The Basics:

What is matter? We know what matter is! It's all around us. Some of us might think that the smallest piece of matter is an atom. We are wrong. One of the smaller divisions of matter is an electron. Protons and neutrons are also smaller than an atom but are almost 1000 times bigger than an electron. There re many smaller sub-atomic particles such as quarks, neutrinos, and mesons but understanding these requires knowledge of pahysics. An atom is made up of electrons, protons and neutrons. They are called subatomic particles. There are 118 known different types of atoms and they all have different numbers of each sub-atomic particle. For example hydrogen is made up of one proton, which is orbited by a single electron. It has no neutrons at all.

There is more to learn about matter, much more. What we must understand next is: antimatter. Antimatter is both very simple and very complex at the same time. Antimatter is a subject that people devote their entire lives to researching and even then they only push the boundaries of what we know by a hair's width. Antimatter is also made up of particles smaller than what might be called an "anti-atom". These particles are equal and opposite of their matter counterparts. An anti-electron is called a positron; it is the same size but yet it is the opposite. The anti-proton is called just that; no other name for it has been invented. It is the same with an antineutron, no one has come up with a name for it and it remains an anti-neutron.

What is Matter?
Matter is what is all around us. It makes up everything around us: you, me and even the air we are breathing. While the amount of matter present is vast it is made of very, very small particles. Each of these particles has some characteristics that are unique and some that are the same. All of the sub-atomic particles have what is known as "charge" (even though some have a net charge of zero) and they all have "spin". Charge is a very simple concept. It is just like magnets, a negative charge attracts a positive charge and visa versa. However a negative charge repels a negative charge and a positive charge repels a positive charge. One of the sub-atomic particles is called an electron; it has a negative charge and is attracted to protons which have a positive charge. In hydrogen the electron orbiting the proton is held in place by equilibrium of forces, meaning that the forces applied to the electron are balanced. The attraction between negative and positive charge pull the electron toward the proton while another force keeps it away. In most descriptions of atoms the motion of an electron around a proton is described as an orbit. This comes from a theory that has since been disproved but the terminology has remained. It used to be believed that electrons orbited protons like planets around a sun. This is not the case as we believe today. More recently evidence has been found that electrons travel in clouds around a hollow sphere with the proton at the core and can move to any place on the surface of that sphere. Also it appears that electrons can move to any point on the sphere without crossing the intervening space. This means that they can go anywhere on the sphere instantly no matter how far away. Neutrons have what is referred to as either no charge or a balanced charge. They neither attracts nor repel positively or negatively charged particles. Along with protons they make up the nucleus, the core, of an atom. Spin is the second of two major subatomic properties and it is very difficult to grasp the concept of it. To understand even the concept of how spin functions we need some knowledge of quantum physics.

What is Antimatter?
Antimatter is the "mirror" of matter. It is equal yet opposite, a pair of identical twins with opposite personalities. A positron, the antielectron, has a positive charge and opposite spin and scientists think those are the only differences .An anti-proton has a negative charge and the opposite spin of its matter counterpart. Yet again those seem to be the only differences. Anti-neutrons only have opposite spin as both have neutral charge. In an antimatter atom the anti-particles stay in the same places that their matter opposites occupy. The positron moves around the anti-proton and the anti-neutron would be part of the nucleus of the atom. There may be

