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AST SpaceMobile: Testing of demo sat’s 64m2 phased array is going well, but we’ll likely delay March launch
PARIS — AST SpaceMobile, a startup designing a constellation of satellites to provide broadband links directly to unmodified smartphones, will likely use a Dec. 1 deadline to inform SpaceX that AST’s BlueWalker-3 demonstration satellite will not be ready for its scheduled March launch, AST said. AST Chief Executive Abel Avellan said the satellite, carrying a…
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Germany’s DLR: Terabit-satellite era will need to move to optical feeder links to ease bottlenecks
BREMEN, Germany — The German Aerospace Center, DLR, which is the source of recent commercial satellite laser communications successes by Tesat and Mynaric of Germany, is working on a new-generation cubesat laser terminal that combines the 1U form factor of its smallest terminal, if slightly larger, with a capacity to provide inter-satellite links. DLR and…
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Upside down opportunity: OneWeb satellite failure sharpens focus for Astroscale dead-satellite-removal service
UPDATE Nov. 25: Astsroscale Holdings announces $109-million Series F round, with investors including Seraphim Space Investment Trust, DNCA Invest & AXA Life Insurance. Total funding now $300 million. Astroscale CEO Nobu Okada said funds will “make on-orbit servicing routine by 2030.” BREMEN, Germany — Startup orbital debris-removal service provider Astroscale Holdings Inc.’s planned 2024 mission…
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Kepler Communications, through Germany, registers 114,852-satellite S-band LEO constellation at ITU
BREMEN, Germany — Canada-based Kepler Communications has registered with international regulators a constellation of 114,582 S-band satellites in 1,152 different orbits between 200 and 1,000 kilometers in altitude. The constellation, called Aether-C, is part of Kepler’s ambitious plan to offer orbital connectivity services to other satellite operators. A separate constellation, called Aether-K, is comprised of…
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An aero/maritime connectivity provider with its own constellation? Anuvu describes its LEO/GEO future
UPDATE DEC. 1: Anuvu secured $50 million in new capital to finance its constellation of small GEO-orbit satellites and other growth initiatives, and its board approved an equity issue for the constellation’s expansion beyond the two satellites currently on order. BREMEN, Germany — For an aero- and maritime-connectivity provider to build its own satellite constellation…
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OneWeb satellite fails in orbit at 1,200 km, company vows to de-orbit it per French, UK rules
PARIS — One of the 358 OneWeb broadband satellites has failed in its operating orbit of 1,200 kilometers and the company has committed to working with startup debris-removal companies, including Astroscale, to de-orbit it in keeping with French and UK space regulations. The failure of the satellite, apparently launched in early 2020, has been ascribed…
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BlackSky reduces 2021 revenue forecast, citing customer component shortages that are slowing contract ramp-up
PARIS — Geospatial imagery and data analytics provider BlackSky Technology Inc. reduced its expected 2021 revenue for the second time since February, citing component-supply constraints among some of its customers that have delayed revenue to BlackSky. The company, which completed a SPAC-enabled stock-market introduction with Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp., grossing $283 million, said 2021 revenue…
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MDA Corp says it’s on track for 50% revenue increase in 2022; Telesat Lightspeed project delay means schedule is unclear
PARIS — Canadian space hardware manufacturer MDA Corp. reported big increases in revenue, profit and backlog for the nine months ending Sept. 30, in line with what forecasted before last April’s stock-market introduction, and said 2022 revenue looks set to increase by 50-60%. In a Nov. 12 investor call, MDA Chief Executive Mike Greenley declined…
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Astra Space: We won’t let our LEO constellation development distract us from our launch business
PARIS — Startup small-satellite launch service provider Astra Space Inc. told investors not to worry that the company could be overextended by developing a constellation of V-band communications satellites even as it ramps its rocket launch rate to once a week by 2023. California-based Astra is one of several companies that filed for V-band constellations…
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EMEA Satellite Operator Assn., ESOA, asks national regulators to force LEO fleets into debris-mitigation compliance
PARIS — The EMEA Satellite Operators Assn., ESOA, is asking national regulators to force operators in low Earth orbit to equip their satellites with on-board propulsion to maneuver if they operate above 400 kilometers. The proposal is embedded in ESOA’s new position paper, “Space Sustainability: The Time to Act is Now,” which is heavy with…
