Government/Military

[Satellite Today 05-12-09] The U.S. Air Force may not be able to acquire new 2F satellites in time to maintain current GPS service without interruption, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released May 11.     The report, “Significant Challenges in Sustaining and Upgrading Widely Used Capabilities,” said current 2F satellite program has...

[Satellite Today 05-11-09] NASA awarded Northrop Grumman a contract worth up to $44.5 million over a 10-year period to support the design, manufacture, assembly, test and calibration of a flight model instrument on its Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (Ceres), Northrop Grumman announced May 7.     Ceres instruments are broadband radiometers that scan...

[Satellite Today 05-11-09] U.S. President Obama has proposed an $18.7 billion budget for NASA in 2010, a five percent increase over 2009, according to information posted on the White House Web site May 8.     The budget does not include $1 billion allocated to NASA in the stimulus package passed in February. Under the terms...

[Satellite Today 05-08-09] The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA selected Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. to build two satellites for NOAA’s next generation geostationary satellite series, GOES-R, NOAA announced May 7.     Lockheed Martin was awarded the contract in December but halted work after competing bidder Boeing Co. filed a protest...

[Satellite Today 05-08-09] Raytheon Co. was awarded a contract to study the NextGen Integrated Communications, Navigation and Surveillance architecture and determine the National Airspace System’s needs for 2018 to 2025, the company announced May 7.     The study analyzes interfaces to operator flight planning systems, aircraft capabilities, avionics functions and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)...

[Satellite Today 05-07-09] United Launch Alliance (ULA) and NASA successfully launched a Delta II rocket carrying the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Advanced Technology Risk Reduction (ATRR) mission for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency at 1:24 p.m. PDT, on May 5, ULA announced May 5.     The STSS satellite, built by prime contractor Northrop...

[Satellite Today 05-06-09] The U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) awarded Raytheon an information assurance and network operations contract to design, transition and operate a secure voice, video and data-information sharing and collaboration environment over satellite links for U.S. and coalition forces, Raytheon announced May 5.     The system would connect disparate networks into a...

[Satellite News 05-04-09] The health of the U.S. national security space industrial base is being threatened by a shrinking aerospace workforce, according to an April 30 statement by Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) President and CEO Marion Blakey to the U.S. House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee.    “We have very real concerns that, as the...

[Satellite News 05-04-09] The health of the U.S. national security space industrial base is being threatened by a shrinking aerospace workforce, according to an April 30 statement by Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) President and CEO Marion Blakey to the U.S. House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee.    “We have very real concerns that, as the...

Throughout the past few years, the names of major software companies quietly have crept into more and more satellite-related business developments. Google, Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Apple are just a few of the powerful software firms that have been partnering with satellite companies on a variety of projects. Whether it is to provide enhancements to...