BSkyB Sees Profits Fall As Broadband Investments Take Bite
BSkyB saw a double-digit increase in overall revenues for the year that closed June 30, the company announced July 27.
BSkyB posted revenues 4.6 billion British pounds ($9.3 billion), an increase of 10 percent compared to 2006. However, profits of 815 million pounds ($1.7 billion) in 2007 were down slightly from earnings of 877 million pounds ($1.8 billion) in 2006. BSKyB blamed the decline on a major investment in developing a residential broadband business. Residential broadband operating losses for the year were 169 million pounds ($346.5 million), in line BSkyB’s expectations.
BSkyB added 1.4 million subscribers during the year to bring its total base to 8.5 million in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company also has nearly 300,000 high-definition customers and a nearly 30 percent penetration rate for its personal video recorder service, Sky+.
 
Measat Signs Capacity Deal With Astro
Astro All Asia Networks, the leading pay-TV operator in Malaysia, will lease Ku-band capacity from Measat, the satellite operator announced July 26.
Measat will provide Astro with use of up to 13 Ku-band transponders, more than one quarter of the Measat-3 satellite’s communication capacity. The deal, which extends throughout the satellite’s operational life, is valued at $381 million.
The capacity will be used to support Astro’s efforts to expand its services throughout Malaysia, Indonesia and other parts of Asia, Paul Brown-Kenyon, Measat’s COO, said. Astro recently secured shareholder approval to invest $166 million in a joint venture with India’s Sun Group to provide satellite direct-to-home services in India before the end of the year.

EADS Astrium Revenues Climb
Satellite manufacturer EADS Astrium reported revenues of 1.4 billion euros ($1.9 billion) in the first half of 2007, a 12 percent increase over revenues of 1.3 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in the first half of 2006, parent company EADS reported July 26.
The increase was driven by the ramp-up in Paradigm services, increased Ariane 5 production and the ballistic missiles business, EADS said.
Earnings before interest and taxes were 47 million euros ($64.5 million) in the first half of the year, up from 38 million euros ($52.1 million) in the first six months of 2006.
Astrium backlog stood at 13.1 billion euros ($18 billion) at the end of June, compared to 12.3 billion ($16.9 billion) at the end of June 2006.

MacDonald, Dettwiler Profits Slip Despite Revenue Gain
MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. reported revenues of 311.9 million Canadian dollars ($298.4 million) in its 2007 second quarter, a 29 percent increase over the same period a year ago, the company announced July 26. Earnings slipped from $20.8 million Canadian dollars ($19.9 million) to 19.8 million Canadian dollars ($18.9 million).
The company’s Information Systems business, which oversees satellite operations, reported revenues of 93 million Canadian dollars ($89 million), up from 85 million Canadian dollars ($81.3 million) a year ago.

Laskys Adds Satellite Navigation And Communications To Product Line
Britain-based home entertainment and computing retailer Laskys has extended its product offering to include satellite navigation devices and communication products such as docked telephones, two-way radios and fax machines, the company announced July 27.
A purveyor of LCD and plasma screen televisions, DVD players, desktop PCs, laptops and home cinema categories, Laskys’ satellite navigation and communications offerings will broaden its number of its available products to nearly 900 including new partner brands TomTom, Garmin and Motorola, Laskys said.

Europe, United States To Add New Galileo-GPS Civil Signal
The European Union and the United States will provide an improved civil signal design that will be common to their respective satellite navigation systems, officials announced July 26. The effort builds on a June 2004 agreement in which the two sides pledged to make signals on Europe’s Galileo system interoperable with GPS.
The GPS L1C signal and Galileo L1F signal will use the multiplexed binary offset carrier waveform, allowing receivers to be able to track signals from both systems. The new civil signal will be implemented on the Galileo Open Service and the GPS 3A civil signal.
The agreement “underscores Europe’s commitment to interoperability between Galileo and GPS and to managing the Galileo program in an innovative partnership with the United States,” EC Director General Matthias Ruete said in a statement. “… This should facilitate the rapid acceptance of Galileo in global markets side-by-side with GPS.”

