Orbcomm
Encyclopedia
ORBCOMM is a company that offers M2M
global asset monitoring and messaging services
from its constellation
of 29 LEO
communications satellite
s 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. The company sold 9.23 million shares of common stock.
The current-generation satellites each weigh 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. Orbcomm is the only current satellite licensee operating in the 137-150 MHz VHF band, which was allocated globally for "Little LEO" systems. Several such systems were planned in the early to mid 1990's but Orbcomm was the only one to successfully launch. In the continental US, ORBCOMM statistically relays 90% of the text messages within 6 minutes, but gaps between satellites can result in message delivery times of 15 minutes or more. Orbcomm reported during an earnings report call in early 2007 that 50% of subscriber-initiated reports (messages of six bytes in size) were received in less than 1 minute, 90% in less than 4 minutes and 98% in less than 15 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. Typical data payloads are 6 bytes to 30 bytes, adequate for sending GPS position data or simple sensor readings.
A total of 35 satellites were launched by ORBCOMM Global in the mid to late 1990's. Of the original 35, a total of 29 remain operational today, according to company filings. The plane F polar satellite, one of the original prototype first generation satellites launched in 1995, was retired in April 2007 due to intermittent service. Two additional satellites (one from each of Plane B and Plane D) were retired in 2008 also due to intermittent service. The other five satellites that are not operational experienced failures earlier. The absence of these eight satellites can increase system latency and decrease overall capacity. Orbcomm has invested in replacement satellites as the first generation is at or nearing end of life. On 19 June 2008 six additional ORBCOMM satellites were launched with the Cosmos-3M
rocket: one ORBCOMM CDS weighing 80 kg, and five ORBCOMM Quick Launches weighing 115 kg each. These new satellites were built by German OHB System AG (platform) and by Orbital Sciences Corp. (payload) and included a secondary AIS
. Design and production of the satellite platform was subcontracted by OHB System to Russian KB Polyot. On November 9, 2009 ORBCOMM filed a report to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission stating that since launch, communications capability for three of the quick-launch satellites and the CDS has been lost. The failed satellites experienced attitude control system anomalies as well as anomalies with its power systems, which resulted in the satellites not pointing towards the sun and the earth as expected and as a consequence have reduced power generation. The company has filed a $50 million claim with its insurers covering the loss of all six satellites and received $44.5 million in compensation.
On 3 September 2009 a deal was announced between ORBCOMM and Space Exploration Technologies
(SpaceX) to launch 18 second generation satellites with SpaceX launch vehicles between 2010 and 2014. SpaceX originally planned to use Falcon 1e
rocket, but on March 14 2011 it was announced that SpaceX will use Falcon 9
to carry the first two ORBCOMM next-generation OG2 satellites to orbit in 2011.
, Italy, Australia, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Argentina, Morocco, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia. Plans for additional ground station locations are under way.
Orbcomm is best suited for users who send very small amounts of data. To avoid interference, terminals are not permitted to be active more than 1% of the time, and thus they may only execute a 450ms data burst twice every 15 minutes. The latency inherent in Orbcomm’s network design prevents it from supporting certain safety-critical applications.
Orbcomm's direct competition includes Globalstar’s simplex services and L-band leased capacity services such as those offered by SkyBitz. Orbcomm's most significant competitor, however, is Iridium, which offers the lower latency and more capable Iridium SBD service which can send larger data packets with lower latency and a much smaller antenna.
ORBCOMM services are much like email and messages can be easily 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.
Orbcomm's other business is Automatic Identification System, or AIS, which is a widely deployed system used to track ocean vessels. Six satellites with AIS capability were launched in June 2008, referred to as the Quick Launch satellites. With the failure of all six satellites, however, Orbcomm will not be able to resume AIS service until the next-generation satellites launch.
modules with an antenna and a power supply. However there are more advanced devices available that have a simple programmable computer and GPS built in. Such modules are generally used for asset tracking. Very basic transceivers cost around $150 while others can cost over $400.
Devices for connecting to the Orbcomm network are self-contained units that can be connect to sensors, remote terminal units, or other equipment, usually via a serial connection. Unlike cellular or some other satellite networks, there are no embedded (chipset) devices available for the Orbcomm network.
Antennas: Orbcomm’s spectrum of 137 to 150 MHz is at a much lower frequency than other commercial mobile satellite operators, which operate in the L-band (at 1.5-1.6GHz) and S-band (at 2.0-2.5GHz), and thus Orbcomm can operate with lower power, but also requires a much larger antenna than other networks such as Iridium or Globalstar. Most antennas are basic "whip" antennas that can be several feet long. Smaller, more compact designs are available but with performance trade-offs.
Satellite Products:
-m10 - Miniature satellite modem with global satellite connectivity designed for asset tracking and remote device communication applications.
