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Short-sellers, C-band-payday believers turn Intelsat stock into a spectacle
PARIS — Intelsat shareholders have grown accustomed to G-forces but the past three days have been exceptional as short-sellers and C-band optimists have piled into the stock. With a market capitalization of about $1.1 billion and an an average trading volume of 1.5 million shares since the...
Europeans accuse India of blatant violation of satellite orbital-slot rules
PARIS — Three European governments are alleging that India, seeking to retain an orbital position despite going years without placing a satellite there, is invoking “National Defense” to avoid an investigation by international frequency regulators and the likely loss of the slot. India is using...
French President says Europe needs policy to neutralize SpaceX’s home-market advantage
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on April 17 acknowledged that Europe’s space-launch industry had been “destabilized” by SpaceX and said France is investigating a European policy to neutralize what he said were market biases benefiting the U.S. launch-service provider. Addressing a Town...
Luxembourg parliament OKs $210-million optical satellite reconnaissance program
PARIS — The Luxembourg parliament on April 16 approved a government proposal to launch a high-resolution optical reconnaissance satellite that would have both military and commercial missions. The project, called the National Advanced Optical System (NAOS), includes a single satellite with a...
Russia’s S7 aviation group says it has completed purchase of Sea Launch assets, will restart launches
PARIS — Russia’s S7 Group on April 17 said it it had completed the purchase of the California-based assets of the former Sea Launch commercial-launch company, principally the Sea Launch Commander ship and the floating Odyssey launch platform. Moscow-based S7 said it had received the necessary U.S....
Roscosmos’s Koptev: Sea Launch revival unlikely, Angara to replace Proton by 2021
PARIS — A senior Russian government space official on April 16 said Russia is bound by an environmental agreement with Kazakhstan to phase out the heavy-lift Proton rocket in 2020, a deadline that argues in favor of the long-delayed, expensive Angara replacement. Yuri N. Koptev, a former head of...
Has U.S. satellite export reform worked? Three years on, the answer is: Yes, but…
WASHINGTON — Walk into a commercial space conference and mention ITAR. People still jump. More than three years after the U.S. government removed most commercial satellite technology from the U.S. Munitions List (USML) and gave licensing authority to the U.S. Commerce Department, the International...
For Sky and Space Global, ‘all options’ are being considered to raise cash this year
PARIS — Startup narrowband satellite constellation operator Sky and Space Global Ltd. (SAS) completed a two-part capital raise from institutional and individual shareholders, meeting the company’s goal of 15 million Australian dollars ($11.5 million). But the equity raise is as much an...
Cubesat builder GomSpace: 2017 revenue up, but larger operating loss with hiring binge
PARIS — European cubesat builder GomSpace reported a 78% increase in revenue but lower gross margin and a much wider operating loss in 2017 as it invested in new plant and equipment capacity and more than doubled its employment by the end of the year. The company added subsidiaries in the United...
Interview: Isotropic CEO John Finney
WASHINGTON — With visions of millions of satellite Earth stations for connected vehicles, broadband connectivity and 5G roll-out dancing in its head, the commercial satellite sector is waiting for antenna designers to deliver. Form factor, unit cost at both low- and high-volume production,...
ArianeGroup CEO on Ariane 5 anomaly, government dithering on Ariane 6, and rocket reusability
PARIS — The chief executive of Europe’s ArianeGroup on April 10 addressed lingering questions around the Jan. 25 Ariane 5 rocket-trajectory anomaly and urged European governments to overcome their difficulties to commit to a bulk order of Ariane 6 vehicles by late June. Acknowledging the recent...
