Technology

A number of major satellite operators said they were unaffected by the Microsoft outage on July 19 that created IT issues in multiple industries around the world and grounded flights.  Intelsat, Eutelsat Communications, SES, Telesat, and Iridium Communications said in statements to Via Satellite they were not impacted by the Microsoft outage.  Intelsat operates a fleet...

Cobham Satcom is launching a new antenna for the maritime market, specifically designed for cruise ships and mega yachts. The Sea Tel 370s TV is Cobham Satcom’s second new TVRO launch in as many months. The 3.7 meter Sea Tel 370s TV aims to expand onboard access to the highest quality programming anywhere in the...

Thales Alenia Space and Exotrail will develop a surveillance, command and control (SCC) ground segment solution designed for constellations of small satellites. The two companies have signed an MoU in order to work together and develop this solution, announcing the MoU on July 12. This collaboration intends to integrate Exotrail’s spacetower flight dynamics system (FDS)...

EchoStar Corporation has opened a new Open RAN (O-RAN) testing and evaluation lab at the company’s data center in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The the Open RAN Center for Integration and Deployment (ORCID) is a site where vendors can test and validate O-RAN solutions using EchoStar’s live O-RAN network. The facility was supported by a $50 million...

The U.S. Space Force delivered two laser retroflector arrays built by NASA and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGIA) to Lockheed Martin for upcoming GPS satellites.  Space Force announced last week that the laser retroflector arrays (LRAs) were delivered in May under a directed program to rapidly integrate hosted payloads on GPS satellites ahead of launch...

Edge computing startup Armada has raised $40 million in a funding round led by M12, Microsoft‘s venture fund. Armada also announced a separate agreement with Microsoft where its products are now available in the Microsoft Azure cloud software marketplace.  Armada, which emerged from stealth mode in December, sells modular data centers that work with the...

Moog is rolling out a new space computer designed to support the next-generation of on-orbit computing needs. The company announced the Moog Cascade Single Board Computer (SBC) on July 9. It is a radiation-hardened space computer for multi-mission, bus/payload applications for all orbital regimes. The SBC also incorporates Layer 2 ethernet switch capabilities for data...

Redwire Space and Phase Four have a new strategic cooperation to jointly develop Hall effect thrusters (HETs). The companies announced Tuesday they are developing the Valkyrie System family of propulsion systems based on the NASA-designed H71M Hall effect thruster.  The Valkyrie system will be designed to be re-programmable after launch; provide multiple set-points for optimization;...

MDA Space selected Aerospacelab to provide battery charge regulators (BCRs) for the supply chain for its Aurora digital satellite product line. This includes the Aurora anchor customer, Telesat’s Lightspeed Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation.  Aerospacelab is contracted to deliver more than 200 units over three years. The first deliveries are scheduled by 2026. Belgium-based Aerospacelab announced...

Orbit Fab has completed testing its refueling payload and GRIP capture and refueling nozzle. The company announced Tuesday that it conducted numerous tests with government representatives at the Air Force Research Lab’s (AFRL’s) simulation facilities at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the tests, a fuel shuttle equipped with the GRIP mechanism...