Government/Military

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine Friday selected Commercial Crew Program Manager Kathy Lueders to be the agency’s next associate administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate. Since 2014, Lueders has directed NASA’s efforts to send astronauts to space on private spacecraft, which culminated in the successful SpaceX Demo-2 launch from the Kennedy Space...

Viasat is set to receive $2.7 million in support from the FCC over ten years to expand rural broadband in Oregon. The Commission on Friday authorized $7.4 million in funding over ten years for tribal provider Redwire and Viasat to expand rural broadband in Oklahoma and Oregon.  Viasat Carrier Services has pledged to provide 25/3...

The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) has awarded GomSpace a contract to develop and deliver a military communications nanosatellite. GomSpace announced the contract, which is worth $2 million, on Wednesday.  The satellite is mean to demonstrate military tactical communications on the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band from a polar Low-Earth Orbit (LEO). Gomspace said the...

The Federal Communications Commission has reversed course on whether to let SpaceX and other satellite providers apply for rural-broadband funding as low-latency providers. But Chairman Ajit Pai said companies like SpaceX will have to prove they can offer low latencies, as the FCC does not plan to “fund untested technologies.” Pai’s original proposal classified SpaceX and...

The FCC on Tuesday adopted procedures for Phase I of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction, which will award up to $16 billion in support over 10 years for the deployment of fixed broadband networks to unserved homes and businesses in rural America. Bidding in the auction will begin on October 29, 2020, with the...

The U.S. Space Force needs to consider several risks to the progress of its next-generation missile warning satellite program, including the fact that its ground system may not be ready when the first satellite is delivered, according to an annual government watchdog report on defense acquisition programs released June 3. The Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared...

Hughes Network Systems reports that its HeloSat satellite communications transmitted consistent, real-time, full-motion video from a Black Hawk helicopter during a recent in-flight demonstration. The HeloSat solution sent live, HD video from the cockpit, through the rotor blades, to a satellite and through to mission control within seconds as it surveilled a Tennessee landscape in...

Intelsat General (IG) has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Army to assess and develop its technology and services as a solution for the Army’s mission to progress satellite communications systems capabilities.  Specifically, IG announced Tuesday that it has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) for satellite communications terminals, technologies and...

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Data Link Solutions a $33.6 million contract for Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) low volume terminal, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced Thursday. Data Link Solutions  is a joint venture between BAE Systems and Collins Aerospace. The $33,598,645 firm-fixed-price, Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) requirements contract will provide for repair services...

The five satellite operators — Eutelsat, Intelsat, SES, Star One, and Telesat — involved in the FCC’s C-band clearing have agreed to vacate their spectrum on the FCC’s accelerated timeline, making them eligible for incentive payments. The FCC announced Monday that its Wireless Telecommunications Bureau has secured commitments from all eligible satellite operators.   The 3.7...