Author Topic: High Definition streaming cameras to be installed outside Russian Segment  (Read 44809 times)

Offline Robotbeat

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That's actually pretty cool...

How much is this going to cost, by the way?

It's really neat... I'd imagine news companies would like this; it's like a news helicopter that can go anywhere on the planet (though exactly when you're overhead really depends).

Tangent: A city like Dallas-Fort Worth with roughly 6 million people might have half a dozen news/traffic copters plus a couple of airplanes, and they cost roughly $500,000 per year to run... There might be a market out there of about a hundred million dollars a year (in the US... you could also sell to Europe, Asia, or anyone else who could afford it plus contract out to the government) if you got the resolution and enough cameras up there in different orbits to allow several dozen cameras over the US at one time (would be pretty expensive to do that). Not a huge market, but still interesting if you could somehow get the cost down. Even if you just had a smaller constellation, you could sell the real-time feed to the highest bidder in cases where there's a big story breaking somewhere. But I'm getting ahead of myself. This is going to be a neat project.

When's the launch?
« Last Edit: 12/14/2011 11:04 pm by Robotbeat »
Chris  Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

To the maximum extent practicable, the Federal Government shall plan missions to accommodate the space transportation services capabilities of United States commercial providers. US law http://goo.gl/YZYNt0

Offline Comga

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Some pictures of the flight-hardware cameras.

Now THAT'S more like real hardware!  Probably a 350 mm aperture. (The body of the interferometer is ~132 H by 208 W by 732 mm L for scale.)  Testing with a trusty 4D PhaseCam 4020 like we use on our space-bound hardware  (Those machines are awesome!)  Aerotech motorized return flat, Newport table and precision jacks (a little overkill there).  Nice custom hardware and tooling.  It looks like a "good housekeeping" area, not a certified cleanroom (no return air ducts at floor level) but they are using a low lint wipe as one of their "screens" so someone is paying some attention to contamination control. 

No surprise.  Rutherford is a reputable organization.  This is much more professional, and more of a proper shape and form, than the mockup shown earlier.  This could get real meter resolution, not just meter sampling.
« Last Edit: 12/15/2011 02:29 pm by Comga »
What kind of wastrels would dump a perfectly good booster in the ocean after just one use?

Offline Space Pete

UrtheCast & MDA Team Up to Pioneer HD Earth Video from Space

VANCOUVER, Feb. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- UrtheCast is pleased to announce that it has taken another giant leap towards launching the world's first HD video platform of Earth from space, by entering into a contract with MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA). As a preeminent provider of electronic solutions, MDA will supply information solutions in support of UrtheCast's video of Earth from the International Space Station (ISS). Information solutions to be included in this agreement include space data handling hardware (data compression units), which will be integrated into UrtheCast's two high-definition video cameras.

As Scott Larson, President of UrtheCast, explains: "We are thrilled to have MDA as part of this project and to be able to add them to a team that already includes RSC Energia, Rutherford Appleton Labs in the UK, and the Russian Federal Space Agency. A project like this is obviously quite involved and complex, and MDA is the right partner. We look forward to working closely with them on a variety of fronts over the duration of this project."

UrtheCast operates under a singular vision: to provide a high-resolution video data platform for internet users, app developers, educators, media outlets, government bodies, humanitarian relief organizations, and environmental monitoring services. The two cameras — one medium and one high-resolution — will be installed by astronauts on the ISS in late 2012. Once mounted, the cameras will stream near-live video and static imagery to Earth, and will provide extraordinary opportunities to view Earth in high-definition.

"A large part of UrtheCast's vision involves education — a commitment to providing a tool that will allow educators and students to interact with and absorb information about Earth and space. Up until now, this has been impossible: an interactive, ever-changing, near-to-real-time view of our planet," says Scott.

