Full-service outage on Inmarsat satellite affecting Asia-Pacific region

UPDATE - 4:44 p.m. EDT - Tuesday - April 18

NAVCOM services are "Verified Operational" again on the Inmarsat I-4 F1 satellite.

NAVCOM is a wholly owned subsidiary of John Deere which manufactures GNSS receiver technology and also provides PPP (precise point positioning) correction services.

Classic Aero services aboard the Inmarsat I-4 F1 satellite "has been fully restored, and the transition of Inmarsat‑C from the contingency network back to 4F1 is in progress," according to a Network-Alerts update from m-cramer SatellitenServices, a satellite service company in Germany.

Classic Aero has been the choice for cockpit safety services for 30 years, used by more than 90% of the world’s transoceanic aircraft for communication and surveillance today.

We expect a further update from Inmarsat at 21:00 UTC (5:00 p.m. EDT) on Tuesday.

Background Information

Statement from Inmarsat: "Inmarsat experienced an outage on its I-4 F1 satellite, which provides L-band services for East Asia and the Pacific region, at 21.14 UTC (5:14 p.m. EDT) on Sunday. This resulted in the temporary loss of services from the satellite and the company immediately instigated its recovery procedures.

"Safety services are being prioritized and Inmarsat can confirm that immediately following the incident, it instigated the process to transfer maritime safety services, in line with the IMSO-approved operational process to a contingency satellite. That process was completed successfully.

"Inmarsat Classic Aero recovery has now started and is expected to be operational in a matter of hours. This will be followed by the transfer of Inmarsat-C services from the contingency satellite back to I-4 F1 and then a focus on the restoration of other services.

"All other satellites in the L-band fleet are unaffected by the incident. This includes Inmarsat’s two new L-band satellites  – I-6 F1 and F2 – which will be joined in 2027 by a further three new micro L-band satellites, the Inmarsat-8s, specifically designed to enhance safety service back-up for L-band customers."

m-cramer SatellitenServices

“Inmarsat have advised that due to the nature of the problem and the complexity of the recovery procedure, Inmarsat expect this to be an extended outage. Inmarsat engineers are working to have services restored as soon as possible,” m-cramer said on their website.

Pivotel

"All services in Australia and New Zealand are currently affected," Australian communications company Pivotel reported on their current outages. Pivotel supports more than 100,000 Australian and New Zealand users who travel or operate outside of mobile phone coverage.

Services affected:

• Inmarsat BGAN M2M
• Inmarsat Voice/GSPS
• Isatphone/GSPS
• BGAN
• BGAN M2M
• FleetOne
• Fleet Broadband
• IsatDataPro (IDP)
• Trimble RTX based GPS connections
• Farmbot Satellite units
• some John Deere GPS correction systems

Inmarsat has advised that this is being treated as a top priority with key technical resources involved.

The organization plays a big role in providing voice and data communications to the aviation industry. Aircraft safety and communications services are transmitted to and from aircraft globally via satellites orbiting the Earth. Inmarsat I-4 F1 provides services over Asia and the Pacific region.

The satellites deliver voice and data communications to the aircraft cockpit, aircraft systems, and passenger cabin.

Other users of Inmarsat services include ships at sea and mobile users on land working in remote locations outside the range of terrestrial networks across the major landmasses of the world.

FAA Notice to Airmen

Once the Inmarsat service outage was announced, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) on Monday advising all pilots and commercial traffic of the situation.

The agency advised all aircraft operators and dispatchers that Inmarsat is experiencing an outage at approximately 175 degrees west longitude to points beyond 160 degrees east. The NOTAM instructs pilots to log off their Inmarsat connections and continuously report their position by using vintage high-frequency radio communications. The FAA NOTAM remains in effect until April 24.

Inmarsat I-4 F1

Inmarsat I-4 F1 was built by Europe-based EADS Astrium using a Eurostar E2000 bus. Launched in March 2005, the 13,000-pound satellite was designed for a life of 13 years. The satellite was launched into geosynchronous orbit by an Atlas V rocket. It is currently located at 143.5 degrees East on the Earth’s equator.