more differences; however, scientists have not been able to synthesize very much antimatter and they can only keep it stable for a few billionths of a second. No complete atom more complex than hydrogen has ever been produced. If another source of antimatter were discovered much more research could be done. It is theoretically possible for an entire galaxy somewhere in the universe to be made entirely of antimatter and scientists would have no way of knowing. The knowledge we possess of outer space comes to us in the forms of x-rays, radio waves, photons etc., none of which would indicate the existence of antimatter. Based on the knowledge we possess, the laws of physics would be identical in a world made entirely of antimatter. Time, gravity and other forces would act in the same way just as string of magnets would still hold together if all of the polarities were simultaneously reversed. Only when you mix matter and antimatter would you see a reaction (only changing some of the polarities of the magnets would cause the chain to fall apart). In September 1995, Prof. Walter Oelert and an international team from Jlich IKP-KFA, Erlangen-Nuernberg University, GSI Darmstadt and Genoa University succeeded for the first time in synthesizing atoms of antimatter from their constituent antiparticles. Nine of these atoms were produced in collisions between antiprotons and xenon atoms over a period of three weeks. Each one remained in existence for about forty billionths of a second, travelled at nearly the speed of light over a path of ten metres and then annihilated with ordinary matter. The annihilation produced the signal which showed that the anti-atoms had been created. Ordinary atoms consist of a number of electrons in orbit around an atomic nucleus. The hydrogen atom is the simplest atom of all; its nucleus consists of a proton, around which a single electron circulates. The recipe for anti-hydrogen is very simple - take one antiproton, bring up one anti-electron, and put the latter into orbit around the former - but it is very difficult to carry out as antiparticles do not naturally exist on earth. They can only be created in the laboratory. The experimenters whirled previously created antiprotons around the CERN* Low Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR), passing them through a xenon gas jet each time they went around - about 3 million times each second. Very occasionally, an antiproton converted a small part of its own energy into an electron and an anti-electron, usually called a positron, while passing through a xenon atom. In even rarer cases, the positron's velocity was sufficiently close to the velocity of the antiproton for the two particles to join - creating an atom of anti-hydrogen. Three quarters of our universe is hydrogen and much of what we have learned about it has been found by studying ordinary hydrogen. If the behavior of anti-hydrogen differed even in the tiniest detail from that of ordinary hydrogen, physicists would have to rethink or abandon many of the established ideas on the symmetry between matter and antimatter. Newton's historic work on gravity was supposedly prompted by watching an apple fall to earth, but would an "anti-apple" fall in the same way? It is believed that antimatter "works" under gravity in the same way as matter, but if nature has chosen otherwise, we must find out how and why. The next step is to check whether anti hydrogen does indeed "work" just as well as ordinary hydrogen. Comparisons can be made with tremendous accuracy, as high as one part in a million trillion, and even an asymmetry on this tiny scale would have enormous consequences for our understanding of the universe. To check for such an asymmetry would mean holding the anti-atoms still, for seconds, minutes, days or weeks. The techniques needed to store antimatter are under intense development at CERN. New experiments are currently being planned, to capture antimatter in electrical and magnetic bottles or traps allowing for high precision analysis. The first ever creation of atoms of antimatter at CERN has opened the door to the systematic exploration of the anti world. How do you store antimatter? Antiparticles have either a positive or a negative electrical charge, so they can be stored in what we call a trap which has the appropriate configuration of electrical and magnetic fields to keep them confined in a small place. Of course, this has to be done in good vacuum to avoid collisions with matter particles. Anti-atoms are electrically neutral, but they have magnetic proprieties that can be used to keep them in "magnetic bottles". What does antimatter look like? Matter and antimatter are identical. Looking at an object means seeing the photons coming from that object; however, photons come from both matter and antimatter. If there were a distant galaxy made out of antimatter, you couldn't distinguish it from a matter galaxy just by seeing the light from it. How can you be so sure there is not antimatter around? If there was antimatter here, around us, it would annihilate with matter and we would see light coming out. About the possibility of antimatter in space (anti-stars or anti-galaxies), theorist have reasons to believe that the Universe is all made of matter. But we are not 100% sure, and that's way there are experiments, like AMS, which are going to look for it. If the only difference between a particle and its antiparticle is the charge, how do you distinguish a neutron from an antineutron ? Neutrons are made of quarks, and anti-neutrons are made of anti-quarks. Quarks and anti-quarks have opposite charges, even though they sum up to zero in both cases. And a very good way to recognize them is to put a neutron close to an antineutron and see how they immediately annihilate.

What about anti-photons? Photons have zero charge and do not contain inside objects that are charged, so a photon can not be distinguished from an antiphoton. Photon and anti-photons are the same thing, i.e. the photon is its own antiparticle. How do sound waves propagate in antimatter? If there is a difference between matter and antimatter, it is very tiny, that's why we are doing experiments at CERN to investigate it. They are so similar that sound waves, that are vibrations of matter or antimatter, would be identical. An antimatter piano would sound exactly as a matter one. How does the gravitational field act on antimatter? The gravitational force depends from the energy of an object, and since matter and antimatter have both positive energies, gravitation acts on them in the same way. This means that an object made of matter and one made of antimatter would both stand on the floor, the latter one not flying off the sky... How much antimatter can you make in one accelerator cycle? At CERN we can produce 50 millions antiprotons in each cycle (about once a minute), that allows us to make a few hundred antihydrogen atoms. The number could be 10 times higher in particular configurations of the accelerator. This sounds a lot, but expressed in grams it is a billionth of a gram in a year.