Image data will be offered by means of a consumer-centric website created by UrtheCast, a subsidiary of Earth Video Camera Inc. The platform will be open-sourced, allowing users to create applications for sale on the UrtheCast website. As the Space Station passes over a particular geographic location, video data and imagery will be collected of that area, thereby providing the opportunity for awareness of current events across the globe. As another layer of interactivity, users will be able to track the Space Station along its orbital path. "This powerful platform will be housed in a social, interactive, and open-sourced environment. We are increadibly excited to see what developers and the public will accomplish with this amazing data source," says Larson.

"We've got a wonderful opportunity here," explains Larson, "The monitoring of Earth is becoming increasingly important to ensure its protection, and that of its inhabitants. UrtheCast aims to change the way we observe the globe, and MDA is the right company to help provide this imagery to the world." explains Larson.

The UrtheCast cameras are scheduled for launch in late 2012, aboard the Russian Soyuz Mission. The beta version of UrtheCast's interactive platform will be made available this summer, 2012. To become a beta subscriber, please visit urthecast.com.

About UrtheCast

UrtheCast (pronounced "EarthCast") is a company created around a unique vision: to provide the world's first live HD video feed of Earth from space. Working with world-class partners — and in an exclusive relationship with renown Russian Aerospace giant RSC Energia — UrtheCast is building, launching, installing, and operating two cameras on the Russian module of the International Space Station. Video data of Earth collected by the cameras will be down- linked to ground stations around the planet and then displayed in near-realtime on the UrtheCast web platform, or distributed directly to exclusive partners and customers.

About MDA

MDA provides advanced information solutions that capture and process vast amounts of data, produce essential information, and improve the decision making and operational performance of business and government organizations worldwide. Focused on markets and customers with strong repeat business potential, MDA delivers a broad spectrum of information solutions, ranging from complex operational systems, to tailored information services, to electronic information products.


http://www.marketwatch.com/story/urthecast-mda-team-up-to-pioneer-hd-earth-video-from-space-2012-02-27-17800
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Offline robertross

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I can't believe I missed this thread & news.

Wow, a nice Canadian project for the ISS!

Offline Dappa

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The two cameras — one medium and one high-resolution — will be installed by astronauts on the ISS in late 2012.
If I understand correctly these cameras will be installed during Russian EVA-32. Would it be a primary task or a get-ahead?

Offline Space Pete

The two cameras — one medium and one high-resolution — will be installed by astronauts on the ISS in late 2012.
If I understand correctly these cameras will be installed during Russian EVA-32. Would it be a primary task or a get-ahead?

You are right that it will be RS EVA-32, and I suspect they will be primary tasks, due to their highly publicised nature, and that RSC Energia and Roscosmos are official partners of Urthecast.
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Offline Danderman

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So ... how does the HD signal return to Earth from the Russian segment?

 ??? ??? ??? ???

Offline Ronsmytheiii

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So ... how does the HD signal return to Earth from the Russian segment?

 ??? ??? ??? ???

I would imagine :

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=27248.0

Offline Danderman

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So ... how does the HD signal return to Earth from the Russian segment?

 ??? ??? ??? ???

I would imagine :

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=27248.0

I don't know if the workstation on the outside of the Russian segment has sufficient bandwidth in its interface with the interior to support HD.

If the system is going to rely on Russian ground stations, only Russia will get live views. Moreover, the system would have to transmit on frequencies those ground stations can receive, which means overlap with existing Russian segment ground transmissions.

I might pay a couple of dollars to see my house from space live. If I want to see a recorded image, I would use Google Earth.

Offline Rugoz

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This is so awesome.

Offline ClaytonBirchenough

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This is a pretty cool idea. There's a pretty real market for satellite imagery, maybe this concept can be expanded into cameras you can actually maneuver. Also, inserting the cameras into other destinations, such as LLO and MLO could possibly be profitable.
Clayton Birchenough

Offline Space Pete

First camera ready to launch!
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Offline anik

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Sources of information:
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-25/shooting-in-high-def-from-outer-space-with-urthecast
http://www.urthecast.com/blog/updates/urthecast-to-launch-cameras-into-space-on-october-16-2013
http://www.urthecast.com/blog/camera/how-it-works-urthecast/

To summarize: both cameras will be launched aboard Progress M-21M cargo ship on November 21, 2013, so they will not be installed outside of Zvezda module till December 2013, when there will be ISS Russian EVA-37, or more likely till beginning of 2014.
« Last Edit: 05/18/2013 10:34 am by anik »

Offline Space Pete

UrtheCast's Space Camera Installation: An Underwater Simulation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evsw1yIu-7w&feature=youtu.be&a
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Offline Danderman

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UK-built video camera launches to International Space Station

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25089414

A Russian Progress freighter has launched to the International Space Station (ISS) carrying a pair of UK-built Earth observation cameras.

