The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is switching from analog to digital satellite distribution and prime contractor for NASA TV, Marshall Communications, has selected Americom Government Services, Inc. to provide an end-to-end network solution including uplinks and downlinks. NASA announced the switch last week but did not say when the conversion would happen. Users of NASA TV satellite services can sign up for email about the conversion. NASA TV currently transmits in analog on AMC 9 at 85 degrees West Longitude using transponder 9C (3860 MHz) with audio at 6.8 MHz.
The Americom Government Services (AGS) news release announcing the contract said the contract is valued at $25 million and runs for four years. Although AGS is currently providing satellite services to NASA, NASA re-bid the contract to consolidate its service operations by selecting separate providers for satellite, terrestrial and technical support. Marshall Communications won the bid for the satellite work and selected AGS.
Sonny Marshall, president and CEO of Marshall, said, "AGS was the hands-down choice for the NASA contract because of its high-quality, reliable SATCOM services. The company has an extensive satellite fleet, in-depth knowledge of the government market and expertise in every aspect of SATCOM networks. A long-time and valued partner of Marshall Communications, AGS has demonstrated that working together we can deliver on what we promise."
