Government/Military

[Satellite Today 05-27-09] ViaSat received certification from the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) for its ruggedized AN/PSC-14 Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) integrated manpack terminal, ViaSat announced May 26.     The certification enables ViaSat to fulfill orders for AN/PSC-14 terminals from U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other authorized international government...

[Satellite Today 05-27-09] Atrexx, a German satellite service provider, won a U.S. military contract to provide satellite-based Internet connectivity for the U.S. Air Force’s Eagle Vision program in Europe, Atrexx announced May 26.    The Eagle Vision program is a ground station for the reception of data from civilian remote sensing satellites and supports the...

[Satellite News 05-26-09] U.S. Air Force officials are claiming that a report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), which asserted that the U.S. military GPS system is experiencing serious degradation, is not accurate.     During an online news conference, Air Force Col. Dave Buckman said the GAO’s assessments underestimate the military’s GPS management,...

[Satellite Today 05-26-09] The U.S. Air Force said that a report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), which claimed that the U.S. military GPS system is experiencing serious degradation, is not accurate, according to a May 25 statement by Air Force Col. Dave Buckman.     “The issue is under control,” said Buckman in...

[Satellite Today 05-25-09] NASA plans on launching two satellites in June with a mission to assist the agency in returning to the Moon, NASA announced May 21.     The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) Centaur are scheduled to launch June 17 aboard an Atlas V rocket from...

[Satellite Today 05-25-09] Alliant Techsystems (ATK) successfully launched TacSat-3 at 11:55 p.m. UTC on May 19 after it was delayed in order to remove off shore boaters from the exclusion area, ATK announced May 20.     SRA International provided its spacecraft command language (SCL) software to provide autonomous control of critical flight operations.  ATK served...

[Satellite Today 05-22-09] In preparation for hurricane season, Iridium Satellite has commenced its third annual "Test Your Satellite Phone" initiative, in partnership with The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International, Iridium announced May 21.    Iridium said the goal of the initiative is to encourage emergency workers and first responders to prepare now to...

[Satellite Today 05-22-09] Alliant Techsystems (ATK) in cooperation with NASA, the U.S. Army and the United Space Alliance (USA), completed a drop test of the three main parachutes that will slow the descent of the Ares I first stage booster, allowing it to be recovered, refurbished, and reused, ATK announced May 20.     ATK, the...

[Satellite Today 05-22-09] Orbit Technology Group won a contract with the French Navy worth over $4 million, to supply Ku-Band and C-Band marine satellite communication systems from OrSat, Orbit announced May 21.     Orbit said its systems aim to provide the French Navy with continuous, high speed, two-way connectivity for reception and transmission of voice,...

[Satellite Today 05-21-09] Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) has completed NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) science instrument and has shipped the unit to Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp, who will integrate it onto the James Webb Space Telescope satellite, SDL announced May 19.    Following a scheduled launch in late 2009, WISE aims to collect...