-ConnectPort X5 - Telematics gateway for Vehicle Area Network (VAN) traffic to IP connectivity using cellular or Wi-Fi connections.
-m100 - Programmable smart satellite modem with integrated GPS receiver designed for global mobile/fixed asset tracking and remote device communication.
-m200 - Dual-mode telematics platform combines cellular and satellite connectivity for mobile/fixed asset tracking and management.
-RTU - Telemetry platform for fixed site monitoring and control applications with global satellite connectivity.
-Q1000 - The most compact ORBCOMM modem.
-Q1200SG - A programmable ORBCOMM modem.
-Q1400 - A programmable modem with internal GPS.
-Q4000 - A programmable dual mode (GSM/GPRS & ORBCOMM) modem with internal GPS, CAN Bus J1939, Digital and Analog I/O.
-Q-Pro - A programmable multi-mode IP-67 sealed modem with global coverage spanning ORBCOMM, Iridium, Globalstar and GSM/GPRS, with internal GPS, CAN Bus J1939, Digital and Analog I/O and the world's only unified communications protocol for access to every available network.
-DS100 - a compact Orbcomm modem
-DS101 - an updated version of the DS100
-DS300 - a rugged Orbcomm modem that also has GPS and an Atmel AVR
processor (Atmega128L equipped with 128K of flash memory, 4K of RAM and 4K of EEPROM) for 3rd party embedded software. Atmega128L
The DS100, DS101 and DS300 were designed by Stellar Satellite Communications and manufactured by Delphi Corporation.
Machine to Machine
Machine-to-Machine refers to technologies that allow both wireless and wired systems to communicate with other devices of the same ability...
global asset monitoring and messaging services
Orbcomm (satellite)
Orbcomm satellites are low Earth orbit communications satellites, operated by the United States satellite communications company Orbcomm, Inc. As of 2008, 44 such satellites are in orbit.-Orbcomm-CDS:...
from its constellation
Satellite constellation
A group of artificial satellites working in concert is known as a satellite constellation. Such a constellation can be considered to be a number of satellites with coordinated ground coverage, operating together under shared control, synchronised so that they overlap well in coverage and...
of 29 LEO
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
communications satellite
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
s orbiting at 775 km. Like its voice-centric competitors Iridium and Globalstar
Globalstar
Globalstar is a low Earth orbit satellite constellation for satellite phone and low-speed data communications, somewhat similar to the Iridium satellite constellation and Orbcomm satellite systems.-History:...
, it filed for Chapter 11 protection
Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 11 is a chapter of the United States Bankruptcy Code, which permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is available to every business, whether organized as a corporation or sole proprietorship, and to individuals, although it is most...
, in September, 2000. ORBCOMM issued a public offering of stock in November 2006. The company sold 9.23 million shares of common stock.
Satellites
Each satellite has a 56 kbit/s backhaul
Backhaul (telecommunications)
In a hierarchical telecommunications network the backhaul portion of the network comprises the intermediate links between the core network, or backbone, of the network and the small subnetworks at the "edge" of the entire hierarchical network...
that utilises the popular TDMA
Time division multiple access
Time division multiple access is a channel access method for shared medium networks. It allows several users to share the same frequency channel by dividing the signal into different time slots. The users transmit in rapid succession, one after the other, each using its own time slot. This...
multiplexing scheme and QPSK modulation. Orbcomm is the only current satellite licensee operating in the 137-150 MHz VHF band, which was allocated globally for "Little LEO" systems. Several such systems were planned in the early to mid 1990's but Orbcomm was the only one to successfully launch. In the continental US, ORBCOMM statistically relays 90% of the text messages within 6 minutes, but gaps between satellites can result in message delivery times of 15 minutes or more. Orbcomm reported during an earnings report call in early 2007 that 50% of subscriber-initiated reports (messages of six bytes in size) were received in less than 1 minute, 90% in less than 4 minutes and 98% in less than 15 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
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
for positioning. Typical data payloads are 6 bytes to 30 bytes, adequate for sending GPS position data or simple sensor readings.
A total of 35 satellites were launched by ORBCOMM Global in the mid to late 1990's. Of the original 35, a total of 29 remain operational today, according to company filings. The plane F polar satellite, one of the original prototype first generation satellites launched in 1995, was retired in April 2007 due to intermittent service. Two additional satellites (one from each of Plane B and Plane D) were retired in 2008 also due to intermittent service. The other five satellites that are not operational experienced failures earlier. The absence of these eight satellites can increase system latency and decrease overall capacity. Orbcomm has invested in replacement satellites as the first generation is at or nearing end of life. On 19 June 2008 six additional ORBCOMM satellites were launched with the Cosmos-3M
Cosmos-3M
The Kosmos-3M is a Russian space launch vehicle. It is a liquid-fueled two-stage rocket, first launched in 1967 and with over 420 successful launches to its name. The Cosmos 3M uses nitrogen tetroxide as an oxidizer to lift roughly 1400 kg of payload into orbit...
rocket: one ORBCOMM CDS weighing 80 kg, and five ORBCOMM Quick Launches weighing 115 kg each. These new satellites were built by German OHB System AG (platform) and by Orbital Sciences Corp. (payload) and included a secondary AIS
Automatic Identification System
The Automatic Identification System is an automatic tracking system used on ships and by Vessel traffic services for identifying and locating vessels by electronically exchanging data with other nearby ships and AIS Base stations...