Eutelsat Profits Jump
Eutelsat generated a net profit of 170 million euros ($234.1 million) in its 2007 business year, compared to earnings of 40 million euros ($55.1 million) in 2006, the operator announced July 26. Eutelsat credited the improvement to the absence of a non-recurring net charge in 2006 related to debt and restructuring as well as lower interest charges related to the refinancing of debt.
Eutelsat posted revenues of 829.1 million euros ($1.1 billion) in its 2007 year, which closed June 30, up nearly 5 percent from revenues of 791.1 million euros ($1.1 billion) in 2006. Video applications drove the revenue gain, improving 11.7 percent to 590.4 million euros ($$813 million). Revenues in the data and value added services business and in the multi-usage business declined.
The company also announced that in a July 25 meeting, the board authorized Eutelsat to acquire a Ka-band satellite.

Subscribers, Revenues Gains Help XM Cut Loss
With revenues of $277 million in the 2007 second quarter, up 22 percent over the same period in 2006, XM Satellite Radio saw its second quarter loss narrow by 23 percent to $176 million, the company announced July 26. In the 2006 second quarter, XM posted a $229 million net loss.
XM ended the 2007 second quarter, which closed June 30, with nearly 8.3 million subscribers compared to 6.9 million a year ago.
“XM added more automotive gross subscriber additions than during any quarter in the company’s history," XM CEO Hugh Panero, who will leave the company in August, said in a statement.

Canal Digital Post Subscriber Increase
Despite losing 10,000 subscribers in the last three months, Nordic direct-to-home operator Canal Digital closed its 2007 business year with a net gain of 13,000 subscribers, parent company Telenor announced July 25. Canal Digital reported 934,000 subscribers at the end of its year, which closed June 30.
Canal Digital also reported 26,000 high-definition TV subscribers and 94,000 multiroom subscriptions.

EMS Technologies Completes Acquisition Of DSpace
EMS Technologies Inc. completed its acquisition of DSpace Pty. Ltd., an Australian company which helped develop the satellite radio protocols for Inmarsat’s Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service, EMS announced July 26.
EMS paid $5.7 million for DSpace, which will become part of EMS’s Satcom Division
“We are pleased that the acquisition is now complete, and we can begin to benefit from the synergy of DSpace and EMS’s Satcom business to fully exploit opportunities we see to grow our leadership position in aeronautical broadband communications,” Paul Domorski, president  and CEO of EMS. 

iDirect Technologies Creates Government Subsidiary
iDirect Inc. has set up a wholly owned subsidiary to promote adoption of its Internet Protocol-based satellite networking solutions in the government market, iDirect announced July 26.
 John Ratigan, formerly iDirect’s vice president for U.S. federal sales, has been named president of iDirect Government Technologies Inc.
 
Eutelsat-SES Joint Venture Approved By EC
A joint venture created by SES Global and Eutelsat’s targeting the mobile TV market was approved by the European Commission (EC) July 25.
The two rivals announced in October they were teaming up to jointly invest in what they called “the first European satellite infrastructure for broadcasting video, radio and data to mobile devices and vehicle receivers.”
Having looked at the plans, the EC ruled that the joint venture was good news for European customers. “With respect to the provision of satellite-based infrastructure for broadcasting content to mobile devices, such as mobile telephones, customers would continue to have a sufficient choice of alternative infrastructures based on a variety of technical transmission standards,” the EC said in a statement.
In an interview after the joint venture was unveiled, SES Global CEO Romain Bausch told Satellite News that once regulatory approval was granted, “the [joint venture] will start to commercialize the payload and have a structural approach to potential customers. I see the first contracts being signed at some point in 2007. In terms of revenues, our plan is to have the satellite in orbit no later than early 2009, and revenues are expected to flow from that point.”
Mobile TV is seen as a strong growth area, as customers have been showing an insatiable appetite for content on the move. Yet the role of satellites in the market remains unclear. There already exist a number of different standards including digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), digital video broadcasting–handheld (DVB-H) and Digital Audio Broadcasting–Internet Protocol (DAB-IP).
 
Telikom PNG GSM Services Boosted by Satellite
SES New Skies launched GSM backhaul services for Telikom Papua New Guinea (Telikom PNG), the satellite operator announced July 25.
Under a five-year deal, Telikom PNG, the main telecommunications provider in Papua New Guinea, will use 36 megahertz of bandwidth on the NSS-5 spacecraft located at 183° East. The capacity will allow Telikom PNG to expand into new regions and provide telephone services in areas with mountainous terrain by providing GSM backhaul between a number of sites throughout the country to the capital Port Moresby.
The financial value of the contract was not released.

