Satellite News

NASA engineers and scientists building the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have created a new telescope technology called “microshutters.” Microshutters are tiny doorways the width of a few hairs that will allow the telescope to view the most distant stars and galaxies humans have ever seen.

Globecomm Systems Inc. said it has been awarded a satellite infrastructure contract from a “major provider of enterprise services” in the United States valued at US$1.2 million.

NASA’s twin STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) spacecraft completed a series of complex manoeuvres on 21 January to position the spacecraft in their mission orbits. The spacecraft will be in position to produce the first 3-D images of the Sun by April.

Measat Satellite Systems Sdn Bhd announced that Measat-3 has completed commissioning and entered commercial service with Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) as the satellite’s first customer.

Space Systems/Loral has been awarded a contract to manufacture a new direct broadcast satellite (DBS) for EchoStar Orbital Corporation II, a subsidiary of EchoStar Communications Corporation.

In the night between 17 and 18 January 2007, the protective cover of the COROT telescope has been successfully opened, and COROT has seen for the first time light from stars.

The uplink and downlink phased array antennas developed by Northrop Grumman Corporation for the first Advanced Extremely High Frequency (EHF) military satellite communications payload have been successfully integrated onto the first flight structure, and their performance has been verified alongside other essential payload components.

Alcatel Alenia Space announced that it has signed a EUR103 million contract with the Italian Ministry of Defense to provide the telecommunication satellite Sicral 1B.