SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 17, 2009 - Symmetricom, Inc. (NASDAQ: SYMM), a worldwide leader in precise time and frequency technologies that accelerate the deployment  and enable the management of next generation networks, today announced the company has been awarded a contract from ITT Corporation Space Systems Division valued at a minimum of $4 million, part of the building of GPS IIIA, the next generation Global Positioning System (GPS) Space System program. Under the award, Symmetricom will deliver its Model 9552 Ovenized Quartz Master Oscillators over three years, including developing, qualifying and delivering flight oscillators for the first two space vehicles.
"The Model 9552 oscillator continues Symmetricom's legacy in the GPS program beginning with our cesium clocks for GPS blocks I, II, IIA and IIF," commented Peter Cash, director, Space, Defense & Avionics Group at Symmetricom. "The 9552 is an excellent choice as it delivers the highest levels of reliability and performance available in a space qualified quartz oscillator, including excellent short-term stability, phase noise and aging characteristics under severe environments."
The Model 9552 is a high performance oven-controlled quartz crystal oscillator that produces a highly stable, low noise reference frequency output. It is particularly suited to space applications and can be used as the on-board frequency reference for a satellite or ground station. The oscillator will produce the output frequency for the GPS IIIA Navigation payload by means of steering from the on-board Atomic Frequency Standards.
"Symmetricom's contributions in upgrading the GPS system will have significant impact in helping to increase accuracy and assuring availability for military and civilian users worldwide," commented Russ Bouwense, GPS IIIA subcontracts manager at ITT. "ITT Space Systems and Symmetricom have established an excellent working relationship with a strong emphasis on risk reduction and mission success. We look forward to working together to meet and exceed the customer 's requirements for this and future phases of the program."
The U.S. Air Force announced last May that Lockheed Martin was awarded the contract to build GPS III. Under the $1.4 billion contract, Lockheed Martin along with ITT and General Dynamics will produce the first two GPS IIIA satellites with first launch projected for 2014. The contract also includes options for up to 10 additional spacecraft.
GPS III will improve position, navigation and timing services for military troops and civilian users worldwide with anti-jam capabilities that will yield superior system security, accuracy and reliability. (continued...)
|
Nvidia Auto-Switches Notebook GPU To Save Battery Life
Microsoft Says Battery Woes Not Caused By Windows 7
IBM's New POWER7 Servers Save Energy with Big Loads
Intel Launches Quad-Core Itanium 9300 Series Processor
Google May Add Facebook, Twitter Links to Gmail