The Reaction:
When matter and antimatter collide a process called annihilation takes place. Imagine a gigantic sheet of cookie dough that has millions upon millions of holes cut out of it. There are only three different shaped holes but so many of each it would be impossible to count them. Now imagine that somewhere (say on a colossal table) all of the cut-outs are sitting in a pile. If you think of the sheet of dough as energy and the cut-outs on the table as matter, the holes left in the sheet are antimatter. If you were to take a cut-out and put it back in the hole in which it belonged (matter meeting antimatter) then you would have neither hole nor cut out remaining but you would have more energy. This is the process of annihilation. When annihilation takes place both the matter and antimatter no longer exist and a proportionally large amount of energy in the form of high-gamma photons (in other words extremely radioactive light) is released. This process is also known as matter-energy conversion, a long standing "side-theory" to another that states that matter and energy are simply different forms of the same thing; like water is another form of ice. Matter can almost be considered condensed energy, when it is transformed back into energy the amount of energy released is astounding. "If you could convert all of the energy contained in 1 kg of sugar, or 1 kg of water, or 1 kg of any other stuff, you could drive a car for about 100,000 years without stopping!" This idea of converting matter to energy has been the driving force behind a vast amount of studies looking for a new and infinite power source. Unfortunately it appears it will be many years before any major breakthroughs are made.

Uses of Antimatter:
Antimatter has tremendous energy -Matter-antimatter annihilation - the complete conversion of matter into energy - releases the most energy per unit mass of any known reaction in physics. The popular belief is that an antimatter particle coming in contact with its matter counterpart yields energy, gamma rays up to 511,000 electron volts. This could be used as an auxiliary energy source for the space program, saving millions in fossil fuels, but losing billions in dollars. In fact, it would cost one-hundred billion dollars to create one milligram of antimatter. Antimatter for Medical Purposes -Antimatter isn't restricted to space; applications for medicinal purposes include a radioisotope generator for Positron Emission Tommography, and radiography for detection and possible treatment of tumors. This is done by injecting isotopes into the brain, usually of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine. These isotopes are most often used, due to their rate of decay, usually a few minutes to a few hours. As the radioisotopes migrate from the decay site, each becomes two photons. The image then received is that of several thousand photons around a decay site; unlike x-rays, which can only show density, PET scans provide information such as chemical uptake. Like all uses of antimatter, this procedure is costly, up to several million dollars. Can we use antimatter to propel a car or a spaceship?- In principle, yes, but in practice it is very difficult. We all know that the Star Trek Spaceship Enterprise flies around powered by antimatter. But in reality, making antimatter is so difficult that it is hard to foresee it ever being used as a propellant fuel. In order to propel a matter spacecraft weighing several tons up to the speed of light, you would

need an equal amount of antimatter and, using the present technology, it would take millions and millions of years to produce a sufficient amount. However, if you had a gram of antimatter, you could drive your car for about 100,000 years! Is it possible to build an antimatter weapon?- It is common belief that antimatter could make future weapons-of-mass-destruction. In theory this could be true but in practice chances are it will never happen. To produce enough antimatter to create a high-yield warhead would take a very long time and ridiculous amounts of money. "Right now, antimatter is the most expensive substance on Earth, about $62.5 trillion [American Dollars] a gram ($1.75 quadrillion an ounce). ..." So while combining 1 kg of antimatter with 1 kg of matter would release enough energy to equal 43 million tons of TNT detonating simultaneously it would cost $62.5 quadrillion which is over 9000 times the American national debt. The military use of antimatter has the same limitations as spaceship propulsion: both would require a huge amount of antimatter, taking million of years to produce. But if you define a weapon as something which shoots bullets, an accelerator could be considered an antiparticle gun! But we are talking about single particles, so the amount of energy you release when you shoot one of these "bullets" is so small you wouldn't even tickle your enemy.
ANTIMATTER PROPULSION