. Design and production of the satellite platform was subcontracted by OHB System to Russian KB Polyot. On November 9, 2009 ORBCOMM filed a report to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission stating that since launch, communications capability for three of the quick-launch satellites and the CDS has been lost. The failed satellites experienced attitude control system anomalies as well as anomalies with its power systems, which resulted in the satellites not pointing towards the sun and the earth as expected and as a consequence have reduced power generation. The company has filed a $50 million claim with its insurers covering the loss of all six satellites and received $44.5 million in compensation.
On 3 September 2009 a deal was announced between ORBCOMM and Space Exploration Technologies
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or more popularly and informally known as SpaceX, is an American space transport company that operates out of Hawthorne, California...
(SpaceX) to launch 18 second generation satellites with SpaceX launch vehicles between 2010 and 2014. SpaceX originally planned to use Falcon 1e
Falcon 1e
The Falcon 1e is an American small partially reusable launch system which is being developed by SpaceX. It will replace the Falcon 1, which was retired in 2009 following five launches, two of which were successful. The Falcon 1e consists of a new first stage, the same second stage used on the...
rocket, but on March 14 2011 it was announced that SpaceX will use Falcon 9
Falcon 9
Falcon 9 is a rocket-powered spaceflight launch system designed and manufactured by SpaceX. Both stages of its two-stage-to-orbit vehicle use liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene propellants...
to carry the first two ORBCOMM next-generation OG2 satellites to orbit in 2011.
Services
ORBCOMM provides satellite data services, As of August 18, 2009, ORBCOMM reported 500,000 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 CuraçaoCuraçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, Italy, Australia, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Argentina, Morocco, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia. Plans for additional ground station locations are under way.
Orbcomm is best suited for users who send very small amounts of data. To avoid interference, terminals are not permitted to be active more than 1% of the time, and thus they may only execute a 450ms data burst twice every 15 minutes. The latency inherent in Orbcomm’s network design prevents it from supporting certain safety-critical applications.
Orbcomm's direct competition includes Globalstar’s simplex services and L-band leased capacity services such as those offered by SkyBitz. Orbcomm's most significant competitor, however, is Iridium, which offers the lower latency and more capable Iridium SBD service which can send larger data packets with lower latency and a much smaller antenna.
ORBCOMM services are much like email and messages can be easily integrated with business applications. Customer data can be retrieved or auto-forwarded via SMTP or HTTP/XML
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
feed directly over the Internet or through a dedicated link.
Orbcomm's other business is Automatic Identification System, or AIS, which is a widely deployed system used to track ocean vessels. Six satellites with AIS capability were launched in June 2008, referred to as the Quick Launch satellites. With the failure of all six satellites, however, Orbcomm will not be able to resume AIS service until the next-generation satellites launch.
Hardware
Many different devices are available for connecting to the Orbcomm networks, most of them being simple RS-232RS-232
In telecommunications, RS-232 is the traditional name for a series of standards for serial binary single-ended data and control signals connecting between a DTE and a DCE . It is commonly used in computer serial ports...
modules with an antenna and a power supply. However there are more advanced devices available that have a simple programmable computer and GPS built in. Such modules are generally used for asset tracking. Very basic transceivers cost around $150 while others can cost over $400.
Devices for connecting to the Orbcomm network are self-contained units that can be connect to sensors, remote terminal units, or other equipment, usually via a serial connection. Unlike cellular or some other satellite networks, there are no embedded (chipset) devices available for the Orbcomm network.
Antennas: Orbcomm’s spectrum of 137 to 150 MHz is at a much lower frequency than other commercial mobile satellite operators, which operate in the L-band (at 1.5-1.6GHz) and S-band (at 2.0-2.5GHz), and thus Orbcomm can operate with lower power, but also requires a much larger antenna than other networks such as Iridium or Globalstar. Most antennas are basic "whip" antennas that can be several feet long. Smaller, more compact designs are available but with performance trade-offs.
Digi International SatCom Gateways & Modules
Digi International provides wireless M2M products and solutions designed to connect and securely manage local or remote electronic devices over the network or the Web. Digi’s line of satellite products ranges from simple modules to sophisticated multi-mode gateways.Satellite Products:
-m10 - Miniature satellite modem with global satellite connectivity designed for asset tracking and remote device communication applications.
