ViaSat-2: Satellite goliath goes into orbit

The most powerful commercial broadband satellite ever built has just gone into orbit on an Ariane rocket.
ViaSat-2, which is to be stationed above the Americas, has a total throughput capacity of about 300 gigabits per second.
The spacecraft was part of a dual payload on the Ariane flight. It was joined by Eutelsat 172B, a UK/French-built platform to go over the Pacific.
Both satellites will be chasing the rampant market for wi-fi on aeroplanes.
Airlines are currently in a headlong rush to equip their fleets with connections that will allow passengers to use their mobile devices in mid-air.
More than 6,000 commercial aircraft worldwide were offering an onboard wi-fi service in 2016; it is expected more than 17,000 will be doing so by 2021.
In-flight internet has traditionally had a terrible reputation, but there is a feeling now that the latest technology really can give passengers a meaningful slice of bandwidth and at a competitive price.
The Ariane left the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana at 20:45 local time, Thursday (23:45 GMT), ejecting the satellites into their transfer orbits about half an hour later.
Both must now get themselves into their final positions. Noteworthy is the fact that ViaSat-2 and 172B will be using electric engines to do this.
These work by accelerating and expelling ions at high speed. The process provides less thrust than a standard chemical engine, but saves substantially on propellant mass.
Eutelsat-172BImage copyrightAIRBUS DS
Image captionEutelsat-172B is the first satellite from Airbus to use all-electric propulsion for orbit-raising and station-keeping
That saving can be traded to get either a lower-priced launch ticket, or to pack even greater capacity into the satellite's communications payload for no additional weight.
The US, Boeing-built ViaSat-2 uses a mix of chemical and electric propulsion, but Eutelsat's platform is all-electric - the first such design to come from Europe's biggest space manufacturer, Airbus.
ViaSat-2 will be providing broadband services to fixed customers across North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and a portion of northern South America.
But the satellite is also configured to service planes and ships, and in particular it is looking to grab a significant share of business out over the Atlantic.
The aviation sector currently is a key battleground for satellite operators; it is where they are seeing double-digit growth.
In the US, working with airlines such as JetBlue, ViaSat has already found success through its existing high-throughput ViaSat-1 spacecraft.
With the extra capacity on ViaSat-2, it aims to do better still.
"We think people want to use their devices in the air the way they do on the ground; that's the bet we've made," said ViaSat Chief Operating Officer Rick Baldridge.
"JetBlue delayed their in-flight wi-fi offering, waiting for us, and now they're giving it away for free and we're providing 12 megabits per second to every seat, including streaming video," he told BBC News.
ViaSat-2's "footprint" touches the western coast of Europe, but aeroplanes travelling further east will be handed seamlessly to a better-positioned Eutelsat spacecraft, which should enable passengers to stay connected all the way across to Turkey if needs be.
This is one of the benefits of the strategic alliance that the two satellite companies have formed. And in time this will see the pair operate a ViaSat-3 platform together over Europe. This spacecraft is being built to have a total throughput capacity of one terabit per second.
From its position very close to the International Date Line, Eutelsat's 172B spacecraft is going to target - amongst other business - the flight corridors of the Asia-Pacific region. And it has some very smart British technology to do this in the form of a multi port amplifier.
This can flexibly switch power between the satellite's 11 spot beams to make sure the available bandwidth is always focused where it is needed most - whether that be on the planes moving east-west from Japan to California, say, or when they go in the other direction as a cluster at a different time of day.
"To oversimplify, in-flight connectivity has mostly been restricted to the US. But now it is expanding into the Asia-Pacific region and it's also coming to Europe," said Rodolphe Belmer, Eutelsat's chief executive officer.
"We see spontaneous demand from airlines and it's booming. It's true the technology hasn't always delivered, but you will see with the introduction of very high throughput satellites in the next few years that we will be able to… bring a massive quantity of bandwidth onboard the plane, meaning you can stream Netflix in HD. That's a game-changer."
Smartphone on planeImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionIn-flight connectivity is a key battleground for the satellite operators
Euroconsult is one of the world's leading analyst groups following the satellite industry. Its research confirms the rapid growth now taking place, and says this will only accelerate.
Euroconsult's recent report on in-flight-connectivity (IFC) predicted nearly half of all commercial planes would be enabled by 2021, pushing revenues for the suppliers of onboard services from $1bn to $6.5bn inside 10 years. But Euroconsult's CEO, Pacôme Revillon, said there will be winners and losers in this IFC race and this would likely be decided in the very near future.
"Going to 2020, approximately 50% of aircraft could have opted for their chosen connectivity solutions, and certainly all of the major airlines will have made that choice. By that stage the market share could decide who are the winners and losers, and we anticipate seeing some consolidation in this sector, with two to three companies coming to dominate the market," he told BBC News.

