Government/Military

[Satellite TODAY 11-26-12] SES has signed an agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA), including SES Broadband Services to offer participants in the ESA’s ARTES (Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems) with broadband services, SES announced Nov. 23. The ARTES initiative is designed to promote the use of satellites in such functions as broadcasting, multimedia and...

[Satellite TODAY 11-23-12] The European Space Agency (ESA) and Eumetsat have signed the agreement to determine the principles of cooperation between the two agencies when establishing the various components of the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) system and carrying out related activities, ESA announced Nov. 23.    ESA said the signing followed a complex and rigorous...

[Satellite TODAY 11-21-12] The U.S. Navy and U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) have accepted the first Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite for initial operational use. MUOS is a next-generation narrowband tactical communications system designed to improve communications for U.S. forces on the move.      “This provides the warfighter with powerful capability,” U.S. Cyber Command...

[Satellite TODAY 11-20-12] Rockwell Collins will provide satellite services to the U.S. Army Communication-Electronics Command under a $35 million contract, the company announced Nov. 20.       Rockwell Collins will deliver Army satellite communication services with operations maintenance, upgrades, and training and will perform these services under the FlexForceTM Life Cycle Service Solution. The...

 [Satellite TODAY 11-20-12] Within the next three years, China will launch a communications satellite for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chinese media officials announced Nov. 19. According to Xinhua news agency, the CongoSat-01 satellite will be launched from the Chinese province Sichuan and aims to cover southern and central Africa. After Nigeria, the DR Congo...

[Satellite News 11-20-12] So far in 2012, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has authorized almost a billion-and-a-half dollars in satellite transactions. Yesterday, the Ex-Im Bank added to its contribution to the industry’s growth by authorizing two transactions totaling $461 million in order to underwrite the export of American-made satellites to Hong...

[Satellite TODAY Insider 11-19-12] Israeli satellite operator Spacecom has signed a significant agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to plan, manufacture, prepare for launch and provide ground control operations for the operator’s new Amos-6 satellite, Spacecom confirmed Nov. 19. The $195 million deal will put the Amos-6 satellite in a scheduled slot for launch in...

 [Satellite TODAY 11-16-12] The first Sri Lankan communication satellite is scheduled to launch from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Nov. 22, operate by mid-2013 for commercial purposes and is partly owned by Sri Lanka’s first satellite company SupremeSAT, the company announced Nov. 16. According to the SupremeSAT Chairman, the project is a joint venture...

 [Satellite TODAY 11-15-12] The U.S. Air Force and Raytheon Company have conducted concept evaluation demonstrations of the Ground Based Sense and Avoid (GBSAA) and the repurposed Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) air traffic control system, the organizations announced Nov. 15. The testing consisted of a moving “dynamic protection zone” around the UAS, providing alerts...

[Satellite News 11-15-12] While the impending budgetary compromise may have recently dominated mass media news cycles, budgetary pressures are nothing new to the Pentagon – a fact that Air Force Lt. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski stressed during her keynote speech at the Satcon conference in New York City.    Despite the budget buzz, the U.S. military...