-ConnectPort X5 - Telematics gateway for Vehicle Area Network (VAN) traffic to IP connectivity using cellular or Wi-Fi connections.
-m100 - Programmable smart satellite modem with integrated GPS receiver designed for global mobile/fixed asset tracking and remote device communication.
-m200 - Dual-mode telematics platform combines cellular and satellite connectivity for mobile/fixed asset tracking and management.
-RTU - Telemetry platform for fixed site monitoring and control applications with global satellite connectivity.
Quake Global ORBCOMM Modem Products
Quake Global was formed in 1998 and has produced the majority of ORBCOMM Communicators with approximately 300,000 built by 2009. QUAKETM has recently introduced the Q-Pro with GSM/GPRS, ORBCOMM, Globalstar, Iridium and GPS, a proprietary unified communications protocol that Quake claims to allow access to every available network.Quake Global is the leading manufacturer of M2M communicators for multiple satellite and terrestrial networks that enable customers to track, monitor and control their assets across the globe. QUAKE™ is the only maker of network agnostic modems, providing customers with a unified communications protocol across multiple global satellite and terrestrial networks from a single device.-Q1000 - The most compact ORBCOMM modem.
-Q1200SG - A programmable ORBCOMM modem.
-Q1400 - A programmable modem with internal GPS.
-Q4000 - A programmable dual mode (GSM/GPRS & ORBCOMM) modem with internal GPS, CAN Bus J1939, Digital and Analog I/O.
-Q-Pro - A programmable multi-mode IP-67 sealed modem with global coverage spanning ORBCOMM, Iridium, Globalstar and GSM/GPRS, with internal GPS, CAN Bus J1939, Digital and Analog I/O and the world's only unified communications protocol for access to every available network.
Stellar DS100, DS101 and DS300 (Company purchased in 2010 by Quake Global)
Between 2005 and 2010, Stellar Satellite Communications released three Orbcomm Communicators...-DS100 - a compact Orbcomm modem
-DS101 - an updated version of the DS100
-DS300 - a rugged Orbcomm modem that also has GPS and an Atmel AVR
Atmel AVR
The AVR is a modified Harvard architecture 8-bit RISC single chip microcontroller which was developed by Atmel in 1996. The AVR was one of the first microcontroller families to use on-chip flash memory for program storage, as opposed to one-time programmable ROM, EPROM, or EEPROM used by other...
processor (Atmega128L equipped with 128K of flash memory, 4K of RAM and 4K of EEPROM) for 3rd party embedded software. Atmega128L
The DS100, DS101 and DS300 were designed by Stellar Satellite Communications and manufactured by Delphi Corporation.
Remote Intelligence Systems
Orbisat 100 - a compact unit consisting of an integrated Orbcomm modem as well as a GPRS modem with 2 GPRS cards. This unit is the first commercial GPRS / Satellite dual modem. Enables reliable, ubiquitous and low-cost communication.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 30,000 characters of outgoing emails. The Magellan GSC 100 communicator is no longer in production.See also
- GlobalstarGlobalstarGlobalstar is a low Earth orbit satellite constellation for satellite phone and low-speed data communications, somewhat similar to the Iridium satellite constellation and Orbcomm satellite systems.-History:...
- ICO Global Communications
- InmarsatInmarsatInmarsat plc is a British satellite telecommunications company, offering global, mobile services. It provides telephony and data services to users worldwide, via portable or mobile terminals which communicate to ground stations through eleven geostationary telecommunications satellites...
- Iridium Satellite LLC
- O3b
- Solaris MobileSolaris MobileSolaris Mobile is a joint venture company between SES Astra and Eutelsat Communications to develop and commercialize the first geostationary satellite systems in Europe for broadcasting video, radio and data to in-vehicle receivers and to mobile devices, such as mobile phones, portable media...
- SkyTerra
- SkyWave Mobile CommunicationsSkyWave Mobile CommunicationsSkyWave Mobile Communications is a satellite telematics company that provides satellite transceivers, dual-mode satellite/GPRS terminals and satellite network services for global tracking, monitoring, and control of mobile and stationary assets...
- Satellite phoneSatellite phoneA satellite telephone, satellite phone, or satphone is a type of mobile phone that connects to orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell sites...
- TerreStar Corporation
Sources
- Orbcomm at Encyclopedia AstronauticaEncyclopedia AstronauticaThe Encyclopedia Astronautica is a reference web site on space travel. A comprehensive catalog of vehicles, technology, astronauts, and flights, it includes information from most countries that have had an active rocket research program, from Robert Goddard to the NASA Space shuttle to the Soviet...
- Orbcomm at the Global Frequency Database