The US Strategic Defense Initiative program known as "Star Wars" looked into the possibility of using antimatter as rocket fuel for space-borne weapons. It is the ultimate fuel because it converts all of its mass into energy. Since antimatter is very difficult to produce the idea was quickly thrown out. The space program still ponders the possibilities of antimatter for rocket fuel if there is ever a way to make enough of it. Currently, all of the antiprotons produced at CERN in a year would be enough energy to light a 100 watt electric bulb for three seconds. Matter-Antimatter Engine -NASA is possibly only a few decades away from developing an antimatter spacecraft that would cut fuel costs to a fraction of what they are today. In October 2000, NASA scientists announced early designs for an antimatter engine that could generate enormous thrust with only small amounts of antimatter fueling it. The amount of antimatter needed to supply the engine for a one-year trip to Mars could be as little as a millionth of a gram, according to a report in that month's issue of Journal of Propulsion and Power. Matter-antimatter propulsion will be the most efficient propulsion ever developed, because 100 percent of the mass of the matter and antimatter is converted into energy. When matter and antimatter collide, the energy released by their annihilation releases about 10 billion times the energy that chemical energy such as hydrogen and oxygen combustion, the kind used by the space shuttle, releases. Matter-antimatter reactions are 1,000 times more powerful than the nuclear fission produced in nuclear power plants and 300 times more powerful than nuclear fusion energy. So, matter-antimatter engines have the potential to take us farther with less fuel. The problem is creating and storing the antimatter. There are three main components to a matterantimatter engine: y y y Magnetic storage rings - Antimatter must be separated from normal matter so storage rings with magnetic fields can move the antimatter around the ring until it is needed to create energy. Feed system - When the spacecraft needs more power, the antimatter will be released to collide with a target of matter, which releases energy. Magnetic rocket nozzle thruster - Like a particle collider on Earth, a long magnetic nozzle will move the energy created by the matter-antimatter through a thruster.

Approximately 10 grams of antiprotons would be enough fuel to send a manned spacecraft to Mars in one month. Today, it takes nearly a year for an unmanned spacecraft to reach Mars. In 1996, the Mars Global Surveyor took 11 months to arrive at Mars. Scientists believe that the speed of an matter-antimatter powered spacecraft would allow man to go where no man has gone before in space. It would be possible to make trips to Jupiter and even beyond the heliopause, the point at which the sun's radiation ends. But it will still be a long time before astronauts are asking their starship's helmsman to take them to warp speed.

INMARSAT

Inmarsat plc is an international telecommunications company founded in 1979, originally as an intergovernmental organization. It operates a fleet of eleven (as of 2005) geosynchronous telecommunications satellites. The company is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: ISAT) as of December 2007. It is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.Inmarsat provides telephony and data services to users world-wide, via special terminals. An Inmarsat terminal contacts the satellite and communicates to a ground station through the satellite. It provides reliable communications services to a range of governments, aid agencies, media outlets and businesses needing to communicate in remote regions or where there is no reliable terrestrial network.Aside from its commercial services, Inmarsat provides global distress and safety services (GMDSS) to ships and aircraft at no charge, as a public service.Services include traditional voice calls, low-level data tracking systems, and high-speed data services as well as distress and safety services. The most recent of these provides GPRS-type services at up to 492 kbit/s via the BGAN IP satellite modem the size of a notebook computer. Other services provide mobile ISDN services used by the media for live reporting on world events via videophone.Historically expensive, calls via Inmarsat have now dropped to a level where they are comparable, and in many cases favorable, to international roaming costs, or hotel phone calls. Voice call charges are the same wherever in the world the service is used. Callers to Inmarsat area codes should be aware that they will be billed very substantial charges for placing calls to area codes 870 874. As of December, 2007, the published rates are as high as $10.75 per minute.Newer Inmarsat services using IP technology feature an always-on capability where the users are simply charged for the amount of data they send and receive rather than the length of time they are online. This applies specifically to BGAN, Regional BGAN, and MPDS.The satellites are digital transponders that receive digital signals, reform the pulses, and then retransmit them to ground stations. The ground stations perform billing and act as gateways to the public switched telephone network and Internet.Inmarsat's most recent series of satellites were launched in June and November 2005. These were the largest commercial telecommunications satellites ever launched. Each satellite is equipped with a global beam, 19 regional spot beams, and 228 narrow spot beams.In addition to its own satellites, Inmarsat has a collaboration agreement with ACeS regarding handheld voice services. Coverage ---There are 3 types of coverage related to each Inmarsat satellite.Global beam coverage---Each satellite is equipped with a single global beam that covers up to one-third of the Earth's surface, apart from the poles. In general, global beam coverage extends from latitudes of 78 to +78 degrees regardless of longitude. Wide spot beam coverage It relates to the overlap of the wide spot beams (a set of narrower beams creating a coverage pattern). Wide spot beam coverage is optimised for covering most areas of interest to Inmarsat's customers and is thus somewhat limited in comparison to global beam coverage. This coverage was introduced with the I-3 satellites. Each I-4 satellite provides 19 wide spot beams. Narrow spot beam coverage It relates to the overlap of the narrow spot beams (a set of very narrow beams creating a coverage pattern). Narrow spot beam coverage is designed to form the backbone of Inmarsat's broadband services, including the Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN). This coverage is introduced with the I-4 satellites. Each I-4 satellite provides 228 narrow spot beams.
[edit] Satellites Satellite Coverage Launch Longitude Vehicles
[1]

