Armoredd.com

WASHINGTON, June 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-O, soared into space today after a successful launch from Space Launch Complex 37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The GOES-O spacecraft lifted off at 6:51 p.m. EDT on a Delta IV rocket. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s GOES-O satellite will improve weather forecasting and monitor environmental events around the world. The satellite is the second to be launched in the GOES N series of geostationary environmental weather satellites.

“All indications are that GOES-O is in a normal orbit, with all spacecraft systems functioning properly,” stated Andre Dress, GOES deputy project manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “We are proud of our support teams and pleased with the performance of the Delta IV launch vehicle.”

Approximately 4 hours and 21 minutes after launch, the spacecraft separated from the launch vehicle. The Universal Space Network Western Australia tracking site in Dongara monitored the spacecraft separation.

On July 7, GOES-O will be placed in its final orbit and renamed GOES-14. Approximately 24 days after launch, Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems will turn engineering control over to NASA. About five months later, NASA will transfer operational control of GOES-14 to NOAA. The satellite will be checked out, stored in orbit and available for activation should one of the operational GOES satellites degrade or exhaust its fuel.

NASA contracted with Boeing to build and launch the GOES-O spacecraft. NASA’s Launch Services Program at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida supported the launch in an advisory role. NOAA manages the GOES program, establishes requirements, provides all funding and distributes environmental satellite data for the United States. Goddard procures and manages the design, development and launch of the satellites for NOAA on a cost-reimbursable basis.

For more information about the GOES-O mission and program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/goes-o and http://www.nesdis.noaa.gov

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

SOURCE NASA

May 20, 2009

ATK Propulsion and Composites Play key Role in TacSat-3 Launch

MINNEAPOLIS, May 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Alliant Techsystems’ (NYSE: ATK) Responsive Space Modular Bus (RSMB) was successfully launched as part of the Department of Defense’s Tactical Satellite-3’s mission from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va. TacSat-3’s 12-month mission is to demonstrate capability to conduct hyperspectral imaging that is responsive to the needs of U.S. warfighters.

The ATK designed and built spacecraft bus meets the TacSat program’s goals of being operationally responsive, low-cost and high performance. ATK hardware includes the onboard command and data handling system, solar arrays, primary structure and interfaces to the launch vehicle and payload. ATK’s innovative hexapetal bus design enables rapid integration and modular packaging of both bus and payload components - an enabling capability for future Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) missions that must meet a seven-day call-up requirement.

“ATK’s Responsive Space Modular Bus was utilized for TacSat-3 in order to provide a highly-capable spacecraft that was versatile enough to support this specific mission, while flexible enough to support a broad range of future ORS missions,” said Blake Larson, president, ATK Space Systems. “ATK completed the critical design review within four months of program start, integrated the bus structure within 11 months, and delivered the bus to the customer in just over 15 months.”

Other innovative features of the ATK spacecraft design include the adoption of Integrated Systems Engineering Team standard interfaces, that were developed in parallel by a joint government-industry team of engineers; an agile three-axis stabilization system to enable payload sensors to collect precision data on-orbit and downlink processed information in the same orbit pass; a robust power capability with modular power options that can be tailored for specific mission requirements; and a high-strength structure with adaptable interfaces to support a variety of sensor payloads.

ATK also supplied the Orion 50XL and Orion 38 solid rocket motors for Orbital Sciences Corporation, which performed flawlessly as the Minotaur’s third and fourth stages, respectively. The motors are manufactured at ATK’s Magna, Utah, facility. ATK also provided the Minotaur’s carbon fiber composite payload fairing assemblies to protect the TacSat-3 during launch. The fairings separated approximately 140 seconds into the flight.

“ATK played an integral role in this launch, from the solid rocket motors of the launch to the launch vehicle fairing and finally the spacecraft bus,” said Larson.

The TacSat-3 spacecraft is a pioneer of the emerging ORS program. It was designed to meet the growing need of U.S. forces for flexible, affordable and responsive satellite systems. The TacSat-3 program is a joint effort of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate, Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center’s Space Development and Test Wing, the Department of Defense’s ORS office, and the Office of Naval Research.

ATK is a premier aerospace and defense company with more than 19,000 employees in 22 states, Puerto Rico and internationally, and revenues in excess of $4.5 billion. News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com.

Source: ATK

HAMPTON, Va., May 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Rising surface ozone concentrations are damaging nearly $2 billion in annual U.S. soybean crops, a NASA study of satellite measurements indicates.

The study, headed by NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., was presented at the American Geophysical Union Joint Assembly meeting, May 24 in Toronto and looked at five years of soybean yields, surface ozone and satellite measurements of troposphere ozone levels in three Midwest states. Indiana, Illinois and Iowa are three of the biggest soybean producers in the U.S. and had peak crop damage in the hundreds of millions — part of more than $2 billion nationwide.

“In the 19th and early 20th century, background surface ozone concentrations were relatively low so that an increase of 25 percent, (5 to 10 parts per billion), didn’t affect living organisms,” said Jack Fishman, a research scientist at NASA Langley’s Science Directorate. “But now, we’ve crossed the line where you can expect to see modest increases in surface ozone result in crop growth being stunted.”

Ozone can protect or harm life on Earth. Six miles above the surface, ozone in the stratosphere is a shield from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. In the troposphere or the closest layer (surface to 6 miles) ground-level ozone is a pollutant made from reactions between sunlight and human-induced emissions - harmful to breathe and damaging to plants.

The severe heat of the Midwest each summer has combined with manmade emissions to create smog and increasingly higher levels of its primary component, surface ozone, over the past several decades.

Fishman, former NASA Langley employee Jack Creilson and other researchers used soybean crop yield data during a 5-year period over the Midwest and analyzed the results using multiple computer models. The results are consistent with conventional ground-based measurements and with data obtained from an open-air experimental facility SoyFACE (Soybean Free Air Concentration Enrichment) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Their analysis suggests that the cost to the farmers globally is substantial, and supports other studies that calculate an economic loss of more than 10 billion dollars annually.

Until now, the question of ozone impact on crop yield was mostly addressed by closed, chamber studies and on a larger scale at open-air facilities like SoyFACE. The study proved that space-borne satellite measurements of troposphere ozone - derived from NASA’s Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) prior to 2005, and from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) since 2005 - are useful indicators of surface ozone concentration over a far broader area than ground-based monitors.

The study used both satellite and surface observations of ozone, historic yield data and a sophisticated statistical model that also included factors such as ozone, temperature and soil moisture.

Creilson, now at the Climate System Research Center at the University of Massachusetts, said the advantage of the satellite-derived method is that it can be used worldwide. Poorer countries have little monitoring capability and even in the U.S., croplands are so vast that a land-based network of ozone sensors would be extremely expensive to construct and maintain.

