Technology

The U.S. Army recently ordered $48.6 million worth of modems from Comtech, the company announced Tuesday. The contract is for Enterprise Digital Intermediate Frequency Multi-Carrier (EDIM) modems. The EDIM modems will replace the aging Enhanced Bandwidth Efficient Modem (EBEM) currently supporting Army, Navy, and Air Force satcom users with a digital and software-defined platform. The...

The Japanese government awarded Astroscale Japan an award worth up to $80 million for a debris inspection mission. The award announced Monday is a small business innovation research (SBIR) award from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Astroscale will develop an on-orbit inspection demonstration mission to image and diagnose a large,...

Astroscale is ready to launch its ADRAS-J mission, which will conduct a close approach and orbit around a piece of space debris. The spacecraft is ready, but a launch window is on hold after Rocket Lab’s recent mission failure. Astroscale leadership said ADRAS-J was set to launch in early November, but Rocket Lab has paused...

BlueHalo recently demonstrated its multi-band Badger satellite terminal for U.S. Space Force officials. BlueHalo successfully demonstrated target tracking and processing of signals using the multi-band software defined antenna tiles on its Badger product.  The software-defined tile is a scalable phased array solution that BlueHalo says simplifies mission operations through agile and re-configurable beam-forming tiles. The...

Zenno Astronautics (Zenno) and D-Orbit are partnering as they look to develop new space products and services. The two companies announced the partnership Sept. 26. Zenno is a developer of superconducting electromagnets for space applications, and D-Orbit specializes in space logistics. Zenno is headquartered in New Zealand and one of a growing number of space...

Australia’s leading space research center, SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) has launched a new suite of new R&D projects and university appointments in support of the ACT Space Update 2023. These were unveiled in Canberra Sept. 23, bringing its joint investment in the ACT to over A$7 million ($4.49 million). One of two new research...

The U.S. Marine Corps has awarded Lite Coms a contract for VSAT terminals that could be worth up to $500 million.  The U.S. The Department of Defense announced the award this month. It is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the purchase of Marine Corps Wideband Satellite Communication-Light and -Heavy systems.  The maximum dollar value for...

CACI International Inc has completed interoperability testing for its optical communication terminal for the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 1 data relay and tracking network. CACI said in a Monday announcement that it has the first SDA-compliant terminal to establish a consistent data link with the reference modem. These were tests on the ground, done...

Comtech Telecommunications is rolling out a new suite of solutions called Bridge that are designed to “bridge the gap” between satellite and terrestrial networks. The Bridge solutions announced this month are tailored to initial customers including emergency service providers, remote communities, military operators, and maritime customers. This new Bridge approach is Comtech’s answer to the...

Intelsat is expanding its teleport network to include Telespazio’s Fucino Space Centre in Italy, the satellite operator announced Thursday. Intelsat said it signed the teleport agreement with Telespazio to accommodate the growth of its FlexEnterprise offering and to enable additional managed satellite services. The agreement connects Intelsat’s existing data center in Fuchsstadt, Germany with Telespazio’s...