KinetX

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KinetX, Inc. is a privately held Tempe, Arizona based engineering, technology, software development and business consulting firm specializing in aerospace systems.

Their Space Navigation and Flight Dynamics division provides mission navigation for the MESSENGER vehicle destined for Mercury and the New Horizons ten-year journey to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt.

[edit] Company History

KinetX, Inc. was founded in 1992 by seven veteran engineers who had a new approach to developing software for satellite ground station operations. Shortly afterwards Motorola approached KinetX for assistance in developing and implementing the IRIDIUM® ground system. They later picked-up engineering support and software development for companies like Lockheed, Boeing, Aerojet, Spectrum Astro (now General Dynamics C4 Systems) and TRW.

KinetX main area of expertise is in the areas of satellite systems engineering, ground system software development and space systems operations. The company's founders have more than 150 years of combined experience in these fields.

[edit] IRIDIUM®

The IRIDIUM® project gave this company its start. In early 1993 several members of KinetX began working on the systems engineering for the IRIDIUM command and control system: still the most ambitious and sophisticated satellite control system envisioned and implemented. The IRIDIUM® system consists of 66 (plus spares) satellites in low earth orbit. KinetX' principles expertise, gained while working on a variety of DoD-related research missions, uniquely positioned the team to spearhead the development of this ground system.