Date (GMT) 11 March 2005 early 2008 3 April 1996 1996-12-18 3 June 1997 4 February 1998 1990-10-30 March 1991 1991-12-16 April 1992

Services / Notes

Inmarsat-4 satellites Inmarsat-4F1 IOR 64 east 53 west Atlas V Proton rocket IOR AOR-E POR PAC-C 65 east 178 east Atlas Centaur IIA Atlas Centaur IIA Ariane 4 (V105) BGAN and Regional BGAN services only. International Launch Services announced the satellite would be launched. Existing and evolved services only. Existing and evolved services only. Various leases.
[2]

Inmarsat-4 F2 AOR-West Inmarsat-4 F3 Inmarsat-3 satellites Inmarsat-3F1 Inmarsat-3F2 Inmarsat-3F3 Inmarsat-3F4 Inmarsat-3F5 Inmarsat-2F1 Inmarsat-2F2 Inmarsat-2F3 Inmarsat-2F4 IND-E

Sea Launch Zenit 3SL 8 November 2005 Nearly all Inmarsat services.

15.5 west Proton D-1-E 142 west Ariane 4 (V97)

6 September 1996 Existing and evolved services only.

Spare (AOR-W) 54 west PAC-W PAC-E

Inmarsat-2 satellites (These satellites are primarily used for leases.) 143.5 east Delta II[1] 98 west Ariane 44L 109 east Proton expected operational life 2010 expected operational life 2010 decommissioned 2006 expected operational life 2016

[edit] Country codes The telephone country codes for calling Inmarsat destinations are: 870 SNAC (Single Network Access Code) 871 Atlantic Ocean Region East (AOR-E) 872 Pacific Ocean Region (POR) 873 Indian Ocean Region (IOR) 874 Atlantic Ocean Region West (AOR-W) The 870 SNAC number is actually a locator service so that you don't have to know to which satellite the destination Inmarsat terminal is logged in. SNAC however doesn't support calls to Inmarsat-A terminals. The other four country codes correspond to the areas which Inmarsat satellites cover (normally one satellite per area). These areas are commonly called "Ocean Regions". [edit] Networks Inmarsat has gradually developed a series of networks providing certain sets of services (most networks support multiple services). They are grouped into two sets, existing and evolved services, and IP-based services. Existing and evolved services are offered through Land Earth Stations which are not owned nor operated by Inmarsat, but through companies which have a commercial agreement with Inmarsat. IP-based services are provided via distribution partners but the satellite gateways are owned and operated by Inmarsat directly. IP-based shared-carrier services, as follows: Regional BGAN: RBGAN offers a shared-channel IP packet-switched service of up to 144 kbit/s based on GPRS technology. Coverage is limited to parts of Europe, Asia, Africa & Australia. The new Inmarsat-4 satellite for the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) has taken over RBGAN service from the Thuraya satellite. The new Inmarsat-4 satellite for AOR-West

now provides service to South America and the Western edges of Europe and Africa, however no service is offered to North or Central America. Inmarsat have announced the closure of the RBGAN service on December 31, 2008. BGAN: Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) benefits from the new I-4 satellites to offer a shared-channel IP packet-switched service of up to 492 kbit/s (uplink and downlink speeds may differ and depend on terminal model) and a streaming-IP service from 32 up to 256 kbit/s (services depend on terminal model). Certain terminals also offer circuit-switched Mobile ISDN services at 64 kbit/s and even low speed (4.8 kbit/s) voice etc services. BGAN service is available on the IOR satellite and AOR-West satellite, with POR service planned for 2007. The BGAN family includes SwiftBroadband, a service planned for aircraft, and FleetBroadband, a service planned for ships and the maritime community.

