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Elecnor Deimos commitment to quality and continuous improvement has been recognized with new ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certifications, which correspond with the latest versions of these standards.

The renewal of these certificates comes following a complete upgrading and optimization of the Elecnor Deimos Corporate Management System (CMS), and after the third-party audits carried out in November 2016 by Bureau Veritas Certification, a global leader in certification services.

“We are fully devoted to achieving the excellence in our daily work, focused on the continual improvement of our processes, in order to offer the best products and services to our customers. We are always seeking for the maximum efficiency and quality, while taking care of the environmental aspects of our activities. We really trust on ISO standards as the best framework for managing and improving our quality and environment management system” says Luis Castillo Zugasti, Director of Quality at Elecnor Deimos.

The renewal of these certificates comes following a complete upgrading and optimization of the Elecnor Deimos Corporate Management System

ISO 9001:2015 sets out the criteria for a quality management system. The standard is based on a number of quality management principles including a strong customer focus, a processes management approach, the leadership of top management and a culture of risks and opportunities management. These principles help to ensure that customers get their requirements and expectations consistently fulfilled with the delivery of top quality products and services.

The standard ISO 14001:2015 maps out a framework that a company can follow to set up an effective environmental management system for minimizing the environmental impact of its activities through a rational and efficient use of resources and the minimization and proper management of the waste generated, ensuring compliance with the environmental law and applicable guidelines for pollution prevention and continuous improvement of environmental performance.

Since the obtainment of its first certification in the year 2005, Elecnor Deimos has sustained its efforts to comply with each version of the ISO standards, since its early versions. The International Organization for Standardization, ISO, is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 163 national standards bodies. It brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.

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The Vendée Globe is the only solo, non-stop, without assistance sailboat race around the world.

The Vendée Globe is the only solo, non-stop, without assistance sailboat race around the world.

Nicknamed “Everest of seas”, only 71 sailors under 138 managed to reach the fish line since its creation.

This figure is showing how difficult this worldwide event is, in which sailors are facing extreme cold, huge waves and threatening sky across the great south.

Extremes conditions involve exceptional means. The race department asks CLS, Collecte Localisation Satellite, a CNES subsidiary, to watch this modern times adventurer from space.

Vendee Globe on live

A race monitored by satellite

Thanks to CLS, sailboats are monitored by satellites throughout the Vendée Globe race.

Each boat is equipped with “MAR YI” a locator and assistance beacon. These beacons are constantly sending messages allowing to track the boat. Thanks to this location, the PC course can rank sailors, provide a map to the public and can also improve skippers safety at sea.

Threatening iceberg detected from space

CLS provides the Vendée Globe its knowledge in processing satellites datas in radar imagery, altimetric/elevation datas (sea level), and ocean currents models to detect iceberg and to prevent ice drift throughout the Antarctica.

On-the-alert 24/7 spatial data center, based in Toulouse and Brest

CLS provides its best teams to serve the race and its safety. Toulouse data center collects datas from nearly 130 satellites. Among these satellites, some of them help to get a real-time location of skippers, to detect threatening icebergs, to collect seas conditions (temperature, currents, etc.) and to get key information to predict dangerous ice drift.

http://course.cls.fr
http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/
Press contact:
Amélie PROUST
aproust@cls.fr
+33 (0) 6 62 80 45 92

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BOREADES is the first French integrated systems targeting illegal drones, developed by CS Communication & Systèmes. It addresses the need expressed by the SGDSN in the framework of the project funded by the ANR (French National Research Agency)

  • Detecting drones, identifying and tracking drones
  • Neutralizing and recovering drones
  • Locating remote pilots

The BOREADES system is able to jam and decoy the drone’s navigation system, making it possible to take control, to select the recovery point, and above all to estimate the location of the remote pilot.

BOREADES is a high-performance scalable multi-sensor and multi-effector system, mainly based on civilian technologies with a very low Total Cost of Ownership. BOREADES is built around a ruggedized console and has 3 core functions:

  • DETECT – short/mid/long-range radar, day/night cameras and UHD video
  • IDENTIFY – spot incoming threats and track them
  • NEUTRALIZE – Counter the threats by jamming and spoofing the remote control and navigation systems.

