Research Linkup: Miralite Communications Inc., which manufactures...

Research Linkup: Miralite Communications Inc., which manufactures satellite communications equipment and ground station systems, said Thursday that it has established a video conference link between Brown University in Rhode Island and the Russian Academy of Science in Moscow.

Newport Beach-based Miralite provided the electronic equipment for the digital earth stations, while Brown and the academy contributed facilities, including satellite dishes and conference rooms.

The system is now being used by U.S. educational institutions and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to hold video conference meetings with their counterparts in Moscow.

Miralite plans to expand this link by the end of February to carry telephone lines for U.S. corporations doing business in Moscow, said Frederick Fourcher, Miralite’s president.

He said the company will expand this service to other Russian cities later this year.