Intelsat General’s Fillmore Teleport. Photo: Intelsat General.

[Via Satellite 10-22-2014] Intelsat General has partnered with Braxton Technologies to study the use of commercial systems for Tracking, Telemetry and Command (TT&C) of government satellites for the U.S. Air Force. Currently, the Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN) uses 15 ground-based TT&C antennas located at seven different sites globally to operate government satellites. While a mix of military personnel and contractors work jointly at these sites, the AFSCN Commercial Provisioning (CP) study will evaluate using both government and commercial command and control networks.

“The commercial marketplace has driven the costs for a ground TT&C antenna architecture to less than one fifth of what it costs the Air Force to operate the AFSCN today. Partnering with IGC, we can offer a robust, secure network at a far greater capability, with extreme reliability at significantly less cost”, said Frank Backes, CEO of Braxton Technologies.

At the end of the 90-day study, the companies will provide a 2- to 5-year plan for transitioning TT&C functions of government satellites to commercial companies. Intelsat General is one of four companies awarded contracts to study this commercialization opportunity.