Advanced Television

Inside Satellite

Chris Forrester

Chris Forrester is one of the most experienced and highly regarded journalists in the field. His insight and analysis, particularly in the satellite and pay-TV arena, is highly prized. He has written for all the major business journals in the sector as well as several national newspapers.

Bank: AST SpaceMobile will orbit 356 satellites by 2030

A report from the investment arm of Deutsche Bank says that would-be global cellular connectivity operator AST SpaceMobile is expected to have 356 satellites orbiting the planet by the end of this decade. It currently has six in orbit. The bank says there will be at least 45 launches this year, with annual launches increasing […]

February 18, 2026

SpaceX launches 600th rocket

A week ago, Europe’s Arianespace launched its first rocket for 2026 as part of an expected cadence of around six flights this year. Meanwhile, on Valentine’s Day, SpaceX launched its 600th Falcon 9 rocket from its West Coast launch site at Vandenburg Space Force Base and took a batch of 24 Starlink satellites onto their […]

February 17, 2026

Starlink: 10m customers and counting

Starlink is connecting more than 10 million ‘active customers’ with high-speed internet across 160 countries, territories and many other markets. “Thank you to all our customers around the world,” said a message from the company’s president and COO Gwynne Shotwell. Starlink was also licensed to operate in Vietnam, it was announced on February 14th. Vietnam’s […]

February 16, 2026

SES predicts end of ‘big’ Geo satellites

SES of Luxembourg is the world’s largest operator of geostationary (Geo) satellites. Geo craft operate at 35,786 kms above the Equator. Buying Intelsat and its Geo fleet means that it has around 100 Geo craft in its overall portfolio. Dr. Bryan Benedict, Senior Director of Innovation at SES Space & Defence, speaking at the SmallSat […]

February 13, 2026

Amazon Leo gets approval for 4,504 extra satellites

The Amazon Leo satellite constellation, which is already permitted to launch more than 4,000 satellites into low Earth orbit (and is due to see 32 launched in addition to its existing roster on February 12th) has received Federal Communications Commission (FCC) permisssion to expand its fleet. The FCC move is for Amazon Leo’s ‘second generation’ […]

February 11, 2026

SpaceX gets a portion of India

India has yet to issue a full national operational licence to SpaceX but the regional state of Gujarat has signed a letter of intent with SpaceX for Starlink to expand its coverage in the region (which is in the extreme north-West of India). Gujarat authorities said the agreement aims to improve digital connectivity in rural […]

February 11, 2026

TerreStar wants to build LEO network

TerreStar has enjoyed – and suffered – a somewhat chequered history. Formerly known as Motient Corp and American Mobile Satellite, it declared bankruptcy back in 2010. XM Satellite Radio (now incorporated into SiriusXM) was a spin-off from TerreStar. The chair of the now Montreal-based business says that to compete with American giants, it intends to […]

February 9, 2026

Musk: “No Starlink phone”

The past few weeks have seen story after story appear and claiming that Elon Musk is developing a smart phone to rival that of Apple’s iPhone. Musk has effectively shut down the rumours by bluntly declaring:  “We are not developing a phone”. However, the rumours look set to carry on. February 6th saw a Phone […]

February 8, 2026

Russia accused of eavesdropping on satellites

Russian space vehicles, not for the first time, have approached European satellites and intercepted their communications, officials believe. The risks to Europe’s military and government communications are serious. Recently two satellites have passed dangerously close to some of Europe’s most important geostationary satellites, the FT reported, and lingered nearby for weeks and potentially collecting data […]

February 6, 2026

FCC welcomes Musk’s 1m satellite plan

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued its Public Notice inviting comments from interested parties on the proposed 1 million satellite scheme by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The FCC comment from Chairman Brendan Carr which said he “welcomed” the proposal and now seeks comment on the SpaceX application. “The proposed system would serve as a first […]

February 5, 2026