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By involving NATO, Luxembourg facilitates other nations’ purchase of SES O3b mPower satcom capacity, starting with US
UPDATE June 15: The Luxembourg Parliament approved the government’s proposed purchase of 195 million euros ($201 million) in capacity on SES’s O3b mPower Ka-band satellite constellation as part of a program that will bring NATO and the U.S. Space Force into the mPower customer base. PARIS — The Luxembourg government’s decision to purchase 195 million…
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Globalstar: MDA/Rocket Lab on track for 2025 launch of Apple-paid satellites, partner coming for use of non-Apple capacity
PARIS— Mobile satellite hardware and service provider Globalstar Inc. increased revenue by 19% in 2022, with Apple a major contributor, and expects a 39.7% increase in 2023 as its Apple agreement moves forward and its core non-Apple-related satellite IoT business grows. Globalstar’s reinforced constellation, with 17 satellites to be provided by a team led by…
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Thales: Satellite orders in 2022 will fuel 8% revenue increase in 2023, 2024; no mention of Telesat Lightspeed
PARIS — Thales Group’s space division reported flat revenue in 2022 but booked multiple satellite orders to assure an 8% average growth in revenue in 2023 and 2024, the company said. Thales’s 67%-owned Thales Alenia Space satellite and space hardware manufacturer bore the brunt of the effects of the immediate cessation of business in Russia…
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Russia’s satellite operators assess how to achieve the self-sufficiency imposed by sanctions
PARIS — Russia’s largest satellite fleet operator said the company’s plans to use bandwidth from non-Russian satellite constellations will need to be scrapped as western sanctions force Russia “to rely on domestic satellites only,” and that Russian satellite builders similarly lose access to non-Russian satellite payloads. Alexey Volin, general director of Russian Satellite Communications Co.…
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Unio consortium prepares bids on EU Iris2 constellation even as it plans its own; financing, spectrum issues remain
PARIS — The consternation of mainly German startups, plus satellite fleet operator SES, designing a constellation of satellites for B2B and government communications has faced schedule delays but has hired a new CEO and plans to bid for work on the European Commission’s Iris2 network. Unio Enterprise now says its demonstration satellite, initially scheduled for…
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Yahsat CEO: LEO broadband business model still unproven, we’re looking at L-band direct to device, IoT, Earth observation
PARIS — Fixed and mobile satellite fleet operator Yahsat said it will not make an early investment in a LEO-orbit constellation of data satellites, except a possible low-cost IoT play and a direct-to-device venture, until it is satisfied that constellations are sound businesses. Sitting comfortably on a business with the stablest of customers — the…
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ESA, Arianespace ID cause & corrective action for December Vega-C failure; resolving industrial disputes will be harder
PARIS — The second-stage carbon-composite nozzle component purchased in Ukraine that caused the Dec. 20 failure of Europe’s Vega-C rocket had passed specification testing that was not designed to discover the subtle defects that allowed it to erode during flight, an independent commission concluded. The component, called a nozzle throat insert, had been cleared for…
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Rivada contracts for 12 SpaceX Falcon 9 launches for its first 300 satellites; ITU to decide issue this month
PARIS — Startup B2B satellite broadband constellation operator Rivada Space Networks of Germany has signed a firm contract with SpaceX to launch 300 500-kilogram satellites into low Earth orbit aboard 12 Falcon 9 rockets between April 2025 and June 2026. Rivada officials had said for months that they had few launch options given that the…
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Lessons from Virgin Orbit suggest smallsat startups should avoid UK spaceports until regulations are streamlined
PARIS — Startup companies should think twice before putting their payloads on early launches of UK-based rockets — not because of the chance of failure, but because the UK regulatory regime needs time to streamline its processes before it’s ready for the demands of the commercial market. That was one conclusion coming out of a…
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Aero Connectivity Looks to Leap Ahead
In-flight connectivity has been in a holding pattern of sorts, but a convergence of factors is primed to take it to new heights. Constellations spoke with John Peterson, Executive Director of Aviation at Iridium about the technological and economic changes that are overcoming some of the unique challenges of in-air connectivity to help drive the…
