Government/Military

Australia should model its proposed national space agency on the Canadian example, according to the Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA). SIAA secretary Peter Nikoloff said a national space agency with clear space policies would allow Australia to find niche areas in the international arena. “When people mention the space agency they think of NASA...

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) finalize its decision on whether to end the dual-hat leadership agreement between the National Security Agency (NSA) and Cyber Command, according to a report released this month. In 2010, then President Barak Obama designated the director of the NSA to simultaneously lead...

SES Government Solutions signed a five-year task order with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Under the agreement, an additional satellite beam will enable access to real-time information in the field for key U.S. government end-users. SES will provide the additional connectivity via its Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) O3b fleet as part of a high...

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajjit Pai has drawn ire for his refusal to reveal the steps the agency has taken to prevent future Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. In a statement, Pai commented that providing details on its cybersecurity reforms would “undermine our system’s security.” A DDoS attack briefly disabled the agency’s comment...

Two troubled U.S. Air Force space-related acquisition efforts — the Global Positioning System (GPS) Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX) and the Family of Advanced Beyond Line of Sight Terminal (FAB-T) — have experienced another round of delays. The Air Force said in a statement late July 31 that it expects OCX Blocks 1 and...

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has awarded General Dynamics a contract to manage the current Landsat 8 mission from the existing Landsat mission operations center at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Seabrook, Maryland. Concurrently, the company will design and integrate a new Landsat Multi-satellite Operations Center (LMOC) at GSFC while continuing the flight of...

Northrop Grumman has selected ViaSat as a key partner in the delivery of a next-generation satellite communications network to the Australian Defense Force (ADF). Under a program known as Joint Project 2008 Phase 5B2, a large multiphase project to deploy an integrated wideband satcom system for the ADF, ViaSat will provide its ground stations and...

NASA has settled on a new launch date for its Tracking Data Relay Satellite Mission (TDRS-M) satellite after a damaged component delayed the original schedule. An Atlas 5 rocket will now orbit the satellite on Aug. 20 at 7:56 EDT a.m. from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NASA postponed the launch following a...

The U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) announced it has purchased a $14 million, one-year subscription to Planet. The purchase takes advantage of the new NGA and General Services Administration (GSA) partnership for Earth Observation (EO) solutions that can be acquired via GSA schedules. The subscription, made through Planet’s GSA Information Technology Schedule Contract (GS-35F-309GA), enables...

The Australian Defense Force (ADF) is expanding its global satellite investment with a $175 million contract to Northrop Grumman to provide network management capability for Australia’s participation in the Wideband Global Satellite Communications (WGS) system. Northrop Grumman will provide its Satellite Communications Operations and Planning Element (SCOPE) integration tools, alongside ViaSat’s dual-band satellite terminal and Australian telecommunications...