“You have these farming locations that have no way of measuring surface ozone,” Creilson said. “What we had to do was come up with a way of showing them there’s a benefit of having the information.”

For more information about this and other NASA research devoted to finding out how the earth and its atmosphere are interacting and changing, go to:

http://science.larc.nasa.gov/

SOURCE NASA

Boeing

EL SEGUNDO, April 15, 2009 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that it has shipped the IndoStar II/ProtoStar II satellite from the company’s satellite manufacturing facility in El Segundo to the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch facility in Kazakhstan. Upon arrival, the spacecraft will undergo final preparations for launch this May aboard an International Launch Services Proton/Breeze M rocket.

The 601HP (high power) spacecraft will provide high-speed, two-way communications for ProtoStar Ltd.’s Internet, data, voice, video and multimedia services across Indonesia, India, the Philippines and Taiwan.

“This satellite paves the way for ProtoStar to significantly expand direct-to-home satellite television and telecommunication services across the Asia-Pacific region,” said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems. “Boeing is committed to meeting our customer’s expectations for operational reliability and total mission success.”

IndoStar II/ProtoStar II will replace Indonesia’s Indostar-I satellite. The satellite’s 32 transponders include 10 active and three spare S-band traveling wave tube amplifiers that will provide direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting services by PT MNC Skyvision in Indonesia. IndoStar II/ProtoStar II’s Ku-band payload has been designed to provide DTH and other telecommunications services across India. A second Ku-band payload can be switched between the Philippines, Taiwan and Indonesia to provide broadband Internet access and other telecommunication services.

The Boeing 601 spacecraft is the world’s best-selling mid-sized communications satellite. Boeing’s El Segundo satellite-manufacturing site contains 1 million square feet of assembly, integration and testing facilities.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

By ANDREI CHANG and JEFF CHEN
Published: April 10, 2009 at 1:44 PM

HONG KONG, April 10 (UPI) — China has created a new, powerful carrier rocket with military capabilities that can launch multiple satellites into space.

The rocket supports China’s strategy of marketing satellites, communications technologies and launch services overseas, especially to oil-producing countries.

At the most recent Zhuhai Air Show, China introduced a high-capacity LM-5D carrier rocket with a diameter of 5 meters at the core section, bundled with one 2.25-meter-diameter booster and two 3.35-meter-diameter boosters.

The carrier rocket has a length of 60 meters, a takeoff weight of 675,000 kilograms and the capacity to send targets of 10,000 kilograms into geostationary transfer orbit. The initial flight of the rocket is expected no later than 2014.

This type of carrier rocket deserves attention, as its advanced upper stage can be integrated with a CZ-5 carrier rocket to directly blast designated equipment to medium Earth orbit and geostationary Earth orbit, or even lunar orbit. The rocket is capable of deploying multiple satellites and has outstanding capability for orbit maneuvering and orbit transfer. It can function in orbit for seven to 10 days.

This advanced-upper-stage rocket is of critical importance for the People’s Liberation Army in its research of orbit transfers and orbital killer satellites. The advanced upper stage of the rocket has a diameter of 3.8 meters, and the thrust power of the engine is 35 kilonewtons.

The CZ-5 is likely to be deployed on Hainan Island, where conditions are favorable for the launch of satellites into geosynchronous or geostationary orbits. Most of the United States’ ballistic missile early-warning satellites and communications satellites are deployed in this orbit range. The CZ-5 is capable of sending a 25-ton-class satellite into low Earth orbit and a 12-ton-class satellite into geosynchronous orbit.

By the time the rocket is ready for launch, the quality of China’s image-reconnaissance satellite will have improved greatly.

At a weight of around 14 tons, it will be on par with the technological standard of the KH-12 image-reconnaissance satellite of the U.S. military.

In recent years, China’s export of space technology, including satellites and satellite-launching services, has been closely tied to its attempts to acquire natural resources globally. The LM-5D will put China in a more favorable position, capable of competing with the United States and Russia.

China’s sales of space technologies overseas have so far focused on its traditional allies, such as Pakistan, and oil-rich countries like Venezuela and Nigeria. On Oct. 17, China signed a contract with Pakistan to provide a PakSat-1 communications satellite and launching service.

This is China’s third such foreign contract. It produced a communications satellite for Nigeria and launched it in May 2007, and it did the same for Venezuela with a successful launch in October 2008.

–

(Andrei Chang is editor in chief of Kanwa Defense Review Monthly, registered in Toronto. Jeff Chen is a reporter for the same magazine.)

By PAMELA HESS – 3 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Tuesday approved the purchase of pricey new spy satellites and will buy more commercial imagery from the private sector to plug immediate gaps in satellite coverage.

The new program will take the place of one that had been awarded to The Boeing Co. The Pentagon canceled that project in 2005 because it was grossly over budget and behind schedule.

An intelligence official, who spoke to reporters shortly after the White House approved the program, said the new spy satellites would offer the same capability of those now in use. Officials were concerned that significant changes in their design could break the budget for the program or delay the launch of the satellites, he said.

The official, who spoke only on the condition that his name not be used, declined to reveal the budget for the program.

Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has already complained about the price tag, which he put at more than $10 billion. The official said that figure is incorrect but would not offer an alternative.

The official would also not specify how many spy satellites would be built or when they would be launched. He said officials believed it would be soon enough to plug any gaps left by the 2005 cancellation.

However, military, intelligence and industry officials familiar with the program told The Associated Press last week that the program is called “2-plus-2″ and calls for building two sophisticated satellites equal to or better than the huge, high-resolution secret satellites now in orbit. The officials all spoke anonymously because the details of the program are classified.

At the same time, the White House has also agreed to boost the amount of commercial imagery it buys. It now spends $25 million a month with DigitalGlobe of Longmont, Colo., and GeoEye of Dulles, Va., buying private imagery that can show outlines of objects as small as 16 inches.

The new contract will be large enough to pay for the construction and launch of two new commercial satellites with the same capabilities as those now on orbit. The new contract will include “guaranteed access”_ that is, top priority and the ability to direct the satellites if there is a war or another emergency.

The commercial contract will be negotiated in the coming weeks, the intelligence official said.

Defense giant Lockheed Martin of Bethesda, Md., is almost certain to win the secret multibillion-dollar contract for the two new high-altitude spy satellites. It built the spacecraft now in orbit that will be roughly duplicated in the “2-plus-2″ program.

The intelligence official acknowledged the possibility that the massive contract could be awarded this year to Lockheed without a competitive bidding process.

Only Boeing has the facilities to build and test a massive satellite. Boeing, headquartered in Chicago, was the prime contractor on the satellite program canceled in 2005.

Boeing spent nearly $10 billion developing the secret satellite but ran into technical problems. The Pentagon pulled the plug after Boeing exceeded its budget by $3 billion to $5 billion, according to industry experts and government reports.

