Government/Military

[Satellite TODAY 10-03-11] The Japanese government is planning to establish a four-satellite network by 2020 to improve the accuracy of the country’s GPS system, government officials announced Sept 30.    A Japanese government ministerial council said the country will then set up a network of seven “quasi-zenith” satellites for its own independent GPS system. Japan...

[Satellite TODAY 10-03-11] TeleCommunication Systems (TCS) has received a combined total of $12.1 million in funding from the U.S. Army for equipment, field services support and maintenance of Secret IP Router and non-secure IP Router Access Point (SNAP) VSAT satellite systems, the company announced Sept. 30.    TCS said the funding is the result of...

[Satellite TODAY 10-03-11] Com Dev USA has been awarded a contract worth more than $5 million to supply equipment for an unnamed U.S. military communications satellite, the company announced Sept. 29.    The contract is a follow-on order for an additional flight set of equipment under a satellite program that Com Dev USA is acting...

[Satellite TODAY 09-30-10] Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) Space Systems’ deployed its Universal Interface Electronics (UIE) unit to the U.S. Navy’s Tactical Satellites (TacSat)-4 mission, which launched earlier this week, SNC announced Sept. 28.    The UIE unit is a prototype of SNC’s distributed, modular avionics architecture developed as part of the U.S. Department of Defense...

[Satellite TODAY 09-29-11] Elbit Systems was awarded a $280 million contract by the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) to supply, upgrade and provide maintenance under the Israeli Defense Forces’ (IDF) communications equipment project, Elbit announced Sept. 28.    Elbit said approximately half of the program is designated to supply new communication systems over the next...

[Satellite TODAY 09-29-11] China is set to launch the country’s first space laboratory module from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, as part of its effort to build its own space station, Chinese officials confirmed Sept. 27.    The module, Tiangong-1, is currently being injected into a Long March 2-F T1 rocket carrier. The Tiangong-1 mission...

[Satellite TODAY 09-29-11] U.S. Space completed a $291,159 contracted study of feasible acquisition alternatives to satisfy military satellite communications needs for the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Military Satellite Communications Directorate, the company announced Sept. 28.    The U.S. Space study identified and examined alternative approaches to the existing military satellite acquisition...

[Satellite TODAY Insider 09-28-11] Satellite manufacturer and technology developer Astrium was selected by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to help define the first step of the systems architecture for its territorial ballistic missile defense program, the company announced Sept. 27.    The contract follows a previously announced deal in November 2010, which saw Astrium...

[Satellite TODAY 09-28-11] Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) will sponsor the five-day 62nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Cape Town, South Africa, SSTL announced Sept. 27.    The company said it would present a research report, “First light for the NigeriaSat-2 imaging mission,” during the event and following the launch of Nigeria’s first high resolution...

[Satellite TODAY 09-27-11] Raytheon has completed the preliminary design review for the Global Positioning System Next Generation Operational Control System (GPS OCX), which determined the program’s development approach, cost estimates and delivery schedule, the company announced Sept. 26.    The U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center’s (SMC) GPS Directorate conducted the review and assessed the architectural and...