Government/Military

The U.S. Air Force’s third GPS 3 satellite (GPS 3 SV03) in production flow at Lockheed Martin’s satellite manufacturing facility is now fully integrated into a complete space vehicle. Now fully assembled, the third satellite is being prepared to begin environmental testing. GPS 3 SV03 closely follows the company’s second satellite in production flow. GPS...

The U.S. Navy has posted a solicitation for information from manufacturers of maritime satellite communications technology. The potential procurement will be for at least eight rugged, weather-resistant radio systems, with the possibility of up to 24. To gauge sources for the procurement, the Naval Station Weapons Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) will be holding...

SES is leading a European consortium of industry partners to sign an agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) to set up Pacis 1, a new satellite communication platform for governments aimed at making secure satellite communications accessible and available to governments and institutions. Pacis 1 is part of the ESA’s Govsatcom Precursor program and...

Arianespace successfully launched the Mohammed 6-A Earth observation satellite for Morocco on November 7 aboard a Vega rocket. The satellite has a 70cm resolution, according to France24, which makes Morocco the first African nation with such a powerful observation satellite. This is making some of its neighboring countries’ a bit nervous, Spain included. Read more...

Next month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to do away with laws regulating the power of broadband providers in the United States. Could new Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations provide an alternative option for consumers concerned about the monopolistic nature of terrestrial broadband? Read more at GeekWire

Although NOAA added new weather reporting capabilities with the launch of Joint Polar Satellite System 1 (JPSS 1) over the weekend, scientists have expressed dismay at the aging infrastructure monitoring climate change at the poles. Will the private industry have to step in to avoid a blind spot in important weather data collection? Read more...

The U.S. Navy’s Communications Satellite Program Office, PMW 146, and Lockheed Martin handed over full operational control of the fifth Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite to the Naval Satellite Operations Center (NAVSOC). The milestone follows the successful completion of the MUOS 5 satellite’s on-orbit testing and delivery of all operational products needed to fly...

Intelsat General, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intelsat, announced that it has successfully demonstrated beam switching capabilities of an in-flight Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operating on the company’s Intelsat 29e satellite. The tests validated the compatibility of the Intelsat Epic platform with the newly developed beam switching capability of the Block 5 Predator B/MQ-9 from...

At SatComRus 2017 in Moscow, the underlying theme was how Russian space companies could build for a more prosperous future. However, SpaceX was mentioned a number of times as both an inspiration, and an example of a space company setting a new agenda...

Hughes Network Systems announced it has been named one of multiple awardees on the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Complex Commercial Satcom Solutions (CS3) contract. CS3 is a multiple-award, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) multiple-award contract vehicle with a period of performance of up to 10 years, including a base period of five years, with two option...