In adopting “2-plus-2,” National intelligence Director Dennis Blair and Defense Secretary Robert Gates rejected an alternate satellite proposal from military officials at the Pentagon. The uniformed military favored developing and launching a new class of satellites that would be able to observe targets with better resolution than their commercial counterparts, but would be faster and cheaper to produce than the spy satellites approved by the White House.

The intelligence official said Tuesday at the press conference that officials had determined that the alternate satellites would not have met either military or intelligence needs.

The “2-plus-2″ program is meant to avert a potential gap in U.S. imagery satellite coverage around the world. The sophisticated spy satellites now in orbit are nearing the end of their service life, and replacements must be launched in the next decade to prevent blind spots.

The plan will have to win congressional approval. A second intelligence official said the administration is confident it will pass.

The Defense Department spends about $20 billion annually on space programs.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Page last updated at 13:01 GMT, Sunday, 5 April 2009 14:01 UK
BBC News

North Korea failed in its attempt to get a satellite into space after a rocket launch early on Sunday, US and South Korean officials say.

Two stages of the rocket and its payload landed in the Pacific Ocean, a US military statement said.

Hours earlier North Korea claimed the satellite had successfully been put into orbit and was transmitting data.

The US, EU, Japan and South Korea condemned the launch, thought to be a cover for a long-range missile test.

US President Barack Obama urged Pyongyang to “refrain from further provocative actions”.

“North Korea broke the rules once more by testing a rocket that could be used for a long-range missile,” Mr Obama told a crowd in the Czech capital, Prague.

“This provocation underscores the need for action - not just this afternoon at the UN Security Council, but in our determination to prevent the spread of these weapons.”

Later a joint US-EU statement urged Pyongyang to abandon its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and “policy of threats aimed at its neighbours”.

The launch “harms peace and stability in northeast Asia”, the statement added.

The Security Council approved a Japanese request for the emergency session.

Washington, Tokyo and Seoul regard the launch as a clear violation of Security Council resolution 1718 adopted in October 2006, which bans North Korea from carrying out ballistic missile activity.

However, both China and Russia have urged restraint in the international response.

‘No threat to US’
In a statement on its website, the US Northern Command said North Korea launched a three-stage Taepodong-2 missile at 0230 GMT.

“Stage one of the missile fell into the Sea of Japan/East Sea. The remaining stages along with the payload itself landed in the Pacific Ocean.

No object entered orbit and no debris fell on Japan.”

US military authorities “assessed the space launch vehicle as not a threat to North America or Hawaii and took no action in response to this launch”, the statement added.

Earlier, state media in North Korea said that the “Kwangmyongsong-2″ satellite had been placed in orbit.

The satellite was transmitting data and the “Song of General Kim Il-sung” and “Song of General Kim Jong-il” - references to the late founder of North Korea and his son, the current leader - the report said.

The BBC’s John Sudworth in Seoul says a failure would seriously detract from North Korea’s ability to exploit the propaganda value of the launch, although it may never admit it to its own people.

In a previous satellite launch attempt in 1998, North Korea said it was sending up a device that would orbit the world transmitting revolutionary melodies.

It claimed this was also successful but the launch is believed to have been a failure as no trace of the satellite was ever found.

Testing technology?
North Korea gave prior warning of the launch and repeatedly said it was using it as part of the peaceful pursuit of a space programme, as is its right under international law.

But Pyongyang’s neighbours and the US are concerned about the potential military use of the launch vehicle.

They believe the real aim of the launch was to test long-range missile technology, specifically the Taepodong-2.

They believe it could put parts of the US within the communist nation’s military reach.

North Korea first tested a Taepodong-2 in July 2006. It failed less than a minute after lift-off.

Three months later, Pyongyang carried out a nuclear test.

International talks involving the US, South Korea, Japan, Russia and China on an aid-for-nuclear disarmament deal are currently stalled.

Eutelsat set to triple resources at key 10 degrees East neighbourhood

Europe’s first S-band payload for Mobile Satellite Services goes into space.

PARIS, April 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The W2A satellite of Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) was successfully lofted into orbit today by a Proton Breeze M rocket supplied by ILS. Lift-off of the 5.9 tonne satellite took place on Friday 3 April at 16.24 GMT (18.24 CET). After a 9-hour 10-minute flight, the launcher released W2A into a geosynchronous transfer orbit at 01.34 GMT (03.34 CET) on April 4.

Commenting on the launch, Eutelsat Chairman and CEO, Giuliano Berretta said: “With its unique configuration of three distinct commercial payloads combined in a single spacecraft, today’s launch is a milestone achievement for Eutelsat and the commercial satellite industry.

In addition to bringing significant new Ku-band and C-band resources to our fleet for professional video and data communications in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, W2A’s S-band payload ushers in a new era in satellite-based mobile video and interactive communications. Our entry into this new European market with exciting growth potential is shared with SES Astra through the jointly-owned Solaris Mobile company.”

Today’s launch also marks a further step forward in Eutelsat’s in-orbit expansion programme of nine new satellites to launch during the 2008-2011 period. The first two satellites, HOT BIRD(TM) 9 and ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4A are already deployed, and the programme will continue in the middle of 2009 with the launch of W7 that is particularly optimised for digital broadcasting in Russia and sub-Saharan Africa.”

Designed to replace Eutelsat’s W1 satellite, W2A’s payload of up to 46 Ku-band and 10 C-band transponders will almost triple capacity at one of the Group’s most established neighbourhoods.

Up to 46 Ku-band transponders, depending on operations, will be connected to a wide footprint of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and a second beam over southern Africa and Indian Ocean islands. It will benefit telecom operators, Internet Service Providers and professional video companies.

10 C-band transponders will provide coverage of Africa, extending east to central Asia and west to Latin America. This new mission for 10 degrees East will strengthen Eutelsat’s response to high demand for C-band capacity for services in Africa in particular.

Services in the S-band will enable Solaris Mobile to deploy mobile video broadcasting applications across Europe for a host of mobile devices including phones, PDAs, iPods, games consoles and laptops. The S-band will also be able to support the deployment of mobile interactive applications of particular benefit for the transport and automotive sectors.

Using the Spacebus 4000C4 platform, W2A was built by Thales Alenia Space. The satellite’s apogee motor will be fired three times over the coming five days to circularise its orbit. The solar panels and antennas, including the 12-metre S-band antenna will be fully deployed by the end of next week. After an extensive round of in-orbit tests Eutelsat’s newest satellite will be made commercially available at 10 degrees East in May.

