Industry News

Cobham‘s Trivent-Avant subsidiary has received a $45.5 million contract to deliver fabrication, test, upgrade, engineering and related training services in support of the U.S. Navy‘s ultra high frequency satellite communication antenna system. The Defense Department said Friday the services will be applied to the SATCOM system’s components and variants including small ship variants of the system, Mobile User […] More

NASA has begun to integrate and test equipment for a mission that will transition operations from the use of radio to laser communications at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. The space agency said Saturday the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration mission aims to boost the connection between astronauts and spacecraft at 10 to 100 times […] More

Lockheed Martin has fully integrated a Harris-built satellite navigation payload on the fourth U.S. Air Force Global Positioning System III Space Vehicle slated for launch in 2018. Harris said Friday the navigation payloads for GPS III SV02, SV03 and SV04 have been fully integrated while the fifth payload for SV05 currently undergoes environmental testing. The satellite navigation payload […] More

Leidos has received a potential three-year, $43.5 million contract from the U.S. Navy to build a hull structure for the construction of a second autonomous vessel. The company will develop the Sea Hunter II-Autonomous Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel Hull Number 2 under the cost-plus-fixed fee contract, the Defense Department said Friday. Work is expected to be completed […] More

Maxar Technologies‘ MDA business has received four contracts worth a combined $41.7 million to help the Canadian space agency develop space exploration technology platforms. MDA said Friday it will build tools designed to simplify operations and reduce operator communication load for the Mobile Servicing System currently on board the International Space Station under two contract modifications from […] More

NASA has published a request for information on FedBizOpps in an effort to determine the availability of Earth science data from commercial small satellites, Space News reported Friday. The agency will accept capability statements from the private sector through Dec. 22 and looks to purchase Earth-relevant data products through blanket purchase agreements. “The question that we’re asking […] More

A SpaceX-built spacecraft reached the International Space Station Sunday to deliver approximately 4,861 pounds of scientific experiments and crew supplies in support of more than 300 investigations aboard the orbiting laboratory, NASASpaceFlight.com reported Sunday. Astronauts Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei used a robotic arm, CanadArm2, to capture and navigate the Dragon spacecraft to the Nadir port […] More

Boeing‘s defense, space and security business has secured a potential two-year, $40.1 million order to install, test and integrate a modified low-frequency transmission system for the U.S. Air Force. The order falls under a previously awarded contract and includes the provision of support equipment and technical data, the Defense Department said Friday. USAF obligated $14.8 million […] More

A joint venture of Thales and Leonardo has received three contracts to produce technologies that can help NASA accomplish human space exploration missions and address commercialization objectives of the agency’s industry partners. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Orbital ATK will collaborate with Thales Alenia Space under the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-2 initiative as part of efforts to expand architectures designed […] More

The Netherlands’ defense ministry has awarded Boeing a contract to modernize and deliver six Chinook multimission helicopters for the Dutch air force beginning in 2021. Boeing said Thursday it will convert the helicopters into the F-model configuration to ensure systems commonality in the Dutch air force’s 20-unit Chinook fleet. “Ever since their introduction in the mid-1990s, the Chinooks have been continuously […] More

The U.S. Army has selected four companies to move to the second phase of a program that seeks to develop unmanned ground vehicles for equipment transport, Defense News reported Thursday. General Dynamics‘ land systems business, HDT Expeditionary Systems, Howe & Howe and a team of Polaris Defense and Applied Research Associates will build 20 UGVs each […] More

Data center services provider QTS has received certifications from a public accounting and auditing firm after completion of two annual Service Organization Control audits. QTS said Thursday it completed American Institute of Certified Public Accountants SOC 1 and 2 Type II reports highlighting the company’s internal controls and procedures. The reports follow AICPA’s Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements and cover QTS […] More