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The People’s Republic of China has confirmed that it did perform an anti-satellite weapon test but has no plans to participate in an arms space race, according to Xinhua news agency. The test, conducted Jan. 11, has raised concern from the United States, Japan and other countries around the globe, but the Chinese government previously...

Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) has been awarded a patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering use of GPS positioning data in hybrid satellite-terrestrial networks, MSV announced Jan. 22. It marks MSV’s 17th patent relating to ancillary terrestrial component.

Telenor Satellite Services has signed a three-year extension with Hurtigruten Group for at-sea maritime broadband communications on board Hurtigruten’s fleet of cruise and transport vessels. Norway-based Hurtigruten is an international travel and public transportation business operating a fleet of 14 cruise and passenger transport vessels in Europe, the United States and South America. Telenor has...

TeleCommunication Systems Inc. (TCS) has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army to provide satellite communication terminals and maintenance, the company announced Jan.23. The VSAT terminals will provide the Military Transition Team with voice, video and imagery data services. The $10.8 million contract is part of a three-year deal that carries a potential total...

The U.S. Air Force awarded a contract to Aerojet-General Corp. to provide technology for the Hydrocarbon Boost Technology Demonstration (HBTD) program, the Air Force announced Jan. 17. Under the $109.7 million contract, Sacramento, Calif.-based Aerojet will supply technology designed to reduce the cost to launch rockets. The HBTD program supports the Air Force’s Integrated High...

Spacehab Inc., which provides commercial space services to NASA, has eliminated 36 jobs as the company’s contract to support space shuttle operations nears completion, Spacehab announced Jan. 18. The elimination of redundant capabilities will save the company $3.9 million per year, Spacehab said. Costs and planned cash expenditures associated with the restructuring are estimated at...

A prototype structure that holds the primary mirrors for the optical element of the James Webb Space Telescope passed a series of cryogenic tests, Webb prime contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. announced. The tests, conducted at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., were designed to measure the ability of the Backplane Stability Test Article...

International Datacasting Corp. (IDC) has been awarded a contract by Shin Broadband Internet of Thailand to provide software for a next-generation Internet protocol TV service in Asia, IDC announced Jan. 16. Shin Broadband Internet pushes high-definition movies over Shin Satellite’s IPStar to customers throughout Asia. IDC’s Datacast XD Content Management and Distribution software will be...

Kudelski Group has acquired a controlling stake in OpenTV, the company announced Jan. 16. Kudelski, a supplier of conditional access system to pay-TV operators, announced in October that it had reached an agreement with Liberty Media to acquire a controlling interest in OpenTV. The deal allows Kudelski to expand its product offering to include middleware...

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has chosen BAE Systems to lead a team of 10 companies in the next development phases of the Novel Satellite Communications (NSC) program, BAE announced Jan. 16. NSC is intended to protect satellite uplink signals against jamming using advanced signal processing techniques. The Phase 3 contract is...