Vizada Launches Thuraya Internet Service
Vizada has begun distributing a new Thuraya satellite communications service that will provide Internet access, Vizada announced July 25.
Thuraya GmPRS (Geo mobile Packet Radio Service) enables customers to browse the Web, use e-mail, share files and set up a virtual private network using Thuraya SO-2510 and SG-2520 handsets. Customers pay only for the data sent and received, Vizada said.
The service, available in 110 countries, has been developed for professionals with limited access to traditional telecoms services, including journalists, oil and gas sector employees, mining teams, and non-governmental organization personnel.
 
Teledyne Wins Air Force Contract for Infrared Focal Plane Arrays
Teledyne Technologies Inc. received a contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to provide focal plane arrays for the High Stare program, Teledyne announced July 24.
High Stare is a technology development program designed to improve infrared sensor capabilities for future missile warning and missile defense space system applications.
Under the five-year contract, subsidiary Teledyne Scientific & Imaging LLC will design and develop the large infrared arrays for the program. The contract, valued at more than $15 million, is sponsored by the Laboratory’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate in Dayton, Ohio, and the Space Vehicles Directorate in Albuquerque, N.M.

NATO Modifies Globecomm Contract For GPS Tracking System
Globecomm Systems Inc. received two contract modifications from NATO for work on a recently deployed GPS-Based Force Tracking System, Globecomm announced July 24.
The modifications call for Globecomm to add additional features to the tracking system components already installed on NATO vehicles.
The work will add $2 million to Globecomm’s contract, bringing the total value to date to nearly $23 million, the company said.
Globecomm also received a $12.8 million award under a separate U.S. government contract vehicle to supply transportable flyaway satellite systems to an unnamed customer.

Boeing Announces Profitability In Second Quarter
Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) revenues improved 3 percent to $8 billion in the 2007 second quarter, as higher aircraft deliveries and higher volume in support services offset the loss of revenue from the 2006 formation of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) joint venture with Lockheed Martin, Boeing announced July 25.
ULA formed to provided launch services to the U.S. government, began operations in December. Combining the companies’ resources was projected to save between $100 million and $150 million on launch costs each year while enabling the ULA to generate nearly $2 billion in estimated annual revenue.
The Network & Space Systems segment posted revenues of $2.9 billion in the quarter, which closed June 30. Revenues were flat compared to the same period in 2006, as a commercial Delta launch and higher volumes in other programs offset the revenues that were lost to ULA. The segment reported an operating profit increase from $108 million in the 2006 second quarter to $256 million in the most recent three months.
Overall, Boeing reported second quarter 2007 net earnings of $1.1 billion as compared to a loss of $160 million in the 2006 second quarter. The company credited the profit to strong performances in commercial airplanes and defense work.

Northrop Grumman Space Business Posts Small Increase
Revenues in Northrop Grumman Corp.’s Space Technology unit improved 4 percent to $769 million in the 2007 second quarter, the company announced July 24. Operating profit grew from $60 million to $69 million over the same period.
Northrop Grumman credited the gains to higher sales volumes in restricted programs, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and space radar programs. These gains were offset by lower volume in the Advanced Extremely High Frequency and the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System programs.
Overall, Northrop posted a second quarter profit of $460 million on revenues of $7.9 billion. In the same period in 2006, the company earned $7.9 billion on revenues of $7.6 billion.

Axesat To Deploy Gilat SkyEdge System In Colombia
Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. will supply a SkyEdge broadband satellite network to Axesat, a satellite service provider in Latin America, Gilat announced July 25.
Axesat will deploy SkyEdge Pro and SkyEdge IP VSATs to provide Colombian enterprises with private networking services, including interactive data, broadband Internet access, and Voice Over Internet Protocol services.
The contract increases the number of Gilat VSATs used by Axesat to more than 2,500 nationwide, Gilat said.
 
ViaSat To Acquire Jast Antenna Systems
ViaSat Inc. has agreed to acquire mobile satellite antenna manufacturer Jast Antenna Systems, ViaSat announced July 24.
Jast, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, develops microwave circuits and antennas for satellite and terrestrial applications and also provides custom design, development and testing of antennas for land vehicles, boats, and aircraft.
“ViaSat has been working on a number of attractive market opportunities in mobile satellite and terrestrial communication markets,” Mark Dankberg, ViaSat chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “Jast has expertise, innovative technology and market relationships that improve our competitive position in these markets, and their location in Switzerland can help us better support our European partners and initiatives.”
ViaSat initially will pay $2 million for Jast, but the price could rise to as much as $6.5 million based on meeting certain financial performance and technology development targets throughout the next two years. The deal is expected to be completed within 30 days.