One of the imagers is a high-resolution video unit that will return short snatches of the planet's surface up to about 150 times a day.

The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire made the cameras for a Canadian start-up called Urthecast.   The company hopes to build a business around space station imagery.

One of the customer sectors for the hi-res video, for example, is likely to be news organisations that want moving pictures of major events, such as war zones and regions of the Earth hit by natural disasters.

The movie camera should be able to pick out details as small as a metre across from the ISS's altitude of 400km.
« Last Edit: 11/26/2013 04:41 am by Danderman »

Offline Oli

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Damn, I was hoping that the video feed would cover a much larger area.

Offline catdlr

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New Space Station HD Cameras: Where They Will 'Snap' From | Animation

Published on Dec 31, 2013
Canadian company UrtheCast made an agreement with Russia's Federal Space Agency to mount Earth-watching cameras to the hull of the International Space Station. Also, animation of imagery it will provide is shown. -- Cosmonauts Hit Snag During Installation.



Tony De La Rosa, ...I'm no Feline Dealer!! I move mountains.  but I'm better known for "I think it's highly sexual." Japanese to English Translation.

Offline robertross

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Hello, world.
 
It’s here: UrtheCast’s first release of Earth imagery, from space.

This is one of the moments that we’ve been waiting for — the release of these two images marks only the first of millions. Soon, we’ll bring you a virtually endless stream of unprecedented Earth imagery, captured from the International Space Station (ISS).

Captured on March 28, 2014, at 1pm GMT by our medium-resolution camera, Theia, the scrolling image above is centered around the city of Moneague, Jamaica. At approximately 3200 x 8000 pixels, the photo covers about 300 square kilometers of terrain and gives us a remarkable glimpse at what’s to come from this powerful perspective on planet Earth. In our second image below, you’ll see an impressive 3000 x 5000 pixel view of the urban area surrounding Santa Cruz de Mara, Venezuela. Covering approximately 260 square kilometres, this image was also captured by Theia on March 28, 2014.


This is a pivotal moment for the company and for everyone who’s been a part of the vision that we set in motion in the fall of 2010. Our team has been working extremely hard to make certain that we reach this goal of democratizing a very powerful perspective on the planet.

When you speak to astronauts, they all say that going to space fundamentally changes them. They see how small the globe is, with no borders between countries, and they all come back with a greater sense of connectedness, and a renewed appreciation of our responsibility to protect the planet. Our goal at UrtheCast is to recreate that astronaut experience, in Ultra HD, and stream it across the web. Releasing this image is just the start of that democratization.

— Scott Larson, UrtheCast Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer

http://www.urthecast.com/firstlight

Also:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/urthecast-s-space-station-camera-snaps-1st-photo-of-earth-1.2596888

Offline Targeteer

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http://blog.urthecast.com/updates/urthecast-acquires-access-tdrss-greatly-increases-data-downlink-capacity-speed/

Monday, October 6th, 2014 | Theras Wood

Theras Wood is lead writer and editor at UrtheCast.

VANCOUVER, OCT. 1, 2014 | UrtheCast Corp. (TSX:UR) (“UrtheCast” or the “Company”) is extremely pleased to announce that it has acquired access to the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) for the purpose of increasing its data downlink capacity and speed. As a robust constellation of communication satellites and ground stations for space communication, it is designed to increase the time spacecraft are in communication with the ground and improve the amount of data that can be transferred.  TDRSS will allow UrtheCast to significantly augment both data collection and delivery to its current and future data clients.