Fleet Broadband (FB): Fleet Broadband is based on BGAN technology, offering similar services and using the same infrastructure as BGAN. Fleet Broadband is designed for Maritime use, and user terminals are designed for fitting on ships. Swift Broadband (SB): Like FB, Swift Broadband is based on BGAN and offers similar services. SB is designed for aeronautical users and terminals are specifically designed for use aboard commercial, private, and military aircraft. Historic services, termed "Existing and Evolved", as follows: Inmarsat-A: provides voice services, telex services, medium speed fax/data services and, optionally, high speed data services at 56 or 64 kbit/s. This is the only analog network of Inmarsat and is scheduled for phase-out by 31 December 2007. The rest of the Networks are digital and no phase-out date is currently available. The Inmarsat-A service on IOR has been moved to a backup satellite at 109 degrees East longitude due to the use of the new Inmarsat-4 satellite for the primary IOR coverage. The Inmarsat-A service on AOR-West has been moved to a backup satellite at 98 degrees West longitude due to the use of the new Inmarsat-4 satellite for the primary AOR-West coverage. Aeronautical (Classic Aero): provides voice/fax/data services for aircraft. Three levels of terminals, Aero-L (Low Gain Antenna) primarily for packet data including ACARS and ADS, Aero-H (High Gain Antenna) for medium quality voice and fax/data at up to 9600 bit/s, and Aero-I (Intermediate Gain Antenna) for low quality voice and fax/data at up to 2400 bit/s. Note, there are also aircraft rated versions of Inmarsat-C and mini-M/M4. The aircraft version of GAN is called Swift64 (below) Inmarsat-B: provides voice services, telex services, medium speed fax/data services at 9.6 kbit/s and high speed data services at 56, 64 or 128 kbit/s. There is also a 'leased' mode for Inmarsat-B available on the spare Inmarsat satellites. Inmarsat-C: effectively this is a "satellite telex" terminal with store-and-forward, polling etc capabilities. Certain models of Inmarsat-C terminals are also approved for usage in the GMDSS system, equipped with GPS. Inmarsat-M: provides voice services at 4.8 kbit/s and medium speed fax/data services at 2.4 kbit/s. It paved the way towards Inmarsat-Mini-M. Mini-M: provides voice services at 4.8 kbit/s and medium speed fax/data services at 2.4 kbit/s. Uses Inmarsat's zonal ray technology GAN (Global Area Network): provides a selection of low speed services like voice at 4.8 kbit/s, fax & data at 2.4 kbit/s, ISDN like services at 64 kbit/s (called Mobile ISDN) and shared-channel IP packet-switched data services at 64 kbit/s (called Mobile Packet Data Service MPDS, formerly Inmarsat Packet Data Service IPDS). GAN is also known as "M4". Fleet: actually a family of networks that includes the Inmarsat-Fleet77, Inmarsat-Fleet55 and Inmarsat-Fleet33 members. Much like GAN, it provides a selection of low speed services like voice at 4.8 kbit/s, fax/data at 2.4 kbit/s, medium speed services like fax/data at 9.6 kbit/s, ISDN like services at 64 kbit/s (called Mobile ISDN) and shared-channel IP packet-switched data services at 64 kbit/s (called Mobile Packet Data Service MPDS). However, not all these services are available with all members of the family. The latest service to be supported is Mobile ISDN at 128 kbit/s on Inmarsat-Fleet77 terminals. Swift 64: Similar to GAN, providing voice, low rate fax/data, 64kb/s ISDN, and MPDS services, for private, business, and commercial aircraft. Swift 64 is often sold in a multi-channel version, to support several times 64kb/s. Inmarsat-D/D+: Inmarsat's version of a pager, although much larger than terrestrial versions. Some units are equipped with GPS. The original Inmarsat-D terminals were one-way (to mobile) pagers. The newer Inmarsat-D+ terminals are the equivalent of a two-way pager. The main use of this technology nowadays is in tracking trucks and buoys and SCADA applications. Inmarsat D+ is the only GPS tracking service available via Inmarsat. Competing systems such as from Skybitz only operate on the MSAT geostationary satellite over North America. Inmarsat-E: A global maritime distress alerting service using small Emergency Position Indicating Rescue Beacons (EPIRB) that automatically relayed distress messages to maritime Rescue Coordination Centres. This service was terminated 1 December 2006 [2] in agreement and coordination with the IMO and IMSO, and is no longer available. Inmarsat moved all users to the 406 MHz system, an equivalent EPIRB working via Cospas-Sarsat satellites, when the Inmarsat-E service was switched off in 2006. The service was terminated due to lack of interest from the maritime community. MPDS (Mobile Packet Data Service): Previously known as IPDS, this is an IP-based data service in which several users share a 64kb/s carrier in a manner similar to ADSL. MPDS-specific terminals are not sold; rather, this is a service which comes with most terminals that are designed for GAN, Fleet, and Swift64. Handheld Voice Services IsatPhone: provides voice services at 4.8 kbit/s and medium speed fax/data services at 2.4 kbit/s. Emerges from a collaboration agreement with ACeS. [edit] History Inmarsat was originally founded as the International Maritime Satellite Organization (IMSO) as a not-for-profit international organization in 1979, at the behest of the International Maritime Organization ("IMO", a UN body) for the purpose of establishing a satellite communications network for the maritime community. From the beginning the acronym "Inmarsat" was used. The intent was to create a self-financing body which would improve safety of life at sea. The name was changed to International Mobile Satellite Organization when it began to provide services to aircraft and portable users, but the acronym "Inmarsat" was kept. When the organization was corporatized, the company was split into two parts: the bulk of the organization was converted into the commercial company Inmarsat plc, and a small group became the regulatory body IMSO. In spite of the commercial structure, Inmarsat has maintained its traditional multicultural atmosphere of some 45 nationalities in the London headquarters. Inmarsat continues to ensure it meets the requirements of a Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) as established by the IMO. Inmarsat has been based in London throughout its history, where the vast majority of its 400 staff are located. In 2001, Inmarsat commissioned an indpendent commercial market research agency, Gilmour Research to assess the extent of the Crew Calling market, in order to determine demand for non-business and domestic satellite communications onboard merchant ships. The results of over 600 face-to-face interviews, many of them onboard vessels in major harbours including Southampton, Rotterdam and Singapore established that a market existed but that onboard non-business communications were often prohibited on merchant vessels. A follow-up survey in 2006 by the same company established that this situation had changed dramatically. The majority of Crew Calling calls now pass over Inmarsat satellites and Crew Calling is one of the fastest-growing revenue sectors in maritime satellite communications. In 1982 Inmarsat established the Standard-A (later to become Inmarsat-A) satellite communications system for ships, based on a system developed in the mid-1970s by COMSAT. It initially used leased transponders on three satellites (AORE, IOR, and POR), and offered priority communications for emergency and distress. By the end of 1986 there were 3800 Standard-A users. The customer base increased approximately 100-fold in the next 20 years.

