Government/Military

A common misconception in the satellite media realm is that the hosted payload is a new technology that emerged from the financial crisis and government requirements to cut costs. Of course, hosted payloads have been around since the 1990s, with some of the first being utilized by government and military organizations. What makes the hosted...

Top officials in both European and U.S. government agencies and militaries are increasingly considering hosted payloads for a wider range of applications as both regions take cost-cutting into account in their long-term project plans. The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), for example, is following the same hosted payload-oriented approach as the U.S. Wide Area...

Satellite manufacturers are opening the door to new hosted payload deals by showcasing the abilities of their new satellite bus models. Boeing Satellite Systems International (BSSI) has been pushing several new satellite buses onto the market in order to expand its ability to meet a greater variety of requirements. Its most recent release came in...

Northrop Grumman has joined the Hosted Payload Alliance (HPA). HPA formed in March 2011 as a group of satellite manufacturers, spacecraft operators, system integrators and launch vehicle providers that aim to lobby for increased hosted payload utilization and to support government agencies in acquiring space assets and services.    “HPA can help us leverage its...

Satellite manufacturer Boeing has won a $317.7 million contract modification to build the 10th Wideband Global Satcom (WGS-10) global communications satellite for the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Department of Defense announced July 30.    Boeing will produce, process, launch and provide on-orbit activation for WGS-10 from its facilities in El Segundo, Calif. Work on...

Astrotech Space Operations (ASO) was selected by the U. S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) to provide payload-processing services for the second in a series of Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellites. Astrotech supported the first MUOS satellite launch in February 2012 from Cape Canaveral.    The Navy awarded ASO a contract...

Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to analyze and define aspects of its Phoenix program that are focused on repurposing non-working GEO satellites.    SS/L said that in order to repurpose valuable components such as antennas, the Phoenix will attach small satellites, or “satlets,” onto non-working spacecraft...

MSS satellite services provider Inmarsat has appointed Andy Start president of the company’s global government business unit, Inmarsat announced Aug. 13.    Start will work with the global government market outside of the United States, directing all sales, marketing and delivery of services for government customers. He also will be responsible for customer-driven product and...

[Satellite News 08-14-12] After Kratos acquired Integral Systems in May 2011, the newly formed Kratos Integral Systems has been focused on providing a slew of satellite support services, such as situational awareness platforms that span across an entire network. The company is also developing new opportunities by breaking up traditional network infrastructures and replacing them...

[Satellite News 08-13-12] Raytheon has been pushing for an alternate Air Force satellite terminal program with three Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military terminals it currently produces, claiming that they already meet 80 percent of the military’s requirements. The initiative stems back to 2002, when the Air Force awarded Boeing a contract for Family of...