The hardened real-time supervision system is based on an unique command & control system and a crisis management module developed by CS Group.

Thanks to its flexibility and scalability, BOREADES is available in multiple fixed or deployable configurations, including vehicle integration, designed for civilian or military needs, for the security of critical areas or events protection.

BOREADES: an operational French system to detect & neutralize malicious drones flights
CS has managed the project and is in charge of the integration and supervision of the system. It is supported by:

  • HGH for day/night panoramic thermal detection abilities
  • FLIR Systems for radar detection and day/night optical identification turrets
  • MC2 Technologies for the electromagnetic jamming solution
  • SPECTRACOM for drone navigation neutralization system and location of remote pilot.

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AnsuR strengthens Disaster Risk Reduction with IGAD/ICPAC AnsuR Technologies is proud to have won a contract for IGAD (The Intergovernmental Authority on Development) to strengthening the capacity and awareness of IGAD member states in the use of geospatial technologies for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).

The Greater Horn of Africa (GHA) is prone to droughts and floods related to climate extreme events. These disasters have severe negative impacts on key socio-economic sectors of all the countries in the sub-region.

IGAD is an eight-country trade bloc in east Africa. It includes Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.

The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), is one of the specialized institutions of IGAD, with the active participation of the member states, has been involved in consultative work to strengthen the Regional Disaster Preparedness and resilience building.

The contract will implement an IGAD disaster monitoring and reporting mechanism in ICPAC through the IGAD-ASIGN tool. The ASIGN server enables rapid mapping and Live Maps, as it was developed with UNOSAT over the last years. The Live Maps server is hosted by UNITAR-UNOSAT in Geneva and will be transferred to IGAD as part of capacity development on DRR.

AnsuR Technologies AS presents a world-class solution for Governments in their efforts to manage a country’s disaster and environmental challenges. Communication and situational awareness is critical to the success of any disaster response and emergency operation. We have been integrating our ASIGN solution with UN (UNOSAT) since 2008, and currently evolving in the GEO-VISION project, co-funded by the European Commission.

For more information contact:
Dr. Harald Skinnemoen
Founder Managing Director and Chairman
AnsuR Technologies
Mobile: (+47) 928 466 51 / Office: (+47) 64 00 94 56
E-mail: harald@ansur.no / Skype: harald.skinnemoen / Web: www.ansur.no
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As of 1 December 2016, the EU-funded business accelerator KATANA is searching for ambitious entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs with a great vision for the future of agribusiness.

Addressing agrifood, ICT and emerging industries, KATANA provides the best 100 applicants with 2,000 € funding while the best 10 teams in terms of market attractiveness and performance will be granted 100,000 € each. In addition to that, participants receive business services worth 20,000 € including 14 pan-European matchmaking events, a three days onsite Bootcamp as well as an international Investment Forum.

  • What? Financial support up to 100,000 €, business services and coaching worth 20,000 €.
  • Who? Single entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs from agribusiness, ICT and specific
    emerging industries (eco-industries, mobile services and personalised health).
  • When? 1 December to 28 February
  • How? Shoot a two minutes pitch video that highlights: Your background and experience
    Your understanding of the dynamics in the agrifood value chain Your vision for the agrifood sector

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Agroapps P.C. site

The European Space Agency (ESA) is backing a DHI and Proteus Geo project to advance satellite-derived bathymetry, reducing the need for costly physical surveys.

Obtaining bathymetry data – traditionally with the use of boats – is a costly and time-consuming process. In addition, access can be difficult or even dangerous in remote areas. Over the last three years, DHI has been working in partnership with Proteus Geo to make use of satellite imagery to produce a product that seeks to address traditional constraints. With this new project, we are seeking to develop an off-the-shelf service in collaboration with Digital Globe – a world leader in high quality and detailed satellite imagery.

