2012
ESA Tech Helps Cross the “Uncanny Valley” in Cinema
Expertise derived from space programs can also be applied in cutting-edge entertainment applications. IKinema, an ESA spinoff company, found a way to apply components of satellite guidance software to the challenge of rendering realistic human movement for movies and computer games. Calculating fluid, human motions can require significant computing power and therefore requires very efficient computer programs.
See Your Speed While Shredding the Slopes
Another innovative use of GPS technology that yielded an unconventional product is Recon Instruments’ head-up display (HUD) for skiers, called MOD Live. The display mounts into conventional ski goggles and provides useful information within the user’s field of view.
GPS Watches Help Athletes
GPS technologies continue to evolve, and several companies are energetically marketing GPS receivers embedded into products and platforms beyond phones or dedicated devices. For example, recent advances in miniaturizing GPS modules have allowed GPS watches to more closely resemble regular wristwatches in overall size and feel, while at the same time providing more features.
Touring India Using GPS and 3D Maps
The integration of GPS receivers in smartphones has resulted in a surge of travel and navigation applications that can be used to enhance a travel experience. A startup company called My IndiEye Travel Companions has developed a GPS-enabled tourism application that can be used as an on-site tour guide at landmarks in India.
Eliminating Broadcast Interference for 2012 Summer Olympics
Space products and services provide people with new and more convenient ways to enjoy themselves at home or when traveling. Entertainment programming relies heavily on the global reach of satellites, particularly for major events such as the 2012 Summer Olympics.
2012 – Suborbital Payload Launch
Virgin Galactic announced at the 2012 Farnborough Air Show that, in addition to providing a passenger service, it would be developing a low-cost satellite launcher using the WhiteKnightTwo carrier plane. By replacing SpaceShipTwo with a small two-stage rocket, called LauncherOne, the company predicted that it could send payloads of up to ## kilograms (## pounds) into LEO for less than $## million.
2012 – Building Space Infrastructure and Achieving Mission Objectives Within Reduced Budgets
Today, nations are under pressure to replace aging satellite infrastructure while continuing to deploy new satellite systems and achieve the related mission objectives within the constraints of tighter budgets. The situation is particularly challenging in the United States, where all government agen… Thank you for visiting The Space Report! The Authoritative Guide to Global Space…
2012 – Space as a Tool of International Trade and Development
Space, Development, and International Trade in Africa Africa’s space sector typifies the dynamics at play in the intersection of space, trade, and development. The African continent is expanding the scale and scope of investments in its space sector. This expansion will include the development of a… Thank you for visiting The Space Report! The Authoritative…
2012 – China Space Stations
China has a long-term and active project to develop a permanently crewed space station in LEO. The first phase of that project started in 2011 with the launch of an experimental space laboratory named Tiangong-1. The spacecraft, which is 10.4 meters (34.1 feet) long and weighs 8,500 kilograms (18,700 pounds), has 15 cubic meters (530 cubic feet) of habitable volume and is equipped with sleeping stations and exercise gear for visiting crews.
2012 – QZSS
Japan is creating the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), consisting of ## or ## satellites in a quasi-zenith orbit, and ## satellites in GEO to be operated by JAXA. This network will supplement its signals with those of the GPS network and, by using a tailored GEO orbit, will provide improved positioning performance in urban and mountainous regions. These GEO satellites will not be fixed over the Equator like typical FSS satellites but will regularly move north and south in relation to the Equator, making them easier to be seen from those areas where line-of-sight visibility to GPS can be difficult.