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 26 satellites that provide coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world’s three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues. At 31 December 2008, Eutelsat’s satellites were broadcasting more than 3,200 television channels and 1,100 radio stations. Almost 1,100 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East which serves over 120 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Group’s satellites also serve a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service Providers and for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat’s broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates services through its teleport in Italy that serves enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ 591 commercial, technical and operational experts from 27 countries.

www.eutelsat.com

SOURCE Eutelsat Communications

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne marked the 400th RL10 rocket engine to power a payload into space with the launch of an Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., today. The RL10 engine powered the upper stage of Atlas V and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne also provided the rocket’s RD-180 engine as part of the company’s RD AMROSS joint venture. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle launched a Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) communications satellite that will provide U.S. and allied forces with vital information and improved support capability.

“Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is proud to be a key part of the Atlas V team that is supporting our armed forces with this launch,” said Jim Maus, director, expendable propulsion systems, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. “We are also pleased to reach a milestone in the RL10 program that is testament to the reliability and longevity of the RL10 engine and to the dedication of our employees toward mission success.”

2009 marks the 46th year of flight by the RL10 engine, the world’s first liquid-hydrogen fueled rocket engine. The RL10 has placed more than 163 military, government and commercial satellites into orbit and powered historic space missions to nearly every planet in our solar system. The engines have accumulated a record 734 in-space firings and over 2.2 million seconds of ground and flight operating time. The RL10 is in production for service on the latest versions of the Atlas and Delta launch vehicles.

“Today’s successful launch serves as a tribute to the exceptional levels of commitment of the RD AMROSS team and adds to the on-going success of the ULA Atlas V program using the RD-180 booster engine,” said Len Dest, president and CEO, RD AMROSS.

The RD-180 delivers nearly 1 million pounds of thrust, and continues to be flight proven with 100 percent mission success for 21 consecutive launches. The RD-180 is the only liquid oxygen-kerosene fueled engine with an oxygen-rich staged combustion cycle flying in the United States today.

RD AMROSS, LLC is a U.S. joint venture between Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and NPO Energomash of Khimky, Russia. NPO Energomash manufactures the RD-180 for RD AMROSS, and is a world leader in designing, manufacturing, testing and providing services for liquid propulsion rocket engines.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc., a part of Pratt & Whitney, is a preferred provider of high-value propulsion, power, energy and innovative system solutions used in a wide variety of government and commercial applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, missile defense systems and advanced hypersonic engines.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and commercial building industries.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., April 3 /PRNewswire/ — A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket successfully launched the Air Force’s second Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite into orbit at 8:31 p.m. EDT, today. WGS-2 joins the service’s first WGS satellite, which also launched on an Atlas V Oct. 10, 2007. Today’s launch, along with WGS-1, took place from Space Launch Complex 41. The WGS system will significantly increase the communications capabilities for troops in the field.

“ULA congratulates the Air Force and our mission partners on the successful launch of WGS-2,” said James Bell, ULA WGS Mission Manager. “ULA is proud of its continuing role of providing reliable assured access to space for the Air Force’s critical missions. WGS is a force multiplier for our troops in the field who defend America’s freedom everyday.”

The WGS-2 mission is the second installment of the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) system. The WGS satellites are important elements of a new high-capacity satellite communications system providing enhanced communications capabilities to America’s troops in the field for the next decade and beyond. WGS enables more robust and flexible execution of Command and Control, Communications Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), as well as battle management and combat support information functions. WGS-2 augments the existing service of the WGS-1 satellite by providing additional information broadcast capabilities.

This mission was launched by an Atlas V 421 configuration, which uses a 4-meter diameter payload fairing, two solid rocket motors, and a single-engine Centaur upper stage attached to a single common core booster powered by the RD-180 engine. This was the 15th launch in Atlas V program history. The 14 previous Atlas V launches included two missions for NASA, two for the United States Air Force, three for the National Reconnaissance Office and seven for commercial customers.

Formed in 2006, ULA combines the successful Atlas and Delta expendable launch vehicle programs offering cost-effective and reliable launch services to U.S. government customers, including the Department of Defense, NASA, the NRO, and commercial organizations.

ULA’s next launch, currently scheduled for Apr. 28, is a Delta IV carrying the NASA NOAA GOES-O satellite from Space Launch Complex-37 with a launch window of 6:24-7:24 p.m. EDT.

ULA program management, engineering, test and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo. Manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are located in Denver, Colo.; Decatur, Ala.; Harlingen, Texas; and San Diego, Calif. Launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

For more information on the ULA joint venture, visit the ULA Web site at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321).

SOURCE United Launch Alliance

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, announced today that its second-stage liquid engine for the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket helped boost Lockheed Martin’s GPS IIR-20(M) satellite to orbit for the U.S. Air Force’s Global Positioning System. The mission launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida early Tuesday morning.

This launch marks the 270th successful Delta launch using Aerojet’s second-stage liquid engine. This same engine has supported past launches of Global Positioning System satellites as well as the Phoenix Mars Lander, the recent NASA Kepler mission, THEMIS, MESSENGER and the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) spacecraft, to name a few.

The GPS IIR-20(M) satellite is a modernized navigation satellite used to aid military and civilian users worldwide. Aerojet provides 16 thrusters for the GPS satellite’s in-space maneuvering. Aerojet thrusters have flown on every GPS mission to date ensuring that the United States provides GPS navigation capability to both military and commercial users.

“Aerojet is honored to support the world-wide navigational capability offered by GPS,” said Aerojet’s Flight Production Director, David Carter. “And we are proud of our past, present, and future role maintaining these critical satellites in orbit.”

Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets. GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems with a real estate segment that includes activities related to the entitlement, sale, and leasing of the company’s excess real estate assets. Additional information about Aerojet and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies’ Web sites at http://www.Aerojet.com and http://www.GenCorp.com.

SOURCE Aerojet

Satellite Includes Demonstration Payload for New Third Civil Signal

Lockheed Martin

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla, March 24th, 2009 — A Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT]-built modernized Global Positioning System Block IIR (GPS IIR-M) satellite, equipped with an innovative payload that will provide an on-orbit demonstration of a third civil signal, was successfully launched today from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

Designated GPS IIR-20(M), the satellite is the seventh in a line of eight GPS IIR satellites that Lockheed Martin Navigation Systems, Newtown, Pa., has modernized for its customer, the Global Positioning Systems Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.

Modernized GPS IIR satellites include several features that enhance operations and navigation signal performance for military and civilian GPS users around the globe. In addition, the IIR-20(M) spacecraft includes a new demonstration payload that will transmit a third civil signal located on the L5 frequency (1176.45MHz). The signal will comply with international radio frequency spectrum requirements.

The incorporation of the demonstration payload on the satellite was completed one month ahead of schedule and in less than one year after the Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $6-million contract to design, develop and integrate the payload onto a IIR-M spacraft already built and in storage. Follow-on generations of GPS spacecraft will include an operational L5 signal to improve the accuracy and performance capabilities of the system.

