Government/Military

[Via Satellite 02-17-2015] Telenor Satellite Broadcasting is in the early stages of an entrance into the markets of aviation and government connectivity. Morten Tengs, CEO of Telenor Satellite Broadcasting, told Via Satellite that the company is having a number of discussions around ways to capitalize on these new verticals. “Aviation is one of the markets...

[Via Satellite 02-12-2015] CNES, the French space agency, and the Agencia Espacial Mexicana (AEM), Mexico’s space agency, have agreed to step up the cooperation initiated in April 2014 on space-based telecommunications, remote sensing and disaster relief. CNES President Jean-Yves Le Gall met with AEM Director General Francisco Javier Mendieta Jimenez to review the progress in...

Military communications networks are undergoing significant overhaul in established forces, whilst others are working toward building capabilities on similar lines. Strategic communications (StratCom) is experiencing a shift from Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDNs) to IP-broadband networks. The fundamental need is to have high data throughput while having seamless connectivity. The increasing use of Unmanned Aerial...

[Via Satellite 02-11-2015] The United States Air Force concluded a six-month rigorous and complex multiservice operational test and evaluation of its Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) system in January at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado. The test and evaluation’s goal was to ensure the AEHF system performed its missions the way it was designed...

[Via Satellite 02-11-2015] Following the conclusion of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Second High Level Safety Conference in Montreal last week, Inmarsat has announced its support of the regulatory body’s conclusion that countries and industry should begin the voluntary implementation of global tracking. Inmarsat says it is ready to participate in the adoption of...

[Via Satellite 02-09-2015] The United States Strategic Command (Stratcom) wants better tracking for small satellites as the number of them in orbit continues to skyrocket. Speaking Feb. 6 at a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event, Admiral Cecil Haney, commander of Stratcom, said the growing quantity of small satellites is making space more congested at...

[Via Satellite 02-06-2015] The United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to conduct 12 orbital test launches of an Airborne Launch Assist Space Access (ALASA) integrated prototype system starting in 2016. The project, now in its second phase with Boeing as the prime contractor, seeks to drastically bring down the cost of orbiting...

[Via Satellite 02-06-2015] Inmarsat has selected IDG Europe to provide L-TAC services to Sweden. L-TAC is a satcom system designed to meet military requirements on the Inmarsat I-4 satellite network. The service uses an antenna adaptor to work with existing tactical radios without needing additional training or certification. L-TAC is interoperable between Ultra-High Frequency (UHF)...

[Via Satellite 02-04-2015] In the recently released budget request for Fiscal Year 2016, the United States Department of Defense (DOD) asked for $177.5 billion, of which $7.1 billion would be allocated specifically to space-based systems. This is approximately $300 million less than what was granted in FY15 for space-based systems funding. However, while lowering the...

[Via Satellite 02-04-2015] Estonia, a member state of the European Union (EU) has taken a critical step toward membership in the European Space Agency (ESA). On Feb. 4, the country’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications — who leads foreign trade and entrepreneurship — Anne Sulling, along with Ene Ergma, head of the Estonian Space...