SAN DIEGO, February 28, 2008 – L-3 Telemetry-West
(L-3 TW) announced today that it has signed a contract
with the Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Lab
(JHU/APL) to supply core software for the Radiation Belt
Storm Probes (RBSP) Mission Operations Center (MOC).
The software is centered on L-3 Telemetry-West’s InControl software
product, a robust system designed to support satellite
test and on-orbit operations. InControl will
be the test executive for RBSP bench-level testing and
Assembly, Integration and Test (AI&T), as well as
the platform used for on-orbit operations.
L-3’s InControl software was selected
after a competition that included an on-site installation
of a demonstration system at JHU/APL facilities. This
installation gave RBSP MOC program engineers the opportunity
to evaluate InControl while actually operating
the software.
“The selection of L-3 Telemetry-West for the RBSP
program shows InControl’s flexibility
to operate in every phase of a satellite mission—from
bench-level testing through on-orbit operations,” said
Jim Presnell, L-3 TW vice president of engineering. “We
are extremely pleased to be participating in this exciting
satellite mission.”
L-3 Telemetry-West will provide InControl for
all three phases of the RBSP program. Key features of
the software include routine satellite fleet and ground
station control, use of flexible open system standards,
such as CORBA, Java and Linux, and single or multiple
operator control of multiple entities. Archiving, archive
retrieval and data analysis are also integrated within
the functionality of the InControl software
suite. Key features for test include straightforward
database integration, rapid development and validation
of test sequences and automated report generation.
Part of NASA's Living With a Star Program, the RBSP
mission will help scientists understand and ultimately
predict how varying inputs of solar energy form or change
populations of relativistic electrons and ions in the
Earth's radiation belts—the doughnut-shaped bands
of charged particles trapped by Earth's magnetic field
that extend some 20,000 miles around the planet. After
launch, scheduled for 2012, the instruments on both RBSP
spacecraft will measure the properties of the charged
particles that make up the Earth’s radiation belts,
the plasma waves that interact with them, the large-scale
electric fields that transport them, and the particle-guiding
magnetic field.
L-3 Telemetry-West offers end-to-end solutions for spacecraft
command and control, payload processing, satellite integration
and system test as well as remote equipment monitor and
control. L-3 TW solutions are characterized by the ability
of a single system to control constellations comprised
of several different types and models of spacecraft.
Customers include Boeing Satellite Systems, EADS Astrium,
Inmarsat, several Lockheed Martin divisions, Orbital
Sciences, Thales Alenia Space, NASA, Northrop Grumman,
Raytheon, Shin Satellite, Space Systems/Loral, Telespazio,
and the U.S. Air Force. Additionally, L-3 TW is the world’s
premier provider of airborne, ground and spaceborne payload
and telemetry components and systems, as well as tactical
intelligence receivers, military HF/SSB systems and microwave
radios.
To learn more about L-3 Telemetry-West, please visit
the company's web site at www.L-3Com.com/tw.
Headquartered in New York City, L-3 Communications employs
over 64,000 people worldwide and is a prime contractor
in aircraft modernization and maintenance, C3ISR
(Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance
and Reconnaissance) systems and government services.
L-3 is also a leading provider of high technology products,
subsystems and systems. The company reported 2007 sales
of $14 billion.
To learn more about L-3, please visit the company’s
web site at www.L-3Com.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995
Except for historical information contained herein,
the matters set forth in this news release are forward-looking
statements. Statements that are predictive in nature,
that depend upon or refer to events or conditions or
that include words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “could” and
similar expressions are forward-looking statements. The
forward-looking statements set forth above involve a
number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from any such statement,
including the risks and uncertainties discussed in the
company’s Safe Harbor Compliance Statement for
Forward-looking Statements included in the company’s
recent filings, including Forms 10-K and 10-Q, with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date made, and the company
undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking
statements.
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