Government/Military

Deep learning could prove to be one of the most critical tools for those engaged in ongoing cyber warfare, said a group of experts at the 2017 CyberSat Summit. During a Nov. 8 panel discussing the new paradigm of military satcom, Jon Korecki, who develops ViaSat’s cybersecurity and information assurance strategy, said that deep learning...

Harris Corporation has completed development of the company’s fully digital Mission Data Unit (MDU), which is at the heart of its navigation payload for Lockheed Martin’s GPS 3 satellites 11 and beyond. The current Harris payload for GPS 3 Space Vehicles (SVs) 1 through 10 includes a greater than three times reduction in range error,...

South Africa’s Department of Telecoms and Postal Services is considering leveraging satellite technology to connect all of the country’s residents. South Africa hopes to deliver broadband to 90 percent of its population by 2020, but is already lagging behind its connectivity goals. As a result, officials are now in discussions with experts to see if...

Germany has allocated 400 million euros ($465 million) to build three spy satellites for the country’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND). If launched by the 2020s as is expected, the system, known as “Georg,” will be the first domestic space hardware launched for the intelligence service. Does this mean Germany is on its way to catch up to...

U.S. Congressman Brian Babin, R-Texas, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Space, said his group is working on legislation with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to conduct a new cybersecurity defense audit of U.S. government space and defense agencies as part of a larger commercial space enterprise bill. While he could not name the...

ViaSat announced a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between its subsidiary ViaSat Antenna Systems and the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop key components of the ViaSat 3 satellite communications system with European industry. ESA kicked off the 68 million euro ($78.9 million) PPP, known as Project Aidan, with an initial 31.2 million euros ($36.2 million). The...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System 1 (JPSS 1), scheduled to launch Nov. 10, will carry an advanced Harris Corporation environmental measurement instrument to improve U.S. weather forecasting. Harris’ Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), one of the main payloads in NOAA’s polar weather satellite program, will help improve forecasting accuracy by...

As an attorney and former crypto engineer, Randy Sabett approaches cybersecurity from both a legal and technical standpoint in his role at Cooley LLP. Sabett will participate in a panel called “New Generation of Cyberattacks: Assessment of the Evolving Threat Landscape in Satellite and Aerospace” at the 2017 CyberSat Summit on Nov. 7. Here, he...

Ball Aerospace and the Joint Polar Satellite System 1 (JPSS 1) team is currently preparing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) next-generation polar orbiting weather satellite for launch at 1:47 a.m. PST on Nov. 10. In preparation for launch, the JPSS 1 team has fueled the satellite with hydrazine, pressurized the propulsion system to flight pressure, completed...