  Resorts World Manila: Gunman sparks       panic at Philippines hotel


Police in the Philippines have taken control of a hotel and entertainment complex in Manila after it was stormed by a masked gunman.
The gunman is dead, officials said, although it is not clear how he died. It is believed he acted alone and was staging a robbery, police said.
Resorts World Manila was in lockdown after the incident, which happened after midnight local time (16:00 GMT).
Several people were reported injured as they fled the hotel in panic.
Philippines police chief Ronald dela Rosa said a lone gunman had entered the gaming area at Resorts World, fired at a television and set some gambling tables on fire.
Gunshots were fired, he said, but were not aimed at people in the room.

The police chief told local radio station DAM the gunman had filled a bag with casino gambling chips.
But he warned that Islamist militants might falsely claim to be behind it to further their propaganda.
The Philippine military is currently battling militants allied to so-called Islamic State on the southern island of Mindanao.
"We cannot say this is an act of terror... he [the gunman] did not hurt anyone," the police chief said. "If you are a terrorist you will sow terror."
He added that no visitors to the casino had been shot and that the only injuries were from smoke inhalation, or the stampede that formed as people tried to escape.
Resorts World Manila features multiple hotels and bars, as well as a shopping centre and casino.
Many witnesses took the incident for a militant assault.
Marcel Navaro, a Resorts World employee, told DZMM radio he had returned from his break to find people fleeing in panic.
"Guests were screaming. We went to the basement locker room and hid there. People were screaming, guests and employees were in panic.
"When we smelled smoke, we decided to go for the exit in the car park. That's where we got out. Before we exited, we heard two gunshots and there was thick smoke on the ground floor."
Eyewitness Hessa Isabelle filmed the scene from a nearby balcony and described seeing "people screaming and running out of the building".

As the situation unfolded, the US state department tweeted a warning to citizens, stating: "Reports of explosions/gunfire at Resorts World Manila, near the Manila Intl Airport. Avoid area & monitor local news."
Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which is around a mile (1.6km) from the resort, was placed on lockdown.
President Donald Trump labelled the incident a terror attack, and offered his "thoughts and prayers" to those affected.
The incident comes as the Philippines army is fighting militants linked to the so-called Islamic State group for control of the city of Marawi on the southern island of Mindanao.

   Should Russia's new Armata T-14 tanks      worry Nato?



A Russian innovation in armoured warfare has pushed Norway to replace many of its current anti-tank systems.
Active protection systems (APS) are being built into Russia's new Armata T-14 tank, posing a problem for a whole generation of anti-armour weapons, not least the US-supplied Javelin guided missile, used by the Norwegian Army.
The warning comes from Brig Ben Barry of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London. He says this is a problem that most Nato countries have barely begun to grapple with.
APS threatens to make existing anti-tank weapons far less effective, and there is little real discussion of this among many Western militaries, he says.
Some countries are conducting research and trials to equip their own tanks with APS. "But they seem to miss the uncomfortable implications for their own anti-armour capabilities," he says.
Norway is one of the first Nato countries to grasp this nettle. Its latest defence procurement plan envisages spending 200-350m kroner (£18.5-32.5m; $24-42m) on replacing its Javelin missiles, "to maintain the capacity to fight against heavy armoured vehicles".
"There is a need for [an] anti-tank missile," it says, "that can penetrate APS 

