Comsat Wins $100-Million Satellite Contract

Comsat Corp. won a $100-million contract from the Federal Aviation Administration to provide satellite services for new airline navigation technology. The company’s Comsat Mobile Communications unit will provide services for the satellite-based navigation system known as the Wide Area Augmentation System as well as the FAA’s National Satellite Test Bed. The WAAS system is designed to better manage the country’s air traffic. The contract includes leases for communications links on two of the Bethesda, Md.-based company’s satellites, which have relay devices that would be available in time to complete WAAS by 1998.