Government/Military

[Satellite TODAY 08-19-11] The U.S. Air Force has replaced one of its ailing Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites with a spare spacecraft that was already in orbit, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Aug. 18.             The Air Force said the ailing GPS satellite began to experience a clock malfunction in May and that its...

[Satellite TODAY 08-19-11] China lost its prototype ShiJian 11-04 satellite after the Long March 2C rocket carrying the spacecraft experienced a first stage engine failure that caused the rocket to drastically veer off the launch pad just two seconds after liftoff, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center officials confirmed Aug. 18. Chinese reports said the vehicle flew...

[Satellite TODAY 08-19-11] China lost its prototype ShiJian 11-04 satellite after the Long March 2C rocket carrying the spacecraft experienced a first stage engine failure that caused the rocket to drastically veer off the launch pad just two seconds after liftoff, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center officials confirmed Aug. 18.    Chinese reports said the vehicle...

[Satellite TODAY Insider 08-18-11] China performed a record number of launches in 2010 to match the United States’ launch output for the first time in the industry’s history, according to aerospace, satellite and telecommunications consulting firm Futron Corp.’s 2011 Space Competitiveness Index (SCI) issued Aug. 17.    The independent SCI study compared 10 leading space-faring...

[Satellite TODAY 08-18-11] China has launched Pakistan’s first communication satellite Paksat-1R on a Long March 3B/E rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Chinese officials confirmed Aug. 17.    The satellite, manufactured in China, was equipped with 30 transponders to provide Internet, telecommunication, broadcasting and emergency services. Paksat-1R replaces Pakistan’s Paksat-1 satellite, expanding the nation’s...

[Satellite TODAY Insider 08-17-11] Six Earth observational satellites are set to launch simultaneously on Aug. 17 from the Yasny Launch Base in southwestern Russia on a Dnepr launch vehicle operated by the Russian International Space Co. (ISC). The launch of the satellites had originally been scheduled for July 7, but was postponed due to technical...

[Satellite TODAY 08-16-11] Harris Corp. has received a $4.7 million order from the Canadian government for its Falcon 3 AN/PRC-117G multi-band man pack radios and RF-7800B tactical satellite communication systems, Harris announced Aug. 15.    The Harris systems aim to provide Canadian armed forces with next-generation tactical communications in support of network-enabled applications such as...

[Satellite TODAY 08-16-11] Comtech’s Arizona-based subsidiary Comtech EF Data received $2.4 million in SLM-5650A satellite modem and associated redundancy switch orders from the U.S. government, the company announced Aug. 15.    Comtech said the hardware would be utilized to facilitate satellite-based communications for an unnamed government agency. The SLM-5650A satellite modem is compliant with the...

[Satellite TODAY 08-16-11] TeleCommunication Systems (TCS) has received an 11-month extension to its U.S. Army World-Wide Satellite Systems (WWSS) indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract, the company announced Aug. 15.    The contract, initially issued as a five-year, $5 billion award in 2006, was scheduled to expire at the end of August. TCS said the ordering...

[Satellite TODAY 08-15-11] Canadian communications solutions provider Norsat International was awarded a new satellite-based communications equipment and services program from the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency, Norsat announced Aug. 12.    The program award, valued at $1.3 million, will allow Norsat to deliver equipment for use in battle theatres in Afghanistan. The company said...