  1. Enemy launches weapon at tank
  2. Sensors detect incoming threat
  3. Tracking radar calculates impact point
  4. Active Protection System launches countermeasure
  5. Countermeasure destroys target
APS is the latest twist in the age-old battle between offence and defence in military technology.
At different periods one side has held the advantage over the other. The armoured knight once ruled supreme, but the widespread use of firearms put paid to the armour-clad nobility's dominance.
Since World War Two the tank, like the knight of old, has reigned supreme on the battlefield.
It is of course vulnerable to the main guns of other tanks. If you have a heavy enough shell and a gun firing at high-enough velocity you can punch through even the best armour.
But tanks are also vulnerable to other weapons systems, and that is what APS is designed to deal with.
Since World War Two a whole category of lighter, man-portable anti-tank weapons has been devised.
Since they have to be carried by the infantry they depend not upon velocity and mass to get through the tank's armour, but on a chemical reaction. These warheads impact on the external armour and a metal core forms into a molten jet that pierces through.

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Tank designers have tried to counter this in all sorts of ways, with reactive panels that explode outwards when hit; or by providing additional layers of spaced armour, to detonate the incoming round away from the tank itself.
APS takes a whole new approach. It is essentially an anti-missile system for tanks, with radars capable of tracking the incoming anti-tank missile, and projectiles that are launched to disrupt or destroy it.


Israel is among the leaders in this field and its Merkava tanks used it with some success during the last upsurge of fighting in Gaza.
The Israeli Trophy system is being evaluated by the Americans. Britain too is looking at such systems and the Dutch have recently decided to equip their infantry combat vehicles with another Israeli-developed system.
The fitting of APS to armoured vehicles is intended to counter a variety of weapons, ranging from the ubiquitous Russian/Chinese RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) to much more sophisticated guided anti-tank weapons like the Russian Kornet.
But Brig Barry at the IISS is pointing out that Russia's APS technology raises questions about many of Nato's anti-tank defences too. Norway is taking action - and he believes other Nato countries will have to do the same.
BBC NEWS

Paris climate deal: Trump pulls US out of 2015 accord

 Paris climate deal: Trump pulls US out of    2015 accord


President Donald Trump has announced that the US is withdrawing from the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
He said moves to negotiate a new "fair" deal that would not disadvantage US businesses and workers would begin.
Mr Trump said during last year's presidential election campaign that he would take the step to help his country's oil and coal industries.
Opponents say withdrawing from the accord is an abdication of US leadership on a key global challenge.
The Paris agreement commits the US and 187 other countries to keeping rising global temperatures "well below" 2C above pre-industrial levels and "endeavour to limit" them even more, to 1.5C. Only Syria and Nicaragua did not sign up to the deal.

What did Trump say?

Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, Mr Trump characterised the Paris agreement as a deal that aimed to hobble, disadvantage and impoverish the US.
He claimed the agreement would cost the US $3tn in lost GDP and 6.5 million jobs - while rival economies like China and India were treated more favourably.
"In order to fulfil my solemn duty to protect America and its citizens, the United States will withdraw from the Paris climate accord... but begin negotiations to re-enter either the Paris accord or a really entirely new transaction on terms that are fair to the United States," he said.
The speech contained several rhetorical flourishes reminiscent of his campaign speeches.
"We don't want other leaders and other countries laughing at us any more - and they won't be," he said.
"I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris. I promised I would exit or re-negotiate any deal which fails to serve America's interests. Many trade deals will soon be under re-negotiation."
The BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan in Washington says the move will be welcomed by many Trump supporters, as for them this is less about science - and more about sending a signal to so-called global elites.
Analysts say the US withdrawal from the Paris agreement will make it more difficult for the world to reach the goals that it set for itself in the Paris agreement.
The US contributes about 15% of global emissions of carbon, but it is also a significant source of finance and technology for developing countries in their efforts to fight rising temperatures.
Mr Trump did not give a timescale for US withdrawal, but White House sources had earlier suggested it could take up to four years.

