Government/Military

[Satellite TODAY 09-27-11] Canadian satellite and technology company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) has received two contract amendments from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) totaling $9.18 million, MDA announced Sept. 25.    The new agreements include the design phase of the RadarSat constellation mission and the continuation of long-lead procurement of parts and equipment needed...

[Satellite News 09-27-11] Orbital Sciences Corp. completed its 23rd consecutive successful Minotaur rocket mission, launching the U.S. Navy’s Tactical Satellite-4 (TacSat-4) into an elliptical orbit, the company confirmed Sept. 27. Sponsored by the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office, the TacSat-4 program will demonstrate the use of standard interfaces to shorten development timelines while delivering tactical...

[Satellite TODAY 09-26-11] Globecomm Systems, a global provider of communications solutions and services, has been awarded a contract from an unnamed U.S. Government agency valued at $1.9 million, the company announced Sept. 23.    Globecomm will provide IT support services for Internet connectivity via its teleport facilities, IP telephone, Satellite television, and WAN optimization. The...

[Satellite News 09-26-11] While congressional committees work to trim the United States’ costs by targeting valuable science and weather satellite programs, Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Andy Harris (R- Md.) admitted during a Sept. 23 House hearing that the government has already spent more than $6 billion on satellites that have yet to launch....

[Satellite TODAY 09-22-11] The U.S. Air Force’s Operationally Responsive Space-1 (ORS-1) satellite was declared fully operational following successful on-orbit deployment and checkout of all systems, the spacecraft’s bus manufacturer ATK announced Sept. 21.    ORS-1, launched in June on a Minotaur rocket, is the first satellite in the U.S. Department of Defense’s Operationally Responsive Space...

[Satellite TODAY Insider 10-21-11] China Great Wall Industry Corp. (CGWIC) has received its first contract in Europe to build a communications satellite for Belarus using its Dongfanghong-4 satellite platform and launch the spacecraft from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center two years and a half after the contract takes effect, CGWIC announced Sept. 20.    The...

[Satellite TODAY 10-21-11] Astrium Services signed a three-year contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to deliver satellite images under the terms of the European Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) program, Astrium announced Sept. 20.    The contract is initially worth 17 million euros ($23.3 million) and is being funded by the European...

[Satellite TODAY 09-20-11] ATK has delivered the first two A2100 composite satellite structures and the first ship set of propellant tanks for the GPS 3 satellites Lockheed Martin is building for the U.S. Air Force, ATK announced Sept. 19.    ATK was awarded its initial GPS 3 contract from Lockheed Martin in April 2010. The...

[Satellite TODAY 09-20-11] Raytheon has fielded the first Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) Secure Mobile Anti-jam Reliable Tactical Terminal (SMART-T) satellite communications solution to the U.S. armed services, the company announced Sept. 19.    The Raytheon AEHF SMART-T was designed to increase the data rate of existing SMART-T systems by a factor of four. Raytheon...

[Satellite TODAY 09-19-11] The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved $500 million in funding for commercial spaceflight as part of NASA’s 2012 budget, NASA confirmed Sept. 15.    The funding will support the Commercial Crew Development Program (CCDev) – a NASA initiative that aims to safely and rapidly restore the United States’ capability to carry astronauts...