Intelsat General Awarded Air Force Contract to Study Commercialization of Satellite Control Network
October 22 2014 - 9:30AM
Business Wire
Intelsat General Corp. (IGC) is one of four companies awarded a
contract by the United States Air Force (USAF) to study the
viability of using commercial facilities and operations expertise
for the tracking, telemetry and command (TT&C) of government
satellites.
The goal of the contract, known as the Air Force Satellite
Control Network (AFSCN) Commercial Provisioning (CP) study, is to
provide USAF Space Command with a detailed plan for leveraging
commercial TT&C facilities and capabilities to substantially
reduce operations and maintenance costs while enabling the
government to meet national security space objectives and
warfighter operational needs. The USAF has stated that a future
space concept of operations could include a mix of government and
commercial command and control networks.
"It is the objective of this study to determine possible methods
of transitioning this requirement to the commercial sector to
achieve cost efficiencies in the new budgetary environment,” said
Kay Sears, President of Intelsat General. “Intelsat, with global
operations that span over 400 antennas and that achieve 99.99%
availability, has demonstrated that we can provide our customers
with more cost efficient operations without sacrificing innovation,
resiliency, quality or security."
The AFSCN currently controls government satellites using 15
ground-based TT&C antennas at 7 locations around the world
staffed by a mix of military personnel and private contractors.
In performing the study, Intelsat General will partner with
Braxton Technologies, a company based in Colorado Springs, CO, with
more than 20 years experience delivering TT&C systems to the
USAF for its satellite control systems. Braxton is currently
working on contracts from the Air Force Research Lab related to
AFSCN scheduling improvements and portable test equipment.
“The commercial marketplace has driven the costs for a ground
TT&C antenna architecture to less than 1/5th of what it
costs the Air Force to operate the AFSCN today. Partnering with
IGC, we can offer a robust, secure network at a far greater
capability, with extreme reliability at significantly less cost,"
said Frank Backes, CEO of Braxton Technologies.
The study, to be completed within 90 days, will outline a plan
of how the TT&C functions of government satellites could be
passed over to commercial companies over a two to five year
period.
About Intelsat General Corp.
Intelsat General provides satellite communications solutions to
military, commercial and government customers over Intelsat’s fleet
of approximately 50 satellites and a global terrestrial network of
teleports and fiber infrastructure. Intelsat General also offers
these customers the option of placing a dedicated hosted
communications payload aboard an Intelsat satellite. From remote
military outposts, disaster recovery sites and U.S. embassies to
health and homeland security agencies, Intelsat General’s solutions
support even the most complex operations, from routine to mission
critical, anywhere on the globe. These solutions address the
numerous communications challenges inherent in a wide range of
applications. From Airborne ISR/UAV scenarios to Distance Learning
to Logistics, Intelsat General engineers can enhance government,
military and commercial communications to allow customers to
achieve their mission objectives.
Based in Bethesda, MD, Intelsat General is an indirect, wholly
owned subsidiary of Intelsat S.A, the world’s largest and most
experienced provider of fixed and mobile satellite services for
many of the world’s leading media and network companies, ISPs and
government agencies. www.intelsatgeneral.com
About Braxton Technologies
Braxton Technologies, headquartered in downtown Colorado
Springs, is strategically focused on command and control mission
systems sustainment, mission unique development, targeted corporate
acquisitions, and product research and development for their ACE
Premier™ product line of configurable C2 applications, simulators,
and certified and accredited cross domain solutions.
Intelsat General Corp.Nancy Nolting, 301-571-1239Marketing
Program Manager
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