Government/Military

[Satellite TODAY 03-02-12] Linear Signal will perform beam signal research and development for NxGEN Electronics under a small-business contract with NASA/JPL, Linear Signal announced March 1.    The company will design a phased-array Beamformer chipset and integrate it with NxGEN’s high-frequency packaging to support NASA’s ongoing mission plans for critical Earth observation, planetary experiments and...

[Satellite TODAY 03-01-12] Boeing Commercial Satellite Services has entered into a cooperative business agreement with Artel to distribute Inmarsat bandwidth to U.S. government customers via the Inmarsat-3, -4 and -5 satellites, Boeing announced Feb. 29.    Boeing said it has been working with Artel and potential customers and users to develop Ka-band powered satellite communications...

[Satellite TODAY 02-29-12] Lockheed Martin has delivered the second Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications satellite to Cape Canaveral, the company announced Feb. 27. The satellite will be readied for an April 2012 liftoff aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle.             The AEHF system is the successor to the five-satellite Milstar constellation and will provide...

[Satellite TODAY 02-28-12]  Raytheon’s U.S. Air Force satellite terminal system that provides protected communications to warfighters has received a successful Milestone C decision and subsequent production award, the company announced Feb. 27.     The Minuteman Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network Program Upgrade (MMPU) is Raytheon’s first Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) terminal for the Air...

[Satellite TODAY 02-27-12] Critical military space capabilities such as missile warning, satellite communications, launch and space situational awareness were protected in the Pentagon’s 2013 space program budget to ensure continued support to warfighters and space operations around the globe, U.S. Air Force Undersecretary Erin Conaton confirmed during a Feb. 24 media roundtable.    Air Force...

[Satellite TODAY 02-27-12] China has successfully launched its fifth Compass-G satellite into orbit onboard a Long March 3C rocket from the C2 launch complex of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Chinese space officials announced Feb. 24.    The Compass Navigation Satellite System (CNSS) is China’s second-generation satellite navigation system, which aims to provide continuous, real-time...

[Satellite TODAY 02-27-12] GeoEye has entered into a strategic partnership with global geographic information software provider Esri to jointly develop a new crisis response imagery service, the companies confirmed Feb. 24.    GeoEye said the service would be released this spring, combining its ability to task its satellite to collect high-resolution satellite imagery after a...

[Satellite TODAY 02-24-12] L-3 Communications subsidiary 3Di Technologies has selected Intelsat General as a subcontract to provide satellite connectivity to a network of 150 VSAT remote terminals for the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, Intelsat General announced Feb. 23.    Intelsat General will provide nearly a full transponder of capacity on its IS-901 satellite through the...

[Satellite TODAY 02-24-12] U.K. value-added systems company Integrated Satellite Applications Technologies (iSat) has developed a unique swappable X-band feed for C-Com’s 1.2M Ku-band auto-deploy iNetVu transportable system, the companies announced Feb. 23.    The iSat/C-Com transportable terminal was developed to accommodate X-band BUC powers from 10 watts to 40 watts to meet the needs of...

[Satellite News 02-24-12] It has been known for years that space debris — or pieces of man-made, non-functional hardware — has been littering the Earth’s low, medium and geostationary orbits and threatening the sustainability of the satellite industry. In the United States, the Pentagon is responsible for tracking roughly 22,000 man-made objects in orbit —...