2010
Military Finds Rosetta Communications Useful
Military users of a mobile satellite communications system are benefiting from an efficient, fault-tolerant communications coding method used in ESA’s Rosetta mission. In July 2010, while on a journey to rendezvous with a comet in 2014, the Rosetta spacecraft visited the asteroid Lutetia.
Turning Transponders off in Dangerous Waters
Another security application of space technology is the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which tracks ships at sea. This system, which employs satellite communication links, reports vessel identification, position, course, and speed.
Solving Territorial Claims with Geographic Information Systems
The U.N. is also using GIS to help resolve disputes over the location of international boundaries. The U.N. Cartographic Section is developing the U.N. International Boundary Information System (UNIBIS), a worldwide geographic database of international boundaries.
Coordinating Peacekeeping Through Space
As of the end of 2010, 13 U.N. peacekeeping missions around the world use systems that integrate location information with satellite imagery, referred to as geographic information systems (GIS), as part of daily operations.
Augmenting Drones with Space Assets
Satellite communications and GPS have fostered the proliferation and rapid enhancement of one increasingly vital military technology, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Satellites relay communications from the UAV back to its home base, which can be located on the other side of the planet.
Light Rays Create Microchips Faster
The technology used to produce the telescope mirrors for ESA’s XMM-Newton X-ray observatory is being extended to the production of smaller, faster, and cheaper computer microchips. An Italian company, Media Lario Technologies, has developed technology that uses extreme ultraviolet rays to create semiconductor circuits that operate 100 times faster.
Satellites Take Toll on Europe’s Roads
Satellite navigation also is being used to replace current highway toll systems and create a more intelligent transportation system that would enable the assessment of fees based on road use and other factors relevant to traffic and infrastructure management.
Fuel-efficient Flights Optimized Courtesy of GPS
Boeing announced in October 2010 the introduction of a new subscription-based service, derived from a NASA software platform, to increase fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, and reduce flight times. This service, known as Direct-To, is scheduled for availability in early 2011.
The Green WAAS
Satellite technology is being used to improve the efficiency, safety, security, and environmental impact of air travel. In the United States, the Next Generation Air Transportation System, better known as NextGen, is being developed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and industry partners.
Less Stress with Smarter Bolts
Technology designed to ensure proper operation of rovers exploring Mars is helping improve manufacturing on Earth. When deploying a vehicle to explore space and other planets, it is critical that bolts are properly tightened to ensure reliable operation.