Government/Military

[Satellite TODAY 10-24-11] Space components and ground-station services provider Kongsberg has acquired Norwegian satellite equipment supplier Norspace for an undisclosed price, the companies confirmed Oct. 21.    Kongsberg said it expects the deal to close by the end of October and that, once completed, the company would merge Norspace into its defense and aerospace business....

[Satellite TODAY 10-24-11] While satellite and aerospace manufacturer Orbital Sciences exceeded its financial expectations by reporting a strong 2011 third quarter, Chairman and CEO David Thompson forecasted a satellite slowdown in 2012 while speaking to reporters and analysts during an Oct. 20 conference call.    Thompson predicted that Orbital would see flat 2012 satellite revenues...

[Satellite News 10-21-11] Arianespace has successfully launched its first Soyuz rocket from the European Spaceport and Guiana Space Center (CSG) in Kourou, the company confirmed Oct. 21.    The debut launch carried the first two Galileo IOV-1 satellites in the Galileo constellation, which aims to provide Europe with its own independent satellite positioning and navigation...

[Satellite TODAY 10-21-11] Arianespace has postponed its Soyuz flight VS01 carrying the Soyuz ST-B and Galileo IOV-1 spacecraft after an anomaly was detected during fueling of the Soyuz launcher’s third stage, the company announced Oct. 20.    In a press conference, Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said a fuel leak was detected in...

[Satellite TODAY 10-20-11] NASA has pushed the launch of its National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPOESS) back by one day, the agency confirmed Oct. 19.    The $1.5 billion NPOESS satellite was originally scheduled to launch Oct. 27, but will now launch on Oct. 28 from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in...

[Satellite TODAY 10-19-11] Earth imagery provider GeoEye has signed a multi-year enterprise agreement with Internet search engine and development company Google to license access to its cloud-based map-publishing platform Google Earth Builder, GeoEye announced Oct. 18.    GeoEye spokesman Tony Frazier said the company is making the investment as part of its strategy to increase...

[Satellite TODAY 10-19-11] Russia is planning to extend the service life of the International Space Station (ISS) from 2015 to 2028 to potentially use the station as a small satellite assembly line and launch pad, Russian space officials announced Oct. 18.    The Russian Space Agency Roscosmos noted that other international participants of the ISS...

[Satellite TODAY 10-19-11] Harris Corp. has received a $51.5 million delivery order for advanced satellite terminals under the U.S. Army’s Modernization of Enterprise Terminals (MET) program, Harris announced Oct. 18.    The contract will see Harris supply large fixed X- and Ka-band terminals and transportable X- and Ka-band terminals. The order also includes equipment racks,...

[Satellite TODAY 10-19-11] SkyBlue Technology Development has received a third extension to its Iridium frequency bandwidth approval for aviation satellite communications in China, SkyBlue announced Oct. 18.    The approval allows SkyBlue to provide its Automated Flight information Reporting System (AFIRS) equipment for installation on Chinese aviation assets through 2016. SkyBlue said its next renewal...

[Satellite TODAY 10-18-11] Raytheon has installed military-grade Cobra Judy Replacement (CJR) X- and S-band antennas onboard the USNS Howard O. Lorenzen in Corpus Christi, Texas, the company announced Oct. 17.    Raytheon is the prime contractor for the CJR program, which aims to provide the U.S. government with long-loiter ballistic missile data collection capability. The...