General Atomics (GA) is an American energy and defense corporation that operates in the space industry through its Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) group. GA-EMS designs, manufactures, and tests innovative space systems, including satellites, optical communication terminals, and space nuclear technologies. They partner with organizations like the U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA) and Radian Aerospace, providing solutions for satellite constellations, space-to-space communication, and advanced aerospace systems.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
General Atomics plans to produce ESPA-class satellites at the Centennial, Colorado facility.
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems opened a spacecraft development, integration, and test factory in Centennial, Colorado on 2020-04-09.
General Atomics adapted the ESPA design to develop its Orbital Test Bed satellite bus.
General Atomics expanded its space business in recent years after acquiring two small satellite manufacturers.
General Atomics acquired the U.S. subsidiary of U.K.-based Surrey Satellite Technology Limited in 2017 in Englewood, Colorado.
General Atomics acquired Alabama-based smallsat manufacturer Miltec in 2016.
Viasat used its RTE network to provide initial communications, control, and telemetry services to General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems’ Orbital Test Bed satellite after its June launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy.
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems’ Orbital Test Bed satellite is a hosted payload low-Earth-orbit spacecraft designed to provide customers affordable access to space to test and qualify various technologies.
Viasat’s Real-Time Earth ground service provided ground station service support to General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems’ Orbital Test Bed satellite after its launch on 2019-06-25.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration used the Hosted Payload Solutions contract vehicle to award General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems a $37,900,000 contract to install the Argos Advanced Data Collection System on an Orbital Test Bed satellite.
For the CLPS program, General Atomics will build the landers based on the ispace design to meet the program requirement that landers be manufactured in the United States.
General Atomics designed the Orbital Test Bed as a modular satellite that can be scaled from a tiny cubesat to a 1,000-kilogram platform.
General Atomics bought the U.S. subsidiary of Surrey Satellite Technology Limited in Englewood, Colorado, in 2017.
General Atomics acquired Miltec, headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, in 2016.
General Atomics pursues hosted payloads as a business model that requires coordinating the needs, schedules, and orbital accommodations of multiple customers.
The companies awarded 2018-09-27 contracts to develop hypersonic weapon system concepts are BAE Systems, Boeing, General Atomics, L3 Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and Draper Laboratories.
The nine firms awarded $1,000,000 study contracts for Space Sensor Layer concept designs are Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics, Maxar Technologies, Draper Laboratories, Leidos, Millennium Space, and Boeing.
General Atomics acquired smallsat developer Miltec in February 2016 and purchased the Colorado factory of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.’s former U.S. subsidiary last November.