Government/Military

[Satellite TODAY 08-12-11] Canadian essential information satellite solutions company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) has been contracted to provide Radarsat-2 satellite imagery to the European Space Agency (ESA), MDA announced Aug. 11. The contract, valued at more than $11 million with funding from the European Union, will see MDA deliver Radarsat imagery from June 2011...

[Satellite News 08-12-11] Wholesale 4G LTE network operator LightSquared filed its latest grievance with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Aug. 11, in a letter claiming that the GPS industry failed to comply with the U.S. Department of Defense’s filtering standards, which created the root cause of its potential GPS signal interference issues.    LightSquared...

[Satellite TODAY 08-11-11] China is set to launch a communications satellite for Pakistan on a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Chinese government officials confirmed Aug. 10.    The 30-transponder satellite aims to give Pakistan strategic advantages in military and cross-border areas and help Pakistan’s National Space Agency meet its communications...

[Satellite TODAY 08-11-11] Orbit Communication Systems has signed a contract with an unnamed Asian Navy for multiple OrBand (AL-7107) maritime C-band VSAT systems, the manufacturer announced Aug. 10.     OrBand supports extended C- and Ku-band frequencies, as well as multiple RF feeds. The platform’s electrically switchable polarization aims to facilitate satellite switching and increase...

[Satellite TODAY 08-09-11] Officials from China’s National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation confirmed Aug. 8 that the Chinese government is set to launch a high-definition civil survey satellite by the end of this year.    At a press conference, the administration’s deputy director Song Chaozhi unveiled the ZY 3 satellite and outlined plans to...

[Satellite TODAY 08-05-11] An unnamed U.S. government agency has contracted Globecomm Systems to lead efforts in providing government program management and services with subcontractor L-3 Narda Satellite Networks, Globecomm announced Aug. 4.    The $74.1 million contract includes options for additional quantities and services. Globecomm said that Narda would provide a wide array of transit...

[Satellite TODAY 08-04-11] Wholesale 4G-LTE wireless satellite network operator LightSquared has successfully transitioned approximately 50,000 public safety and enterprise customers from its MSAT satellites to LightSquared’s new SkyTerra 1 satellite, the company announced Aug. 3.    The company called the transition a “major step” toward the launch of its next-generation integrated satellite and broadband network,...

With more and more countries around the world looking to develop a space based capability, but wanting to do it on a budget, it has never been a better time to be a small satellite manufacturer. Here, we look at international developments in the small satellite market, and why countries all the way from Nigeria...

According to the Satellite Industry Association’s 2011 State of the Satellite Industry Report, satellite equipment sales are up and consumer GPS hardware is singled out as one of the drivers. What the SIA does not mention is that this commercial industry is built on a non-commercial foundation. In a press briefing at the Paris Air...

[Satellite TODAY 08-01-11] The Vietnamese government has authorized the construction of its second Earth observation microsatellite VnRedSat-1B and has selected Belgian space systems company Spacebel as its prime contractor.             Government officials confirmed July 29 that it concluded negotiations with Spacebel and that the contract will be presented and signed in March 2012. Spacebel will...