Space Products and Services
Governance, Education, and Infrastructure
Canadian Coast Guard Communications
Remote outposts and naval vessels also can benefit from the high bandwidth mobile communication network offered by satellites. In 2006, the Canadian Coast Guard selected Telesat to provide ship-to-shore communications…
Emergency Satellite Phones Aid in Disaster Management
Natural disasters often disable vital terrestrial communication networks. In these instances, telecommunications satellites can preserve communication within a devastated area. Satellite phones provide instant communication infrastructure for first responders and…
Brazil Uses Satellite Network for Rural Schools
Satellite communications enable a growing number of distance learning and tele-education programs. In 2007, the Brazilian education network, enabled by Hughes Network Systems’ HughesNet, completed rollout in the state of…
Searching For Downed Aircraft With Satellite Imagery
In September 2007, a search-and-rescue mission for missing aviator Steve Fossett was aided by volunteers who never left their homes. Instead of combing forests and mountains, these searchers scanned digital…
Students Get GPS Phones
In response to the tragic events at Virginia Tech in the spring of 2007, several colleges have begun distributing GPS phones with tracking devices to students. In response to the…
How Safe a Driver Are You? GPS Might Answer that Question
Vehicle tracking technologies are developing in sophistication to support consumer safety applications. A number of automakers now provide in-vehicle GPS devices that can monitor location, speed, use of safety belts,…
You Can Run, But Hiding…
Police use GPS technology in a number of novel applications. Embedded GPS chips are replacing exploding dye packs as a more efficient way to foil bank robbers in some U.S.…
Shuttle Stress Analyzers Relieve Infrastructure Strain
Several product lines of fiber optic-based stress and strain analyzers have been created from a NASA technology spinoff developed to monitor structural strain on the Space Shuttle. The technology is…
Enhancing Medical Education with Satellite Broadband
The VideoSat for Distance Learning program leverages satellite broadband and broadcast capabilities to provide continuing medical education. The new system, under development in 2008 by ESA and industry partners, aims…
Pinpointing Pollution Prior to Olympics
Beijing Olympic organizers used remote sensing data from a U.S. satellite to analyze aerosol levels in and around Beijing before the games. The data enabled researchers to pinpoint reasons for…