Government/Military

[Satellite News 02-01-12] With Eumetsat’s Metop-B weather satellite now past its final checks with manufacturer Astrium and scheduled for transport to the Baikonur cosmodrome to be launched in May, Eumetsat Director General Alain Ratier said the Metop program is progressing much smoother than expected.    “The first of the Metop series, Metop-A, has already exceeded...

[Satellite TODAY Insider 01-31-12] The Pentagon’s plan to reduce military spending by $487 billion over the next decade was met with serious concern in the space sector after it was published Jan. 27 as part of the military’s 2013 full-year budget. Analysts, however,    While total U.S. defense spending is expected decline 22 percent from...

[Satellite TODAY 01-31-12] Orbit Communication was selected by Russian space company STEC to supply a commercial ground station solution supporting dual communication with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites, the company announced Jan. 30.    The contract, valued at $800,000, orders Orbit to customize a solution based on its AL-4300 series...

[Satellite TODAY 01-31-12] MTN Satellite Communications (MTN) has appointed Margaret Grayson as CFO, the company announced Jan. 30.    Grayson will direct MTN’s financial operations, but also will act as an advisor to MTN President and CEO Errol Olivier on homeland security-related issues. Grayson is a member of the U.S. National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC),...

[Satellite TODAY 01-30-12] The Czech government has entered into an agreement with the European Union (EU) to host the headquarters of Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system in Prague, EU officials confirmed Jan. 27.    The deal was signed by Czech Transport Minister Pavel Dobes and European GNSS Agency Executive Director Carlo des Dorides. The 30-satellite...

[Satellite TODAY 10-27-11]  Arianespace has announced details of another successful Soyuz mission. The launch service provider announced Jan. 26, along with its Russian partners, that the Progress cargo spacecraft has accurately been placed on the target orbit for another mission to the International Space Station. This was the first Soyuz family mission in 2012.

[Satellite TODAY 10-27-11]  Vizada Networks has completed the installation of a custom designed VSAT Camp Antenna System (VCAS) for FMV, the Swedish Defence Material Administration, the company announced Jan. 26. Vizada has recently been acquired by Astrium in one of the major deals that took place in the satellite industry in 2011.    The antenna...

[Satellite TODAY 10-27-11]  Northrop Grumman has won a three-year contract worth close to $9 million with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the company announced Jan. 25. Northrop Grumman will develop more efficient radio frequency (RF) transmitter technology through the Microscale Power Conversion program.    Northrop Grumman will conduct research on high-efficiency transmitters with...

[Satellite News 01-27-12] The Indian government has forced former Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman Gopalan Madhavan Nair and three of his colleagues to immediately resign all positions and roles with ISRO following the results of an investigation into a contract that was signed between ISRO’s commercial sector division Antrix and Devas Multimedia.    Nair...

[Satellite TODAY Insider 01-26-12] A growing number of satellite manufacturers are exploring smaller spacecraft that target expanding markets in optical and Synthetic-Aperture Radar (SAR) markets, according to analysis firm NSR, which believes that the effect is likely to be a reduction of data costs on the end-user side.     The NSR report, published Jan. 24...