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Integral Systems Inc. announced Dec. 13 that it has added EchoStar Communications Corp.’s EchoStar-11 satellite to the satellite operator’s existing Epoch IPS satellite control system. EchoStar’s entire fleet of satellites is operated by the Epoch IPS system. Separately, EchoStar announced it has signed an agreement with New Line Cinema to offer the studio’s movie titles...

Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman Corp. have established a test bed intended to demonstrate network-centric missions that will be enabled by the Transformational Satellite Communications (TSAT) system, Northrop Grumman announced. The test bed, based upon technologies developed for the Milstar and Advanced Extremely High Frequency (EHF) satellite communications systems, is intended to demonstrate how data...

The Measat-3 satellite was placed into orbit Dec. 12 by a Proton launch vehicle, marking the final 2006 mission for International Launch Services (ILS), the launch provider announced. The satellite built for Measat Satellite Systems by Boeing Satellite Systems International Inc. will provide C-band coverage over more than 100 countries as well as direct-to- home-quality...

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting announced details Dec. 12 of a request for proposal (RFP) for a new satellite to replace Thor 3. The new satellite, scheduled to be launched in 2009, will be positioned at 1� West to cover the Nordic and Central European markets with direct-to-home capacity. Thor 3, launched in 1998, is scheduled to...

Academic researchers can now scan the United States and Canada via a newly available, high-resolution satellite image catalog developed under a deal between the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) and Terra Image USA, the company announced. The catalog contains imagery collected by French Spot satellites dating back to 1986. The collaboration between UCSB...

Raytheon Co. delivered the first rapid-development, space-optical payload to the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, the company announced. The $14 million ARTEMIS (Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer) program required Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems to develop within 15 months an experimental payload that could help troops identify potential threats on the ground. While...

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. announced Dec. 12 that its Maryland-based subsidiary, Comtech Mobile Datacom Corp., has received orders totaling $1.9 million for its mobile satellite data communications transceivers. The orders are for Comtech’s Model 2011E mobile satellite data transceivers to the Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below – Blue Force Tracking (FBCB2-BFT) program. The orders...

Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) announced Dec. 11 that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded MSV its 16th patent relating to ancillary terrestrial component (ATC) technology. The latest patent identifies systems and methods for prioritizing frequencies based upon the geographic distance between ATC coverage area and the satellite spot beam using those frequencies.

Arianespace performed the fifth and final Ariane 5 mission of 2006, placing the WildBlue-1 and AMC-18 spacecraft into orbit Dec. 8, Arianespace announced. WildBlue-1, manufactured by Space Systems/Loral, will triple the capacity available to Colorado-based WildBlue Communications to provide its satellite broadband service. WildBlue currently offers service using leased capacity aboard Telesat Canada’s Anik F2...

Boeing Co. has been awarded a contract to launch a pair of commercial satellites in 2007 for the Italian Space Agency, Boeing announced Dec. 11. Under the contract from Alcatel Alenia Space Italia, the prime contractor for the Italian Space Agency, two Delta 2 launch vehicles will each carry a Cosmo-SkyMed spacecraft from Vandenberg Air...