Government/Military

[Satellite TODAY 04-16-12] The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched an Earth observation satellite April 13 that failed to reach its intended orbit, according to KCNA, the DRPK’s official news agency.    The Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite was launched on a long-range Unha-3 rocket from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, but exploded and crashed into Korean...

[Satellite TODAY 04-16-12] Boeing has transferred control of the Wideband Global Satcom 4 (WGS 4) satellite to U.S. Air Force operators following successful on-orbit testing and functionality demonstrations, the satellite manufacturer confirmed April 13.    Boeing said the WGS 4’s communications payload passed test signals through each of the satellite’s 19 antenna beams. The tests...

[Satellite TODAY 04-16-12] Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has hired Marion Van Fosson to lead its CVG-Avtec subsidiary as vice president and general manager, Kratos announced April 13.    Van Fosson, a retired U.S. Army officer, will be responsible for managing all aspects of CVG-Avtec’s operations from its facility in Chantilly, Va. CVG-Avtec provides fixed...

[Satellite TODAY Insider 04-12-12] The governments of the United Kingdom and Japan have signed an agreement to collaborate on space research, technology developments and potential commercial opportunities that could inject billions of dollars into the space industries of both countries, the U.K. Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts announced April 11.    The agreement...

United Launch Alliance (ULA) has successfully launched a covert payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from the Vandenberg Air Force Base on a Delta 4 rocket as part of the classified NROL-25 million, ULA confirmed April 4.        The launch represented ULA’s maiden mission for the Delta 4 Medium-Plus configured rocket. ULA also used...

Comtech Mobile Datacom has received a three-month indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to support the U.S. Army’s Blue Force Tracking 1 (BFT-1) and Movement Tracking System (MTS) programs, the company announced April 2.        The contract calls for Comtech to continue supplying satellite bandwidth for the BFT-1 and MTS platforms through the end of June 2012....

[Satellite TODAY 04-11-12] Canadian antenna manufacturer C-Com Satellite Systems has received $1 million in orders for its iNetVu mobile antenna products from an unnamed customer in Russia, the company announced April 10.    C-Com said the customer would use the satellite antenna systems for oil and gas exploration, military communication and disaster management and that...

[Satellite TODAY 04-11-12] ITT Exelis Geospatial Systems has delivered GeoEye’s next-generation commercial imaging system for the operator’s GeoEye-2 satellite to the Lockheed Martin Space Systems facility in Sunnyvale, Calif., ITT announced April 10.    The ITT-built imaging payload for GeoEye-2 includes a telescope, sensor subsystem and outer barrel assembly that will enable the satellite to...

iDirect Government Technologies has released a satellite router that meets strict airborne communications requirements for operation on military aircraft, the company announced March 26.        The new e8000 AR airborne router was designed to deliver broadband capabilities for voice, video and data applications that provide support for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, customs and border...

International Launch Services (ILS) successfully placed the Intelsat 22 satellite into a super-synchronous transfer orbit onboard a Proton M rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and the spacecraft’s manufacturer Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems has received its first signals, the companies confirmed March 26.        FSS operator Intelsat will use the new satellite to provide C- and...