Innoflight has selected Space Systems Loral to help create a simulation environment for the U.S. Air Force to test and validate cybersecurity of hosted payloads aboard commercial satellites. The testing platform will be built to help the service branch’s Space and Missile Systems Center demonstrate concept of operations, cyber controls and scenarios for hosting payloads, SSL said Tuesday. […] More

NASA has completed an initial ground demonstration of a robotic system designed to autonomously assemble satellites and space infrastructure components in orbit. The space agency said Wednesday that the Dragonfly system was used to install and reconfigure large antenna reflectors on a simulated geostationary satellite. Dragonfly is equipped with a robotic arm that will work […] More

Space Systems Loral has received additional funds from NASA through a contract modification to advance the design of a robotic platform for use in on-orbit satellite assembly work. SSL and its parent company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates collaborate with NASA and aerospace firm Tethers Unlimited to develop the Dragonfly in-orbit satellite assembly system under the […] More

Matteo Genna, chief technology officer and vice president for product strategy and development at Space Systems Loral, has said SSL partnered with NASA, Air Force Research Laboratory and Deployable Space Systems to develop and test a scalable solar array platform on the International Space Station. Genna wrote in SatMagazine’s September issue the ISS demonstration conducted in […] More

Mike Gold, vice president of operations at Space Systems Loral, has said he believes public and private sector organizations should collaborate in efforts to strengthen the cybersecurity and encryption capacity of U.S. satellites, Washington Examiner reported Thursday. “In terms of encryption, one of the issues — and really opportunities — is to ensure that encryption […] More

A MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates subsidiary has received a firm-fixed-price contract to build satellites for DigitalGlobe’s WorldView Legion satellite constellation designed to collect Earth imaging data. Space Systems Loral will produce the low-Earth orbit satellites at its Palo Alto, California-based facility, SSL said Thursday. Richard White, president of SSL’s government systems business, said the contract seeks […] More

A team composed of NanoRacks, Space Systems Loral and United Launch Alliance has signed an agreement with NASA to examine the feasibility of converting a rocket upper stage into a commercial space habitat. The Ixion Initiative Team will conduct the rocket technology repurposing study under the second phase of NASA’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships initiative, SSL said Wednesday. […] More

Rob Zitz, senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Space Systems Loral’s government systems business, has said SSL’s parent company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates aims to provide Earth imagery and analysis services to U.S. intelligence and defense agencies through its pending merger with DigitalGlobe, Space News reported Thursday. MDA agreed to buy DigitalGlobe through an estimated $3.6 billion […] More

Rob Zitz, senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Space Systems Loral’s government systems business, is scheduled to moderate today a panel discussion on next-generation satellites at the GEOINT 2017 Symposium that kicked off Sunday in San Antonio, Texas. Zitz, who is also co-chair of the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation’s small satellite working group, will […] More

A Space Systems Loral-managed division of MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates has received recognition from NASA for its support on a January robotic servicing mission at the International Space Station. SSL said Wednesday the Johnson Space Center acknowledged the support of MDA US Systems in planning and validating the maneuvers to update the ISS power system using the Special Purpose Dextrous Manipulator robotic arm. Rich White, […] More

NASA’s Raven technology with a Space Systems Loral-built two-axis gimbal equipment has reached the International Space Station following the Feb. 19 launch of SpaceX’s 10th ISS cargo resupply mission. NASA’s satellite servicing projects division developed the Raven system designed to test components of a spacecraft navigation system that aims to facilitate satellite servicing, asteroid exploration and […] More

Lockheed Martin has encapsulated an EchoStar broadband satellite into a launch vehicle fairing platform ahead of a scheduled Dec. 18 launch aboard United Launch Alliance‘s Atlas V 431 rocket. The EchoStar XIX satellite was connected to an adapter and enclosed in a “nose cone” as part of the encapsulation, Lockheed said Monday. Lockheed secured a contract in August 2015 to provide launch support services […] More