The Nome Nugget

Contracts Awarded For Developing Space-Age Radio Communications

WASHINGTON. (AP) Government contracts were awarded Friday night for the development of a space-age system of military radio communications.

The plan calls for use of artificial satellites orbiting around the poles as relay stations. They would provide instantaneous and interference-proof radio signals for relay to any part of the world.

The proposed system, for which the Defense Department announced two development contracts, is based on successful experiments made last winter with the "talking satellite" called Score.

The satellite, boosted into polar orbit by an Atlas missile, relayed back to earth voice messages sent out to it, including a Christmas greeting from President Eisenhower.

The new program bears the designation "Notus," from a Latin word and the Pentagon said that Notus "will provide reliable two-way instantaneous communications" which will be tied into an over-all global communications network.

One obvious use for such a system would be the far-ranging bomber fleet of the Strategic Air Command, to provide swift and jam-proof communications between planes and headquarters.

The Philadelphia missile and space division of General Electric Co. was awarded a 5½ million dollar contract to start development of the satellite vehicle.

The Ann Arbor, Mich. division of Bendix Aviation Corp. was assigned an 8½ million dollar contract to start work in development of the communication sub-system.