Mil-Tech

Boeing to Build Additional Military Hosted Payload for Intelsat Satellite Series

Boeing announced it has received a contract from Intelsat S.A. to provide a second ultra-high frequency ( UHF ) hosted payload on another of the four commercial communications satellites that Intelsat ordered from Boeing last year. Financial details were not disclosed.

The second UHF hosted payload will be installed on the IS-27 satellite. The payload will offer 20 25-KHz UHF channels capable of serving the U.S. government and other Intelsat General clients around the world. The second payload will be identical to the UHF payload for the Australian Defence Force that will be hosted on the IS-22 satellite and launched in 2012.

“Providing a second military hosted payload for Intelsat demonstrates our ability to rapidly respond to provide capability to augment government customers’ needs,” said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems. “Boeing has been a leading government payload provider for more than 40 years, and we are well qualified to equip commercial satellites with operationally responsive space solutions for military customers around the world.”

The modular design of the Boeing 702MP satellites in the Intelsat series allows the UHF and other hosted payloads to be accommodated easily, with no impact to the assembly or delivery schedules.

Boeing is a long-time provider of UHF payloads to the U.S. Navy. The company built 11 satellites for the Navy’s UHF Follow-On system, which provides secure global communications for the U.S. military worldwide. Boeing also is under contract to deliver three UHF payloads to prime contractor Lockheed Martin for the Navy’s Mobile User Objective System ( MUOS ) communications system.

Boeing is building the four Intelsat satellites and the two hosted payloads at its satellite factory in El Segundo. IS-27 is planned to operate over the Atlantic Ocean region at 55 degrees west longitude and will provide simultaneous operation of 39 C- and Ku-band transponders that deliver optimized video, network and voice services to the Americas and Europe.

Secret X-37B space plane has changed orbit

The U.S. Air Force’s secretive X-37B space plane apparently boosted itself into a new orbit Aug. 9, according to reports from seasoned satellite trackers around the world, Space.com has learned.

The orbit-raising maneuver was first noticed Aug. 14 by amateur skywatcher Greg Roberts of Cape Town, South Africa, when the object failed to appear as predicted by the last known orbit. After several nights of searching, Roberts found it again on Aug. 19, which enabled the new orbit to be estimated with sufficient accuracy to easily locate the X-37B space plane on subsequent nights.

That detective work led to other sky-sleuthing detections by Alberto Rango in Rome and Brad Young in Tulsa, Okla. Their sharp-eyed skills were essential in refining the calculation of the space planes new orbit and confidently determining the circumstances of the orbit-raising maneuvers.

Also called the Orbital Test Vehicle-1 (OTV-1), the hush-hush X-37B a robotic reusable spacecraft was launched April 22 atop an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla. From that point onward, mum has been the word about what its up to.

Air Force officials have said only that the winged spacecraft is undergoing planned mission tests.

“Following the successful launch and initialization, the first flight of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-1) continues to focus on checking out the on-orbit performance of the vehicle and proving the technologies required for long-duration, reusable space vehicles with autonomous re-entry and landing capabilities,” Air Force spokesman Andy Roake told Space.com in a statement.

The X-37B had circled Earth for 123 days as of Monday. Air Force officials have said the unmanned spacecraft could stay in orbit for around 270 days.

Army Wants Nanomissiles to Launch Small Satellites

The U.S. Army’s desire to deploy swarms of tiny satellites for various tactical missions is one of the reasons it began development two years ago of what would be the United States’ smallest orbital launch vehicle, designed to put payloads of about 20 kilograms into space, government and industry officials said.

The Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) in Huntsville, Ala., conceived the Multipurpose Nanomissile system as a liquid-fueled core booster augmented by various strap-on solid-rocket motors.

Standing just a little taller than a basketball hoop, the rocket’s modularity could make it useful not only as a launch vehicle but potentially a missile defense target, sounding rocket and hypersonic test vehicle as well, John London, SMDC’s manager for nanosatellite technology programs, said. It will also be a good way to make use of aging tactical solid-rocket motors that would otherwise be decommissioned, London said in a recent interview.

The Army had not built a satellite in nearly 50 years until recently starting a handful of experimental satellite programs. Rather than building a small number of very expensive satellites as the Air Force does, the Army is interested in large, cheap constellations of spacecraft that can be easily replaced.

