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.

Virgin Orbit wants its own satellite constellation

Following the announcement of its merger with a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) in the form of NextGen Acquisition Corp, Virgin Orbit now says it wants its own in-orbit satellite system. Backed by Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Orbit wants to transition from launching small satellites to building its own satellite constellation for Internet-of-Things (IoT) and […]

August 25, 2021

Virgin Orbit uses SPAC to enter NASDAQ

Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit satellite launch system (and not to be confused with his Virgin Galactic passenger tourism venture) is set to go public with a NASDAQ quote. The company says its revenues will grow 100-fold by 2025 to $1.55 billion. Virgin Orbit has merged with one of the increasingly fashionable Special Purpose Acquisitions […]

August 24, 2021

SpaceX carries out 2219 collision avoidance moves

Space is an increasingly crowded place and in the first 6 months of the year (to May 31st) SpaceX says it has had to carry out 2219 collision avoidance manoeuvres for its orbiting Starlink fleet. This aerial ballet of ever-moving satellites comes from data supplied by the US Space Force’s 18th Space Control Squadron. As […]

August 24, 2021By Chris Forrester

Mega-constellations: Merger discussions underway?

SES CEO Steve Collar, SES’s CEO in an interview on the topic of satellite industry merger activity, admitted that he was sure that “everyone’s talking to everyone”. Collar added, in the interview carried by Bloomberg, that because Space is “essentially a fixed-cost industry, so the scale that’s generated from consolidation can be important financially. And […]

August 23, 2021

SES vs Intelsat hearings: Public barred

The August 19th application by Intelsat and SES to have much of their court arguments heard privately was granted by Intelsat’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy Judge. Despite a strong case submitted by the US Trustee, who argued that the two litigants were seeking to close the courthouse door during their submissions and that the public had […]

August 20, 2021By Chris Forrester

SES vs Intelsat: Trustee objects to ‘sealed’ hearings

August 19th is a busy day for Judge Keith Phillips in his bankruptcy court. A morning session has listed eight motions related to the sealing of sessions (that is holding hearings in complete privacy). Other elements to be decided include SES’s application for Summary Judgement in its $1.8 billion claim against Intelsat. However, the United […]

August 19, 2021

Crunch time approaches for SES vs Intelsat

SES and Intelsat have listed their respective witnesses for the upcoming trial between the two litigants over the SES claim for a larger share of the FCC’s incentive payments in regard to their alleged C-band agreement. The action is expected to commence on September 20th. The two parties were obliged to issue their list of […]

August 18, 2021

Spacety Luxembourg signs MoU for space projects

Luxembourg is already well-known for space and satellite activity. As well as being the home for satellite giant SES Astra, it is also the formal domicile for SES’s arch-rival Intelsat (although Intelsat is actually run from Washington, DC). Now Spacety Luxembourg is hoping to emulate its established colleagues. Italy-based T4i and Spacety Luxembourg have signed […]

August 17, 2021

SES, Intelsat want August 19 ‘sealed’ hearing

Both SES and Intelsat are seeking an expedited hearing and court approval for a ‘sealed session’ for an upcoming hearing on August 19th as part of the pair’s litigation in the overall C-band dispute to be heard on a confidential basis. The two litigants stated to Intelsat’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy court: “These [August 19] motions […]

August 13, 2021

Pro7 takes ‘first look’ at John de Mol’s Talpa

ProSieben subsidiary Seven.One Entertainment Grp has signed a ‘first look’ agreement with John de Mol’s content development company Talpa Concepts. The news goes down well with analysts. A report from analysts at investment bank Exane/BNPP suggests that this is positive news for Pro7. “ProSieben thus secures exclusive first access rights to all formats developed or […]

August 12, 2021