XM CEO Hugh Panero To Resign
XM Satellite Radio CEO Hugh Panero, one of the company’s founders, will leave the company in August, XM announced July 24.
Nate Davis, XM’s president and COO, will serve as interim CEO. Davis has served as a member of XM’s board since October 1999 and has held his current positions since July 2006.
"Hugh took satellite radio from a concept and turned it into the popular, mass-market, consumer entertainment product it is today,” XM Chairman Gary Parsons said in a statement.
In February, XM and Sirius Satellite Radio announced an agreement to combine the companies, and if the deal is approved by the U.S. government, Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin would serve as CEO of the combined company with Parsons as chairman.
 
Lockheed Martin Earnings Up Over 34 Percent
Lockheed Martin Corp. reported second quarter 2007 earnings of $778 million, a 34 percent increase over profits of  $580 million for the same period of 2006, the company announced July 24. Revenues improved from $10 billion to $10.7 billion in the same period.
Net sales for Lockheed Martin’s space systems segment slipped 2 percent to $2 billion for the most recent quarter, which closed June 30. The company said it had expected the sales decline given the formation of the United Launch Alliance joint venture with Boeing and the divestiture of the International Launch Services business in the fourth quarter of 2006.
Space systems operating profit improved from $189 million in the 2006 second quarter to $214 million in the 2007 second quarter, as increases in satellites and strategic and defensive missile systems activities more than offset declines in space transportation. Satellites, in particular, saw an increase due mainly to higher volume and improved performance on government satellite activities.

U.S Performance Boosts Pace Results
Pace Micro Technology saw a return to profitability thanks to a strong full year’s results, with overall revenues more than doubling for the 12 months ending June 2, the company reported July 24.
The set-top box vendor achieved revenues of 386.5 million British pounds ($795.3 million) for the year, up from revenues of 178.1 million pounds ($366.5 million), in the previous year. The company, which works with a number of satellite pay-TV operators, reported profits before tax of 6.1 million pounds ($12.6 million). In 2006, the company had reported a loss of 15.6 million pounds ($32.0 million).
Pace shipped 3.9 million set-top boxes in its 2007 business year, an increase of nearly 80 percent compared to the previous year.
The company has been boosted by a particularly strong performance in the U.S. market, as Pace now derives about 50 percent of its revenues from the United States, where the company works with DirecTV and Comcast.

Viasat Broadcasting Sees Slow Subscriber Growth
Modern Times Group reported slow subscriber growth for its direct-to-home operations in Scandinavia, as subsidiary Viasat Broadcasting ended June with 709,000 subscribers, up just 1,000 compared to the end of March, Modern Times reported July 24. For the year, Viasat added 57,000 new subscribers.
Viasat also posted an increase in its broadband operations, closing the year with 37,000 subscribers, nearly double its total of a year ago. Subscribers to Viasat’s personal video recorder also doubled during the year, reaching 174,000 at the end of June.

Juniper Networks Joins Lockheed Martin-Northrop Grumman TSAT Team
Juniper Networks Inc. has provided its Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) routing software for the processor/router for the Transformational Satellite Communications (TSAT) bid being developed by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, the companies announced July 23.
The TSAT system will provide warfighters with high-bandwidth, networked connectivity by extending the reach of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Global Information Grid (GIG). Juniper has licensed its Junos software product to Northrop Grumman, which is developing the satellite’s communications payload. Junos and Juniper’s router hardware also is used for the terrestrial portion of the GIG network.
Northrop Grumman and prime contractor Lockheed Martin are competing against a team led by Boeing under separate $514 million contracts for the TSAT program’s risk reduction and system definition phase. The Air Force expects to award a development contract valued at up to $15 billion by the end of 2007. The award will cover design, development, and fielding of up to five satellites plus a spare as well as ground-based space vehicle command and control and the high data-rate ground communications gateway.

DigitalGlobe Expands Commercial Imagery Distribution Network
Australia’s Geoimage Pty Ltd. has been named a distribution partner for DigitalGlobe, the imagery satellite operator announced July 23.
Geoimage will resell DigitalGlobe’s high-resolution satellite imagery throughout Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and surrounding islands. Geoimage is an independent image processing consultancy based in Brisbane with offices in Perth and Sydney.
DigitalGlobe’s existing distribution partner in the region, Sinclair Knight Merz, also will continue to distribute DigitalGlobe imagery, and will remain the distribution partner for all of DigitalGlobe’s defense sales in the Australia and New Zealand region.

