Posted: Thu, May 8 6:10 AM ET (1010 GMT)
Satellite communications company ORBCOMM announced Wednesday that it has signed a contract with a Colorado-based microsatellite manufacturer for a new generation of satellites to replace its existing system. ORBCOMM awarded the $117-million contract to MicroSat Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation, for 18 satellites for ORBCOMM's Generation 2 system. The satellites, to be launched in 2010 and 2011, will replace the existing ORBCOMM satellites that have been in low Earth orbit since the late 1990s; six other replacement satellites, built by OHB-System, are planned for launch in June. Launch services will be contracted separately, and MicroSat Systems will choose the communications payload within the next 30 days from one of two providers. ORBCOMM's "Little LEO" satellite constellation provides low-data-rate communications services for asset tracking, messaging, and related applications.

Related Links:

•  Space News article (subscription required)
•  Denver Rocky Mountain News article
•  Denver Post article
•  Denver Business Journal article
•  ORBCOMM press release

Posted: Thu, May 8 5:50 AM ET (0950 GMT)
Europe's second experimental navigation satellite transmitted its first signals on Wednesday. The Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element B (GIOVE-B), launched late last month, started transmitting navigation signals on Wednesday. The spacecraft used a GPS-Galileo common signal in accordance with an agreement between the EU and US reached last year. The signal will not be used operationally, but will be studied to ensure that it is generated properly. GIOVE-B is also designed to test a number of technologies planned for the operational Galileo navigation satellites planned for launch starting early next decade.

Related Links:

•  BBC article
•  vnunet.com article
•  ESA press release

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