China sets launch date for new satellite

China will launch a new satellite for television broadcasting, mobile communications and other services in late October, a Xinhua News Agency report said.

According to America`s Network, the report, quoting Sun Laiyan, administrator of the China National Space Administration, said the Xinnuo 2 satellite was given the green light to leave the factory after passing final checks by the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence.

A Long March 3B carrier rocket to be used to launch the satellite also passed final checks, the report said.

The European Commission has opened a public consultation on the use of surveillance technology in civil society.

At the initiative`s heart is the desire to work with industry to create more and better surveillance systems that it can use to monitor the public in order to prevent terrorist attacks, reports The Register.

The EC Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security said in a statement it would publish a green paper, inviting consultation on "what role the union could play in order to foster detection technologies in the service of the security of its citizens".

LaBarge has received a $5.5 million contract from Northrop Grumman`s Electronic Systems sector to continue to produce an electronic chassis used in the fire control radar system of the F-16 fighter aircraft, says dBusinessNews.

LaBarge began producing the wired chassis for Northrop Grumman in 2003. The Northrop Grumman AN/APG-68 fire control radar provides multiple modes, including long-range, all-aspect detection and tracking, simultaneous multiple target tracking and high-resolution ground mapping. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the F-16 aircraft.

LaBarge expects production on the contract, which will be done at its Huntsville, Arkansas, facility, to begin in November 2006 and continue through April 2008.