Government/Military

[Via Satellite 12-18-2014] Raytheon and Lockheed Martin have completed the fourth of five planned launch and early orbit exercises for the U.S. Air Force’s next generation GPS 3 satellite and Operational Control System (OCX). Exercise 4 demonstrated new automation capabilities, information assurance, and launch readiness for the satellite, as well as the end-to-end capability to...

[Via Satellite 12-16-2014] Based on negotiations at the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Ministerial Council in Luxembourg on Dec. 2, the U.K. Space Agency has decided on an extra investment worth more than $315 million into European space programs. Approximately $205 million is dedicated to satellite telecommunications programs. A large chunk, roughly $90 million, is for...

[Via Satellite 12-12-2014] The cost of storing satellites for various United States Department of Defense (DOD) programs is expected to surpass $200 million over the course of the next five years, according to a study from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The agency found DOD spent more than $130 million on storing satellites during the...

[Via Satellite 12-12-2014] Lockheed Martin has opened a radio terminal development and certification facility for the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) at its Sunnyvale, Calif. campus. The $6.5 million Test Radio Access Facility (TRAF) supports a ground segment test-bed and satellite simulator for developers to test and validate new software, hardware and applications. According to...

[Via Satellite 12-11-2014] Spaceflight Inc. has signed NovaWurks as a customer to launch the experimental eXCITe satlets on a 2015 Sherpa mission for the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). NovaWurks is building the modular spacecraft for the agency based on the company’s Hyper-Integrated Satlet, or HISat. Once in space, they can assemble...

[Via Satellite 12-11-2014] Myanmar’s government has outlined a plan to develop and orbit the country’s first satellite in five years. The country is looking to leverage private industry to move forward with the spacecraft efficiently. “While the national priority is for Myanmar to have its own satellite, it is also important that, by opening the...

[Via Satellite 12-10-2014] Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) recently met with China Great Wall Industry Corporation to discuss the manufacture, launch and operation of communications satellites. During a visit to China, RSCC delegates toured the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), including the center for satellite assembly, integration and testing, and the China Academy of...

[Via Satellite 12-10-2014] Manuel Valls, prime minister of France, and Bohuslav Sobotka, prime minister of the Czech Republic, have signed a treaty of cooperation on the peaceful exploration and use of outer space. During the French prime minister’s two-day visit to the Czech Republic, the leaders agreed to hold the first French-Czech committee meeting early...

[Via Satellite 12-09-2014] In a demonstration at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, SES Government Solutions (GS) streamed real-time 4K video for members of the United States armed forces while simultaneously backhauling and disseminating multiple channels of HD full motion video over O3b Network’s Medium Earth Orbiting (MEO) satellite constellation. The demonstration showed the ability...

[Via Satellite 12-09-2014] The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces has selected Airbus Defence and Space to manufacture and launch two Earth observation satellites as part of the Falcon Eye contract. The company will also provide a ground system to receive and process images, and a training program for UAE engineers. Airbus Defence and Space will...