INMARSAT Satellite Phone Service What is INMARSAT? INMARSAT (International Maritime Satellite Organisation) operates a constellation of geo-stationary satellites designed to extend phone, fax and data communications all over the world. Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) is permitted to provide Inmarsat services in India under their International Long Distance(ILD) licence granted by Department of Telecommunications(DoT). VSNL has commissioned their new Land Earth Station (LES) at Dighi, Pune compatible with 4th generation INMARSAT Satellites (I-4) and INMARSATB, M, Mini-M & M-4 services are now being provided through this new LES after No Objection Certificate (NOC) is issued by DoT on case by case basis. Who can apply for use of INMARSAT service? Any individual/ public/ private sector companies/ autonomous bodies/ Government departments etc. can apply for issue of No Objection Certificate for use of INMARSAT terminals to the CS Cell, Department of Telecommunications, Room No. 1204, Sanchar Bhavan, 20, Ashoka Road, New Delhi - 110 001.

Types of INMARSAT TERMINALS--for which No Objection Certificate (NOC) is issued by DOT INMARSAT-B This is successor to INMARSAT-A System, it supports a similar range of services but is cheaper to
use because it is based on modern digital communications technology and also digital design makes much better use of satellite power and bandwidth. INMARSAT-B Land Mobile Terminals weighs around 15 Kgs. and antenna size is approximately 1.2 meter x 1.2 meter. VSNL started INMARSAT-B Services from November 30, 1999.