“The interest we have in the orbital part is that these nanosatellites we’re building have price points that are between $300,000 and $1 million per satellite,” London said. “One of the reasons we like satellites of this class is we can afford to put a lot of them up there to where the entire constellation is still relatively inexpensive. If one satellite up there fails, and I need to replace it with a $300,000 satellite in a very specific orbit, and the lowest cost launch vehicle out there is at least 30 to 50 times the cost of that spacecraft, that won’t work.”

Avoid Falling Victim to a Speed Trap Eight Reasons to Ignore Your Credit Score U.S. dollar index rises more than 1 percent Seven Miles High, Russia and U.S. Simulate Terror Attack A Doctor’s Prognosis for Obamacare — The Four Essential Problems With the Patient To develop the Multipurpose Nanomissile System’s core booster, the Army in 2008 contracted with Colsa Corp. and Dynetics Corp., both based in Huntsville. The Army has spend about $7 million to date on the Multipurpose Nanomissile System and needs about $17 million more to complete development, London said.

The booster is almost 12 feet (3.6 meters) tall and nearly 24 inches (60 cm) in diameter. Dynetics is mainly responsible for the booster’s propulsion system, which uses a nitrous oxide-ethane blend to produce 3,000 pounds of thrust, Steve Cook, Dynetics’ director of space technologies, said in an Aug. 4 interview. If completed, it will be the smallest launch vehicle available in the United States, he said.

The team recently completed its sixth static fire test of the propulsion system, which lasted 60 seconds, about half of a full burn, Cook said. The companies are in negotiations with the Army to extend the companies’ work and conduct a first unguided suborbital booster flight test about in about a year, he said.

In its most basic configurations, Multipurpose Nanomissiles could be purchased for as little as $150,000 apiece if they are being produced in quantity, London said.

In a launch vehicle configuration, the liquid core booster alone could carry payloads of about 10 kilograms to low Earth orbit, and if fully outfitted with solid-rocket motors for additional thrust, the payload capacity is around 23 kilograms, London said. The estimated production cost for the launch vehicle configuration is around $1 million, not including range and payload integration costs, he said.

The Army’s approach to the Multipurpose Nanomissile program is unlike that of traditional government rocket programs, said Cook, a former NASA official who led the development of the U.S. space agency’s Ares family of rockets before resigning last summer.

Whereas mission assurance is the ultimate goal of other rockets, a low price point is the driving force for this program. That dictates not only that the rocket be very small in size, but also the use of inexpensive components such as stainless steel fuel tanks instead composite or aluminum ones, Cook said.

Middle East and North Africa Developing Defences

Local arms manufacturing in the Middle East and North Africa region is set to grow. Robert Bailey outlines some of the projects and collaborations that are underway.

Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) defence industries are becoming more self reliant as they shift from direct equipment purchases to local production. Where technology transfer has for more than two decades been an established part of headline-catching, multi billion dollar offset programmes, the focus now, for even the smaller countries, is to require technology transfer as a first step to developing their own armaments producing capability.

Nevertheless, the MENA region is still a hugely lucrative market for Western arms producers. Its spending on military equipment continues to be the highest of any region outside North America and Europe. Saudi Arabia’s defence expenditure alone totalled more than $38 billion in 2008, ranking ninth in the world.

After maintaining a low profile for many decades, the UAE has emerged as one of the world’s largest purchasers of advanced military equipment. Scarcely had the delivery of 60 of the latest Lockheed F-16 fighter aircraft been completed – to add to the 50 Mirage 2000 fighters acquired in 2008 – than the UAE authorities availed themselves of the Abu Dhabi defence exhibition, which was staged in early 2009, to order four giant Lockheed Martin C-17 and the smaller C-30 military transport aircraft, and jet fighter trainer aircraft from Italy’s Alenia.

The federation is also negotiating a $9 billion package for Lockheed’s terminal high-altitude air-defence system and Patriot air-defence missile systems. Three more Airbus A330 tanker aircraft are also slated to add to three already purchased and due for delivery in 2011.

Another relatively new armaments market is Algeria, which is pursuing a major modernisation programme. In the past two years, the growth in annual defence spending has more than trebled to 33 per cent. Potential suppliers have been courting Algeria’s top brass since an arms embargo was lifted in 2005. These include the UK, whose defence minister visited Algiers in October for talks with President Bouteflika.

