Government/Military

[Via Satellite 02-04-2015] International Datacasting Corporation (IDC) has received a contract from the U.S. government to expand its secure satellite-broadcasting network. The company is providing the latest generation of its Cyphercast decryption client, which uses the same Irdeto security technology that is integrated into its high performance satellite receivers. The Cyphercast decryption client ensures the...

[Via Satellite 02-03-2015] The National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) is in danger of encountering near-term coverage gaps as early as this year, according to a new report distributed by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). This gap in weather-predicting data threatens to heavily impact the government’s ability to provide critical...

[Via Satellite 02-03-2015] Mark Rawlins, director of communication system operations at Eutelsat, has been elected as the new chairman of the Space Data Association (SDA), an international non-profit association of satellite operators that supports the controlled, reliable and efficient sharing of space environment and RF spectrum data. Rawlings succeeds the current SDA chairman, Ronald Busch,...

[Via Satellite 2-2-2015] The satellite industry has been ramping up its efforts in Africa over the last few days as it looks to persuade governments and key stakeholders about the benefits of keeping key C-band spectrum for satellite industry use instead of giving it over to the wireless industry. Aarti Holla-Maini, secretary general of the...

[Via Satellite 02-02-2015] The Boeing–Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully launched NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite on Jan. 31 aboard a Delta 2 rocket. The launch also delivered four CubeSats for the agency’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite (ELANA) initiative. ULA used a Delta 2 7320 configuration vehicle, which employed a...

[Via Satellite 02-02-2015] Orbit Communications Systems has received a contract from an Asian Navy customer for its new OceanTRxTM4 maritime satellite communication systems. The customer has used Orbit’s previous-generation OrSatTM maritime VSAT systems for five years, and has decided to upgrade new ships with the company’s latest satcom solution. The OceanTRxTM 4 stabilized VSAT antenna system...

[Via Satellite 01-30-2015] Following the successful test campaign of the first multigigabit optical intersatellite link between the Copernicus Sentinel 1A and Alphasat satellites, the European Space Agency and Airbus have entered a partnership to complete the full European Data Relay System (EDRS). This test campaign paved the way for an entirely new approach of delivering...

[Via Satellite 01-30-2015] The U.S. Strategic Command (Stratcom) signed a technical arrangement with Germany to share Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services and information. The arrangement, signed by Maj. Gen. David D. Thompson, Stratcom director of plans and policy, and German army Brig. Gen. Dirk H. Backen, the defense attaché at the Embassy of the Federal...

[Via Satellite 01-30-2015] Comtech Xicom Technology, a subsidiary of Comtech Telecommunications, has received a $3.8 million follow-on order from a U.S.-based system integrator for Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTAs). These TWTAs are for a major U.S. Army program for transportable satellite communications (satcom) systems providing voice, data, video conferencing, Internet and high resolution video connectivity...

[Via Satellite 01-29-2015] CNES, the French space agency, and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) have signed an agreement to step up the schedule for the China-France Oceanography Satellite (CFOSAT) mission. This agreement ties into the broader contract signed by CNES and CNSA in March 2014 aimed at achieving closer cooperation between France and China...