Satellite News

Integral Systems, Inc. has been selected by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS) to provide primary and backup satellite control systems for the Vinasat-1 satellite.

A payload consisting of a sensor with a focal plane array large enough to capture images of the entire visible part of the Earth from a geosynchronous missile warning satellite is in development by Raytheon Company under a US$54.4 million contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.

COM DEV International Ltd. said it is delivering a Local Oscillator Source Unit (LSU) to the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), for integration into the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory.

Boeing has announced the delivery of satellite hardware and the completion of new software tests for the next-generation Global Positioning System (GPS).

For its fourth launch of the year Arianespace will boost three satellites into orbit on 13 October: DirecTV 9S for American operator DirecTV, Inc., Optus D1 for the Australian operator Optus, and the experimental satellite LDREX-2 for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

MetOp-A is scheduled for launch by Starsem on 17 October aboard a Soyuz 2-1a/ST rocket. EADS Astrium is the satellite prime contractor, and has managed an industrial team of more than 50 contractors.

Lockheed Martin said it has formed an alliance with ITT Corporation in the competition to build the U.S. Air Force’s next generation Global Positioning System Space Segment programme, known as GPS Block III.

Alcatel Alenia Space has signed a EUR7.7 million Authorisation To Proceed (ATP) with Globalstar, Inc. to commence work on Globalstar’s second-generation satellite constellation.