A repository of satellite-derived bathymetry data

In many areas of the world, historic charts are the primary source of bathymetry information. Some of these charts are based on original lead line surveys from the 1800s which often excluded the very nearshore zone.

ESA has recently awarded Proteus Geo and DHI with a project to improve the efficiency of the data processing chain and encourage the wider use of this source of vital information by developing a repository of satellite-derived bathymetry data.

Creating satellite derived bathymetry involves the use of accurate high-resolution satellite imagery to create a dataset that reveals the water depth of both salt and fresh water coastlines.

‘The current project is based on many years of research and development within advanced satellite image based methods, that allows us to cost-effectively derive detailed information of the coastal waters. At DHI, we are very excited to bring our key knowledge into a very promising product offering.’ – Rasmus Borgstrøm, Managing Director of DHI GRAS

With ESA’s support, access to the Digital Globe imagery catalogue and the experience of Proteus Geo and DHI, the goal of mapping significant areas of the world’s coastal seas and oceans has begun.

Quick, consistent and affordable

As part of this project, we are developing an online data portal that will allow rapid access to bathymetry data to users around the world.

‘Bathymetry data is the first step in understanding any coastal site. Often, data is sparse, with limited knowledge on the provenance and accuracy, or in some locations, non-existent. Providing a repository of data that can be accessed off-the-shelf will enable that first step to be taken more quickly, improving projects in the coastal zone. ’ – Nick Elderfield, Managing Director of DHI UK

With high-resolution satellite imaging, data can be created quickly and consistently over large areas and provided for many applications, for example:

  • Port design and masterplanning
  • Marine spatial planning
  • Marine habitat mapping
  • Environmental impact studies
  • Tsunami modelling

More details will be announced at Ocean Business 2017 where DHI and Proteus Geo will be unveiling the product.

Want to know more?
Contact nje@dhigroup.com or rlb@dhigroup.com for more details.

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Now in its 9th edition, Satellite-Based Earth Observation presents an assessment of the current EO value chain and provides forecasts as to how this may evolve leading to 2025. This report presents Euroconsult’s understanding of the various factors that will drive/inhibit the growth in demand for EO satellites and solutions.

In total, eight regional markets are considered individually, along with eight different vertical markets which EO solutions may address. Consolidated figures from this individual analysis provide the high-level data displaying past trends and upcoming demand for EO solutions.

New in this edition: We have introduced valuation and forecasting of the value-added services market, including historical (2006-2015) and forecast (2016-2025) data. The value-added services market reached $3.2 billion in 2015 and is growing at a faster rate than the data market alone (11% 5-year CAGR).

Key markets for value-adding services do not mirror those for commercial data sales. Defense, while representing 61% of the commercial data market, represents only 15% of the VAS market; conversely, infrastructure projects (such as cartography, cadaster, etc.) are only 10% of the commercial data market, but 33% of the value-added market. The reasoning for this is relatively straightforward; defense end-users purchase data with much value-added analytics performed in-house.

On the other hand, lower-cost, coarser resolution and geolocation accuracy data can be leveraged with value-adding to form higher value products and services. This approach is expected in emerging location-based applications – the focus of upcoming satellite constellations. While the data may be lower-cost, it will be able to build applications based on high frequency change detection with the focus on the product or service delivery over purely data sales.

More info==

The German satellite duo TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X have consistently delivered one-of-a-kind Earth observation data since 2007 and 2010, hence shaping the international research landscape.

Now, scientific users from across the globe have gathered for the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X Science Meeting at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen, where they will discuss the results obtained from the data and define requirements for future remote sensing technology. Approximately 200 presentations between 17 and 20 October 2016 will describe state-of-the-art research, including insight from the areas of glaciology, hydrology, permafrost, sea ice, landslides, agriculture, forestry, volcanology, coastal and ocean research, geo-risks, and the methods applied to produce digital terrain models. Reporting live from the conference, the TanDEM-X Blog will present DLR talks from the Science Meeting and will outline how researchers around the world use data from the two radar satellites.

