Boeing has received the first on-orbit signals from the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)-K, demonstrating that the vehicle is functioning and ready to use its internal engine to boost it to its operational geosynchronous orbit. After reaching final orbit, it will undergo three months of tests and calibration before being put into operation by…

The VR-12 Ka-band satellite antenna system from ViaSat Inc. has passed industry standard DO-160G testing that meets FAA and international regulations covering electrical and electronic equipment installed on commercial aircraft. This standard applies to virtually every aircraft, ranging from general aviation and business jets, helicopters, and commercial jets, to civilian aircraft modified for government use….

More than three weeks after arriving at the International Space Station, the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) Dragon spacecraft is ready for the trip back to Earth, now scheduled for March 26. Dragon’s originally scheduled March 25 return date was postponed due to inclement weather developing near its targeted splashdown site in the Pacific Ocean….

NASA April 9 released version 2.0 of its Open Government Plan, which includes a flagship initiative to build a new web architecture and a renewed focus on open data sharing, open source development and a variety of technology acceleration efforts. The plan also features a directory of more than 100 participatory, collaborative and transparent projects,…

May 1 marked the end of Air Force Space Command’s Tactical Satellite 3 after it de-orbited into and burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere. TacSat-3, which had exceeded its expected lifespan by 20 months, was originally designed and launched as a one-year experimental satellite May 19, 2009. Although not designed as an operational asset, due…

Magnetometers built by scientists and engineers at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. for NASA’s Mars Atmosphere And Volatile EvolutioN mission have been delivered to the University of California at Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory for integration into the Particles and Field Package. “The team worked hard and completed delivery of the magnetometers on…

NASA has selected three companies to provide architect and engineering professional environmental remediation services at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., the adjacent Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and other NASA locations. The combined maximum potential value for the three contracts is $91 million. Services will be performed during a five-year period beginning this year. The companies…