“Working closely with our Air Force partner, and building upon the design capabilities of the IIR-M space vehicle, the team has developed an innovative, low-risk, low-cost demonstration payload that will pave the way for the new operational third civil signal,” said Don DeGryse, Lockheed Martin’s vice president of Navigation Systems. “We look forward to a successful demonstration of this critical capability and setting another modernized GPS spacecraft into operations as quickly as possible.”

Lockheed Martin and its navigation payload provider ITT of Clifton, N.J. designed and built 21 IIR spacecraft and subsequently modernized eight of those spacecraft designated Block IIR-M. Each IIR-M satellite includes a modernized antenna panel that provides increased signal power to receivers on the ground, two new military signals for improved accuracy, enhanced encryption and anti-jamming capabilities for the military, and a second civil signal that will provide users with an open access signal on a different frequency.

The GPS constellation provides critical situational awareness and precision weapon guidance for the military and supports a wide range of civil, scientific and commercial functions – from air traffic control to the Internet – with precision location and timing information. Air Force Space Command’s 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2SOPS), based at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., manages and operates the GPS constellation for both civil and military users.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

‘We can’t sit back and quietly watch others doing that,’ official says

updated 11:49 a.m. PT, Thurs., March. 5, 2009
MSNBC

MOSCOW - Russia is working on anti-satellite weapons to match technologies developed by other nations and will speed up modernization of its nuclear forces, a deputy defense minister was quoted as saying Thursday.

The statement by Gen. Valentin Popovkin signaled the government’s intention to pursue its ambitious plans to strengthen the military despite the money crunch caused by a worsening financial crisis. He said the military will procure enough new missiles to deploy near Poland if the U.S. goes ahead with its European missile defense plans.

Popovkin said Russia continues to oppose a space arms race but will respond to moves made by other countries, according to Russian news reports.

“We can’t sit back and quietly watch others doing that; such work is being conducted in Russia,” Popovkin was quoted as saying.

Russia already has some “basic, key elements” of such weapons, he said without elaboration.

Popovkin, who previously was the chief of Russian military Space Forces, reportedly made the statement at a news conference in response to a question about U.S. and Chinese tests of anti-satellite weapons.

Space-based weapons
In February 2008, a U.S. Navy ship launched a missile that hit a dying spy satellite. The test boosted the credibility of missile defense advocates. In 2007, China destroyed one of its own defunct satellites with a ballistic missile.

The Kremlin has criticized U.S. plans for space-based weapons, saying they could trigger a new arms race. Russia and China have pushed for an international agreement banning space weapons, but their proposals have been rejected by the United States.

As part of missile defense plans developed by the previous U.S. administration, the Pentagon worked on missiles, ground lasers and other technology to shoot down satellites.

George W. Bush’s administration plan to locate missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic put it at odds with Russia, which opposed the move as a threat to its security.

President Barack Obama has signaled that he might forgo an anti-missile system in Eastern Europe if Russia helps end a standoff over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The Kremlin has welcomed Washington’s moves to improve ties, but Russian officials continue to emphasize the need for modernization of Russian military arsenals.

Popovkin said the military this year will procure several dozen new short-range Iskander missiles. Russia has threatened to send such missiles to its westernmost Kaliningrad region if the U.S. locates missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, but media reports said the military now only has a few such missiles.

Popovkin said the government budgeted 1.5 trillion rubles ($42 billion) for weapons purchases this year. He said a quarter of that sum will be spent on strategic nuclear forces.

Military buildup
The military will use the money to put more than 10 new intercontinental ballistic missiles on line by year’s end, Popovkin said — a much faster pace of deployment than in previous years.

“We are giving priority to strategic nuclear weapons in order to be able to inflict irreparable damage to anyone who would attack us,” Popovkin was quoted as saying.

Popovkin said the military also intends to complete tests of the Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile and put it into service by the year’s end. Russian leaders have boasted of its capability to penetrate missile defenses and described it as a key part of the military’s future nuclear arsenal.

But the Bulava, intended for Russia’s nuclear submarines, has failed in five of its 10 test launches.

“Any weapon may fail during tests,” Popovkin was quoted as saying. “We were forced to increase the number of tests because of a series of failures. We have checked the entire production chain and found a number of flaws.”

Popovkin said the Russian air force will receive about 50 new planes and 50 military helicopters this year. The figure is significantly higher than the total number of combat aircraft commissioned by the military since the 1991 Soviet collapse. He also said a next-generation fighter jet is set to make its maiden flight in August.

Popovkin said the military will also focus on obtaining high-precision weapons and will procure new ships to protect Russia’s interests in the Arctic, where several nations have conflicting claims on the ocean shelf believed to contain rich energy resources.

He also said the military will beef up its forces in the south in response to Russia’s war with Georgia last August.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Loss of vehicle puts global warming study on hold

By MARK CARREAU
Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Feb. 24, 2009, 7:09PM

A NASA satellite plummeted into the ocean off Antarctica after liftoff Tuesday, taking with it an opportunity to size up one of the key suspects in the debate over global warming.

Climate experts urged NASA to launch a replacement mission as soon as possible for the satellite, the cornerstone of a $273 million, two-year investigation by the space agency to track carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.

But, due to tight budgets and other issues, it could take the space agency years to send up a replacement for the lost vehicle, called the Orbiting Carbon Observatory.

“Loosing the Orbiting Carbon Observatory hurts the whole science community,” said Ken Jucks, a NASA atmospheric scientist who served as the mission’s chief scientist.

The greatest consequence of the satellite’s loss, he explained, is the missed opportunity to identify the Earth’s “carbon sinks,” the regions of the oceans and land masses that naturally remove carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere.

The carbon sinks are one of the biggest mysteries of the carbon cycle, Jucks said. Finding them will have “a direct impact (on efforts by scientists) to figure out how carbon dioxide levels will change in the future.”

At the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Elizabeth Holland, one of the world’s leading experts on carbon emissions, called on the space agency to remain focused on a replacement mission.

“The carbon cycle,” she said, “is simply too important for our life on this planet and climate change to put on the back burner.”

The slender, four-stage Taurus XL rocket carrying the 970-pound satellite lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., before dawn Tuesday, climbing on a southerly trajectory that was to place it in a n orbit 440 miles above the Earth.

But a heavy shield surrounding the satellite failed to peel away, and the spacecraft, carrying too much weight, could not reach the speed to blast out of the atmosphere, said Chuck Dovale, the launch director.

“At a very personal level, we are upset,” he said.

8 years lost
The mission, eight years in the making, represented America’s first attempt at continuously monitoring human as well as natural emissions of the colorless and odorless gas from space.