NASA seeks contractor to provide launch imagery due to budget reductions

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center issued a Request for Information (RFI) document last month for the purpose of seeking sources and soliciting information from private industry on obtaining launch ascent imagery “as a service on an as-needed basis” for the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) Program vehicle launches.

The agency said in the RFI, “Reductions in program budgets and a reduced launch manifest have driven the EGS Communications Office to request information for a possible procurement of launch ascent imagery as a service.”

With a general cadence of one launch per year, the goal would be to obtain this capability from commercial entities that are able to provide a viable service, NASA said.

The agency made clear the RFI is for information and planning purposes only and to allow the industry the opportunity to verify the reasonableness and feasibility of the requirement, as well as promote competition. “This RFI is used solely for information planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation.”

The Launch Ascent Imagery contract service will potentially replace the currently utilized mobile Kineto Tracking Mounts/Ascent Imagery Systems.  “We are seeking to modernize the capability to capture optical imagery of launches, provide high-resolution imagery of local flight test events and offer situational awareness to launch personnel,” NASA said in the RFI.

Services provided under the contract would include:

Long-Range Tracked Imagery: acquire and deliver launch imagery from a site that is located between five and 40 miles away from the launch pad. Imagery acquisition timeframe for Long Range Tracked Imagery is typically from T-0 (or acquisition of vehicle) through loss of sight but must include imagery of Solid Rocket Booster separation.

Flexible: mobilization of launch ascent imagery systems within no less than 24 hours prior to the mission launch.

Remotely operable: launch ascent imagery that will allow remote operations control of optical tracking systems.

Multi-spectral imaging support: systems that deliver high-speed visual imagery, infrared imagery, and multi-focal length imagery.

Multi-tracking: optical tracking systems that will generate test data on several targets simultaneously from multiple deployed locations.

Short-Range Tracked Imagery: acquire and deliver launch imagery from approximately 1,200 feet from the launch vehicle. Imagery acquisition equipment is usually located inside the Pad B perimeter fence and typically acquires first motion to loss of view. The imagery acquisition timeframe for Short Range Tracked Imagery is typically from T-10 seconds through loss of sight.  Due to the proximity to Pad B, any imagery acquisition equipment must be remotely operated.

Medium-Range Tracked Imagery: acquire and deliver launch imagery from a site that is located approximately five miles from the launch pad. The imagery acquisition timeframe for Medium-Range Tracked Imagery is typically from T-0 through loss of sight. The medium-range sites may or may not be in the Blast Danger or Flight Caution Areas which will potentially limit personnel access.

The Launch Abort System (LAS) Tracked Imagery: unique in that an activation of the LAS can happen at any moment after the system is armed.  Upon activation, the separation will occur at a high rate of speed.

NASA invited companies interested in providing the service to submit a response to the RFI by April 28.

Rocket launch from Virginia will test new technologies

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia plans to launch a sounding rocket for the Suborbital Technology Experiment Carrier (SubTEC-9) mission on April 24. The mission will test several new technologies under development by the Sounding Rockets Program Office.

The launch window for the mission is 7:15-8:15 p.m. EDT.

Since the first SubTEC launch in 2005, the SubTEC missions have provided an opportunity for the sounding rocket team to test and demonstrate new or improved technologies prior to their use on science missions.

The SubTEC-9 mission will be launched from Wallops on a two-stage Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket. The rocket will primarily test a new star tracker and a faster telemetry link.

A high-data-rate C-band telemetry link will transmit data from the rocket to the ground in real-time, monitoring the rocket's performance and tracking its progress. The technology will enable data speeds four times higher than currently provided.

SubTEC is also testing a new smaller star tracker which is a sensor used in attitude control systems to align and target objects in space. Some of the other experiments being tested include 3D-printed electronics circuits, ethernet-based components, a low-cost gyro, a new antenna, and a new high-density battery.

SubTEC-9 is expected to reach an altitude of about 108 miles (174 kilometers) before descending by parachute into the Atlantic Ocean to be recovered. The launch may be visible in the Chesapeake Bay region.