Investment business Seraphim Space says that AST SpaceMobile has surged to a $10 billion (€9.05bn) market cap, making it the second highest–valued space company in the world, trailing only SpaceX. AST, a direct competitor to Starlink, launched its prototype BlueWalker 3 ‘cell tower’ satellite in 2022 and successfully tested its 5G direct–to–cell capability in 2023. […]
Between 1999 and 2014 satellites were regularly launched from by Sea Launch, initially a joint–venture between the US, Norway, Russia and Ukraine. Sea Launch placed satellites into orbit for EchoStar, DirecTV, XM Radio and PanAmSat amongst others. The company, however, went bankrupt in 2009. There is now a new contender supplying ocean–based launch activity. China’s […]
Elon Musk, in a Tweet on X, says he will “blast away the dead [cellular] zones,” helped by a launch on August 31st which added 26 Starlink satellites suitable for handling calls direct–to–cellular (DTC). The latest batch takes the number of DTC satellites to 168, with another launch likely later this week. However, waiting in […]
Analysts at investment company B. Riley have upped their share price guidance for would–be satellite 5G cellular operator AST SpaceMobile to $36 (from $26). The rating is the latest in a series of banks and investment houses which have boosted their advice to clients regarding AST. B. Riley held a symposium last week where AST’s […]
Deutsche Bank has trimmed its share price target slightly from €3.10 to €3 and says it is concerned by continued delays with OneWeb and in particular with repercussions following Eutelsat’s merger with low Earth satellite operator OneWeb. The bank maintains its ‘SELL’ advice to clients. The bank says it believes that the satellite operator’s growth […]
India’s giant telcos, each of which has invested in broadband–by–satellite operations, are increasingly frustrated with the bureaucratic delays which are holding back them launching services. According to Deloitte, India’s satellite broadband service market is expected to reach $1.9 billion (€1.7bn) by 2030, growing 36 per cent per year over the next five years. India’s telcos […]
NSLComm, an Israel-based company, has asked the FCC for permission to launch its BeetleSat system and to access the US. The scheme calls for 344 small Ka-band satellites in total. The 344 will comprise 264 orbiting at 720 kms and 80 at 810 kms. The satellites are small, weighing just 9 kgs and each capable […]
It seems a bit unkind to refer to players in their 40s, 60s and 70s as nepo babies but, as they say in Hollywood: “whatever”. Is it just a coincidence that a third nepo has joined the fray – the never-ending fray – over who will win control of Paramount? Edgar Bronfman Jr – scion […]
AST SpaceMobile has enjoyed a spectacular rise in its share price over the past few days as enthusiasm for its target satellite–to–cellular service despite only having one test satellite in orbit. However, and despite much criticism, SpaceX’s Starlink might well steal AST’s thunder with its own satellite–based connectivity for smartphones. Starlink is basing a portion […]
Struggling satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital is being bought – some say rescued – by aerospace giant Lockheed Martin (L-M) in a deal worth around $450 million. L-M is paying $0.25 per share for Terran and will pay off Terran’s debts. The end result will be a new company that is 100 percent owned by L-M. […]