyond the economic reach of the planned fibre network.
Mike Quigley, CEO of the NBNCo, has recently told the Commsday conference in Melbourne, that the NBNCo corporate plan and business model will be provided to the government by the end of the week, who are likely to release selected information, including some costings and a roll-out timetable "in the near future".
As reported in my blog here, on July 14th this year, NBNCo announced that they would be spending $1 Billion Australian to Build, Launch and Operate 2 Ka-Band Communications Satellites to service the needs of Australians who cannot cost effectively receive other communications services.
Australia signs up with Bigelow Aerospace
According to Leonard David's space.com article found here, Australia is one of six nations that has signed a memorandum of understanding with Bigelow Aerospace. Whilst there are currently no details of what the memorandum of understanding may involve, it is a very interesting move for Australia - prior to the release of the upcoming National Space Policy. At this point, I can only speculate that it might be a way to develop Australian Astronauts or Australian Space research, at a fraction of the price involved in signing up to the International Space Station.
Bigelow Aerospace, which was founded in 1998 by Robert Bigelow owner of the Budget Suites of America aims to put inflatable habitable modules in space, and rent that space to governments, scientists and tourists alike at a price far below those of the International Space Station.
The other nations that have signed up to memorandums of understanding with Bigelow Aerospace include Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
Australia testifies to the UN about the importance of Space
David Windsor - Australia's acting deputy permanent representative to the UN in addressing the "Crisis Management Landscape Evolving, Fourth Committee" said that "Space had increasingly become an integral part of everyday life. Benefits derived from space applications had transformed the way people looked at their environment and planet, ways of communicating and interacting, and how people move from one place to another, dramatically increasing safety, security, accuracy, predictability and convenience in daily life."
He went on to point out that Australia was reliant on others for satellites and launch facilities, but that Australia was in the process of developing a national space policy - which would lay out a vision of Australia's future space efforts. He also identified how important environmental monitoring has become for climate change, deforestation, landslides and droughts, and comment on the success of the Sentinel Asia early warning system within the region.
David also noted that Australia uses space-based technology to support many neighbouring countries in our region, including Geoscience Australia's use of high resolution multi-spectral data from the "Quickbird" Satellites - as part of a comprehensive tsunami risk assessment.
It is clear that Australia is stepping up its involvement in the space sector - and most importantly, there is an increasing knowledge and understanding within the Australian Government of the benefits that Space Technologies bring to Australia.
He went on to point out that Australia was reliant on others for satellites and launch facilities, but that Australia was in the process of developing a national space policy - which would lay out a vision of Australia's future space efforts. He also identified how important environmental monitoring has become for climate change, deforestation, landslides and droughts, and comment on the success of the Sentinel Asia early warning system within the region.
David also noted that Australia uses space-based technology to support many neighbouring countries in our region, including Geoscience Australia's use of high resolution multi-spectral data from the "Quickbird" Satellites - as part of a comprehensive tsunami risk assessment.
It is clear that Australia is stepping up its involvement in the space sector - and most importantly, there is an increasing knowledge and understanding within the Australian Government of the benefits that Space Technologies bring to Australia.
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