Microsat Systems Awarded Aviation Week Product Breakthrough Award for its Tacsat-2 Satellite
LITTLETON, COLORADO - MicroSat Systems, Inc. (MSI) has been recognized by Aviation Week and Space Technology Magazine as the Small Company Product Breakthrough Award Winner for the TacSat-2 Satellite. This award is given by Aviation Week to spotlight and acclaim excellence and innovation, with a special emphasis on small-tier and developmental/startup companies. In awarding the prize to MicroSat, the judges at Aviation Week cited the viability of TacSat-2, particularly in light of the current military theater needs, and lauded the attempt to revitalize the small satellite industry. "This award validates MicroSat System's disruptive innovation approach to the small satellite market is being recognized by the aerospace community," said John Roth, President of MSI. "MicroSat continues to identify methods to spring board the Tacsat-2 experience into other exciting opportunities." The TacSat-2 program was the first flight demonstration program under the Operationally Responsive Space initiative and featured 11 onboard experiments. Sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the successful December 16, 2006, launch of TacSat-2 was MicroSat System's inaugural mission and demonstrated the ability to provide a high performance small satellite for a very competitive price with a challenging schedule. MicroSat designed, built, and environmentally qualified the satellite bus with a 59% payload mass fraction and delivered the basic bus structure to AFRL in 12 months. MSI also built the primary solar arrays and the experimental thin-film solar arrays. The award will be presented at the Aviation Week and Space Technologies Aerospace and Defense Programs to Watch Conference in Phoenix on October 29, 2007. Todd Mosher, Director of MSIs Advanced Programs will be accepting the award. "This is an incredible recognition for a company like MSI to receive," said Mosher. "It helps to further build MicroSats reputation as a major player in the small satellite industry."
