Aerospace and Defense Review : News

With Sirius Fish Mapping service and Raymarine's Axiom series chart plotters, saltwater anglers can find fish faster and save gasoline. Sirius Fish Mapping contains regularly updated fishing data delivered directly to Raymarine's Axiom displays through the SR200 Sirius Satellite Weather receiver and the new LightHouse 4 operating system. "Using top-of-the-line charts, CHIRP sonar, and radar, our Axiom displays with the LightHouse 4 operating system will help saltwater anglers make smarter decisions, and the SiriusXM Fish Mapping service will be a welcome addition for our anglers," says Jamie Dery, Vice President of Raymarine Americas. "We are delighted to launch the Fish Mapping service and bring offshore fishing intelligence to our Axiom customers." Major marine electronics manufacturers now offer the Sirius Fish Mapping service on select devices: Fish Mapping identifies the most prospective fishing spots in North American waters using eight key features: The regions that oceanographers recommend for zeroing in on six separate target species are identified in Fishing Recommendations. Plankton Fronts reveal areas with the highest plankton concentration next to areas with minimal plankton, especially useful information when they occur near temperature fronts. Plankton Concentration contour lines indicate locations with high concentrations of plankton. Plankton attracts game fish; therefore, baitfish graze on it. Significant temperature variations reveal Sea Surface Temperature Fronts, which form distinct boundaries between bodies of water, concentrating nutrients that attract baitfish. Game fish can be found along strong fronts. Contour lines for sea surface temperatures are simplified graphic representations of sea surface temperatures that can be used to pinpoint regions where specific fish species can be found. The most recent observations of weed lines, which provide habitat for bait and game fish, are shown in Weed Lines. Areas of upwellings, eddies, and convergence zones where nutrient-rich water is ideal for finding fish are Sea Surface Height Anomalies. Water temperatures up to 30 meters beneath the surface area provided by Sub-Surface Water Temperatures can be used to determine where targeted game fish like to seek within their desired temperature range. Anglers with a suitable Axiom display who already have SiriusXM Weather and an SR200 can easily upgrade to the SiriusXM Fish Mapping service. Fish Mapping has a free one-month trial subscription available and a free software update. The software update is now available for download by customers. The SR200 is simple to set up and use. Its dependable antenna ensures that you get the greatest reception possible, even outside SiriusXM's broad service region (up to 150 nautical miles offshore). ...Read more

The kinetic ASAT test is fueling the drive for additional governance mechanisms to limit operations like weapons testing that create space debris on purpose. FREMONT CA: The testing of kinetic anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, as well as the debris they generate, is currently gaining international attention and concern. This is partially because of Russia's  ASAT test, their extended use and dependency on space, and also due to the accelerating development, testing, and demonstration of kinetic ASAT capabilities. This testing is not only at the epicenter of the relationship between safety, sustainability, and security in space, but its consequences affect all users and uses of this domain. The current inability to curb such testing highlights ongoing gaps in outer space security governance. Kinetic anti-satellite weapons inflict physical damage or destruction on their targets. Direct-ascension weapons, which launch a missile or other projectile from Earth to intercept a satellite in orbit, are closely related to anti-ballistic missile (ABM) defense systems; modified ABMs have been tested against space objects on diverse instances. Although kinetic ASAT capabilities have existed from the beginning of the space era, there is no evidence that they have ever been deployed in hostile action against another state's assets. Several kinetic ASAT experiments were undertaken by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, using a co-orbital weapon system that targeted objects in space from orbit. The United States, China, and Russia have demonstrated direct-ascent kinetic intercepts on their own defunct satellites. More recent activity includes China's use of a mid-range anti-ballistic missile to destroy the Feng Yun 1C meteorological satellite at an orbit altitude of 865 kilometers. The Secure World Foundation has published a list of 75 known ASAT experiments, including ground-based and co-orbital, with 17 of them hitting a target in space. While weapons testing in space has been happening for years, the increasing number of satellites and even humans in orbit increases the possibility of catastrophic collisions and other reverberation impacts from space debris. Space debris constitutes a significant, unrelenting, and indiscriminate threat to the sustainability of the space environment and the operational integrity of all spacecraft. Furthermore, the impact of each additional piece of debris is not linear; the Kessler Syndrome proposes that space debris could reach a critical mass, triggering a cascade effect that exponentially increases the likelihood of damaged or disabled working satellites.   ...Read more

    Satellites and other space technologies could be used to mitigate the effects of climate change while also protecting both animals and communities Meteorological forecasts can serve as early warning systems for extreme weather conditions, thanks to advances in satellite technology. The technology is also critical for documenting environmental changes and informing decision-making by measuring, among other things, sea levels, atmospheric gases, and the planet's changing temperature. Cutting-edge Technologies to Combat Climate Change The arrival of cutting-edge technologies such as Space 2.0 systems and other innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics provides the additional potential for assisting in the fight against climate change. According to Frontier Technologies to Protect the Environment and Combat Climate Change, a joint report from the International Telecommunication Union and the United Nations, information and communication technologies could play a critical role in meeting the Paris Agreement's target of limiting global warming 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Use of Satellites to Track Weather Patterns NASA's Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) spacecraft, which launched in 2018, is one example. ICESat-2's predecessor observed sea ice thinning and the disappearance of ice cover along Greenland and Antarctica's coasts. NASA's most recent satellite was designed to provide additional data on how ice cover changes over a year. Artificial Intelligence Cameras to Monitor Wildlife Crime Satellites have also been used in Africa to aid in the detection of poachers of protected species. The US nonprofit Resolve collaborated with the UK satellite provider Inmarsat to develop the Trailguard AI anti-poaching camera system, which assists national parks in detecting, stopping, and locating poachers. ...Read more