Government/Military

 [Satellite Today 11-10-08] Hughes Network Systems signed a cooperative research and development agreement with the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to study network centric enterprise architecture validation of IP networking with the Regenerative Satellite Mesh (RSM-A) standard and the Spaceway 3 system, Hughes announced Nov. 10.     Under the agreement, Hughes and DISA will...

[Satellite Today 11-07-08] Lockheed Martin’s Block 5D-3 spacecraft, which had an original operative lifespan of four years, has surpassed five years of on-orbit operations and continues to function normally, the company announced Nov. 7.     The satellite is part of Lockheed’s Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), a constellation providing weather data to U.S. military warfighters....

[Satellite Today 11-07-08] Comtech Telecommunications Corp. has received two new equipment deals from military and domestic companies for military equipment.     On Nov. 6, Comtech announced that its California-based subsidiary, Comtech Xicom Technology, received a $1.3 million order from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) for the development of a high power Ka-band amplifier....

[Satellite Today 11-06-08] Astrium’s Skynet 5 satellite design and manufacturing team has won two specialist awards from The Royal Aeronautical Society, Astrium announced Nov. 5.     One of the awards is the Gold Team Award, given in recognition of “outstanding work, which has led to substantial advances or contributions in specialist disciplines in the aerospace...

[Satellite Today 11-06-08] DigitalGlobe has signed an agreement with DeCarta, a supplier of software and services for the location-based services (LBS) industry, under which DigitalGlobe will provide DeCarta’s geospatial platform customers access to the ImageBuilder high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery library, DigitalGlobe announced Nov. 6.      “As location-aware applications become more sophisticated, users of these...

[Satellite Today 11-06-08] Lockheed Martin Space Systems’ NOAA-N Prime spacecraft, a polar operational environmental satellite, has been delivered to Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in preparation for a Feb. 4, 2009 launch, Lockheed Martin announced Nov. 6.     The NOAA-N Prime is the latest in the advanced Television and Infrared Observational Satellite (TIROS-N) satellite series,...

[Satellite News 11-06-08] A number of key figures from the U.K. Ministry of Defense emphasized the importance of satellite communications in next generation warfare at the Global MilSatCom conference.     Commodore Eric Fraser, assistant chief of staff of the PJHQ J6 Division, said the U.K. military is seeing more evidence of network enabled capability.    ...

[Satellite Today 11-04-08] Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) has introduced DragonLab, a reusable spacecraft capable of hosting pressurized and unpressurized payloads to and from space.     In a Nov. 4 announcement, SpaceX said that DragonLab will launch to orbit aboard a Falcon 9 launch vehicle in June 2009 and that two subsequent flights will be...

[Satellite Today 11-04-08] NASA has selected Harris Corp.’s OS/Comet telemetry, tracking, and command software for its constellation launch control system, Harris announced Nov. 4.     OS/Comet is a commercial off-the-shelf software tool that provides telemetry, tracking, and command capabilities for military, intelligence, and commercial satellite constellations.     Harris said the OS/Comet product aims to deliver...

[Satellite Today 11-04-08] Thales Alenia Space España has been chosen to supply X-band communication subsystems and S-band telemetry, tracking, and command transponders for the first three Sentinel observation satellites in the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Kopernikus program, parent company Thales Alenia Space announced Nov. 4.     Thales Alenia Space España will also develop, manufacture and...