Government/Military

[Via Satellite 07-20-2015] In an effort to include greater industry input in day-to-day operations, the United States Strategic Command’s (U.S. Stratcom) Joint Functional Component Command for Space (JFCC Space) has kicked off the six month Commercial Integration Cell (CIC) experiment. The CIC is comprised of six satellite operators — Intelsat, SES Government Solutions, Inmarsat, Eutelsat,...

[Via Satellite 07-14-2015] The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) has approved full rate production of 36 inflatable satellite communications antennas from GATR Technologies for its High Bandwidth Special Intelligence-Palletized Terminal (HBSI-PT) Program of Record. The order supplies 2.4-meter X- and Ku-band terminals to support the USMC’s Radio and Intelligence Battalions. The HBSI-PT configuration is a dual-band...

[Via Satellite 07-14-2015] The U.S. Air Force’s Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) office has awarded a $23.6 million contract to Orbital ATK to launch the ORS-5 SensorSat spacecraft in mid-2017 using a rocket from the company’s Minotaur launch vehicle family. Orbital ATK plans to conduct the mission using a Minotaur 4 rocket from Launch Complex-46, operated by...

[Via Satellite 07-13-2015] The Institute for Defense Analyses has completed its Broad Area Review (BAR) of the United States Air Force Space Command’s (AFSPC) launch vehicle certification process. The independent review examined the process and provided specific recommendations to apply lessons learned from the unexpectedly lengthy certification of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket for medium-weight National...

[Via Satellite 07-10-2015] Several companies have expressed interest in commercializing the Super Strypi dedicated small satellite launch vehicle currently under development by the U.S. Air Force Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) office. Speaking July 10 at a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event, Colonel John Anttonen, director of ORS, said the rail-launched rocket has attracted the...

[Via Satellite 07-08-2015] The Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency (MRSA), an agency under the purview of the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), has awarded three contracts to MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) for Radarsat 2 services. MDA will provide a Radarsat 2 ground station, training to develop products based on the satellite data,...

[Via Satellite 07-07-2015] Optus Satellite and the Australian Department of Defense have reached an agreement to extend their Optus C1 satellite managed service contract until 2020. Optus has provided satellite services to Australia’s Department of Defense since the launch of Optus C1 in 2003, which both organizations jointly funded. “The Defense payload on Optus C1...

[Via Satellite 07-06-2015] SES Government Solutions (SES GS), in a demonstration to U.S. government customers, unveiled a Net-centric communications solution for field-deployed units that provides broadband connectivity via O3b Networks’ satellites and Riva Network’s field deployable 4G nanoLTE solution. U.S. government customers at the demonstration were able to use mobile phones and tablets outside of...

[Via Satellite 07-02-2015] The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) issued a statement from President and CEO David Melcher following U.S. Congress’ decision to let the bank’s charter expire on June 30. “Congress missed an opportunity to support thousands of American jobs at firms across the nation that are striving to compete in a global marketplace tilted...

[Via Satellite 07-01-2015] Johann-Dietrich Woerner has begun his new role as director general of the European Space Agency (ESA), which is headquartered in Paris, France. The ESA Council unanimously appointed Woerner in December 2014 for a period of four years. Previously, he was chairman of the executive board of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), from...