However, it was a sign of the times that the Anglo-Italian group AgustaWestland discovered, when negotiating the sale of an extra 100 helicopters to supplement a completed $600 million order, that the deal could well depend on agreeing to a large proportion of them being assembled locally.

Libya is another country that has emerged from pariah status to be wooed assiduously by arms suppliers. Since the lifting of the international arms embargo, several countries – notably the UK, France and Russia – have beaten a path to Tripoli to offer equipment and military training.

France is reportedly negotiating a $6.4 billion arms package, including the supply of Rafale fighter jets, which could hinge on offering some local production and assembly. However, the Libyans may be more inclined to stick with their traditional Russian suppliers. A number of contracts involving the supply of Sukhoi-30 and MiG 29 fighter aircraft, as well as helicopters and the modernisation of Russian-supplied tanks, were confirmed in October.

Russia’s state armaments marketing organisation, Rosoboronexport Russia, is active in other Arab markets. It has offered to supply Lebanon with MiG 29 fighters to beef up its depleted air force, as well as air-defence missile systems and T90 main battle tanks. It is also working on $2 billion worth of contracts with Saudi Arabia for the sale of 150 helicopters, T90 main battle tanks and BMP infantry-fighting vehicles.

Retraining Iraq’s Russian-equipped army has been a long and complicated process. However, with more than $8 billion of orders for US helicopters, tanks and armoured combat vehicles in hand, Iraq is well on the way to rebuilding its equipment inventory with American arms. Most of this materiel was financed with aid, but as oil revenues improve, Iraq could become a leading defence market in its own right.

Another important defence provision that relates particularly to Iraq is security services. G4S, formerly Group Four Securicor, has 40,000 employees working in the Middle East, a large proportion of them in Iraq where it has nine branches. The British security firm, Aegis, which processes and monitors all private security operations in Iraq, also has a large presence with 15 branches.

Although the US Fifth Fleet is headquartered in Bahrain, and many other navies regularly visit Gulf waters, the Gulf Cooperation Council is assuming much more responsibility for its own security; naval and air defences are being reinforced. The Sultanate of Oman has taken delivery of the first of three state-of-the-art 2,700-tonne Corvettes from the UK’s Vosper Thorneycroft group, as part of a $715 million deal. Meanwhile, Bahrain’s navy is reportedly seeking to buy three new frigates.

However, MENA countries are now looking to develop their own capabilities. Arms production was pioneered by Egypt, which built its industry on the back of the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation, an abortive attempt in the 1980s to create a pan-Arab military industrial complex. Egypt has relied heavily on US military assistance and now builds US-designed tanks and other military platforms.

Offset, where typically the supplier invests 35 per cent of the value of a defence project in a local industrial undertaking, was pioneered by Saudi Arabia with the launch, in 1984, of Boeing’s Peace Shield programme, followed by British Aerospace’s Yamamah programme. Now it is widely used as a stepping-stone to local production.

For example, the UAE’s $817 million Baymunah naval programme involves the design, construction and outfitting of six Corvettes. The first ship was built by Constructions Mecaniques de Normandie in France; the remainder will be built by Abu Dhabi Shipbuilding (ADSB), which is 40 per cent owned by the Abu Dhabi government’s investment agency Mubadala. ADSB is also providing the UAE navy with 12 missile-armed fast-attack craft and four maritime patrol aircraft. The shipyard also has an order for a troop-carrying ship from Oman.

Mubadala has also established a helicopter pilot training school in Al Ain and has strengthened the Federation’s maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities by acquiring the Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Company, whose core business is servicing a variety of military aircraft, including the UAE’s F-16s and Mirage 2000-9s, as well as military and civilian makes of helicopter. It is sinking $500 million into revamping and broadening the scope of the company, which has now become Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies.

It has invested in Al Yah Satellite Communications Company, which provides the federation’s armed forces with a secure satellite communications system. The company’s first-launch satellite is currently being built by Europe’s EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space. Mubadala has also joined with the US company EDS Defence and Security, to create the Injazat Data Systems IT, an outsourcing company, to provide data security systems for the armed services.

Independent of Mubadala, Tawazum Holdings, an offshoot of Abu Dhabi’s Offset Programme Bureau, owns Caracal International, a company that specialises in manufacturing and distributing small arms. Tawazum has also joined forces with Al Jaber Group and Germany’s Rheinmetall Munitions Systems to build a munitions factory.

