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Global Eagle says its recovery is on track, asks prospective IFC customers to look at Southwest Airlines for reference
LOGAN, Utah — Given the state of the highly competitive in-flight-connectivity (IFC) business, Global Eagle Entertainment Chief Executive Joshua B. Marks saw a need to say this to investors: “I want to be clear that our [IFC] business makes money. Our IFC droves gross margin that covers its...
Geospatial services provider Urthecast’s new CEO plans cost-cutting reorganization
SOUTHAMPTON, New York — Geospatial imagery services provider Urthecast asked investors for more patience as the company’s new chief executive develops a plan to move Urthecast away from the financial cliff edge it has been on for over a year. In his first major move since arriving at Urthecast in...
Gogo: N. American passenger take rate (ex American Airlines) reaches 13%
LOGAN, Utah — Aircraft in-flight-connectivity provider Gogo Inc.’s Business Aviation division reported record revenue and profitability for the three months ending June 30. The larger Commercial Aviation business revenue also increased revenue despite de-installations on American Airlines jets and...
China’s privately financed One Space launch-service provider closes $44M Series B round
SOUTHAMPTON, New York — Chinese launch-service provider One Space, which is building a small-satellite launch vehicle apparently on the strength of private investment, has closed a Series B financing round with 300 million Chinese yuan ($44 million) from five investors. The round, which brings to...
Gilat says board approves a look at satellite broadband M&A opportunities
LOGAN, Utah — Satellite broadband equipment provider Gilat Satellite Networks said it has its board’s approval to use its cash to search for M&A opportunities and so will not be paying a dividend anytime soon. The company reaffirmed its 2018 growth target and said LTE satellite backhaul and...
Should nanosats with propulsion be forced to include encryption? Here’s the “yes” case
LOGAN, Utah — As the debate about whether to force cubesats to carry propulsion continues, a counterargument is emerging that urges zero propulsion on small satellites unless their communications channels are encrypted. The reason: An unencrypted signal could be hijacked, possibly allowing pirates...
Canon reports COTS optical smallsat constellation flight-demo results
LOGAN, Utah — Japanese digital-imaging giant Canon is planning a constellation of more than 100 remote-sensing satellites utilizing commercial DSLR and electro-optical system technology to achieve sub-meter ground resolution and ultra-high-definition video streaming from low Earth orbit. Led...
OHB reports double-digit revenue, EBITDA growth, starts winding down Ariane 5
LOGAN, Utah— Satellite and rocket-hardware builder OHB SE has begun looking at M&A opportunities, including services companies, as it positions itself for a possible drop in revenue from its Ariane rocket-component business and seeks to maintain its growth. Bremen, Germany-based OHB would...
In smallsat licensing proposal, FCC gets an earful from small and large satellite operators
LOGAN, Utah — A U.S. regulatory proposal that would require smallsat operators seeking streamlined licensing to include propulsion on their satellites if they orbit above 400 kilometers appears to be the most hotly contested issue in the FCC’s proposed rulemaking. Another issue provoking strong...
For cubesat specialist ISIS, SigInt is ‘a mission cubesats are made for’
LOGAN, Utah – Constellations of tiny cubesats may be better-suited to electronics intelligence missions than larger, more costly spacecraft, but technological and regulatory hurdles remain before an operational capability can be fielded. For decades the business, scientific and military...
Count ’em: 101 new commercial smallsat-dedicated launch vehicles in development
LOGAN, Utah — An annual survey of dedicated small-satellite launch vehicles has found 101 of them in some form of design or development, with at least 34 having demonstrated more than just a PowerPoint slide. The survey, performed since 2015 by Carlos Niederstrasser of Northrop Grumman, makes no...
