News & Events

A view from the ISS. Photo: NASA [Via Satellite 01-15-2016] NASA revealed Orbital ATK, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) and SpaceX as the winners of the long-awaited Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS 2) contract on Jan. 14. With a maximum potential value of $14 billion from now until 2024, the contract guarantees a minimum of six…

A Proton rocket. Photo: ILS [Via Satellite 01-15-2016] International Launch Services (ILS) is scheduled to launch the Eutelsat 9B satellite on Jan. 28 aboard a Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Built by Airbus Defence and Space, the satellite also carries the first European Data Relay System node, EDRS-A, as a hosted payload. Eutelsat 9B…

FirstNet’s December 2015 board meeting. Photo: FirestNet [Via Satellite 01-15-2016] The United States First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) has issued its Request for Proposals (RFP) for the deployment of its nationwide public safety broadband network intended to modernize communications for first responders and other public safety personnel across the U.S. The release of the RFP…

Photo: UK Power Networks [Via Satellite 01-15-2016] Arqiva has received a contract from UK Power Networks to build a new satellite communications network that collects critical data from 700 remote sites across the electricity distribution networks in the south east and east of England. Work on the migration to a new encrypted Very Small Aperture…

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Com Dev employees remove M3MSat from chamber after thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing. Photo: Com Dev. [Via Satellite 01-15-2016] Honeywell’s acquisition of Com Dev International’s electrical and optical components and subsystems equipment businesses, announced Nov. 5, 2015, is closer to completion. Two key conditions, the receipt of all required regulatory approvals,…

UltiSat is seeing a lift in contract awards as government budgets loosen. Photo: UltiSat [Via Satellite 01-14-2016] UltiSat, a satellite communications provider that operates out of Maryland in the United States, is looking forward to growing government activity after a “perfect storm” of sequestration and overcapacity capped the market in the last few years. The…

An Atlas 5 lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. SMC’s OTA awards are part of a comprehensive Air Force plan to transition off the Russian-supplied RD-180 propulsion system used on the Atlas 5 rocket by investing in industry solutions with the ultimate goal to competitively procure launch services in a domestic launch…

The PRC-155 Manpack Radio. Photo: General Dynamics [Via Satellite 01-14-2016] General Dynamics Mission Systems‘ has successfully provided voice and data communications with on-orbit Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellites during a recently concluded government test of the MUOS satellite network. The demonstration used the two-channel AN/PRC-155 MUOS-Manpack radio, and was part of an Army conducted…

Fashion One 4K. Photo: Fashion One [Via Satellite 01-14-2016] RR Media has announced an upgraded contract renewal with fashion, entertainment and lifestyle broadcaster Fashion One television network, to provide content management and global delivery services for nine of the network’s channels in multiple configurations and localized versions both in SD and HD formats. Fashion One…

[Via Satellite 01-14-2016] Globalstar appointed David Kagan as the company’s new president and Chief Operating Officer (COO) effective Jan. 13. Kagan is responsible for all functions in support of the company’s revenue growth and will report to Jay Monroe, chairman and CEO. Immediately before joining Globalstar, Kagan was president of ITC Global. He also served as president and…