While a frontrunner in the development of a viable indigenous defence industry, the UAE faces strong regional competition. Jordan, similar to Egypt, is well on the way to building a national defence industry. A recent contract involved calls for 100 Turkish-designed armoured vehicles to be assembled locally. The King Abdullah 11 Design and Development Bureau is also carrying out additional upgrading work, in Amman, on US-made main battle tanks.

However, Saudi Arabia has embarked on the region’s technically most ambitious programme: a plan to develop a fully-fledged aeronautics industry on the back of local assembly of the Eurofighter Typhoon. The first 24 of a 72-plane, $32.9 billion order are being provided direct from the UK; the first two aircraft arrived in Taif last July. The remaining 48 are to be assembled by Alsalam Aircraft Company, in new factories being constructed in Riyadh. Another Saudi company, Advanced Electronics, is in talks with BAE Systems, the Eurofighter Typhoon’s prime manufacturer, to produce components for the fighters.

Global Arab Network

Robert Bailey is Global Arab Network consulting editor and writer specialising in the Middle East. This article is published in partnership with the Middle East Association.

Rocket Racing League Blasts Off At The Airport

A truly unique event is going to take place this weekend at Tulsa International Airport – racing rockets.

QuikTrip stores in conjunction with the Tulsa Air and Space Museum will host the first ever QuikTrip Air and Rocket Racing show on Saturday April 24th. The show will feature airborne and static displays of military aircraft, including a demonstration of an F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jet and aerobatic acts such as wingwalkers and stunt planes. The show will conclude with a dramatic flyby of a B-2 Spirit “Stealth” Bomber.

The headliner of the event, however is the Rocket Racing League. The Rocket Racing League is a showcase of exprimental rocket powered aircraft that use a combination of ethanol and liquid oxygen to produce some 2,500 pounds of thrust to propel the planes built of lightweight composite materials up to 300 miles per hour or more. It is said that the planes used by the RRL at full throttle can be heard for miles around and are so loud that you can feel the ground shake.

The pilots in the RRL will compete in various competitions that will showcase their flying skills. Some races will resemble circuit style courses while others will look very much like an airborne drag race. The audience will be able to keep track of the racers in the show by use of huge screens that will show camera viewpoints on board the aircraft for a unique pilot’s-eye perspective.

The event is also being used to raise awareness of theTulsa Air and Space Museum’s bid to add a retired Space Shuttle Orbiter vehicle to it’s museum collection. The Shuttle program is slated to end later this year and it so happens that a major component of the Shuttle, the cargo bay doors, were built right here in Tulsa, not far from where the QuikTrip Air and Rocket Racing Show will take place.

The show will also pay homage to Tulsa’s rich history in the aviation and aerospace industry, which currently employs some 32,000 workers in the Tulsa area.

The gates will open at 9:30am and the first aerobatic act will take to the sky at noon. Military flybys and fans can wander the static displays and vendors area from 9:30am until noon.

The B-2 Bomber is planned to make it’s pass around 3:55pm. Tickets for the event can be purchased at tulsaairshow.com, and participating QuikTrip stores and Arvest Bank locations.

Lockheed Martin — Determined DSCS Does A Decade

The U.S. Air Force’s Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) B8 satellite, built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], has now surpassed its 10-year design life of on-orbit service in providing secure and reliable communications capabilities for the warfighter. Launched from Cape Canaveral on Jan. 20, 2000, the B8 satellite is one of 14 DSCS III spacecraft designed and built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems for the MILSATCOM Systems Wing at the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California.

The satellite is also the first of four DSCS III satellites to feature Service Life Enhancement Program (SLEP) upgrades that enabled a 200-percent increase in communication capacity over original DSCS III spacecraft with its 50-watt Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers. The system provides uninterrupted secure voice and high-data rate communications to Department of Defense users; essential tools in monitoring events and deploying and sustaining forces anywhere in the world. In 2009, the overall DSCS III constellation surpassed 200 years of on-orbit operations, the longest total operational experience of any U.S. military communications satellite constellation.

Lockheed Martin is also progressing on the Department of Defense’s highly secure communications satellite system, the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) program. As the successor to Milstar, AEHF will increase data rates by a factor of five, permitting transmission of more tactical military communications, such as real-time video, battlefield maps and targeting data. The first AEHF spacecraft has completed final testing and is planned for delivery to the Air Force in second quarter 2010.

