Satellite System Satellite Groundstation News Publications Home	FCC Grants VITA Authority to Operate Satellites for immediate release, 22 December 2000 For information, contact: Gary Garriott, VITA, garyg@vita.org Arlington, VA     The Federal Communications Commission has authorized VITA (http://www.vita.org/) to operate two low orbiting satellites that constitute the VITAsat 'virtual constellation.' In late November 2000 the FCC granted VITA Special Temporary Authority to operate the HealthSat-2 satellite and a transponder on the UoSAT-12 satellite, which VITA calls VITAsat-1R and VITAsat-2. Both satellites will be used in an innovative system to provide communications services to isolated rural areas of developing countries. The temporary authority allows VITA, in coordination with its partners Wavix (http://www.wavix.com), SatelLife, (http://www.satellife.org), and Surrey Satellite Technology, Ltd. (http://www.sstl.co.uk) to begin operations after nearly a decade of development, experimentation, and demonstration. "We are enormously grateful to the FCC for their speed in granting the needed authorizations," said George Scharffenberger, VITA's president. "It permits us to begin deployment of stations immediately while meeting milestones required by the International Telecommunications Union early in 2001." Mr. Scharffenberger continued, "Throughout this process, the FCC has consistently demonstrated its support for VITA's efforts to serve developing nations. The FCC's latest action makes it possible for VITA to bring the power and potential of the Internet to remote areas lacking terrestrial communications facilities." VITA expects additional FCC action before the temporary orders expire in May 2001. Manufactured through arrangements made by its commercial partner Wavix, VITA's "portable ground stations" were developed by VITA Volunteer Dr. David Palmer of England (http://www.vita.org/leo/pgs.htm). Experience gained with the PGS will be assimilated into a more advanced design effort by Wavix leading to the manufacture of hundreds of ground stations during 2001. Wavix is currently recruiting engineers and technicians to design, test and manufacture its advanced terminal. VITAsat will deliver sustainable, low-cost communications and information services for humanitarian purposes to remote communities having no access to line-based or wireless telephone service. VITAsat's targeted information content and services are designed specifically to meet the needs of small businesses, local NGOs (non-governmental organizations), educators, health workers, researchers, administrators, agricultural extensionists, natural resources managers and other relief and development workers. The system uses simple, reliable, store-and-forward email messages relayed to the Internet via the orbiting satellites and gateway stations. Advanced compression technology and software that allows access to web pages using email make the vast information resources of the web available via VITAsat anywhere in the world. VITA began experimenting with low orbiting satellites and ground-based information delivery systems in 1984 and was awarded the FCC's Pioneers Preference Award for Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) Satellites in 1993. It was also recognized for its work by the Society of Satellite Professionals International in February 2000 with a special "Industry Innovators" award; SSTL was similarly honored. Wavix's technology accomplishments were recognized by NASA with its Space-Act Award, and by the Small Business Administration with its 1999 Tibbett's Award (contact: Holly Ladd, hladd@usa.healthnet.org).
(c) Copyright 2001 by Wavix, Incorporated.