Via Satellite's Military Satcom Extra

Commercial, Military Satcom Partnerships Stronger than Ever

The speed at which the relationship between commercial satellite communications providers and global military customers has developed over the past few years is amazing.

When I started covering the satellite industry in 2008, the commercial sector largely was occupied with convincing its potential clientele that hosting military applications on commercial payloads was economical, practical and secure. At the time, the military sector was banking on having its own large-scale satellite networks provided by their most trustworthy manufacturers. When the global economy nearly collapsed shortly after and governments started trimming their military budgets, the multi-billion dollar military satellite networks were sent to the chopping block and suddenly, commercial/military partnerships progressed at an incredible pace.

Today, the military landscape is drastically different than it was just a short time ago. More than 90 percent of military satellite applications are hosted on commercial payloads. Government agencies and military customers continue to lease and renew capacity. Unclassified satellite imagery, no longer a matter of Hollywood science fiction, now is considered a key military intelligence, homeland security and disaster management tool. The military sector, much like the commercial broadcast and broadband industry, now is globally connected, cutting-edge and extensively integrated into the daily operations of the warfighter.

-Jeffrey Hill
News Editor, Satellite TODAY

Top Story
Intelsat General Provides a Detailed Look into the U.S. Navy’s CBSP Program
On the first day of its military Commercial Broadband Satellite Program (CBSP) performance period, contract winner Intelsat General received an emergency task order from the U.S. Navy to supply connectivity support to one of its ships. It would be a small start to an ambitious and wide-ranging network upgrade, which aims to double the broadband data throughput speeds of the Navy’s fleet... More»

Industry News
Northrop Grumman Tests First Airborne Ka-Band WGS Satellite Terminal
Northrop Grumman has completed flight-testing of an airborne satellite communications system installed on a modified business jet aircraft to connect with a WGS via the Ka-band link... More»

AIA CEO Hails U.S. Fiscal 2011 Defense Authorization Act
Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) CEO Marian Blakey said her organization is “encouraged” by space-related provisions included in the Defense Authorization Act... More»

Lockheed Martin Delivers MUOS UHF Module to U.S. Navy
Lockheed Martin has delivered a UHF satellite communications system module for the second satellite in the U.S Navy's... More»

Iridium Establishes Advisory Board for U.S. Government Services Expansion
Iridium Communications has established a government advisory board to counsel the company on products and services... More»

Tachyon Completes In-Flight Tests for New COTM Terminal
Tachyon Networks has completed in-flight testing of its new ATR-9300 airborne terminal for the mobile coms-on-the-move (COTM) market and ISR applications... More»

Industry Focus
Crisis Imagery and the Other Commercial, Military Satellite Partnership
What do the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Nashville’s floods, California’s wild fires, vegetation stress and military intelligence operations in Afghanistan have in common? According to DigitalGlobe Vice President of U.S. Defense Sales Steve Wood, all of these major world events are supported by the same commercial satellite imagery applications... More»

Executive Q&A
Philip Harlow, Xtar's New President and COO
Former CapRock CTO Philip Harlow has found a new position at Xtar as president and COO, responsible for the growth and strategic direction of Xtar’s global X-band business as well as overseeing management, marketing and technical aspects of the company. Harlow, a British military veteran with experience in nearly every level of the military satellite service value chain, joined Xtar June 3, following CapRock’s $525 million acquisition by Harris Corp... More»

Contracts
Army Places $55 Million MET Satellite Terminal Order with Harris
Harris Corp. has received a $55 million delivery order for advanced satellite terminals... More»

TCS Wins Military Managed Bandwidth Services Contract Extension
TeleCommunication Systems (TCS) has been awarded a military bandwidth services contract extension... More»

OHB-System Awarded European Military Ground Station Contracts
OHB-System AG, part of OHB Technology AG, won contracts to operate ground stations that will provide greater access to information gathered by SAR-Lupe and Helios 2 systems to French and German forces... More»

Vizada Signs Norwegian Military VSAT Service Agreement
Vizada Networks won a contract expansion with the Norwegian Defense Logistics Organization (NDLO) which will enter the company into a new framework agreement to supply commercial satellite capacity and additional services... More»

U.S. Government Increases Scope of Globecomm Services Contract
Globecomm has received a $7.9 million increase in the total value of a four-year government contract ...More»

UPCOMING EVENTS

U.S. Air Force: The $41 Billion Question
A Via Satellite Webinar

The U.S. Air Force spends billions of dollars each year on the latest space technology. Col. Roger W. Teague, commander, Space Based Infrared Systems Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles, leads a government team of more than 650 personnel and more than 2,300 contractors to develop and deploy the nation’s space based infrared detection, targeting, and tracking systems for missile warning, missile defense, battlespace characterization, and technical intelligence. His $41 billion space systems portfolio includes the Defense Support Program and the next generation Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS).

Join Via Satellite in this webinar to learn how one of the top space officials in the U.S. Air Force sees the military space landscape developing and the technology that will shape its future

Find out the answers to key questions facing companies trying to monetize these compelling and diverse landscapes:

Via Satellite will have some of the industry’s top executives and thinkers presenting to you directly and answering all of these key questions facing companies in this sector. Register now for access!

Confirmed presenters:
Col. Roger Teague
Commander, Space Based Infrared Systems Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center