Government/Military

[Satellite Today – 1-4-08] DigitalGlobe‘s WorldView-1 satellite has reached full operating capacity for all customers and the company is taking orders for imagery from resellers, partners and customers, DigitalGlobe announced Jan. 3.     WorldView-1, launched in September, delivered its first set of images in October and began supplying imagery to the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency...

[Satellite Today – 1-4-08] Comtech Telecommunications Corp. received orders from the U.S. Army Communications Electronics Command for satellite equipment, Comtech Telecommunications Corp. announced Jan. 3.     Under the $17.7 million contract, subsidiary Comtech Mobile Datacom Corp. will provide mobile satellite transceivers, satellite bandwidth, satellite network operations, engineering services and program management to the Force 21...

[Satellite Today — 1-3-08] MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) has received a 39.5 million Canadian dollar ($40.2 million) contract to provide continued support to NASA‘s Johnson Space Center for robotic elements, MDA announced Jan. 3.     The contract, which includes options valued at 36.3 million Canadian dollars ($36.9 million), continues sustaining engineering services provided...

[1-3-08 – Satellite Today] The first 1,000 units that can receive signals from Russia’s Glonass and the U.S. GPS navigation system have sold out, according to Russian media reports.     Glonass is a dual–purpose global navigation system designed to serve the Russian Ministry of Defense and civil users. The Federal Industry Agency is in charge...

[1-3-08 – Satellite Today] SpaceDev Inc. has been awarded a contract by the International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) to conduct requirements definition and preliminary design of the ILO spacecraft’s astrophysics and communications payload, SpaceDev announced Jan. 2.     ILO is intended perform astronomical observations from the South Pole of the moon as well as engage...

[12-27-07 – Satellite Today] The Addressable Radio for Emergency Alert (AREA) has been tested and is ready to use in India for early tsunami warnings, according to Indian news sources.         AREA, which can send disaster alerts within seconds of transmission by government authorities, was designed by Lirneasia and WorldSpace, a U.S.-based wireless technology...

[12-27-07 – Satellite Today] China Direct Broadcast Satellite Co. (ChinaDBSat) officially started operations Dec. 25, the company announced Dec. 27.         China DBSat is a state-owned company that owns all civil and direct broadcasting satellites in China. The company was co-founded by Sino Satellite Communications (Sinosat), a state-run provider of satellite communications, and Sinocat. This...

[12-26-07 – Satellite Today] The U.S. Air Force has authorized Boeing Co. to begin construction on a sixth Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellite, Boeing announced Dec. 21.     The Commonwealth of Australia is funding the procurement as part of a cooperative agreement between the U.S. and Australian governments. The satellite is expected to be launched...

[12-26-07 – Satellite Today] A Proton M launch vehicle placed three Russian Global Navigation System Program (Glonass) navigation satellites in orbit, International Launch Services and the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center announced Dec. 26.     The launch, performed by a Russian Space Forces launch crew from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, is the...

[12-21-07 – Satellite Today] Boeing Co. has received a $695 million contract to build NASA‘s next generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS), Boeing announced Dec. 20.     The contract, which is worth $1.2 billion if all options are exercised, calls for two spacecraft and increases Boeing’s satellite backlog to 27 spacecraft. The TDRS-K satellite...