Government/Military

[Via Satellite 02-18-2016] Iridium Communications has been awarded an $8.57 million task order from the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), to make upgrades and enhancements to the U.S. Department of Defense‘s (DOD) dedicated Iridium gateway. DISA issued the funding under the Gateway Modernization Efforts contract to improve network effectiveness, performance and continued preparation efforts...

[Via Satellite 02-17-2016] CopaSAT has become a channel partner of Airbus Defence and Space for Skynet military satellite communications primarily using the relocated Skynet 5A satellite. The company will offer Skynet services to U.S. customers for global security and humanitarian operations. Airbus Defence and Space relocated Skynet 5A from 6 degrees east to 95 degrees...

[Via Satellite 02-16-2016] ViaSat has successfully completed vulnerability assessment, penetration testing and secure network implementation for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Distribution Grid Management (DGM) system test bed, which is being used to develop an end-to-end empirically validated cybersecurity architecture for smart grid applications. NREL performs research on different types of renewable energy and...

[Via Satellite 02-10-2016] The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded a $505 million contract to Thales Alenia Space for the design, development, integration and testing of the Sentinel 3C and D environmental monitoring and oceanographic satellites. The satellites will each be fitted with four instruments — two optical and two radar — to continue the...

[Via Satellite 02-08-2016] The final satellite in the U.S. Air Force’s Global Positioning System 2F series, GPS 2F-12, launched Feb. 5 aboard an Atlas 5 rocket from United Launch Alliance (ULA), completing the constellation. The Boeing-built satellite entered its Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) position at around 12,000 miles, and had signal acquisition within four hours...

[Via Satellite 02-03-2016] NASA has selected 13 CubeSats to test new technology on the first flight of the agency’s upcoming rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), set to pave the way for deep space exploration. Launching in 2018, the new rocket aims to first propel an unmanned Orion spacecraft beyond the moon and into deep...

[Via Satellite 02-01-2016] This week the U.S. Air Force, Boeing and United Launch Alliance (ULA) are planning to launch the final Global Positioning System (GPS) 2F series satellite, GPS 2F-12, in what marks not only the last 2F mission, but also the beginning of a busy year of National Security Satellite (NSS) launches. ULA is...

[Via Satellite 02-01-2016] NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has awarded Harris Corporation subsidiary Exelis Space Systems a $316 million cost-plus-award-fee contract modification to build two payloads for the fourth and fifth Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) weather satellites. The space agency awarded the contract on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which...

[Via Satellite 01-29-2016] ViaSat received a contract from Boeing to supply approximately 90 Link 16 Small Tactical Terminals (STT) for Lots 5 and 6 of the AH-64E Apache Guardian Attack Helicopter production line. The AH-64 Apache is an advanced multi-role combat helicopter used by the U.S. Army and a growing number of international defense forces. ViaSat’s STT full-rate production contract...

[Via Satellite 01-29-2016] NASA has awarded Raytheon a $564 million contract modification for two satellite sensors as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration‘s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Polar Follow-On missions. The company is supplying Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensors for two satellites in the series: Polar Follow-On /JPSS 3...