Once in the atmosphere, scientists say, carbon dioxide is among a lineup of gases including water vapor, ozone and methane that trap heat from sunlight that would otherwise be reflected off the Earth’s surface and back into space.

People, by burning fossil fuels in cars, running power plants, and even producing cement, are increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Humans generate an estimated 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually. Much of the increase comes from India, China and other newly industrialized nations.

About half of the total emissions hang in the atmosphere.

The other half disappears into the oceans and land masses, though it’s not clear where, said NASA’s David Crisp, the mission’s principal investigator.

While the space agency will spend several weeks looking at whether it has the spare instruments and satellite parts to build a replacement observatory, Jucks, the mission’s chief scientist, said NASA will also look to the Japanese and other scientists around the world to help fill in the missing data.

Japan’s Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite, which was launched this year to monitor methane and carbon dioxide, is a promising alternative to the downed satellite, he said.

But the Japanese craft lacks the observing powers of the NASA spacecraft.

A global network of scientists who take measurements from ground stations, mountain tops and aircraft will also become an even more critical source of readings.

Two years ago, the National Research Council included a new carbon dioxide monitoring spacecraft called Ascends as one of the top priorities for NASA’s Earth sciences program.

The $400 million mission remains in the planning stages.

mark.carreau@chron.com

Lockheed Martin

SUNNYVALE, Calif., February 17th, 2009 — A U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] team announced today that the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) III constellation has surpassed 200 years of on-orbit operations, the longest total operational experience of any U.S. military communications satellite constellation.

Lockheed Martin designed and built 14 DSCS spacecraft for the Military Satellite Communications Wing at the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. 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.

The DSCS III satellites have a design life of 10-years, however, the team’s ability to manage and maximize fuel usage allowed the satellites to exceed their design life by several years. Currently, 10 spacecraft provide or have provided service for a total of over 71 years beyond their design lives and continue to perform with outstanding results.

“We take great pride in the DSCS constellation’s proven performance and the added value it is providing to the nation as it exceeds its design life,” said Kevin M. Bilger, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and general manager of Global Communications Systems. “DSCS’s reliability has served as the backbone of military communications capabilities and will continue to play a pivotal national security role for years to come.”

Lockheed Martin is also progressing on the U.S. Air Force’s protected and highly secure communications satellite system, the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) program. AEHF satellites will replace the Lockheed Martin-built Milstar constellation, increase data rates by a factor of five and the number of connections by a factor of two, permitting transmission of more tactical military communications, such as real-time video, battlefield maps and targeting data. The first Lockheed Martin-built AEHF spacecraft has completed initial thermal vacuum testing and is planned for delivery to the Air Force in 2010. The current Milstar constellation continues to provide secure, reliable and robust communications to U.S. and Allied Forces. By April, the constellation will surpass 50 total years of on orbit operations.

The company is leveraging its unparalleled expertise in fielding proven technologies for advanced military communications systems, as it leads a team in the competition for the next-generation Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT). TSAT provides significantly more capacity and connections than the Milstar and AEHF systems, improving availability of protected satellite communications for future military operations.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, a major operating unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation, designs, develops, tests, manufactures, and operates a full spectrum of advanced-technology systems for national security, civil, and commercial customers. Chief products include human space flight systems; a full range of remote sensing, navigation, meteorological and communications satellites and instruments; space observatories and interplanetary spacecraft; laser radar; fleet ballistic missiles; and missile defense systems.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

Media Contact: Michael Friedman, (408) 742-3516; e-mail michael.1.friedman@lmco.com

GeoEye Now Delivering the World’s Highest Resolution, Most-Accurate Satellite Imagery to the U.S. Department of Defense.

DULLES, Va., Feb. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — GeoEye, Inc. (Nasdaq: GEOY), a premier provider of satellite and aerial-based geospatial information, announced today that the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) notified the Company that imagery from the GeoEye-1 satellite has been certified as meeting their stringent requirements for quality, accuracy and resolution. GeoEye is now delivering GeoEye-1 sub-half-meter ground resolution satellite imagery to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).

As a result of the certification, the GeoEye-1 satellite is fully commissioned and GeoEye is able to begin recognizing revenue of $12.5 million per month under the terms of a Service Level Agreement (SLA) signed with the NGA in Dec. 2008. Deliveries to NGA begin Feb. 23, 2009.

“It gives me great pride to announce we have met the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s requirements and are now delivering GeoEye-1 imagery to serve the Agency’s comprehensive geospatial intelligence needs,” said Matthew O’Connell, GeoEye’s chief executive officer. “The NGA continues to be our mission partner, and we appreciate their support during satellite check-out and calibration.”

“The commercial remote sensing industry can meet a large majority of our national requirements for global mapping and observation, said Bill Schuster, GeoEye’s chief operating officer. “Now that GeoEye-1 is fully commissioned, we can assure our customers in the U.S. and overseas they will have access to a continuous supply of high-quality imagery well into the next decade.” He said, “We are already working on the advanced camera and camera electronics for GeoEye-2 and look forward to continuing to serve NGA with next-generation capabilities.”

The NextView program is designed to ensure that the NGA has access to commercial imagery in support of its mission to provide timely, relevant and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security. GeoEye won its $500-million NextView contract in September 2004 and was able to build and launch GeoEye-1 within four years of contract award, with no cost overruns. The prime contractor for GeoEye-1 is General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems. The satellite’s imaging system was built by ITT Corporation.

“With this milestone, we have delivered the highest resolution imagery of any existing commercial space-borne imaging system,” said Lou Von Thaer, president of General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD). “The GeoEye-1 satellite combines the clarity of imagery with the most accurate geolocation technology and provides the blueprint for future next-generation mid-size satellite programs.”

About GeoEye
GeoEye is the premier provider of geospatial information for the national security community, strategic partners, resellers and commercial customers to help them better map, measure and monitor the world. The Company is recognized as the industry’s trusted imagery expert for delivering reliable service and the exceptional quality of its imagery products and solutions. It operates a constellation of Earth imaging satellites, mapping aircraft and has an international network of ground stations, a robust imagery archive, and advanced imagery processing capabilities for developing innovative geospatial products and solutions. On September 6, the Company launched its GeoEye-1 satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The Company also provides support to academic institutions and non-governmental organizations through the GeoEye Foundation. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, GeoEye is a public company listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the symbol GEOY. It maintains a comprehensive Quality Management System (QMS) and has achieved company-wide ISO accreditation. For more information, visit http://www.geoeye.com/.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements including words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, or “expect” and statements in the future tense are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. GeoEye’s actual financial and operational results could differ materially from those anticipated. Additional information regarding these risk factors and uncertainties is described more fully in the Company’s SEC filings. A copy of all SEC filings may be obtained from the SEC’s EDGAR web site, http://www.sec.gov/, or by contacting: William L. Warren, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, at 703-480-5672.

