Government/Military

[Satellite TODAY 08-24-12] The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has issued five-year contracts to eight companies to provide up to $2.6 billion in satellite telecom solutions and end-to-end managed network services under the CS2 component of the Future Comsatcom Services Acquisition (FCSA) program, the GSA announced Aug. 23.    The companies who won eligibility to...

[Satellite TODAY 08-24-12] NASA has postponed the launch of two Radiation Belt Storm Probe spacecraft after a malfunction with a tracking system occurred late in the mission’s final countdown, NASA confirmed Aug. 24.    The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket carrying the two satellites is now slated to launch early Saturday morning. The...

[Satellite TODAY 08-24-12] EADS Astrium subsidiary Vizada has been awarded a multi-year contract valued over $13.5 million to provide satellite services to an unnamed U.S. government agency, the company announced Aug. 24.    Vizada will provide Inmarsat BGAN and SwiftBroadband services, including static IP addressing, voice, video, data, and messaging, in support of a full...

[Satellite TODAY 08-23-12] The Canadian Defense Department is planning a new $1 billion Arctic surveillance satellite network as a follow-on program to its previously announced Radarsat Constellation Mission (RCM), Canadian officials announced Aug. 23.    Funding for the Arctic surveillance network will start in 2016 and 2017.    Canadian satellite manufacturer MDA is building the...

[Satellite TODAY 08-22-12] Norwegian technology developer Kongsberg confirmed Aug. 21 that its Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) business unit was awarded a $22.4 million contract to provide ground station services for NASA’s next generation of weather satellites.    The five-year contract will require KSAT to use its ground stations in Svalbard, Norway and Antarctica to provide...

[Satellite TODAY 08-22-12] U.S. Air Force Space Command declared that the Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) Block-10 satellite achieved initial operational capability and is ready to support U.S. Strategic Command requirements, Air Force officials announced Aug. 21. Orbital Sciences launched the SBSS Block-10 satellite in September aboard a Minotaur 4 rocket.    The SBSS Block...

[Satellite TODAY 08-22-12] The Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in South Africa has designed and built the country’s first nanosatellite that will be launched into space from Russia in November, CPUT announced Aug. 21.    CPUT’s ZACube-1 was built by postgraduate students of the French South African Institute of Technology (F’SATI). ZACube-1 will be...

[Satellite TODAY 08-22-12] The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is planning its 100th launch, which will carry two foreign satellites into orbit in September aboard a PSLV C-21 rocker, ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan announced Aug. 22.    ISRO will launch the EADS Astrium-built Spot-6 remote sensing satellite and a Japanese spacecraft called Protiers on board...

[Satellite TODAY 08-22-12] Japan’s Marubeni Aerospace will help Myanmar launch a small Earth observation that will be used for the country’s Ministry of Transport and Meteorology and Hydrology Department, Marubeni Aerospace confirmed Aug. 22.    The initiative was unveiled during coordination meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, which was attended by Transport Minister Nyan Tun...

[Satellite TODAY 08-21-12] Spanish satellite ground systems supplier GMV has named Julia MacDonough director of defense and intelligence business development for its U.S. operation GMV USA, the company announced Aug. 20.    MacDonough will be responsible for leading GMV through the U.S. Department of Defense acquisition process, program management and strategic business planning.    “Julia...