Government/Military

[Via Satellite 01-13-2014] Boeing completed the second of two anti-jamming technology demonstrations that, for the first time, used an existing military satellite. The demonstration follows a successful transmission of data over ViaSat’s ViaSat 1 commercial satellite in July. In the test conducted Dec. 15, Boeing successfully sent a government-developed, protected signal through the sixth Wideband...

[Via Satellite 01-10-2014] Comtech Systems, the Fla.-based subsidiary of Comtech Telecommunications, has received a $4.4 million contract for satellite products. The Brazilian Military provided the award for an upgrade to its satellite network. Comtech Systems specializes in system design, integration, supply and commissioning of turnkey communication systems including over-the-horizon microwave, line-of-sight microwave and satellite.

[Via Satellite 01-10-2014] Ball Aerospace has handed over operational control of the Space Test Program Satellite 3 (STPSat 3) to the United States Air Force as the spacecraft begins its technology demonstration mission. STPSat 3 was launched from Wallops Flight Center in Virginia on Nov. 19, 2013 aboard Orbital Sciences’ Minotaur 1 rocket along with...

[Via Satellite 01-09-2014] Lockheed Martin will continue tracking and sharing data on orbiting space assets and debris through a $3.9 million contract from the United States Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. Under this contract, Lockheed Martin will continue to develop the Non-Traditional Data Pre-Processor (NDPP) under the Integrated Space Command and Control (ISC2) contract....

[Via Satellite 01-08-2014] The European Space Agency’s (ESA) billion-star surveyor Gaia is now in its operational orbit at Lagrange point 2 (L2), a gravitationally stable virtual point located 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. Gaia has been travelling toward L2 since Dec. 19, 2013 when it was launched from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. A...

[Via Satellite 01-08-2014] The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded NovaWurks with a $30.8 million Phoenix project contract with options for an additional $11.8 million that if exercised, would raise the total award to $42.6 million. The contract covers phases two and three of the Phoenix project for the development, delivery and operation...

[Via Satellite 1-3-2014] EADS, as part of the company’s restructuring, has started the new year with its official rebranding as Airbus Group. Uniting all its activities under a single and brand, Airbus Group has also renamed its defense and space division. Going forward, Astrium Services will now be part of Airbus Defense and Space together with Cassidian and...

[Via Satellite 1-2-2014] Iran is preparing to launch domestically designed and manufactured satellites in the beginning of Feb. 2014. According to Hamid Fazeli, deputy head of the Iran Space Agency (ISA), final tests are being carried out on several indigenous satellites. Iranian students and academics from Sharif University of Technology developed Sharif Sat, and Earth...

[Via Satellite 12-31-13] Space debris is a serious problem for satellite operators. The growing number of current and anticipated satellites has compounded the issue, as no universal standard of behavior exists for satellite operators around the world. While the film “Gravity” cast a spotlight on the issue, the Secure World Foundation has been dedicated to...

[Via Satellite 12-31-13] Andrew Ruszkowski has been named chief commercial officer at XTAR. In the newly created position, Ruszkowski will continue to support XTAR’s fleet development to sustain current and anticipated government and military requirements, including working with the Department of Defense to assist its acquisition and procurement of commercial satellite communications. “Andrew has refocused...