The Rokot (Russian: Рокот meaning Roar), also transliterated Rockot, is a Russian space launch vehicle that can launch a payload of 1,950 kilograms into a 200 kilometre high Earth orbit with 63° inclination.

It is a derivative of the UR-100N (SS-19 Stiletto) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

It is supplied and operated by Eurockot Launch Services. The first launches started in the 1990s from Baikonur Cosmodrome out of a silo. Later commercial launches commenced from Plesetsk Cosmodrome using a launch ramp specially rebuilt from one for the Kosmos-3M rocket.

Galaxy (previously Guardian) was a prototype space habitat designed by the American firm Bigelow Aerospace. It was intended to be the third spacecraft launched by the company in their efforts to create a commercial space station. Like other modules made by Bigelow Aerospace, Galaxy is based on the inflatable TransHab design by NASA, and was to be used for advanced systems testing before the company launched human-rated vehicles.

This project was cancelled in 2007.

The Astrophysics Research Institute (ARI) is a research centre in astronomy and astrophysics at Liverpool John Moores University (United Kingdom). The institute was formed in 1992.

The Astrophysical Journal is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering astronomy and astrophysics. It was founded in 1895 by the American astronomers George Ellery Hale and James Edward Keeler. It publishes three 500-page issues per month.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories.

It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was founded in 1873. Established in 1950, WMO became the specialised agency of the United Nations for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences. It has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a member of the United Nations Development Group.

The Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy) is a research institute of the Max Planck Society.

It is located in Heidelberg, Germany, adjacent to the historic Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl astronomical observatory.

The institute was founded in 1967. 

The Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA) is a Max Planck Institute, located in Garching, Germany (North of Munich). The institute is one of many scientific research institutes belonging to the Max Planck Society.

The MPA is widely considered to be one of the leading institutions in the world for theoretical astrophysics research. 

The Thuraya XT-DUAL is a satellite mobile phone, a handset that features both GSM and satellite capabilities. It was designed to withstand the harshest of environments and the most extreme conditions to ensure you stay close, however remote the location.

The combination of advanced voice clarity technology and an omni-directional antenna ensures an uninterrupted signal even during non stationary calls, offering users a real ‘walk & talk’ experience. 

Company: Thuraya

Thuraya (Arabic: الثريا‎), from the Arabic name Thurayya meaning Star, is an international mobile satellite services provider that delivers communications solutions in more than 140 countries across Europe, the Middle East, North, Central and East Africa, Asia and Australia. As of July 12,2012, Thuraya extended its reach by partnering with T-Mobile USA to provide roaming services in the United States.

Established in 1997, Thuraya’s satellites enable two-thirds of the globe’s population to communicate in areas unserved by terrestrial networks. The organization provides data and voice satellite communications solutions in remote locations for the energy, media, government, NGO and maritime sectors

They have sold in excess of 600,000 satellite handheld phones since launching in 2001. Thuraya offers a dual mode satellite phone, the Thuraya XT-DUAL, a handset that features both GSM and satellite capabilities. In addition, Thuraya provides the Thuraya IP data modem, a secure and rapidly-deployable satellite broadband solution offering connection speeds up to 444 kbit/s standard IP.

The company is based in the United Arab Emirates and distributes its products and service through authorized service providers. Its shareholders consist of investment companies, Middle Eastern and North African telcos in which Etisalat is a major one.

Launched on August 10, 1992, TOPEX/Poseidon was a joint satellite mission between NASA, the U.S. space agency, and CNES, the French space agency, to map ocean surface topography. The first major oceanographic research vessel to sail into space, TOPEX/Poseidon helped revolutionize oceanography by proving the value of satellite ocean observations.

The satellite operations ended on January 2006.

Jason-1 was launched in 2001 to continue the on-going measurements of sea surface topography.