Iridium CEO Matt Desch has said SpaceX agreed to lower the price of future Iridium NEXT satellite launches the latter company will conduct using previously-flown rocket stages, Space Intel Report reported Thursday. Desch added that Iridium accepted the use of previously-flown stages primarily due to schedule assurance and that the deal also offers a “financially positive impact,” according to […] More

NASA‘s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has issued a request for proposals on the development of camera technology for a proposed lander mission on Jupiter’s moon Europa. A FedBizOpps solicitation notice posted Oct. 26 says the agency seeks a Europa lander descent camera that would comply with Planetary Protection requirements and work to capture images for localization and velocimetry throughout the […] More

U.S. Air Force leaders predict that multiple companies will compete for work to build approximately 22 GPS 3 satellites for the service branch, Space News reported Thursday. Air Force Lt. Gen. John Thompson, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center, hinted Boeing and Northrop Grumman as among potential contractors that could respond to a request for […] More

A Raytheon-built ground launch and checkout system has been accepted by the U.S. Air Force to support management and operation of Global Positioning System satellites. Raytheon said Thursday the acceptance of GPS Operational Control System Block 0 reflects the company’s completion of all contractual requirements under the LCS program. The LCS ground system is designed to strengthen cybersecurity […] More

NASA has extended its partnership agreements with Astrobotic Technology, Masten Space Systems and Moon Express to further develop technologies designed to transport payload cargo to the moon’s surface. The space agency said Tuesday it amended the original Space Act Agreements between NASA and its three industry partners to extend the performance for work by two years. All three companies have supported […] More

Leidos has received three task orders worth $45 million combined from the National Institutes of Health to provide information technology services to the National Heart Lung Blood Institute’s IT and applications center. The company said Thursday it will use a software quality process that employs agile and DevOps methods in efforts to help ITAC maintain NHLBI’s IT application portfolio […] More

NASA has awarded five companies $2.4 million in combined funds to study power and propulsion technologies that can support the development of a solar electric propulsion platform for deep space missions. The studies will help NASA identify requirements and reduce risk for a 50 kilowatt-class SEP system that will support human missions into deep space, the agency said Thursday. […] More

Druva has received a Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program certification to sell its cloud-based data management platform to U.S. government agencies. The FedRAMP authority to operate confirms that the Druva inSync data management-as-a-service platform meets government cloud security standards, the company said Thursday. Druva inSync works to provide a single unified control system for the […] More

BAE Systems‘ Australia-based business unit secured a potential $153.4 million contract to boost the capacities of the Nulka active missile decoy system. The company said Friday the 20-year program will also cover the development of a new launch system along with supporting technologies that can bolster Nulka’s capacity to protect Australian and allied fleets. Glynn […] More

Northrop Grumman has supplied its mission computer system to the U.S. Marine Corps in support of the service branch’s H-1 helicopter upgrade program. The company said Thursday the Tech Refresh Mission Computer was fielded onboard the UH-1Y and AH-1Z aircraft as part of the upgrade program which aims to replace UH-1N and AH-1W helicopters with […] More

BAE Systems has received a contract from Sweden’s defense and material administration to supply an additional 254 Bofors 155-millimeter ammunition rounds to the Swedish army. The company said Thursday it will produce BONUS munitions at BAE’s manufacturing facility in Karlskoga, Sweden, and expects deliveries to occur during 2019. BONUS is designed to be fired from 155mm artillery launchers […] More

Samsung collaborates with U.S. military services to develop a fifth-generation wireless network technology as part of efforts to speed up connectivity and support line-of-sight communications, Defense Systems reported Thursday. The report said Samsung uses its pre-commercial wave system and equipment to aid ongoing development trials of the 5G technology. Terry Halvorsen, chief information officer and […] More