Military Communications Satellite Created by Lockheed Martin Achieves 10 Years in Service

The U.S. Air Force’s Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) B8 satellite, built by Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), has surpassed its 10-year design life of on-orbit service in providing secure and reliable communications capabilities for the warfighter.

Launched from Cape Canaveral on Jan. 20, 2000, the B8 satellite is one of 14 DSCS III spacecraft designed and built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems for the MILSATCOM Systems Wing at the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.

The satellite is also the first of four DSCS III satellites to feature Service Life Enhancement Program (SLEP) upgrades that enabled a 200-percent increase in communication capacity over original DSCS III spacecraft with its 50-watt Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers.

“The high performance and longevity of the DSCS III constellation is direct testimony to a joint U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin team dedicated to providing the warfighter with secure and reliable satellite communications,” informed Kevin Bilger, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and general manager of Global Communications Systems. “The DSCS III constellation has provided the Department of Defense with its core communications capability for over two decades and will continue to make a significant contribution to our national security well into the future.”

The system delivers uninterrupted secure voice and high-data rate communications to Department of Defense users; essential tools in monitoring events and deploying and sustaining forces anywhere in the world. In 2009, the overall DSCS III constellation surpassed 200 years of on-orbit operations, the longest total operational experience of any U.S. military communications satellite constellation.

Lockheed Martin is also progressing on the Department of Defense’s highly secure communications satellite system, the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) program. As the successor to Milstar, AEHF will increase data rates by a factor of five, permitting transmission of more tactical military communications, such as real-time video, battlefield maps and targeting data. The first AEHF spacecraft has completed final testing and is planned for delivery to the Air Force in second quarter 2010.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, production, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.

LaBarge Awarded $1 Million in Contracts from BAE Systems for Common Missile Warning System

LaBarge, Inc. has received contracts valued at $1 million from BAE Systems to continue to produce ruggedized circuit card assemblies for the AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning System (CMWS).

The CMWS defends military helicopters, and transport and tactical aircraft from heat-seeking and radio frequency missiles by detecting and warning crews of missile threats, and cueing countermeasures. The CMWS is deployed on a variety of military aircraft for the U.S. Army as well as several military aircraft for the United Kingdom.

Production on the contracts is expected to begin in April 2010 and continue through March 2011 at LaBarge’s Tulsa, Okla., facility.

LaBarge, Inc. is a broad-based provider of electronics to technology-driven companies in diverse markets. The Company provides its consumers with advanced electronic and electromechanical products through contract design and manufacturing services. Headquartered in St. Louis, LaBarge has operations in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. The Company’s Web site may be accessed at http://www.labarge.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements reflect management’s current expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from such statements due to a variety of factors that could adversely affect LaBarge, Inc.’s operating results. These risks and factors are set forth in documents LaBarge, Inc. files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports it files from time to time. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date such statements were made, or as of the date of the report or document in which they are contained, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update such information.

New Contracts

This week’s federal contracts, deals and bankruptcy filings involving Maryland businesses include the following:

FEDERAL

American Fleet Sales & Services of Capitol Heights won $163,344 from the Air Force for two 16-passenger surrey buses.

Ashwani Manufacturing of Columbia won $61,950 from the Defense Logistics Agency for mounting brackets.

BAE Systems Technology Solutions and Services of Rockville won $9.09 million from the Navy for continued design agent and technical engineering support for a weapons missile system.

Calico Industries of Annapolis Junction won $66,955 from the General Services Administration for thermometers.

Carroll Water Systems of Westminster won $9,221 from the Coast Guard to maintain a water treatment facility.

Computer Sciences Corp. of Rockville won $29,773 from NASA for additional applied sciences support under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

D.B. Consulting Group of Silver Spring won $924,617 from NASA for unmanned air systems requirements under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Dela Technology of Rockville won from the Defense Logistics Agency $71,304 for indicator lights; $47,025 for spring tension washers; and $35,834 for an electronic components assembly.

Dynamac of Rockville won $126,031 from the Army for engineering evaluation and cost analysis revision and finalization under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Forrester Construction of Rockville won $10.15 million from the Army to construct the Wideband Satellite Communications Operations Center at Fort Detrick.