Research applications

Radar sensors are particularly important in the field of Earth observation, as they can deliver images irrespective of cloud cover and at any time of the day or night. From space, they are able to capture expansive areas of more than 100 kilometres in length. Moreover, the civilian radar satellites TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X have measured the Earth with unprecedented accuracy over the course of their missions, contributing significantly to the scientific exploitation of the data. The satellites are still in operation and may indeed continue to be in the service of science for many years.

“International research facilities and organisations have been using the data acquired thus far to analyse, among other things, natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. The strategies and measures developed on the basis of the data will become increasingly effective for the prevention or management of crises situations as the influential factors and correlations are known,” explains Achim Roth from the DLR Earth Observation Center.

Users in the area of environmental protection have shown, among other things, that they can utilise the radar satellites to observe systematic deforestation or illegal felling of woodland areas. This applies in particular to rainforests, as their sheer magnitude and the prevailing weather conditions mean they can only be satisfactorily monitored using radar sensors. Forested areas are among the key fields of scientific concern, as their vast reservoirs of biomass directly influence the greenhouse gas effect: a substantial quantity of carbon dioxide is extracted from the woodlands during removal or decomposition of vegetation. Large-scale slash-and-burn practices are particularly critical, as the carbon dioxide stored in the forests is released directly, producing a correspondingly high concentration of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In contrast, planned deforestation – for instance as a source of timber – releases the natural carbon reservoirs contained in the woodland areas over a longer period and with a significant delay.

Impact on future research

The view from space can provide precise information on the changes taking place in glaciers and ice shelves. The sometimes dramatic developments require regular monitoring and must be viewed in context with global warming. Here, the TanDEM-X elevation model is a true treasure trove of data; never before have Greenland and the Antarctic been surveyed so comprehensively and in such immense detail. Until now, the ice masses have been, from a scientific perspective, ‘expanses of white’ on a map of the world.

The polar regions present immense difficulties for radar imaging. Smooth, snow-bound surfaces do not contain any striking points of reference that would permit the superposition of several images. Moreover, an extremely precise allocation of the pixels would lead to image noise. “Our highly accurate data processing technologies here on the ground, combined with meticulous calibration of the radar instrument, allow us to observe glacier movements in the centimetre range, or to measure changes in elevation caused by ice melting in the metre range,” says Irena Hajnsek from the DLR Microwaves and Radar Institute.The global TanDEM-X elevation model has now given climate researchers and geoscientists entirely new perspectives and opportunities for research. The insight they will acquire, and how this will influence the international research community, will be key issues at this Science Meeting as well as at future gatherings.

Looking ahead: HRWS and Tandem-L

Successful operation of the satellites in formation flight and the outstanding quality of data yielded by the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X missions represent a new milestone in the history of Earth observation. Seeking to expand the German radar satellite programme, DLR has set its sights on a successor programme, HRWS (High Resolution Wide Swath), to ensure continuity in Earth observation within the proven X-band frequency range. HRWS is scheduled for launch in 2022, and DLR is also involved in intense work on a revolutionary Earth observation system with the Tandem-L mission proposal.

Tandem-L, the highly innovative radar mission, aims to acquire important environmental and meteorological data on a global scale and in high temporal resolution. In the proposed mission, two radar satellites will map the Earth’s landmass in three dimensions every eight days. This would enable timely and systematic mapping of dynamic processes as they unfold across the globe. Earthquake researchers and risk analysts would be able to detect deformations in the Earth’s surface in an accurate millimetre range. Glacier movements and melting processes across the polar regions would be measurable on a more regular and therefore precise basis. The plan proposes that the Earth observation data acquired by the three radar systems should be complementary.

Tandem-L will operate in a longer wavelength compared with the two current missions. An approximately 24-centimetre wavelength permits penetration through the vegetation, hence revealing surface structures in the subsoil. New technologies and imaging methods such as polarimetric SAR interferometry also enable three-dimensional mapping of forests. This could be used to calculate forest elevation and hence to produce an indirect estimate of biomass, a factor that is currently beyond the reach of science on a global scale.

