Government/Military

The "back-to-basics" reforms adopted by the U.S. Air Force within the past year to overhaul how it develops satellite systems are starting to show positive results, the service’s program executive officer (PEO) for space said. However, just as the issues that have plagued the space acquisition community took years to manifest, so too will the...

NASA’s decision to extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope drew a round of applause from interested lawmakers, companies with a financial stake in the mission and astronomy and space federations. NASA Administrator Mike Griffin announced Oct. 31 that the space shuttle will make a final servicing call to Hubble as part of a...

Cingular Wireless LLC and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. announced a partnership Nov. 2 to stream 25 XM music channels to Cingular handsets. Beginning Nov. 6, Cingular Wireless customers may choose among 25 audio streams of commercial-free music channels through the XM Radio Mobile service. Cingular Wireless, the largest U.S. wireless carrier with more than...

By Peter J. Brown The number of satellite dishes found in the vast region stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Bay of Bengal has exploded throughout the past decade, and rooftops are filling up fast as more dishes are being installed to receive new direct-to-home (DTH) and broadband services. India is a vibrant VSAT...

Keeping a global company’s information technology infrastructure efficient, up to date and secure while adhering to a fixed budget is a constant struggle. Simply maintaining the status quo is not enough. Pause for a deep breath and the competition passes you by technologically. Such is the daily world that information technology professionals live in, juggling...

Someone once described drilling for oil as standing on a 6-foot ladder, holding a fishing line with a needle attached to the end, and trying to drill through a 2-by-4 piece of wood. Given this challenge that drilling companies face, there is no doubt that any technology that can make this process more efficient would...

MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. signed a strategic long-term agreement with Rocketplane Kistler to participate in the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, MacDonald Dettwiler announced Oct. 31. Rocketplane Kistler is one of the two finalists selected recently by NASA to develop a COTS demonstration model. The program is intended to demonstrate the viability of...

Iridium Satellite has announced two new initiatives aimed toward the U.S. military market. The company has approval to provide its 9601 data modem to the U.S. Department of Defense and other approved users through its contract with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). Based on the company’s short-burst data messaging service, the modem is already...

GPSFlight, a provider of miniature wireless GPS telemetry, has been selected as a technology provider to Edwards Air Force Base for tracking base personnel and vehicles as they travel in and around the practice bombing range, the company announced Oct. 31. The GPSFlight tracking system is a combination of base stations, tracker units, and software...

Northrop Grumman has a handle on cost overruns that have plagued the National Polar-orbiting Observational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), and the program can be completed for $11.5 billion, an official said. “We can do this system within that total cost,” David Ryan, sector vice president and NPOESS program director for Northrop Grumman, said at a...