Weekly GEOINT Community News

Several USGIF Members Make Reuters Global Tech Leaders List

Reuters released its Top 100 Global Tech Leaders list, identifying industry leaders positioned to drive future innovation in the technology sector. Several USGIF Member Organizations made the list, including: Accenture Federal Services, Adobe, Amazon Web Services, CA Technologies, Cisco, DXC Technology, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HP, IBM, Leidos, ManTech International, Micron Technology, NVIDIA, Oracle, and SAP National Security Solutions.

USAF Launches New SBIRS Satellite

The U.S. Air Force launched a Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Geosynchronous Earth Orbit Satellite to act as part of its global missile warning constellation. The satellite is equipped with powerful scanning infrared sensors and is supported by a sophisticated SBIRS ground control system to turn captured data into actionable information. Over the weekend, the satellite, named SBIRS GEO Flight-4 and built by Lockheed Martin, began transitioning to its final orbiting location 22,000 miles above Earth, where it will deploy its antennae, light shade, and solar arrays for further testing.

Northern Sky Research Publishes Updated UAS Report

Northern Sky Research this month published the fourth edition of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems Satcom and Imaging Markets report. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the satcom market for satellite operators and geospatial imaging companies. New in this edition is coverage of Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Russian systems, assessment of commercial UAS strategies, and forecasts for high and medium altitude long endurance systems.

2017 A Success for Commercial Space Investment 

A report from Space Angels investment firm revealed commercial space companies received $3.9 billion from private investors in 2017. More than 120 firms made investments in space, marking a record year for the industry. The private space sector’s growth can be attributed to the rising reliability and cost-efficiency of commercial rockets. The report investigates the price of expanding mid-development government and commercial fleets to 500,000 kilograms of launch capacity. Results show that by 2025 it would cost $6.6 billion for government rockets and $4.2 billion for commercial rockets.

Peer Intel

Peraton hired former DHS and DoD official Reggie Brothers as executive vice president and chief technology officer. Brothers was most recently a principal at The Chertoff Group, and will oversee tech solutions, business development, and mergers and acquisitions at Peraton.

KeyW Corp. hired former Mantech International executive Dave Wallen as senior vice president of advanced cyber. Wallen built Mantech’s cyber operations, a business unit that recorded $175 million in sales in 2017. Wallen will focus on strategic growth and cyber teams at KeyW.

Photo Credit: NASA