Researchers from various Helmholtz Centres involved in preliminary mission studies will now present their findings in Oberpfaffenhofen, explaining the pivotal role of Tandem-L in providing answers to challenges faced by our environment. The Science Meeting offers the roughly 300 international participants a platform to identify all necessary issues of upcoming research and to launch the future of Earth observation.

About the mission

TanDEM-X is being implemented on behalf of DLR using funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie). It is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) project operated in conjunction with Airbus Defence and Space. DLR is responsible for providing TanDEM-X data to the scientific community, mission planning and implementation, radar operation and calibration, control of the two satellites, and generation of the digital elevation model. To this end, DLR has developed the necessary ground-based facilities. The DLR Microwaves and Radar Institute, the DLR Earth Observation Center, the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) and the DLR Space Operations Facility in Oberpfaffenhofen are participating in the development and operation of the ground segment of TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X. Scientific coordination is the responsibility of the DLR Microwaves and Radar Institute. Airbus Defence and Space built the satellites and is sharing the development and operating costs. The company is also responsible for the commercial marketing of the TanDEM-X data.

Access to the TanDEM-X Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is restricted – DLR supplies the data free of charge to scientific projects. Interested parties must, however, demonstrate the scientific nature of their project with a proposal and submit it to DLR. All information about this can be found on the project website. Prospective commercial users of the data should contact DLR’s project partner, Airbus Defence and Space, where they can purchase the data.

The TanDEM-X mission dataset has been created by a public-private partnership. On the basis of this cooperation, DLR provides the data to the scientific community, while their industrial partner, Airbus, is responsible for commercial distribution. It is planned that the DTM will be made generally available at a lower resolution, so that processing of the data will also be possible with standard computer technology.

Airbus Defence and Space has launched One Atlas, a new basemap streaming service delivering access to its satellite imagery over the world, fully refreshed within a 12-month period. It is powered by Google Cloud Platform.

This service is a major leap forward for enabling access to satellite imagery for our customers by leveraging the power of Google Cloud Platform and Airbus Defence and Space technologies. A completely new approach in data storage, hosting and dissemination has been implemented utilizing Google Cloud Platform to ingest the several hundred Terabytes of data annually required by One Atlas. This will bring value to all our clients for a wide range of applications such as infrastructure preparatory studies, land management, agricultural lands and crop species mapping or even tree cover change detection in regions prone to deforestation.

“Our team at Google Cloud is dedicated to helping businesses find success with public cloud and innovative technologies, such as cloud machine learning. We’re excited to collaborate with Airbus Defence and Space to create new products and transform existing business models through the power of Google Cloud Platform” said Carl Schachter, VP of Google Cloud Platform.

Google Cloud Platform was selected from seven public Cloud providers due to its high-end technology, security resilience and strategic fit with Airbus Defence and Space’s business and development roadmap.

“All satellite data collected each day are automatically processed and made readily-accessible in a global imagery library that is stored in Google Cloud Platform,” said Bernhard Brenner, Head of the Intelligence Business Cluster at Airbus Defense and Space. “Google Cloud Platform’s global scale, low latency and infrastructure capacities in Europe give us the required performance, flexibility and scalability for current and future data volumes, ensuring a high level of service for our customers.”

Additional investigations into the use of Google Cloud Platform and other Google tools are currently ongoing at Airbus Defence and Space, e.g. the integration of other datasets such as TerraSAR-X radar data and WorldDEM into One Atlas, or the development of analytics services such as change detection and automatic object extraction. Very promising results have already been obtained from using Tensor Flow, an open source library for machine learning, and Cloud Machine Learning for automatic cloud detection.

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(By Stig-Are-Thrana, US Sales Director, Kongsberg) KSAT adapted ideas and solutions early on to form the KSAT lite network by understanding the mindset of the company’s NewSpace customers.

The LEO market segment has talked about smallsat’s for decades; however, this time, there was a difference that KSAT noted… that analysis resulted in the firm dedicating R&D resources to become a preferred ground station provider for the NewSpace industry, an industry that embraces new methods of approaching space and are highly motivated by competition.

