Telenor Satellite Services, a subsidiary of Telenor of Norway
(Oslo Stock Exchange:TEL and NASDAQ:TELN), and Verso Technologies
(NASDAQ:VRSO) announced today that they have been selected by the
United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to
provide digital voice and data satellite communications equipment and
service to all of its Trans Atlantic Landing Sites.
The Trans Atlantic Landing Sites are used as emergency landing
locations for the Space Shuttle during launch.
Telenor Satellite Services is partnering with Verso Technologies
to provide mission critical voice communications between all ground
stations during the launch process using Verso's NetPerformer SDM-9230
products. The project will leverage the NetPerformer's ability to
support radio tone keying for communications between the ground
stations and the space shuttle, low bit rate voice for communications
between ground stations, and redundancy to ensure that communications
are not lost during the launch process.
The selection of Telenor Satellite Services and Verso is part of
NASA's program to upgrade the emergency satellite communications
capabilities at its Trans Atlantic Landing Sites for communicating via
satellite during Shuttle launches and provides Space Shuttle personnel
at these sites the most reliable and cost-effective methods of
communicating and sending data to and from locations in the U.S.
Under the terms of the two-year agreement, Telenor will supply
Global Area Network satellite communications equipment for the Kennedy
Space Center in Florida and all the remote sites, as well as
installation assistance, system configuration, and operator training
sessions. Verso will provide hardware, software and support services
to Telenor in support of NASA.
The satellite communications are routed through Telenor's
Southbury, Connecticut, teleport. The Southbury facility has served as
the conduit for NASA's satellite communications to its Trans Atlantic
Landing Sites since 1988 when the Space Shuttle returned to space
following the Challenger accident.
"Telenor Satellite Services has a proven track record of
reliability and dependability with NASA and we are delighted that they
have again selected Telenor to participate in the modernization of
satellite communications to the Trans Atlantic Landing Sites," said
Morten Tengs, chief executive officer of Telenor Satellite Services.
"Today our Southbury facility continues to provide a crucial role to
the shuttle program providing communications supporting these
emergency landing field sites."
"Our selection by NASA demonstrates the reliability and
performance of our product," said Monty Bannerman, chief executive
officer, Verso Technologies. "Increasingly, Verso is becoming a known
provider of mission critical satellite communications throughout the
world, with this project coming on the heels of supplying satellite
communications on China's recent manned flight missions."
NASA has multiple Trans Atlantic Landing Sites for the Space
Shuttle should the craft experience an emergency during or shortly
after take-off and need to make an emergency landing on the east side
of the Atlantic Ocean. Shuttle emergency landing sites include Moron
Air Base and Zaragoza Air Base in Spain, and Istres Air Force Base in
France.
