Government/Military

If NASA shifts even partially from its Constellation Program plan for building the new Ares rocket family, and decides instead to convert and adapt the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) family, that would cost money, not save funds. That was the view, in a teleconference with space journalists Wednesday, of NASA leaders: Doug Cooke, deputy...

For Boeing, This Is Second Recent Protest Of A Major Contract Award, After Boeing Successfully Protested Tanker Plane Contract The Boeing Co. [BA], having won an earlier protest this year against a $35 billion tanker plane contract the Air Force awarded to rival Northrop Grumman Corp. [NOC], now has protested a $1.09 billion weather satellite...

The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project completed a mission operations readiness (MOR) review, Northrop Grumman Corp. [NOC] announced. The largest review of the overall NPOESS configuration to date, the MOR focused specifically on NPP’s operational readiness and progress to launch. That review involved personnel from the three agencies leading NPOESS, NASA,...

The Boeing Co. [BA] received a satellite launch contract from Thales Alenia Space, Boeing announced. Boeing will launch the fourth satellite for the COSMO-SkyMed (Constellation of Small Satellites for Mediterranean basin Observation) program for Thales Alenia Space Italia, prime contractor of the Italian Space Agency. The COSMO-SkyMed spacecraft is expected to be launched in 2010...

The first stage flight tank for the Falcon 9 rocket arrived at Cape Canaveral, Fla., Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) announced. The Falcon 9 will see its maiden launch next year from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40). Arriving as scheduled, delivery of the Falcon 9 first stage fulfills SpaceX’s commitment to having Falcon 9 hardware...

Global space spending hit a record $62 billion this year and will rise 4.5 percent annually to reach $70 billion in 2012, a European firm estimates. The report predicts outlays are likely to continue at a strong pace, as a projected 610 government satellites will be launched to orbit in the next decade, a 38...

[Satellite Today 12-19-08] The U.S. Air Force officially awarded Boeing $233.8 million for the production of the sixth and final Wideband Global Satellite (WGS), the Air Force announced Dec. 17.     The Air Force authorized Boeing to build the sixth WGS satellite in December 2007. Australia is funding the procurement as part of a cooperative...

[Satellite Today 12-19-08] Lockheed Martin has been notified by NASA to stop work on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) satellite, Lockheed Martin spokesman Gary Napier confirmed for Satellite News Dec. 19.     The notice was due to a protest Boeing Co. filed with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) over the $1.1 billion contract...

[Satellite Today 12-19-08] Telespazio won a from the Turkish Ministry of Defense for the Gokturk satellite system, the company announced Dec. 19.     The agreement covers the supply of an Earth observation satellite equipped with a high-resolution optical sensor, an integration and test center for satellites to be built in Turkey, and the entire ground...

[Satellite Today 12-18-08] Boeing Co. completed its acquisition of Digital Receiver Technology Inc., a Maryland-based company that develops wireless surveillance products for government customers, Boeing announced Dec. 18.     Digital Receiver’s digital signal processing products, such as wireless satellite and terrestrial receivers and transceivers, are used by U.S. intelligence customers, the U.S. Department of Defense...