Government/Military

The Trump administration is set on tackling regulatory reforms for space launch and re-entry regulation, and remote sensing, while new space traffic policy is on the president’s desk...

Spacecom Satellite Communications notified the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange on Monday that it had learned from a government source that the State of Israel intends to buy a new communications satellite from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The new satellite will be positioned at 4 degrees west, in accordance with the state’s needs. This represents a...

The U.S. Air Force’s fourth Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellite transmitted its first images back to Earth. The milestone, known as “first light,” occurred in February when the SBIRS GEO Flight-4 satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, turned on its sensors for the first time during space vehicle checkout. SBIRS GEO Flight-4 is the latest satellite...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has selected Harris Corporation to design a system to monitor cellular signals interfering with critical weather satellite data. Several weather satellites soon will begin sharing frequency bands with wireless communication companies across the United States. The sale of spectrum by the government, combined with the launch of more...

In honor of Jim Bridenstine’s confirmation to the post of NASA Administrator, I present three stories highlighting the importance and capability of satellite imagery to study and better know our planet: 1. “A cloud-free Europe: Stunning mosaic of satellite images reveals a clear view of the continent in incredible detail” They even managed to get...

Concerned that large, high-value satellites are vulnerable to growing threats from potential enemies, the U.S. House Armed Services Committee (HASC) wants the Department of Defense (DOD) to consider making greater use of smaller spacecraft. The committee’s newly unveiled fiscal year 2019 defense authorization bill would require DOD to study the benefits and risks of using...

Orbcomm has announced that the government of Canada has exercised the option for another year on its contract through Orbcomm’s Canadian partner Maerospace, a global supplier of advanced data analytics and maritime domain awareness solutions. Through its Canadian subsidiary SkyWave, Orbcomm will provide satellite Automatic Identification System (AIS) data used for ship tracking and other maritime...

Ball Aerospace has successfully completed the second of five evaluations of the Space Evaluation and Analysis Capability (SEAC) testbed it is developing for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency‘s (DARPA’s) Hallmark program. The program is advancing technologies that deliver real-time space-domain awareness to command and control and protect...

Northrop Grumman opened its fiscal year 2018 on Wednesday with solid results, driven by improved operating performance, lower taxes and a pension benefit, and the company upgraded its earnings outlook for the year. On the earnings call, the company announced it will not bid for the second phase of production for the U.S. Air Force...

The seventh Sentinel satellite from the European Earth observation program Copernicus has been placed into space following the successful launch on April 25. The 1,150kg Sentinel-3B satellite was carried into orbit on a Rockot launcher from Plesetsk, Russia, at 17:57 GMT on Wednesday to join its identical twin Sentinel-3A. Just 92 minutes after lift-off, Sentinel-3B...