COMSAT Wins Contract to Support United States Antarctic Program; Agreement Will Provide Satellite Communications for South Pole Station.Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 22, 2000 COMSAT Comsat: see Communications Satellite Corporation; communications satellite. (COMSAT General Corporation, Bethesda, MD) Formerly Communications Satellite Corporation, COMSAT was a private company that was created by the U.S. General, a subsidiary of COMSAT Corporation, announced today that it has signed an agreement to provide satellite data communications data communications, application of telecommunications technology to the problem of transmitting data, especially to, from, or between computers. In popular usage, it is said that data communications make it possible for one computer to "talk" with another. to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is a U.S. research station at the South Pole, in Antarctica. located at the center of Antarctica. The U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare naval warfare Military operations conducted on, under, or over the sea and waged against other seagoing vessels or targets on land or in the air. The earliest naval attacks were raids by the armed men of a tribe or town using fishing boats or merchant ships. Systems Center in Charleston, SC signed the agreement, on behalf of the National Science Foundation (NSF NSF - National Science Foundation ). The contract is for one year and includes four one-year options, with the potential for service through May 2005. The communications services to be performed by COMSAT will supplement coverage provided by several other government satellites, and is expected to significantly improve the quality of communications for the scientists and staff working in the physical isolation of the South Pole. The additional satellite data communications provided under this agreement will enable scientists to transfer, rapidly and efficiently, the large amounts of scientific data gathered each day in the year-round research performed at the South Pole. The additional satellite service is one of several electronics and communications improvements being made at the South Pole Station. The location of the Amundsen-Scott Station at the earth's axis allows for long-term astronomical observations impossible anywhere else on the earth. Also, the unique geographic and climatic conditions - which include high altitude, extreme cold and very dry air - make the station an unparalleled platform for astronomy and astrophysics Astronomy and astrophysics may refer to:
Astronomy and Astrophysics (abbreviated as A&A . The research includes studies probing the early history of the universe, as well as the study of space weather, sunspots sunspots, dark, usually irregularly shaped spots on the sun's surface that are actually solar magnetic storms. The Chinese recorded dark features on the sun seen with the naked eye in 28 B.C. , solar winds and upper atmospheric (ozone layer) research. The agreement is the second part of a two-phase project. The first phase began in February with the relocation by COMSAT General of the MARISAT- F2 satellite to a new geosynchronous orbit location over the Atlantic Ocean where it can support the data communications requirements of the NSF South Pole Station. This repositioning is expected to be complete by the end of August. MARISAT MARISAT Maritime Communications Satellite MARISAT Maritime Satellite System F-2, launched October 14, 1976, is the last of the three dual-payload satellites designed for use by the U.S. Navy and the commercial shipping industry. It is the oldest commercial communications satellite in the world still in service. The three-satellite MARISAT system served as the initial Inmarsat space configuration. To enable service with the South Pole over the MARISAT F-2, COMSAT will use the satellite gateway facilities located at its teleport in Clarksburg, Md. The gateway and antenna will support two-way data rates in excess of 2 Mbps for U.S.-to-South Pole communications needs. "COMSAT was chosen because we have the technical capabilities and the expertise to support fully the unique communications needs of the Amundsen-Scott research station," said John Klingelhoeffer, vice president and general manager of COMSAT General. "Our service will be used in concert with other satellites to supplement the critical communications links to the South Pole and will provide scientists with worldwide access to scientific data, the Internet, as well as operational and technical communications with NSF facilities in the U.S." COMSAT General is a wholly owned subsidiary Wholly Owned Subsidiary A subsidiary whose parent company owns 100% of its common stock. Notes: In other words, the parent company owns the company outright and there are no minority owners. of COMSAT Corporation and provides satellite-based communications services for commercial, government and international organizations. COMSAT Corporation (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :CQ), headquartered in Bethesda, Md., is a leading provider of global satellite services and digital networking services, products, and technology. |
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