Government/Military

[Via Satellite 10-07-2014] The Venezuelan government has signed a new agreement with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), China’s state-owned sole commercial satellite launch service provider, to build and deliver into orbit the country’s third satellite, according to Xinhua, China’s state-run media agency. The satellite will be named after the independence hero Antonio Jose de...

[Via Satellite 10-03-2014] The Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) has joined the first global alliance of Earth observation satellites operators, PanGeo. The alliance, announced at the annual Summit on Earth Observation Business in Paris, is a coalition to share the products, data and images derived from Earth observation satellites. The PanGeo Alliance...

[Via Satellite 10-03-2014] The French Space Agency, CNES, has signed a contract with STmicroelectronics to develop the Astragan1 chipset, which aims to bring fast satellite broadband to users everywhere, including in areas outside those covered by terrestrial fixed and mobile broadband networks. The chipset will support services equivalent to those offered by fiber optic, ADSL...

[Via Satellite 10-03-2014] The Spanish Ministry of Defense has approved the Globalstar GSP-1700 satellite phone for use by its personnel and also has extended its use of Spot Gen3 GPS tracking and safety devices with an order for a further 300 units. The Spanish government will use the devices to communicate with troops and to...

[Via Satellite 10-02-2014] Meeting at the 65th International Astronautical Congress in Toronto Canada, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO’s) Chairman K. Radhakrishnan signed two new documents for future joint missions. The two space agencies agreed to form a NASA-ISRO Mars working group that will meet annually to evaluate ways to...

[Via Satellite 10-02-2014] Using the ARC-210 radio, Rockwell Collins recently demonstrated the ability to transmit over the United States government’s Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite system. The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) conducted the testing for both ground and airborne environments. On the ground, the ARC-210 performed system operational tests such as passing...

[Via Satellite 09-26-2014] International Datacasting Corporation (IDC) has received a new order from the United States government for assistance expanding its global satellite broadcast network. The company will provide products such as the SuperFlex Pro Data Receiver and the IP Encapsulator 4000 (IPE-4000). The receivers provided by IDC will be used to distribute encrypted data...

[Via Satellite 09-23-2014] The Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) is spearheading a new initiative to lift bans in place on satellite imagery with less than 1-meter resolution. In a meeting held with President Vladimir Putin, the agency presented a draft resolution that would allow for public use of sub-meter imagery. Also under consideration is the...

[Via Satellite 09-23-2014] The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has awarded MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) with three projects to apply satellite data to national interests: tracking ships, geo-hazard monitoring, and logging and deforestation. Under the agreement, MDA is tasked with evaluating the application of radar and optical imagery to accelerate the locating and tracking of...

[Via Satellite 09-23-2014] Terabit Wave has ordered several Ku-band terminals from Gilat Satellite Networks for a Myanmar government agency. The purchases include a SkyEdge 2 hub and terminals with SatTrooper manpacks, Raysat Satcom-On-The-Move antennas, WaveStream Block UpConverters (BUCs) and the related modems. Terabit Wave’s government customer desired the terminals for mobility-intensive emergency operations. The equipment...