Government/Military

The military satellite communications landscape is on the cusp of change as governments around the world look to embrace new technologies while keeping an eye on the costs involved in deploying new state-of-the-art technologies. These two issues seem to go hand-in-hand. It is a balancing act. The equation now is to deliver more with less,...

Avanti Signs Key NATO Agreement Avanti Communications has signed an ordering agreement with NATO’s Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), formerly the NC3A Agency, to provide service from its Hylas fleet. Avanti said the agreement allows NATO command agencies and NATO member states to request pricing and place orders using pre-arranged terms and conditions and pricing...

[Satellite TODAY Insider 08-31-12] Out of the eight Future Comsatcom Services Acquisition (FCSA) CS2 program winners that were recently awarded five-year contracts to provide up to $2.6 billion in satellite telecom solutions and end-to-end managed network services, Astrium subsidiary Vizada must be experiencing the most prominent sense of déjà vu.    Besides CS2, Vizada also...

[Satellite TODAY 08-31-12] The Mexican government will begin using satellites to track the country’s agricultural and fishery production on a permanent basis starting in September, the Mexican Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food Ministry announced Aug. 30.    The department said the new system would, “guarantee the availability of satellite imagery until 2023.” Mexico’s...

[Satellite News 08-31-12] If you are looking for detailed future space policies from either Democratic Incumbent President Barack Obama or Republican presidential nominee Gov. Mitt Romney, prepare to be disappointed. Neither candidate seems to be offering any specifics outside of a stump speech heavy with praise for American achievements in space. There are, however, differences...

[Satellite TODAY 08-30-12] The Russian NPO Molniya Space Design Bureau is developing a hypersonic unmanned rocket vehicle that is capable of putting satellites into orbit, according to an RIA Novosti report published Aug. 30.    The report claimed the vehicle, which is designated Hammer, is based on existing and emerging technology, including the AL-31F turbofan...

[Satellite TODAY 08-30-12] The European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (Eumetsat) has signed a cooperative agreement with the Chinese State Oceanic Administration that will allow both agencies to exchange oceanographic satellite data, Eumetsat announced Aug. 30.    Eumetsat will provide data from Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) instruments hosted on its Metop, Jason-2 and Jason-3...

[Satellite TODAY 08-27-12] The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has procured L-3 GCS Hawkeye 3 Lite 1.2M and Hawkeye 3 2.0M VSAT terminals equipped with iConnex e800 satellite router boards from iDirect Government Technologies (iGT) to support the Special Operations Forces Deployable Node-Family of Terminals (SDN-Lite FoT) program, iDirect announced Aug. 27.    The iGT...

[Satellite TODAY 08-27-12] Satellite-based managed network services provider Globecomm Systems has received various infrastructure contracts from U.S. government agencies valued at $5.9 million, the company announced Aug. 27.    Globecomm will provide hardware, software and associated engineering services, including: WGS certified Summit X-band field terminals with integral AxxSys Orion Monitor and Control Software; Gateway Terminal...

[Satellite News 08-27-12] The Future Comsatcom Services Acquisition (FCSA) program’s latest award phase under its CS2 component has pumped $2.6 billion into the satellite communications industry after the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) issued five-year contract vehicles to eight companies for telecom solutions and end-to-end managed network services.    The companies who won eligibility to...