SOURCE GeoEye, Inc.

New device will enhance and extend supply chain visibility worldwide

Lockheed Martin

Atlanta, February 17th, 2009 — Numerex Corp. (NASDAQ: NMRX) and Savi, a Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] company, today announced their technology partnership to co-develop what would be the first asset and shipment monitoring device that combines Global Satellite Positioning, active Radio Frequency Identification and Satellite Communications. The hybrid ST-694 GlobalTag is being developed to provide continuous monitoring and precise location information of assets most anywhere and anytime for defense, public sector and commercial customers.

The ST-694 will provide a new cost-effective solution to a growing market demanding new capabilities for both spot-level and ongoing in-transit visibility of their shipments and mobile supply chain assets, such as transport vehicles, container shipments or large and valuable equipment. The solution leverages Numerex’s strength as a leading provider of full-service, highly secure M2M (Machine-to-Machine) network services and solutions and Savi’s premier capabilities in providing a full range of integrated Automatic Identification Technology (AIT) product solutions for supply chain visibility, management and security.

“Savi provides a leading-edge technology behind the world’s largest RFID network in place today,” said Mike Marett, chief operating officer, Numerex Corp. “We believe that this powerful combination of expertise and automated technologies will advance supply chain monitoring and management capabilities from origin to final destination, resulting in higher levels of value for our customers.”

“We decided to partner with Numerex on this innovative solution because of the company’s success in deploying reliable satellite technologies in the emergency management industry,” said David Shannon, Savi Technology’s senior vice president of Product Management, Marketing and Strategy. “Our collaboration will benefit any government agency, department, or supply chain professional in need of a truly transparent, integrated tracking solution than can span across existing RFID networks and into areas where traditional active RFID infrastructure is not practical. This will deliver improved, seamless visibility throughout the supply chain regardless of physical location.”

The satellite-based global RFID device will be designed to provide tracking information in the harshest environmental conditions, be scalable, flexible, and deliver real-time visibility to those who need it, on a near global basis. The partners will work together to ensure that the ST-694 GlobalTag becomes HERO (Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Ordnance) certified, and based on the ISO 18000-7 standard for active RFID, which will help promote interoperability with compatible networks and devices.

Savi has provided the active RFID products for the U.S. DoD’s In-Transit Visibility network, which is the world’s largest RFID network that tracks about 35,000 conveyances daily across more than 4,000 locations and 40 countries. Asset owners, chemical, retail, defense, transportation companies, rail, suppliers faced with customer RFID mandates, ocean ports and terminal operators, exporters, importers and logistics service providers benefit from Savi’s real-time solutions.

Numerex’s satellite products support firefighting, hurricane relief operations, and other situations that benefit from an immediate highest ground perspective. Utilizing satellite technologies for emergency management organizations in need of general field logistics capabilities, Numerex delivers tracking solutions tailored to various industries from cargo tracking to defense logistics.

About Numerex
Numerex Corp. (NASDAQ: NMRX) provides a broad choice of secure machine-to-machine (M2M) network services and solutions. Numerex delivers a depth of expertise and excellence through its M2M service platforms that leading companies choose to power their M2M solutions. Numerex is the first M2M Company in North America to carry ISO 27001 certification — ISO’s highest information security benchmark that ensures data confidentiality, integrity and availability. The Company offers its M2M products and services through a variety of brands including Uplink, Orbit One, and Ublip. Numerex is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. For additional information, visit http://www.numerex.com

About Savi
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], Savi is a technology and information services company that provides integrated Automatic Identification Technology tracking systems and decision-support software to enhance supply chain visibility, management and security for commercial, defense, and public sector markets worldwide. For more information, visit www.savi.com.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

“Statements contained in this press release concerning Numerex that are not historical fact are “forward-looking” statements and involve important risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties, which are detailed in Numerex’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, could cause Numerex’s results to differ materially from current expectations as expressed in this press release.”

Numerex Corp. Contact: Mike Lang, 770 485-2568
Investor Relations @ Numerex: Alan Catherall, 770 485-2527

Savi Contact: Mark Nelson, 650 316-4872

PARIS, February 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) today announced the successful launch of its HOT BIRD(TM) 10 satellite by an Ariane 5 ECA rocket from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

Speaking in Kourou after the launch, Giuliano Berretta, Chairman and CEO commented: “The successful launch of HOT BIRD(TM) 10 marks a further step forward in our extensive in-orbit investment programme for 2008-2011. As an identical satellite to HOT BIRD(TM) 8 and the recently-launched HOT BIRD(TM) 9, this new satellite forms part of our programme for full in-orbit sparing of the 102 frequencies operated at the HOT BIRD(TM) neighbourhood which broadcasts almost 1,100 channels to 120 million satellite and cable homes in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. With the commercial entry into service next week of HOT BIRD(TM) 9, we are already adding a new layer of sparing at 13 degrees East, taking this neighbourhood to industry-leading levels of in-orbit redundancy.”

With the upcoming entry into service of HOT BIRD(TM) 9 Eutelsat can continue to pursue its strategy of optimising its overall in-orbit resources. Prior to joining 13 degrees East HOT BIRD(TM) 10 will consequently be deployed to 7 degrees West to expand capacity at this key neighbourhood for broadcasting in the Middle East. Eutelsat began operating at 7 degrees West in 2006 with the ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4 satellite copositioned with the two satellites operated by the Egyptian operator Nilesat. As a replacement to ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4, HOT BIRD(TM) 10 will significantly boost Eutelsat’s resources at this position.

Eutelsat’s expansion plan for 7 degrees West will move into its third phase in mid-2011 with a high-capacity satellite called ATLANTIC BIRD(TM) 4-R which the Group has confirmed it will shortly procure.

Giuliano Berretta added: “Dynamic management of our resources is a hallmark of Eutelsat, enabling us to combine expansion with security and to be exceptionally receptive to fast-growing markets. The deployment of HOT BIRD(TM) 10 to 7 degrees West is a new demonstration of this strategy. It will enable us to further anchor Eutelsat in dynamically-expanding broadcast markets in the Middle East in collaboration with Nilesat, our longstanding partner in this region.”

Lift-off of the Ariane 5 ECA rocket carrying the 4.9 tonnes HOT BIRD(TM) 10 satellite was at 19h09 local time in French Guiana (22h09 GMT, 23h09 Paris time) on Thursday, 12 February. Separation of the satellite from the launch vehicle took place 26 minutes after lift-off. Operations needed to circularise the new satellite’s orbit, place it into its operational configuration and carry out in-orbit testing will be controlled by Eutelsat from its satellite control centre at the Rambouillet teleport (near Paris), using a global network of earth stations.

Three firings of the apogee motor over the coming 10 days will circularise HOT BIRD(TM) 10’s orbit. It will subsequently undergo a series of in-orbit tests before being moved to 7 degrees West to go into commercial service.

