TECHNOLOGY

SpaceDev To Develop Seals For NASA

SpaceDev Inc. has been awarded a contract to develop next-generation seal technologies for instrument covers for NASA, SpaceDev announced.
Under the six-month Phase 1 Small Business Innovative Research, SpaceDev will perform feasibility studies for seals capable of repetitive use while maintaining integrity in abrasive environments. These technologies are intended to enhance performance and enable increased mission capabilities for future lunar operations such as rovers, robotic systems, on-site resource utilization and science experiments.

SERVICES

Global Satellite USA, ACG Marine To Provide Maritime Service

Global Satellite USA has partnered with ACG Marine to provide DStar maritime broadband in the United States, Global Satellite announced.
This service will provide high-speed Internet access to vessels via monthly or annual contracts on shared or dedicated bandwidth.

SingTel Launches Maritime Broadband Service

SingTel is launching a global maritime satellite broadband service, the company announced.
SingTel, which has been providing regional VSAT services for more than two years, will extend the reach of its service to cover all major shipping routes around the globe through strategic alliances with global satellite service providers. The new service offers
customers secure connectivity to offices on land over a private terrestrial network.

Spacenet Extends Services To Alaska, Hawaii

Spacenet Inc. introduced its commercial grade broadband and digital voice services to Alaska and Hawaii, the company announced.
Spacenet is extending the service markets in response to customer and reseller demand for business-class satellite communications, the company said.

CONTRACTS

AeroAstro Awarded Asset Tracking Deal

AeroAstro, a business unit of Radyne Corp., received a $1.2 million order from Globalstar for additional sensor enabled notification system (SENS) systems, Radyne announced.
SENS, a digital signal processing infrastructure component, is installed at Globalstar ground stations to receive and decode asset tracking and monitoring data from field transmitters. As part of the order, AeroAstro will provide
Globalstar with the hardware and software, including asset tracking satellite downlink decoder racks and spares kits.
Globalstar will use the components to expand its Simplex data network.

Com Dev To Provide Equipment For Ka-Sat

Com Dev International Ltd. received a $4.7 million Canadian dollar ($4.6 million) authorization to proceed to supply EADS Astrium with multiplexer and switch equipment for the Eutelsat Ka-Sat communications satellite, Com Dev announced.
Scheduled for launch in mid-2010, Ka-Sat will be the first fully dedicated Ka-band satellite for the European market.

DataPath Wins U.S. Army Contract

DataPath Inc. has been awarded a $6.6 million contract to support DataPath terminals and trucks used in the U.S. Army’s Joint Network Node/Warfighter Information Network-Tactical program, DataPath announced.
Work under the delivery order, which is part of a previously announced four-year contract with the Army that has a potential value of up to $270 million, includes resets and repairs to terminals returning from the battlefield as well as upgrades that include compatibility for Wideband Global Satcom Ka-band and cold weather operation.

Iridium To Equip U.K. Ship Management Company

U.K.-based ship management company Zodiac Maritime Agencies Ltd. is equipping its fleet of 125 vessels with Iridium OpenPort satellite terminals under a service agreement with AND Group, Zodiac announced.
Zodiac originally fitted its fleet with Iridium systems and AND software in 2006. Installations of the new system began in March, and the entire fleet will be outfitted with the equipment by the end of 2008.
Financial terms of the deal were not released.

RT Logic Wins Boeing Contract

RT Logic will provide Boeing Co. with a modulator/receiver system that will be used to support of the U.S. Air Force’s Combat Survivor/Evader Locator (CSEL) Modulator/Receiver Processor project, RT Logic announced.
RT Logic will deliver five systems in late summer, and each will have a modulator/demodulator stream and operate within the UHF band for RF signal input and output.
Financial details were not disclosed.

Space Micro Receives SBIR Contract

Space Micro Inc. has been awarded a contract to develop a miniaturized space weather instrument for the U.S. Air Force.The phase 1 contract, which was awarded under the Small Business Innovative Research program, is scheduled to be completed in late 2008.

Xicom Wins Air Force GMT Contract

Radyne Corp. business unit Xicom Technology received a $5.8 million order to provide tri-band and Ka-band power amplifiers to the U.S. Air Force
The amplifiers will be procured for the Ground Multi-band Terminal program. The satellite communications system is designed to operate in the U.S. Department of Defense/Defense Information Systems Agency X- and Ka-band modes as well as with commercial C- and Ku-band satellites.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

ABS President Steps Down

Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) President Gregg Daffner has stepped down as president, the company announced.
Daffner, the co-founder of ABS, will remain a strategic advisor and individual shareholder of the company.

Austar Reappoints CEO

Austar, one of the leading pay-TV operators in Australia , has re-appointed John Porter CEO for the next four years, the operator announced.
Austar has around 670,000 subscribers in Australia.

ESA Council Names New Chair

Maurici Lucena, director general of CDTI (the Spanish Innovation Agency,), will chair the European Space Agency (ESA) Council for the next two years, ESA announced.
Lucena will take the reins from Per Tegnér of Sweden in July.
Lucena was appointed director general of CDTI in 2004 and has served as head of the Spanish delegation to ESA.

Gilat Loses CFO

Gilat Satellite Networks CFO Tal Payne is leaving the company to become CFO of Check Point Software Technologies, Gilat announced. Payne is expected to remain at Gilat until the middle of the year.

Inmarsat President and COO To Step Down

Inmarsat President and COO Michael Butler will leave the company at the end of April 2009, the company announced.
He will remain as executive director of Inmarsat until his departure. No replacement has been named.

Lavell Names Vice President VP Of Business Development

Lavell Systems Inc. has named Robert Hsu vice president of business development, the company announced March 25.
Hsu, who has more than 20 years of experience in business development, marketing, sales, product launches, product marketing, strategic relationships and general management, previously serviced as will lead the new network services provider’s customer relationships.
Prior to joining Lavell, Hsu was vice president of business development at Spacenet Inc.

Swe-Dish Names President

James Gerow has been named president of Swe-Dish Satellite Systems Inc., the company announced.
Gerow has served as senior vice president for Swe-Dish’s U.S.-based operations since 2003.

AWARDS

Globecomm Systems chairman, CEO Inducted In Long Island Technology Hall Of Fame

David Hershberg, chairman and CEO of Globecomm Systems, has been inducted into the Long Island Technology Hall of Fame, the company announced.
This award recognizes, honors, and preserves the contributions, accomplishments and dedication of leaders in science or technology who have had, or are having, a major impact on Long Island.