Government/Military

[Satellite Today – 7-01-08] The Internet Routing in Space (IRIS) payload has passed its critical design review, and interfaces have been verified for initial assembly and integration with the spacecraft platform, Intelsat General Corp. announced June 30.     Intelsat General is managing an industry-government collaboration for the U.S. Department of Defense that will demonstrate the...

[Satellite Today – 7-01-08]  Comtech Mobile Datacom Corp. will supply satellite network bandwidth, network operations management, program management and technical support services to the U.S. Army, Comtech Telecommunications Corp. announced     The orders, valued at $5.6 million, were made under Comtech’s Movement Tracking System (MTS) contract with the service.     Total orders received to date...

[Satellite Today – 6-30-08] CETel and strategic partner Arabsat are offering DVB-S2 services on Arabsat-2B in C-Band, the companies announced June 30.     The service is designed to serve CETel’s growing customers demand in the Gulf region, Middle East and African markets. "We trust this major breakthrough will pave the way for a whole new...

[Satellite Today – 6-30-08] The first Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications satellite is undergoing thermal vacuum tests designed to gauge performance in space, satellite manufacturer Lockheed Martin announced June 30.     Following completion of spacecraft thermal vacuum testing in late July, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, the satellite’s prime contractor, and Northrop Grumman Space...

[Satellite News – 6-27-08] With France set to assume the presidency of the European Union (EU) in July, there could be major changes in European space policy in the immediate future.     France’s laid out its space strategy in a June 17 white paper on defence and national security. The document outlines the importance of...

[Satellite Today – 6-27-08] Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) conducted a full launch dress rehearsal and hold down firing of the Falcon 1 Flight 3 vehicle June 26, the company announced     The first launch pad firing of SpaceX’s Merlin 1C engine, conducted on Omelek Island, SpaceX’s launch site at Kwajalein Atoll, is the final...

[Satellite Today – 6-27-08] The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne a contract for the fabrication and ground test of a solar thermal propulsion rocket engine, the company announced June 26.     This $2.2 million contract extends the High Delta-V Experiment Program six months and follows a critical design...

[Satellite Today – 6-27-08] Canada plans to build a space telescope designed to detect and track asteroids as well as satellites, Defence Research Development Canada (DRDC) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced June 26.     The 65-kilogram Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite (NEOSSat) will provide surveillance of asteroids that pose a collision hazard with...

[Satellite Today – 8-25-08] TeleCommunication Systems Inc. (TCS) has been awarded a contract to build and implement an IP-based private satellite network to support U.S. Department of Defense personnel in Afghanistan, the company announced June 24.     The network, scheduled to be fully operational by mid-July, will provide voice, video, and data services in remote...

[Satellite Today – 8-25-08] Crawford Communications Inc. received a contract to support the U.S. military’s Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS), the company announced June 24.     DVIDS is a network of 106 portable Ku-band transmitters located with deployed military units and a central distribution hub located at Crawford’s teleport.      Under the long-term...