Profile and mission of HOT BIRD(TM) 10

Prime contractor EADS - Astrium
Platform Eurostar 3000
Mission TV and radio broadcasting
Orbital position and coverage Initial mission: 7degreesW (Middle East)

Principal mission: 13degreesE (Europe, North Africa, Middle East)
Launcher Ariane 5 ECA
Dimensions 3.4 x 2.7 x 6.3 m

Span in orbit 38 m with solar panels deployed
Mass at launch 4 892 kg
Lifetime > 15 years
Payload 64 Ku-band transponders
Electric power 17.5 kW
Downlink frequencies 10.7 - 12.75 GHz

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 25 satellites that provide coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world’s three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues. At 31 December 2008, Eutelsat’s satellites were broadcasting more than 3,200 television channels and 1,100 radio stations. Almost 1,100 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood at 13 degrees East which serves over 120 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Group’s satellites also serve a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service Providers and for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat’s broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates services through its teleport in Italy that serves enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ 591 commercial, technical and operational experts from 27 countries.

http://www.eutelsat.com

For further information:

Press contacts:

Vanessa O’Connor
Tel: +33-1-53-98-38-88
voconnor@eutelsat.fr

Frederique Gautier
Tel: +33-1-53-98-38-88
fgautier@eutelsat.fr

Investor relations:

Gilles Janvier
Tel: +33-1-53-98-35-35
investors@eutelsat-communications.com

Crash creates debris; slight risk to space station, minor impact on Iridium

msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated 36 minutes ago

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Two big communications satellites collided in the first-ever crash of two intact spacecraft in orbit, shooting out a pair of massive debris clouds and posing a slight risk to the international space station.

NASA said it will take weeks to determine the full magnitude of the crash, which occurred nearly 500 miles (800 kilometers) over Siberia on Tuesday.

“We knew this was going to happen eventually,” Mark Matney, an orbital debris scientist at Johnson Space Center in Houston, told The Associated Press.

NASA believes any risk to the space station and its three astronauts is low. It orbits about 270 miles (430 kilometers) below the collision course. There also should be no danger to the space shuttle set to launch with seven astronauts on Feb. 22 or later, officials said, but that will be re-evaluated in the coming days.

The collision involved an Iridium commercial satellite, which was launched in 1997, and a Russian satellite launched in 1993 and believed to be nonfunctioning. The Russian satellite was out of control, Matney said.

The Iridium craft weighed 1,235 pounds (560 kilograms), and the Russian craft nearly a ton.

Hundreds of pieces of debris
The U.S. Strategic Command’s Space Surveillance Network detected the two debris clouds created by Tuesday’s collision. Julie Ziegenhorn, a spokeswoman for the Strategic Command, told msnbc.com that the collision left behind an estimated 600 pieces of debris, but she emphasized that the Pentagon’s orbital watchdog had to do “still more characterization” of the collision’s potential effect.

NASA’s Matney said the count would likely be in the thousands if pieces of debris down to the scale of microns — about the size of a grain of sand — are included.

There have been four other cases in which space objects have collided accidentally in orbit, NASA said. But those were considered minor and involved parts of spent rockets or small satellites.

Nicholas Johnson, an orbital debris expert at the Houston space center, said the risk of damage from Tuesday’s collision is greater for the Hubble Space Telescope and Earth-observing satellites, which are in higher orbit and nearer the debris field.

At the beginning of this year there were roughly 17,000 pieces of manmade debris orbiting Earth, Johnson said. All those items, at least 4 inches (10 centimeters) in size, are being tracked by the Space Surveillance Network.

Litter in orbit has increased in recent years, in part because of the deliberate breakups of old satellites. It’s gotten so bad that orbital debris is now the biggest threat to a space shuttle in flight, surpassing the dangers of liftoff and return to Earth.

Ziegenhorn said the Strategic Command and NASA have been working together to make sure the space station and any shuttles in flight are kept a safe distance away from any encroaching objects. “Manned spaceflight needs are a priority,” she said.

‘Minimal impact’ on Iridium service
Iridium Holdings LLC has a system of 65 active satellites which relay calls from portable phones that are about twice the size of a regular mobile phone. It has more than 300,000 subscribers. The U.S. Department of Defense is one of its largest customers.

In a statement, Iridium said the collision would have “minimal impact” on service.

“This satellite loss may result in very limited service disruption in the form of brief, occasional outages,” the statement said. “Iridium expects to implement a network solution by Friday.”

Company spokeswoman Liz DeCastro told msnbc.com that the interim solution would involve shifting resources to cover affected areas. Within 30 days, Iridium plans to move one of its in-orbit spares into the telecommunications constellation to replace the lost satellite.

Initially launched by Motorola Inc. in the 1990s, Iridium plunged into bankruptcy in 1999. Private investors relaunched service in 2001.

Iridium satellites are unusual because their orbit is so low and they move so fast. Most communications satellites are in much higher orbits and don’t move relative to each other, which means collisions are rare.

Iridium Holdings LLC, is owned by New York-based investment firm Greenhill & Co. through a subsidiary, GHL Acquisition Corp., which is listed on the American Stock Exchange.

This report includes information from The Associated Press and msnbc.com. Registered users may obtain detailed data about orbital debris by checking the Space-Track Web site.

© 2009 msnbc.com

Bryan Kidder
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
+1.818.586.2213
bryan.kidder@pwr.utc.com

Carri Karuhn
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
+1.818.586.4963
carri.karuhn@pwr.utc.com

Pratt & Whitney

CANOGA PARK, Calif., Feb. 6, 2009 – Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne helped scientists track fast-breaking storms and monitor climate change by boosting a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base today. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company, powered a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket with an RS-27A engine. It was the 226th flight boosted by the RS-27 family of engines to lift a satellite.

NOAA-N Prime is the last in a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites, and is equipped with search and rescue antennae that can relay information from emergency beacons to help people in distress aboard boats, aircraft and in remote areas. It is one of two polar-orbiting satellites that observe every part of the earth twice every 12 hours, gathering information on cloud formations, ozone concentrations, sea temperatures, and solar winds that could interrupt long-range communications.

“In a world where the weather can change from mild to severe in a moment’s notice, it’s imperative that communities be warned as early as possible to any potential dangers,” said Elizabeth Jones, RS-27 program manager, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. “We’re proud to help scientists in their mission to monitor the planet, protect our natural resources and assist people across the globe.”

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc., a part of Pratt & Whitney, is a preferred provider of high-value propulsion, power, energy and innovative system solutions used in a wide variety of government and commercial applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, missile defense systems and advanced hypersonic engines.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.

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© 2009, United Technologies Corp. - Pratt & Whitney