Raytheon is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to develop a modern, software-based approach for aircraft tracking, Avionics International reported Friday.
Iridium Communications’ final and eighth batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites launched Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard SpaceX’s previously flown Falcon 9 rocket. Iridium said Friday the satellites, which were fielded to orbital plane three, established communications with its satellite network operations facility after launch and are set to enter the first on-orbit testing phase.
Iridium Communications’ seventh batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites took off Wednesday aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch is the seventh of eight Iridium NEXT satellite missions that SpaceX agreed to perform to replace the McLean, Va.-based company’s existing network of 66 satellites in low-Earth orbit, Iridium said Wednesday. […] More
Airbus’ defense and space business has partnered with Iridium Communications’ subsidiary, Aireon, and introduced an airspace analytics platform at the Farnborough Airshow. Aireon said Thursday it will deliver space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast data to Airbus’ recently launched analytics tool – AirSense – to facilitate real-time aircraft tracking, streamline airspace utilization and flight routes, and boost airport […] More
U.K.-based air traffic control services provider NATS has made a $69 million equity investment in Aireon in order to help speed up the development of technologies for aviation surveillance. NATS said Wednesday its decision to buy a 10 percent equity stake in Aireon comes as the latter prepares to offer a space-based service – Aireon […] More
Lockheed Martin has conducted a site acceptance test of a multi-role radar that the company produced for the Latvian military. The company said Monday the test marks the on-schedule delivery of the first of three TPS-77 radars to Latvia’s defense ministry. Latvia awarded Lockheed a contract in 2015 to supply three TPS-77s for aircraft surveillance operations. The radar […] More
Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium Communications, told CNBC in an interview published Friday the Aireon system payload aboard NEXT satellites aims to help air traffic controllers track an aircraft’s position anywhere on Earth. “Aireon means airlines can fly more direct routes, which could reduce both the cost and time of air travel,” Desch said. The system aims […] More
Iridium Communications plans to launch the third batch of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites on Sept. 30 aboard a SpaceX-built Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The scheduled launch would bring the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites in space to 30 as part of a potential $3 billion program to replace an existing constellation with 75 new communications satellites […] More
Lockheed Martin has secured a contract to supply three TPS-77 multi-role radars to Latvia for use in aircraft surveillance operations. The company said Monday the TPS-77 MRR consists of a single, multirole scan platform that works to allow users to choose specific flight surveillance functions for the radar and a Gallium Nitride system designed to reduce […] More
Iridium Communications has moved closer to the launch of the Iridium Next satellite network after the completion of the Compact Antenna Test Range test phase for the satellite constellation. The company said Wednesday it conducted the CATR test to evaluate the functionality of feeder link, crosslink and mission antennas of the satellites through a radiated environment. “The CATR testing ensures […] More