Harkins Builders of Marriottsville won $11.72 million from the Army to build a satellite Earth terminal station.

IBM in Gaithersburg won $70,512 and $12,916 from the Air Force for software maintenance renewal.

Intelsat General of Bethesda won up to $10 million from the Defense Information Systems Agency for a commercial broadband satellite program and $1.21 million from the Navy for satellite communication services.

Johnson & Towers of Baltimore won $85,301 from the Defense Logistics Agency for metal tube assemblies.

Johnson Truck Center of Landover won $76,664 from the Defense Logistics Agency for wiring harnesses.

Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors of Baltimore won $31.36 million from the Navy for electrical design agent services for a vertical launching system (VLS).

Mabey Bridge & Shore of Elkridge won $39,815 from the Defense Logistics Agency for span junction decks.

Metalcraft of Baltimore won $477,100 from the Defense Logistics Agency for fire extinguishers.

Microwave Engineering of North Andover won $1.32 million from the Navy to repair quad feed horns and ortho-mode transducer waveguides.

Norseman of Elkridge won $7,492 from the Department of State for switches under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Northrop Grumman Systems of Linthicum Heights won $232,168 from the Air Force for electrical and electronic equipment components.

Powerstar of Gaithersburg won $58,560 from the Defense Logistics Agency for power supplies.

Richard S. Carson & Associates of Bethesda won $3.58 million from the Department of Health and Human Services for security architecture, engineering and staffing support services.

Scientific Specialties Service of Hanover won $27,633 from the Defense Logistics Agency for screw cap bottles.

Sigma Space of Lanham won $1.3 million from NASA for laser vegetation imaging sensor development for the Global Hawk aircraft under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Swales & Associates of Beltsville, dba ATK Space Systems, won up to $497,379 from NASA for research and development for integrated air and round concepts under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Tate Andale of Baltimore won $349,690 from the Defense Logistics Agency for valves.

Vetcorp of Frederick won $527,535 from the Army for 285 gallons of herbicide under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Vigil Contracting of Crofton won $2.56 million from the Department of Agriculture to replace tower windows under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Wilcoxon Research of Germantown won $147,725 from the Army for liquid and gas flow, liquid level and mechanical motion measuring instruments.

Space-Based Router Offers More Reliable Communications

The first IP router on a commercial satellite has successfully passed its in-orbit test, moving the military and commercial consumers closer to an era of faster satellite communications.

The Internet Routing in Space (IRIS) technology is expected to reduce latency and increase efficiency, said Steven Boutelle, vice president of Cisco Global Government Solutions Group. Boutelle, who served as the U.S. Army’s chief information officer prior to joining Cisco, said IRIS can route data to multiple ground receivers in a single step, eliminating the need to double-hop to a teleport, reducing latency and increasing transponder utilization. The router and modem software can be upgraded in orbit, increasing flexibility and lowering costs.

The IRIS program is a Defense Department Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) managed by Cisco and Intelsat General Corp.

The technology behind IRIS is a combination of Cisco’s IOS (Internet Operating System) networking software and a radiation-tolerant IP router. It was launched via Intelsat’s IS-14 Geostationary Earth Orbiting satellite on Nov. 23, 2009. Space Systems/Loral integrated IRIS as a hosted payload on its commercial satellite that it delivered to satellite services operator Intelsat.

“Cisco’s IRIS technology has the potential to transform how the government uses satellite services for military and other communications,” informed Michael Florio, JCTD operational manager for the Space and Defense Battle Lab.

IRIS is a program to build a radiation-tolerant IP for satellite and related spacecraft, supporting voice, video and data communications. Because it utilizes IP, government, military and alliance forces will be able to expand their mobile network, allowing them to connect and communicate without reliance on a predefined, fixed infrastructure.

“The IRIS demonstration is an important first step toward making Internet routing in space a reality that could ultimately enable the Intelsat system to make more efficient use of bandwidth,” informed Kay Sears, president of Intelsat General Corp. “By eliminating the need for routing at a ground-based teleport, we can dramatically increase the efficiency, flexibility and data throughput of satellite links.”

The in-orbit test was conducted using SEAKR Engineering’s Application Independent Processor (AIP), which hosted the router and software-defined radio functions, enabling dynamic satellite routing reconfigurations and updates from the ground.