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Thales was awarded a contract to supply NATO with an electronic protective measures modem system to support satellite communications and associated control capabilities. The system is intended to reinforce the availability, confidentiality and integrity of NATO’s voice and data communications against potential jamming, interference and intrusion threats. The system also will provide interoperable operations with...

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) will provide a data reception and transmission subsystem that will be used in an advanced solution for two Yamal-300 satellites for Russian operator Gascom. The contract, valued at about $14 million, was awarded to MDA by Japan’s Sumitomo Corp., which is providing an antenna and repeater system for Gascom...

Harris Corp. completed Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) Navy Multiband Terminal Prototype Testing on its tri-band ship antenna and associated RF components five months ahead of schedule, the company announced Jan. 10. Harris won a contract in 2003 to develop four prototypes of the next-generation terminal for the U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems...

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C7, lofted four satellites into orbit Jan. 10. The 10th PSLV mission placed India’s Cartosat-2 and Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-1), Indonesia’s Lapan-Tubsat and Argentina’s Pehuensat-1 into polar orbit.

Set-top box manufacturer Pace Micro Technology named Stuart Hall as its new CFO. Hall will join Pace in April, succeeding David Brocksom. Damien Wilkinson, Pace’s group financial controller, will head the finance team in the interim.

Arianespace received a contract from Asian direct-to-home (DTH) operator ProtoStar to place the ProtoStar 1 satellite into orbit in the first half of 2008, Arianespace announced Jan. 8. The satellite, being refurbished by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), will be equipped with 22 Ku-band and 38 C-band transponders to provide digital DTH services, high-definition TV and broadband...

Boeing and the U.S. Air Force Milsatcom Systems Wing have exercised an $8.4 million contract option to activate Phase 2 of the Enhanced Polar System (EPS) payload study, Boeing announced Jan. 9. Phase 1 began in July with a $1.5 million award for Boeing to define the next-generation communications payload for a polar-orbiting satellite. Phase...

DigitalGlobe has acquired GlobeXplorer, a geographic data integration and publishing company, from Stewart REI Group, DigitalGlobe announced Jan. 8. The combination will make it easier for DigitalGlobe to offer its archive of satellite imagery to the public using GlobeXplorer’s Web-based search-and-delivery applications. “The acquisition of GlobeXplorer will enable DigitalGlobe to provide customers with the complete,...

EchoStar Communications Corp. introduced a mobile TV package Jan. 8. The MobileDish in-car satellite service uses a roof rack-mounted RaySat antenna to provide EchoStar’s Dish Network to customers in vehicles. The MobileDish technology is compatible with existing vehicles including most cars, recreational vehicles and truck, and performs at highway speeds. EchoStar expects to announce pricing...

SkyTerra Communications Inc. has completed its previously announced acquisition of BCE Inc.’s stake in Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV), SkyTerra announced Jan. 8.   SkyTerra issued about 22.5 million shares of its non-voting common stock to BCE in exchange for about 8 million limited partnership interests in MSV and the corresponding shares in the corporate general...