got geoint?

Welcome to the Monday Morning News Kick Off post from got geoint? Could spring actually be here?? It will be in the 60s this week in the Washington, DC area and the sun is a shining. So, do you find that this nice weather puts a spring (bad pun) in your step? If so, why not add a little more juice to your day by checking out of MMNKO post. This week, we mainly cover a number of industry news including Orbital Sciences’ plan to buy GD Advanced Information System, Raytheon’s massive GPS contract, and IceWEB’s contract with the Navy. As we always say, fire up that second cup of coffee and read on.

China Launches New Remote-Sensing Satellite
China has successfully put into orbit another remote-sensing satellite, “Yaogan IX” from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu Province, according to a statement from the center last week. The satellite was sent into space aboard a Long March 4C carrier rocket and would be used to conduct scientific experiment, carry out surveys on land resources, forecast grain output and help with natural disaster-reduction and prevention endeavor, it said. Its predecessor, “Yaogan VIII,” was launched from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province last December. Read the full article here.

Orbital Sciences to Buy General Dynamics’ Satellite Unit
Dulles-based Orbital Sciences said Thursday that it will pay $55 million in cash to buy a satellite subsidiary of Falls Church-based General Dynamics. Orbital, a space technology company with roughly 3,500 employees — including about 1,600 at its Dulles campus — agreed to acquire GD Advanced Information Systems, a spacecraft unit that specializes in medium-class satellites. General Dynamics’ satellite unit is based in a 135,000-square-foot engineering and manufacturing facility in Gilbert, Ariz., about 10 miles from a facility operated by Orbital in Chandler, Ariz. Read the full Washington Post article here.

New GPS Work Could Be Worth More Than $886 Million
Raytheon’s recent win of an $886 million contract for upgrading ground operations for the U.S. Global Positioning System is potentially worth more than twice that much, as military and commercial demand for GPS use–including a much-needed update for the U.S. air traffic control system at the Federal Aviation Administration–keeps growing. Under the new contract with the U.S. Air Force, which manages the output of GPS signals, Raytheon will head a team of contractors to make satellite-based GPS more accurate and more secure. Read the full Dow Jones article here.

NASA Launches Advanced Weather Satellite
NASA launches its latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. The GOES-P is one of a series of meteorological satellites designed to watch for storm development and weather conditions on Earth. From its location in Earth orbit, GOES-P’s state-of-the-art instrumentation will supply the government with data used in weather monitoring, forecasting and warnings. Whatever the fate of NASA’s manned spaceflight program, the space agency’s weather satellite program is continuing unabated. Read the full eWeek article here.

NGA’s January/February 2010 Pathfinder Now Online
The January/February 2010 issue of the Pathfinder is available online here. This issue, titled “Bringing Geospatial Intelligence to the Field,” highlights the work of National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency civilians deployed around the world. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency publishes the Pathfinder magazine bimonthly to promote public awareness and understanding of the geospatial intelligence discipline. This issue includes the articles “Agency Aids Agribusiness Development in Afghanistan,” “GEOINT Modernization Improves Sinai Observers’ Operations” and “Shiprider Analysts Serve at Sea.” Another feature is “G-20 Summit Security Draws on GEOINT.”

Navy Orders Custom IceWEB Solution
The U.S. Navy has contracted IceWEB Inc. to deliver a customized geographic information system
platform to support ongoing naval operations. Virginia’s IceWEB, a network and cloud storage solutions developer for government and private sector markets, received the order to provide the Navy a custom variant of its geospatial intelligence technologies. Under the deal, IceWEB will deliver a 24 terabyte system customized for Navy applications supporting critical missions. Read the full UPI article here.

Happy Monday!

Tags: China Remote Sensing Satellite, GD Advanced Information System, GEOINT, geopatial intelligence, got geoint?, IceWEB, NASA wether satellite, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, NGA Pathfinder, Orbital Sciences, Raytheon, Raytheon GPS contract, U.S. Navy, United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, USGIF