Government/Military

[Satellite TODAY 05-05-10] Vizada Networks won a contract expansion with the Norwegian Defense Logistics Organization (NDLO) which will enter the company into a new framework agreement to supply commercial satellite capacity and additional services, Vizada announced May 5.     Vizada’s initial contract with the NDLO, signed in February, included the provision of on-demand satellite capacity...

[Satellite TODAY 05-05-10] OHB-System AG, part of OHB Technology AG, won contracts under the E-SGA (Europeanization of Satellite-Based Reconnaissance) program to operate ground stations that will provide greater access to information gathered by SAR-Lupe and Helios 2 systems to French and German forces, OHB announced May 4.     The German Federal Office of Defense Technology...

[Satellite TODAY 05-04-10] Aerojet and Florida Turbine Technologies (FTT) have entered into a strategic partnership to compete for research, development and production on NASA‘s new hydrocarbon engine and advanced upper stage engine, the companies announced April 30.     The partnership expands Aerojet and FTT’s cooperative work on the U.S. Air Force’s Hydrocarbon Boost Technology Demonstrator...

[Satellite TODAY 05-03-10] The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) delayed the launch of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15), initially scheduled for May 9, the organization announced April 30.     ISRO detected a marginal drop in the pressure in the second stage of the vehicle during mandatory checks. The new date for the launch of...

[Satellite TODAY 05-03-10] Iridium Communications has established a U.S. government advisory board to counsel the company on products and services for federal and state civilian, defense, intelligence and law enforcement customers, Iridium announced April 29.      Initial members of the board include Donald Kerr, a research professor in George Mason University’s Volgenau School of Information...

[Satellite TODAY 05-03-10] Thales Alenia Space has delivered the Eurobot Ground Prototype (EGP) to the European Space Agency (ESA) to support the International Space Station’s extra vehicular activities as well as future manned space missions, Thales Alenia Space announced April 29.     The delivery was made following testing and qualification of the EGP.     Developed...

[Satellite TODAY 05-03-10] Norway’s AISSat-1 satellite, scheduled to launch May 9 from India, will incorporate safety technology developed by Kongsberg Seatex in cooperation with the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment, the Norwegian Coastal Administration and the Norwegian Space Center, Kongsberg Seatex announced April 29.     Kongsberg provided AISSat-1 with a fully deployed safety system for ocean-going...

We wrote a year ago (Via Satellite July 2009) about efforts by the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to remove unused frequency assignments and networks from the ITU’s books and free up more of these scarce resources for other satellite operators. At the time, the BR urged ITU member states to...

Over the last few years the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has streamlined its rules in order to expedite the process of authorizing the operation of satellites in the United States. The review process for a satellite application used to take two to three years but now can take as little as a year.  The...

[Satellite TODAY 04-30-10] Orbital Sciences Corp. has been awarded a $95 million, five-year contract by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to conduct prototype spacecraft and airborne system and subsystem research, analysis and development, and integration, testing, and data processing and documentation activities, Orbital announced April 29.     The services aim to support future NRL...