Orbcomm
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This article contains information regarding a satellite operator that is scheduled to have several satellites launched in the next 7 days. Details may change as the countdown and ascent progress. Launch details: COSMOS International will use a Kosmos-3M to launch several communications satellites for Orbcomm. Launch will occur from LC-107 at Kapustin Yar. Ufa State Aviation Technical University's UGATUSAT satellite may also be launched. |
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| ORBCOMM, Inc. | |
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| Type | Wireless data networking |
| Founded | 1993 by Orbital Sciences and Teleglobe |
| Headquarters | Fort Lee, NJ |
| Key people | Chairman: Jerome (Jerry) Eisenberg CFO: Robert G. Costantini CEO: Marc Eisenberg EVP Technology and Operations: John J. Stolte |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Products | satellite communications and integration services |
| Revenue | $24.50 million USD (2006) |
| Employees | 98 |
| Website | http://www.orbcomm.com/ http://www.orbcommeurope.com http://www.orbcomm.co.jp/index.html http://www.orbcomm.co.kr/ http://www.orbcomm.co.ma |
ORBCOMM (NASDAQ: ORBC) is a company that offers M2M[1] global asset monitoring and messaging services from its constellation of 29 LEO communications satellites orbiting at 775 km. Like its voice-centric competitors Iridium and Globalstar, it filed for Chapter 11 protection, in September, 2000. ORBCOMM issued a public offering of stock in November 2006. [2] The company sold 9.23 million shares of common stock.
In 2004 Orbcomm struck a deal with the controversial VeriChip, a company that specialises in producing implantable RFIDs for use in humans. The plan was to produce one that could track its position via GPS and report its position using the Orbcomm constellation, but has since gone quiet and no mention of it can be found on the Orbcomm website.[3]
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[edit] Satellites
Each satellite weighs 42 kg (92 lb). Two disc-shaped solar panels articulate in 1-axis to track the sun and provide 160 watts of power. Communication with subscriber units is done using SDPSK modulation at 4800 bit/s for the downlink and 2400 bit/s for the uplink.
Each satellite has a 56 kbit/s backhaul that utilises the popular TDMA multiplexing scheme and QPSK modulation.[4]. In the continental US, ORBCOMM is committed to relaying 90% of the text messages within 6 minutes. With the current constellation of ORBCOMM satellites, there is likely to be a satellite within range of almost any spot on Earth at any time of the day or night. Every satellite has an on-board GPS receiver for positioning.
In the summer of 2008, the company plans to launch several new satellites[5]--including a satellite with a secondary AIS payload demonstrator for the U.S. Coast Guard.
[edit] Services
ORBCOMM provides satellite data services, As of December 31, 2006, ORBCOMM reported 225,000 billable subscriber communicators on the company's U.S.-based gateway control center. ORBCOMM has control centers in the United States, Brazil, Japan, and Korea, as well as U.S. ground stations in New York, Georgia, Arizona, and Washington State, and international ground stations in Curacao, Italy, Australia, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Argentina, Morocco, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia. Plans for additional ground station locations are under way.
ORBCOMM services can be integrated with business applications. Customer data can be retrieved or auto-forwarded via SMTP or HTTP/XML feed directly over the Internet or through a dedicated link.[6]
[edit] Hardware
Many different devices are available for connecting to the Orbcomm networks, most of them being simple RS-232 modules with an antenna and a power supply however there are more advanced ones available that have a simple programmable computer and GPS built in. Such modules are generally used for asset tracking. Very basic transceivers cost around the $100 mark while others can cost over $1,000
[edit] Magellan GSC 100
In 1998 Magellan released a GPS and email device called the GSC 100 that used the Orbcomm network for sending and receiving emails. A basic package for $50 a month would buy a 30,000 characters of outgoing emails[7]