INMARSAT-CINMARSAT-C Mobile Earth Station (MES) has a small omni directional antenna, which can be easily mounted
on a vehicle or vessel. It supports data speed up to 600 bps and provides terrestrial interfaces with telex, fax, X.25, X.400 and Internet. Weighs around 3 to 4 Kgs. and has an omni directional antenna of about 25 centimeter height. VSNL commenced INMARSAT-C Services on 12th November 1993.

INMARSAT-M INMARSAT-M System offers voice (4.8 Kbps), FAX (2.4 Kbps) and data (2.4 Kbps) Services. INMARSAT-M
Terminals are lightweight, portable and available for meritime, land mobile and portable versions. Unlike INMARSAT-A Satellite Telephones, INMARSAT-M is a digital system. Land Mobile Terminal weighs about 10 Kgs. and antenna size is approximately 70 cm x 50 cm. VSNL commenced this service in November 30,

INMARSAT-Mini M This System offers voice (4.8 Kbps), FAX (2.4 Kbps) and data (2.4 Kbps) Services. INMARSAT-Mini M
Terminals are lightweight, compact and available in brief case version, vehicle mountable version and maritime version. The terminal weighs around 2.5 Kgs. and the antenna size is approximately 30 cm x 30cm. VSNL commenced this service in May 30, 1997.

INMARSAT-Multimedia Mini M (M4) INMARSAT-Multimedia Mini M (M4) is a hybrid system of INMARSAT-B and
INMARSAT-Mini M Systems. The terminal weighs around 4 Kgs and the antenna size is approximately 100 cm x 70cm.It supports high-speed voice, fax and circuit switch data services.The terminal shall be low cost, lightweight and would be supporting 64 Kbps data facility with embedded communication applications.
The concept of IMO was born after the RMS Titanic disaster. By modern standards, the design of the Titanic made her appallingly vulnerable. Her "watertight" bulkheads, by design, did not extend all the way to the overhead because the engineers calculated that it was impossible for the ship to take on a trim or list sufficient for water to cascade over their tops if the bulkheads were of a certain height. When Titanic struck the iceberg, these calculations were proven dismally incorrect. When people began abandoning ship, it became obvious that not nearly enough lifeboats were available. Many lives were lost in this tragedy. Up until that time, each nation had made its own rules about ship design, construction, and safety equipment. The Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) was formed in response to the Titanic event, but was "put on the back burner" when World War I broke out. After the war ended, IMCO was revived and produced a group of regulations concerning shipbuilding and safety called Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). Through the years, SOLAS has been modified and upgraded to adapt to changes in technology and lessons learned. IMCO eventually became IMO. IMO regularly enacts regulations (such as the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea) which are enforced by class societies and recognized organizations, which survey ships regularly to ensure compliance with specific laws applicable to each individual ship. Port State Control authority was enacted, allowing domestic maritime authorities, such as coast guards, to inspect foreign-flag ships calling at ports of the many port states. Memoranda of Understanding (protocols) were signed by some countries unifying Port State Control procedures among the signatories. [edit] Legal instruments IMO is the source of approximately 60 legal instruments that guide the regulatory development of its member states to improve safety at sea, facilitate trade among seafaring states and protect the maritime environment. The most well known is the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. [edit] Current issues Recent initiatives at the IMO have included amendments to SOLAS, which upgraded fire protection standards on passenger ships, the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) which establishes basic requirements on training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers and to the Convention on the Prevention of Maritime Pollution (MARPOL 73/78), which required double hulls on all tankers. All these initiatives were instigated by representatives of the United States before the IMO. Prior to 11 September 2001, IMO had begun work on the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code, which was designed to provide guidance for shipowners and port facilities in establishing strict security procedures to prevent weapons of mass destruction and other contraband from being transported by ship. The events of 9/11 created greater urgency to this effort and, in December 2002, new amendments to the 1974 SOLAS Convention were enacted. These amendments gave rise to the ISPS Code, which went into effect on 1 July 2004. The ISPS Code required most ships and port facilities engaged in international trade to establish and maintain strict security procedures as specified in ship and port specific Ship Security Plans and Port Facility Security Plans. The concept of the Code is to provide layered and redundant defenses against smuggling, terrorism, piracy, stowaways, etc. The IMO is also responsible for publishing the International Code of Signals for use between merchant and naval vessels.