Government/Military

iDirect Government has unveiled a key new software release, Evolution 4.2, as it looks to take advantage of opportunities in the defense market. Evolution 4.2 brings the full capabilities of the 9-Series satellite routers, defense line cards and tactical hub. Evolution 4.2 also continues to support existing 8-Series satellite routers and eMxDx line cards. Evolution...

As part of its 2018 federal budget, the government of Canada has committed to providing $100 million for the country’s Strategic Innovation Fund. This investment will largely focus on supporting upcoming Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite projects. Telesat, which is just months away from its first customer demonstrations with its own constellation, will also receive...

News broke last week that government investigators have confirmed SpaceX was not at fault for the failure of the top-secret Zuma mission in January. Instead, officials are pointing the finger squarely at manufacturer Northrop Grumman, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported. The revelation comes less than two weeks after NASA further delayed the launch of...

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded Intelsat, along with a team of other companies, a new task order to develop and operate a satellite payload to aid aircraft navigation, particularly precision approaches to airports without dependence on ground-based infrastructure. The payload will be part of the FAA’s Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) that corrects...

Ball Aerospace is collaborating with Honeywell to develop and produce high-performance, high-reliability optical communication datalinks that enable satellite operators to deliver high-capacity, high-data rate connectivity to users around the world. Together, the two companies will establish volume production of optical terminals for communications from ground to space, spacecraft to spacecraft and spacecraft to aircraft. According...

NanoRacks has been awarded a contract with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Professional Services Schedule (00CORP). As a services provider under this contract, NanoRacks will be able to provide its in-space services to federal agencies at a pre-negotiated fixed rate. NanoRacks is offering its flagship services within the GSA schedule, centered around microgravity research...

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket carrying the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC)-11 mission lifted off from Space Launch Complex 41 Saturday evening. AFSPC 11 is a multi-payload mission: the forward or upper payload is called Continuous Broadcast Augmenting Satcom (CBAS), while the aft spacecraft is known as the EELV Secondary Payload Adapter...

Eutelsat Communications announced that the NASA High Definition (NTV-3) and NASA Ultra High Definition (NTV-4) channels are broadcasting in Free-to-Air (FTA) via satellite for the first time across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. Viewers from across these regions can now view images from the U.S. space program, including coverage of launches,...

Nomad GCS and Kymeta are partnering to deliver mobile connectivity for defense, public safety, first response, utility and private sector customers. As part of the partnership, Nomad will continue to offer Kymeta’s KyWay terminals, KyWay Go mobile units and Kalo internet access services to customers around the globe. “Every minute counts for the organizations we...

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully orbited its IRNSS 1I satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota today, forging ahead with its planned schedule of launches despite losing contact with the last satellite it launched, GSAT 6A, at the end of March. According to ISRO, its master control facility at Hassan, Karnataka...