ATCi Provides Flyaway Uplink System For Radio Television Guatemala
Antenna Technology Communications Inc. (ATCi) completed a contract to design, integrate and install a complete flyaway uplink system for Spanish-language channel Radio Televisión Guatemala, ATCi announced July 24.
ATCi provided a fully redundant system, including amplifiers, encoders and modems, to enable RTG to broadcast local remote events throughout the region.
Details of the contract were not released.

Delphi Ships 15th Million Satellite Receiver
Delphi Corp. has shipped more than 15 million satellite receivers to retailers and vehicle manufacturers, the company announced July 24.
Delphi introduced factory-installed satellite radio receivers to the automotive market in the United States in 2001 and launched the first retail mobile satellite receiver in 2002. Today, the company produces receivers for more than 10 vehicle manufacturers, supporting both XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.
"In just a few years, Delphi hardware helped satellite radio grow from an emerging niche media to become an option available on more than 60 percent of new vehicles sold in the [United States]," Ken Erickson, lead executive for Delphi’s entertainment and communications product business unit, said in a statement.

WSI Unveils Aircraft Weather Receiver With Sirius Satellite Radio
WSI Corp. has released a cockpit weather system, which will provide pilots and passengers with weather content as well as Sirius Satellite Radio programming, WSI announced July 23.
The AV-350 is part of a new product line designed to replace a pair of existing WSI lines, offers expanded satellite coverage of Sirius as well as a more robust platform to host future product enhancements.
The AV-350 is priced at $5,949 plus installation, and will be available in August.

MSV Appoints Vice President For Federal Sales
Mobile Satellite Ventures LP (MSV) named Ray Baxter vice president for federal sales, the company announced July 24.
Baxter has more than 34 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, most recently serving as director of business development, public sector-federal, for Sprint Nextel Corp. He also has held positions with New York Telephone, Satellite Business Systems and MCI Telecommunications.
 
EADS Astrium Wins German Deal
EADS Astrium won a contract from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to develop concepts for a new upper stage of Europe’s Vega rocket, EADS Astrium announced July 23.
Vega, a small launch vehicle being developed by the Italian Space Agency under contract to the European Space Agency, is scheduled for its first launch in 2009. The current upper stage for the rocket, designed to carry payloads weighing from 300 kilograms to 2,000 kilograms, will have a Russian/Ukrainian propulsion system.
The Vega New Upper Stage, or Venus, program is designed to lessen Europe’s dependency on Russian launch services, according to Claus Lippert, head of space transportation at the DLR. “Germany supports independent European access to space. This independent access is becoming increasingly important with respect to small launch vehicles, given the declining availability and rising launch prices for converted Russian ex-military launchers,” he said in a statement.
Germany has not yet participated in the Vega program, but the project “could lead to us developing and building the upper stages of every future European launcher,” Günter Stamerjohanns, Astrium’s director of launcher systems, said in a statement. “We will be using our extensive expertise built up on Ariane as we progress the study, which should establish our reputation as the specialist for upper stages in Germany and across Europe.”
The 18-month contract is valued at 500,000 euros ($692,000).

Sea Launch Moving Closer To Return Flight
In preparation for an October launch of the Thuraya 3 satellite, Sea Launch is awaiting delivery of the replacement for a gas, or flame, deflector for its Odyssey Launch Platform, the company announced July 23.
Built by the Design Bureau for Transport Machinery of Moscow, Sea Launch’s prime contractor for launch system ground support, the 280,000-kilogram steel structure directs engine exhaust away from the platform and controls the acoustic environment. The deflector will replace one destroyed in January during the failure of a Zenit-3SL vehicle carrying the NSS-8 telecommunications satellite. The deflector is expected to arrive to Sea Launch’s home port in mid-August.
A team at the Victoria Shipyard in British Columbia expects to complete the heavy industrial repair work and painting on Odyssey next week. Other completed repair work includes repair and installation of the platform’s hangar doors and communication antennas and replacement of heat-affected wiring and cables, Sea Launch said.
Sea Launch plans to conduct marine tests before returning to Long Beach, Calif., for the installation of the gas deflector.

