Staff Writer

[Satellite Today 02-03-09] Arianespace signed a contract valued at more than 4 billion euros ($5.1 billion) with Astrium for the production of 35 Ariane 5 ECA launchers, Arianespace announced Feb. […]

A ground control system has shown it can control a Global Positioning System (GPS) asset, Northrop Grumman Corp. [NOC] announced today. The unit demonstrated command and control of a GPS […]

After a two-year, top to bottom renovation, the High Bay Facility of the Operations & Checkout (O&C) Building at Kennedy Space Center is ready to begin preparations to build the […]

The first Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous orbit (GEO-1) satellite, completed a test using new flight software permitting highly reliable spacecraft command and control operations, Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] announced. […]

The Department of Defense Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) office recently released a request for information (RFI) to help accomplish the office develop a rapid response space center, called Chileworks. U.S. […]

Raytheon Co. [RTN] named William Hart to leads its space business. Hart, who joined Raytheon in 1975, was named vice president for Space Systems. He succeeds Brian Arnold, who was […]

The U.S. Army gave Raytheon Co. [RTN] a $154 million foreign military sales contract for Taiwan to receive Patriot upgrades, the company announced. That move comes as China continues objecting […]

Updated — January 23, 2009 – 2:45 p.m. EST Legend: + Targeted For | *No Earlier Than (Tentative) | **To Be Determined 2009 Launches Date: Feb. 4 Mission:NOAA-N Prime Launch […]

Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) delivered two unmanned target ground vehicles to the Air Force Range Management Office at Luke Air Force Base. Additional unmanned target systems have been installed by […]

The U.S. Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) worked in a British M270B1 launcher, Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] announced. That test launch was conducted at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Observers […]

The launch of the Koronas-Foton sun-scanning satellite atop a Tsiklon-3 rocket has been postponed indefinitely, Russian mission control announced, according to the Itar-Tass news agency. Officials didn’t say why the […]

The forward skirt extension of the next-generation Ares I-X rocket passed a separation test, NASA announced. Alliant Techsystems Inc. [ATK] conducted the test at its Promontory, Utah, facilities. The rocket […]

NASA will launch the NOAA-N weather/atmospheric scanning satellite at 2:22 a.m. PT Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., atop a Delta II rocket supplied by United Launch Alliance (ULA). […]

Space Shuttle Discovery is poised to launch next week on the STS-119 Mission to the International Space Station. Discovery will rise at 7:32 a.m. ET Feb. 12 (Thursday) from Launch […]

NASA selected four teams to observe the impact of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, known as LCROSS, with the lunar surface during the mission’s search for water ice […]

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke as a witness before the Senate Armed Services Committee, and then before the House Armed Services Committee, touching on topics including missile defense. The […]

Defense contactors have several moves they can make to lessen the brutal impact of impending defense spending cuts, according to Loren Thompson, COO of the Lexington Institute, a think tank […]

Iran likely will establish some sort of controls on firing the nuclear-tipped missiles it seems bent upon developing, but a worrisome factor is that Iran has been decentralizing once-rigid control […]

Russians Think Obama Could Kill Planned European Missile Defense Without Seeming To Cave To Moscow Russia, testing the newly-inaugurated U.S. President Obama, has anew offered a deal: if the United […]

NASA will launch a satellite that will measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and track down its source, with liftoff on a Taurus XL rocket set for 1:51 a.m. PT […]

NASA issued a request for proposals for the Altair lunar lander that will transport astronauts from the next-generation Orion space capsule (crew exploration vehicle) orbiting the moon down to the […]

By Emelie Rutherford and Dave Ahearn The top Senate defense authorizer said missile defense programs are likely to see budget cuts in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2010. Sen. […]

Defense spending cuts in big-ticket procurement programs are inevitable, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates warned. The Department of Defense can’t continue indefinitely the spending increases of recent years, and Pentagon […]

[Satellite Today 02-02-09] Avanti Communications CEO David Williams is confident the operator can meet its targets for selling capacity on its HylasOne satellite, which is scheduled for launch later this […]

[Satellite Today 02-02-09] NASA‘s Orbiting Carbon Observatory, its first satellite dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, is in final preparations for a Feb. 23 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, […]

[Satellite Today 02-02-09] Tecom Industries Inc. introduced the KuStream 1000 to its line of satellite communication products, the company announced Jan. 30.      The KuStream 1000, a collaboration between Tecom […]

[Satellite Today 02-02-09] Internap Network Services, a global provider of end-to-end Internet business solutions, appointed Eric Cooney CEO and president, the company announced Jan. 29.     Cooney had been the […]

[Satellite Today 02-02-09] Lockheed Martin‘s Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous orbit (GEO-1) satellite has completed baseline integrated system testing of new flight software that enables command and control operations, the […]

[Satellite Today 02-02-09] Russian pay-TV operator National Satellite Co. is expanding its capacity on Eutelsat‘s Eurobird 9 satellite to reach homes across the European territory of Russia, Eutelsat announced Jan. […]

Russia May Agree To Share Missile Defense Radar Data With United States: Gates No Time To Lose, Because Iran Is Just Two To Three Years Away From Missiles Able To […]