While others talked, KSAT deployed ground stations and created a platform that was ready to use. The company continued hands-on learning with their clients to understand their needs, from both a technical and business perspective. The company created viable technical solutions at affordable price points and developed new business models, all leading to KSAT becoming a leading NewSpace ground station provider.

In a little more than a decade KSAT has taken the position as a world leading ground station provider for the LEO satellite market. KSAT is currently operates 20 ground station sites around the globe and runs apertures on all of the world’s continents.

KSAT owns and operates uniquely positioned ground stations that span from 78 degrees north in Svalbard to 72 degrees south in Antarctica. Between five different sites in the Arctic and the one in Antarctica, KSAT has 14 additional sites located in the mid-latitude regions.

Access To Satellite Anywhere + At Anytime

The KSAT goal is to provide their customers with access to satellites from anywhere, anytime. The company has a clearly defined philosophy to provide to customers a global network that offers a one-stop-shop, rather than a station-per-station service approach. This allows KSAT ground network customers to make use of the entire global and operational network, a service that enables satellite owners to focus on their core business, which is to deliver crucial data and information services to end customers.

Unlike other companies, KSAT already has an operational network with more than 15 dedicated NewSpace assets in place. The network, KSATlite, has been designed and implemented in just under three years and is already providing services to several of the rapidly growing smallsat constellations, and more are underway. All assets in the KSAT network are KSAT lite capable and are deliver KSATlite support from the global networks.

Ground Systems Leader

How has KSAT reached this position as the world`s largest NewSpace ground segment provider? Customer centric business models and attractive prices, that’s how. The firm determined that the best way to conquer market share is to focus directly on the customer and to understand their needs. By providing better solutions and better prices that have been adapted to the new needs of the NewSpace companies, KSAT firmly believes that the best marketing program is via satisfied customers.

Technology and service flexibility is another key factor that drives success. KSAT operated ground stations since 1969 and, therefore, has a strong core of expertise in the field. KSAT explains that optimizing solutions for constellation support was crucial to meet the industry’s new mind-set. Customer input and adapting to the NewSpace way of thinking was a key accomplishment.

KSAT also understood that challenging the engineering group to take ownership and to design the system from a commercial NewSpace approach was important. The challenge was in trying to standardize the technology while at the same time allowing for a high degree of flexibility

A plug-and-play and one-size-fits-most approach was developed—thanks to customer feedback and significant growth, KSAT has hit the target and offers a solid platform for clients, while ensuring all solutions work on the continuously moving target that continues to move this industry forward.

Ka-band in Svalbard—Less Rain, More Gain

Pole-to-pole Ka-band support from Svalbard and Antarctica is already offered by the firm and Ka-band capabilities are being incorporated into the KSAT lite network. The first Ka-band support will be ready by the fall of 2016 from Svalbard. This will be a leap forward for the smallsat community. Svalbard is by far the best location for Ka-band support, as atmospheric loss is quite low. For the client, less rain means more gain.

Fully integrated solutions are offered, including baseband units that support a variety of the most used modulation types and protocols. Users are also able to “bring their own devices” to connect into the KSAT network. This allows customers to select what makes the most sense based on their mission needs and technical designs.

By using the KSAT integrated baseband units, customers can connect to a truly global KSAT lite network, and any needed satellite access time from this global network can be provided to customers in merely a matter of days.

Bringing Home The Data

KSAT can deliver data according to customer preferences over the Internet to cloud servicing companies such as Amazon, Google or Microsoft, or access to an onsite processing and storage can be provided. Flexibility is the aim; KSAT can enable the entire value chain for the customer, who can accesses the entire network through a centralized network operations center (NOC) located in Tromsø—TNOC, 24/7.

The power of TNOC unleashed the ability to purchase satellite contacts “by the drink,”through bulk passes or with global support for constellations. All this is available through a single interface and machine-to-machine (M2M) or human-to-machine(H2M) interface via a web browser. KSAT has taken measures to ensure satellite owners can access their satellite(s) anywhere, and at anytime.
ksat.no

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