What has the reaction been?


Former US President Barack Obama, who agreed to the Paris deal, immediately criticised the move, accusing the Trump administration of "rejecting the future".
Republican congressional leaders and the US coal industry backed the move, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell supporting Mr Trump "for dealing yet another significant blow to the Obama administration's assault on domestic energy production and jobs".
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the decision "one of the worst policy moves made in the 21st Century because of the huge damage to our economy, our environment and our geopolitical standing".
The leaders of France, Germany and Italy issued a joint statement rejecting a renegotiation of the agreement.
"We deem the momentum generated in Paris in December 2015 irreversible and we firmly believe that the Paris agreement cannot be renegotiated, since it is a vital instrument for our planet, societies and economies," it said.
Canada was "deeply disappointed" by President Trump's decision, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna told reporters.
This was echoed by UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who expressed her disappointment and told Mr Trump in a phone call that the deal protects the "prosperity and security of future generations".
Leaders of the Nordic nations - Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland - also condemned the move.
United Nations spokeswoman said it was a "major disappointment for global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote global security".
Small island nations whose existence is threatened by rising sea levels were critical of the move. The President of the Marshall Islands, Hilda Heine, said it was "highly concerning for those of us that live on the frontline of climate change".
Graphic showing impact of US pulling out of Paris deal
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk confirmed that he was leaving his role as an adviser to the Trump administration in protest.
"Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world," he tweeted.

'Worse than expected'

By BBC environment correspondent Matt McGrath
President Trump's statement is a very clear repudiation of the Paris agreement and international efforts to fund climate mitigation and adaptation in poorer countries.
In many ways it is far worse than many had expected. He sees it as a clear job killer, as an economy strangler and a desperately unfair stitch-up by other countries wanting to take economic advantage of the US.
He spoke of being open to re-negotiating the deal or trying to build a new agreement - but the idea of "re-negotiation" is an unlikely scenario.
The scale of his opposition, seeing the deal as "a massive redistribution of US wealth to other countries" is a clear indication that he has fully bought into an economic nationalist and climate denier perspective.
The question of unfairness cropped up again and again, how the world's worst polluters, China and India, had "no meaningful obligations" placed on them by the deal.
The overall tone and content of his speech clearly plays to his base but is also a clear disavowal of multilateralism, especially on climate change, and will definitely push other countries more closely together on this issue.

What was agreed in Paris?

Climate change, or global warming, refers to the damaging effect of gases, or emissions, released from industry and agriculture on the atmosphere.
The Paris accord is meant to limit the global rise in temperature attributed to emissions.
Countries agreed to:
  • Keep global temperatures "well below" the level of 2C (3.6F) above pre-industrial times and "endeavour to limit" them even more, to 1.5C
  • Limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity to the same levels that trees, soil and oceans can absorb naturally, beginning at some point between 2050 and 2100
  • Review each country's contribution to cutting emissions every five years so they scale up to the challenge
  • Enable rich countries to help poorer nations by providing "climate finance" to adapt to climate change and switch to renewable energy
  • BBC NEWS


 Putin: Patriotic Russians may become  involved in hacking


Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested "patriotic" Russian citizens might turn their hand to hacking.
Such individuals might join "the justified fight against those speaking ill of Russia," he said.
He repeated his denial that his administration hacked the US election last year.
He added that this activity was "never" carried out at the government level and he expressed his belief that hackers could not influence voters' minds.

BBC NEWS


Apple to scan iPhones for child sex abuse images

  Apple has announced details of a system to find child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on customers' devices. Before an image is stored on...