AFRO-NETS> Volunteers in Technical Assistance to operate satellites

[Dieter Neuvians MD <neuvians@harare.iafrica.com>]

Volunteers in Technical Assistance to operate satellites
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The Federal Communications Commission has authorized Volunteers in 
Technical Assistance (VITA) 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 Health-
Sat-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 in-
novative 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.

VITAsat will deliver sustainable, low-cost communications and informa-
tion 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 develop-
ment workers. The system uses simple, reliable, store-and-forward email 
messages relayed to the Internet via the orbiting satellites and gate-
way 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 Profes-
sionals International in February 2000 with a special "Industry Innova-
tors" 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: John Borden, john.borden@wavix.com). 

SatelLife's HealthNet information and communication services are used 
by nearly 19,500 health care workers in more than 150 countries world-
wide (contact: Holly Ladd, mailto:hladd@usa.healthnet.org).

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