Government/Military

Viasat has announced a Strategic Alliance Agreement (SAA) signed with Blacktree Technology, an Australian-based communications systems design and integration company, in November 2019. The companies say the agreement will help them meet the needs of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), by providing in-country manufacturing and support services for Ultra High Frequency (UHF) satellite communications systems....

The FCC released its final report and order on repurposing C-band spectrum for 5G on Tuesday, slightly shifting the amounts that satellite operators can receive in accelerated relocation payments to clear the spectrum quickly.  The document was released after the FCC voted 3-2 on Feb. 28 to repurpose the spectrum. Satellite operators are required to...

SpaceLogistics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corporation has been selected by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as its commercial partner for the agency’s Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) program. Northrop Grumman said the mission will feature the first-ever commercial robotic servicing spacecraft. It aims to expand the market for satellite servicing of...

The FCC sealed the fate of satellite operators in the C-band spectrum on Friday voting 3-2 on to expand flexible use of the spectrum for 5G deployment, requiring satellite operators to clear the spectrum. The Commission voted to sell the licenses to the spectrum in a public auction, which will begin on Dec. 8 of...

ORLANDO, Fla. – SpaceX has managed to bring the unit cost down to build its Starlink broadband internet satellites, but needs to do the same for its forthcoming Starship launch vehicle to achieve true cost savings to send the systems to orbit, leader Elon Musk said Feb. 28. It is now less costly for the company to...

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions was awarded an $11.5 million contract from an unnamed government customer to build an advanced space radio monitoring system to help regulate and protect satellite spectrum, the company announced Feb. 28. The system, according to Kratos, includes a fixed site and mobile unit to monitor satellite downlinks, and the scope...

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded L3Harris Technologies a more than $14.6 million modification to a previously awarded contract issued by the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command.  This $14,693,123 modification to exercise priced options puts the new total contract value at $61,180,747.  This modification provides for the exercise of firm-fixed-price options for Commercial Broadband...

In the weeks since Boeing flew its astronaut capsule on an ill-fated demo flight, questions about the company’s testing procedures prior to the mission have started to emerge — putting safety at the center of a debate on the future of human spaceflight. NASA is on the verge of sending astronauts back to space from...

SpaceX’s roadmap to Mars now includes the Port of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles City Council approved a permit Tuesday that allows the Elon Musk-led company to use a site on Terminal Island at the port to build aerospace parts. With the vote, SpaceX is now cleared to start work at the site; last week,...