Government/Military

[Satellite TODAY 01-27-11] Ottawa-based satellite content distribution provider International Datacasting Corp. (IDC) received a $2.81 million contract extension from the Canadian Department of National Defense to continue its delivery of Canadian Forces Radio and Television (CFRT), IDC announced Jan. 26.     The contract represents the second of two renewal options, as part of the overall...

[Satellite TODAY Insider 01-26-11] The Obama Administration has eased export restrictions on Indian space agencies and divisions, including the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced in a federal notification issued Jan. 25.     The removal of the Indian space agency divisions...

[Satellite TODAY Insider 01-25-11] Astrium Services hopes its contract with the German Bundeswehr to deliver welfare communication services to deployed troops will give the company an opening to provide the same services for the U.S. Department of Defense, Astrium Vice President of Business Development David Chegnion told Satellite TODAY Insider.     “We have our eye...

[Satellite TODAY 01-25-11] Lockheed Martin opened its Collaborative Human Immersive Laboratory (CHIL), an advanced technology and virtual simulation facility, which will be leveraged for a variety of programs, including the U.S. Air Force‘s GPS-3 and NASA‘s Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, Lockheed Martin announced Jan. 24.     The laboratory can be applied to a range of...

[Satellite TODAY 01-24-11] United Launch Alliance launched the second of two classified spy satellites for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., the launch company announced Jan. 21.     A ULA Delta 4 Heavy rocket carried the satellite, which is now on route to its polar-orbit destination. The first NRO...

[Satellite TODAY 01-24-11] German space company and Galileo developer OHB System has fired CEO Berry Smutny after WikiLeaks released a cable containing conversations between himself and a U.S. official where Smutny described the Galileo as “a stupid idea that primarily serves French interests,” the company announced Jan. 21.     Last year, OHB System won a...

[Satellite TODAY 01-24-11] The Space Foundation named new members to its board of directors, the organization announced Jan. 21.     The new members include: Gary Ervin, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman‘s Aerospace Systems; James Maser, president of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne; and Kay Sears, president of Intelsat General. The new members replace...

[Satellite News 01-24-11] While many commercial operators at the 2010 Commercial Satcom Users Workshop are cautious and prepared for budget cuts that could have an impact on revenues and future business, some executives have identified growth opportunities in the next year. The launch of the third Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellite, along with the planned...

[Satellite TODAY Insider 01-21-11] The European Commission (EC) now estimates that the Galileo and European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) satellite navigation programs will cost more than 5.3 billion euros ($7.13 billion), excluding operational costs to complete, according to an EC review released Jan. 19.     While the two programs constitute the largest satellite investment...

[Satellite TODAY Insider 01-21-11] U.S. President Barack Obama’s National Security Space Strategy, scheduled for public release over the next few weeks, is coming under criticism from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), which said that the plan is unlikely to address “broader ways to approach space security and sustainability issues,” according to a UCS statement...