Bentley Walker Buys Hughes European Satellite System
Bentley Walker, a U.K.-based satellite solutions provider, has purchased an HX System Network Operations Center as a compact satellite solution for smaller networks, Hughes Networks Systems announced July 23.
The HX System’s bandwidth management features provide operators the ability to efficiently allocate satellite bandwidth as a “virtual pool.” If a customer or group of terminals is not fully using their allocated bandwidth, the HX System reallocates this bandwidth to others.
Bentley Walker will begin offering customers in the Middle East and Europe services in late July from Bentley Walker’s Turin Skylogic teleport, where the system will operate over the Eutelsat W3A satellite. It will be the first deployment of the HX system in Western Europe, Hughes said.
“This is a significant investment on our part and will put us at the front of this industry in Europe and the Middle East,” Anthony Walker, CEO of Bentley Walker, said in a statement.

XM And Sirius Promise A La Carte Programming
Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio are pledging to offer a pair of a la carte programming options as well as six other plans if their merger is allowed by the U.S. government, the companies announced July 23.
One a la carte option would allow subscribers to choose 50 channels for $6.99, a 46 percent decrease from the current standard subscription rate of $12.95 that both companies charge per month. Subscribers could add additional channels for a minimum of 25 cents apiece. A second plan would let subscribers choose 100 channels among either Sirius or XM programming for $14.99 per month. Customers will have to buy a new radio to use the a la carte options, the companies said.
A la carte programming would be available within a year after the merger is completed, while the other programming options would be available within six months. XM and Sirius said that they will provide more programming plans, including details on two family-friendly options that would block adult-themed programming, when they file a joint reply comment to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on July 24.
"The a la carte options and other packages unveiled today demonstrate that consumers will be the beneficiaries of this merger,” Mel Karmazin, CEO of Sirius, said in a statement. “The efficiencies of the merger will allow the combined companies to save hundreds of millions of dollars a year and give us the opportunity to increase the number of programming options available to subscribers.”

SBIRS Payload Passes Environmental Test
The payload for Lockheed Martin’s first Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous (GEO) spacecraft has completed thermal vacuum testing, the company announced July 23.
The test, performed by payload subcontractor Northrop Grumman, demonstrated the function and performance of the fully integrated GEO-1 payload in vacuum conditions and at temperatures expected when the satellite is on orbit. Northrop Grumman will prepare the payload for delivery to Lockheed Martin’s facilities in Sunnyvale, Calif., in early August for integration with the spacecraft.
SBIRS will provide early warning of ballistic missile launches and also support other missions, including missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace characterization.
Lockheed Martin is under contract to provide two highly elliptical orbit payloads and two GEO satellites as well as the ground-based assets to receive and process the data.

EMS Completes AEHF Anti-Jamming Deliveries
EMS Technologies Inc. has completed delivery of anti-jamming hardware to Northrop Grumman for installation on the payloads for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (EHF) satellites, EMS announced July 23.
EMS Defense & Space Systems provided an anti-jamming antenna nuller called a Beam-Forming Network, which gives the satellite the ability to shape its receive beam so that jamming is ineffective. EMS delivered the technology under a five-year, $29 million contract.
The Advanced EHF program is designed to provide highly secure communications for U.S. warfighters and will provide about 10 times more communications capacity and six times higher channel data rates than its predecessor, Milstar 2. Northrop Grumman is the payload provider to prime contractor Lockheed Martin.
Launch of the first satellite is planned for mid-2008.
 
Orbital To Outfit Nashville Public School Bus Fleet With Tracking System
Orbital Sciences Corp. has been awarded a $9 million contract to install a vehicle management system for tracking the fleet of buses operated by Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, Orbital announced July 23.
Orbital’s Transportation Managements Systems division will install its OrbCAD system, an integrated software system that uses satellite-delivered positioning information to track vehicles along prescheduled routes. The system also will provide two-way voice communications and video cameras.
Installations at the organization’s control center and on the fleet of 685 school buses and administrative vehicles are scheduled to be completed in three phases over a 36-month period.

Spacenet Names CFO
Spacenet Inc. has named Michael Hughes CFO, the company announced July 23.
A certified public accountant, Hughes previously has served as a senior manager for FinSol LLC, senior vice president and controller for Intelsat Global Service Corp., vice president of finance for Lockheed Martin Global Communications and in positions with Comsat World Systems, Satellite Television Corp. and Price Waterhouse & Co.