The access to TDRSS was acquired through our partner NanoRacks LLC, a commercial provider of hardware and services for the U.S. National Laboratory onboard the International Space Station (“ISS”) pursuant to their Space Act Agreement with NASA.

After implementation, UrtheCast anticipates that it will begin delivery of some of its data via TDRSS late 2014 or early 2015. As opposed to our current network of ground stations that only have limited line of sight to the ISS during each orbit for downlinking, TDRSS is highly available as its constellation is in constant line of sight.  This will allow our Medium Resolution Camera and High Resolution Ultra HD Video Camera to utilize the fastest, space-to-ground communications network aboard the ISS.

“This is a remarkably important opportunity for UrtheCast. Being able to harness what is an incredibly powerful communications system which will allow us to provide our customers with incredibly timely data sets,” stated UrtheCast’s President and COO, Wade Larson.

 

TDRSS Highlights:

    TDRSS has been supported since 1973 and is now in its third generation with additional satellites scheduled for launch in 2016 to continue to improve the system.
    TDRSS’ network of satellites is designed to provide constant communication for data from space-based assets to the network of dedicated ground stations.
    TDRSS’ communications network will be incremental to our existing communications systems already in place to support our current generation of cameras.

“Timeliness of data is a key criteria for end users of Earth Observation images and today’s announcement with Nanoracks is expected to add significantly to Urthecast’s downlink capabilities,” explained UrtheCast’s CEO, Scott Larson.

 

About UrtheCast Corp.

UrtheCast Corp. is a Vancouver-based technology company that is developing the world’s first Ultra HD video feed of Earth, streamed from space in full color. Working with renowned aerospace partners from across the globe, UrtheCast has built, launched, installed, and will soon operate two cameras on the ISS. Video and still image data captured by the cameras will be downlinked to ground stations across the planet and displayed on the UrtheCast web platform, or distributed directly to partners and customers. UrtheCast’s cameras will provide Ultra HD video and still imagery of Earth that will allow for monitoring of the environment, humanitarian relief, social events, agricultural land, etc. Common shares of UrtheCast trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange as ticker ‘UR’.

For more information visit our website at www.urthecast.com.

 

Forward-looking Information

This release contains certain information which, as presented, constitutes “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information involves statements that an action or event “will” be taken or occur (or similar language) and includes statements about UrtheCast’s ability to augment data collection and delivery to current and future customers with TDRSS, UrtheCast’s timing for implementation of TDRSS, UrtheCast’s planned timing for data delivery via TDRSS, UrtheCast’s ability to delivery data with TDRSS from both the Medium Resolution Camera and Hi Resolution Ultra HD Video Camera, the plans to operate camera components on the ISS, proposed image and video product offerings, expected partners and customers to distribute such products and proposed plans and timelines for commissioning of the HRC.

Forward-looking statements are subject to various known and unknown risks, many of which are beyond the ability of UrtheCast to control or predict, and which may cause UrtheCast’s actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied thereby, including, but not limited to continued commercial relationships among UrtheCast and NanoRacks LLC, compatibility of UrtheCast technology with TDRSS, the Space Act Agreement among NASA and NanoRacks LLC remaining in force, the continued existence and maintenance of TDRSS, the ability to deliver UrtheCast data through TDRSS,  further delays in commissioning of the HRC, damage which may have occurred to the cameras during launch or installation, unexpected changes in international government policies as well as those factors discussed in the Company’s annual information form dated March 26, 2014, (the “AIF”) and the Company’s short form base shelf prospectus dated April 7, 2014 (the “Prospectus”) which are available under UrtheCast’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information is developed based on assumptions about such risks, uncertainties and other factors set out herein, in the AIF and Prospectus, and as otherwise disclosed from time to time on UrtheCast’s SEDAR profile. UrtheCast undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as may be required by applicable Canadian securities laws. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

SOURCE UrtheCast Corp.
Best quote heard during an inspection, "I was unaware that I was the only one who was aware."

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