California-based Viasat, which also owns London-based Inmarsat, says it was one of the victims in the “Salt Typhoon” hack against telecommunications providers. ‘Salt Typhoon’ is believed to be China-backed although China firmly denies involvement. “Viasat and its independent third-party cybersecurity partner investigated a report of unauthorized access through a compromised device. Upon completing a thorough […]
Eutelsat, as expected, will raise €1.35 billion in fresh capital over the next few months. French daily Le Monde summed up the move with its headline, saying: “The French government is stepping in to rescue Eutelsat”. At the end of the cash restructuring process France will hold 29.9 per cent of the operator’s capital, and […]
Eutelsat, as expected, is raising €1.35 billion in fresh capital. The French state is “anchoring” the increase, which will be in place by the end of this year. The extra cash comes by way of a €716 million capital increase which would be subscribed by the French State via the Agence des Participations de l’Etat […]
Madrid-based Hispasat, a member of the SpaceRISE consortium building the IRIS2 fleet of highly secure satellites, is to issue its Request for Proposals (RFP) to the industry. The RFP is expected to include provisions for building ten or more satellites for the project. The ten craft would operate at 400-750 kms altitude. IRIS2’s 264-satellite LEO […]
A supposedly routine static test firing of a SpaceX Starship rocket ended in a gigantic ball of flame in a huge explosion at Elon Musk’s Starbase facility in South Texas. In a statement, SpaceX said the rocket suffered “a major anomaly” while on a test stand at Starbase. “A safety clear area around the site […]
Satellite operator SES has raised two €500 million bonds. SES, as is usual in these cases, says it shall apply the net proceeds of the Notes towards its general corporate purposes, including, without limitation (i) financing all or part of the purchase price of the acquisition of Intelsat Holdings (including the payment of fees, costs […]
AST SpaceMobile (AST), which is planning a global satellite broadband system and already has extensive links with Vodafone, has formally confirmed a partnership with Vodafone Idea (Vi). The collaboration will bring D2D satellite broadband connectivity to India, supporting Digital India’s vision of universal mobile access, said AST. India is one of the world’s largest and […]
The European Space Agency (ESA) has a scheme to build and launch a series of satellites capable of capturing extremely high-resolution imaging satellites to be used for European Union military and government uses. The main problem, which emerged at a session held at the Paris Air Show, is the cost of the scheme. Europe’s ESA […]
MaiaSpace is owned by Arianespace, but is generally seen as an alternate to the giant rocket business. Founded in April 2022, it is being backed as the primary supplier for small-to-midsize rockets. The company used the Paris Air Show to announce plans for a new factory which is backed by the French Defence Ministry. French […]
Eutelsat’s newly appointed CEO, Jean-François Fallacher, speaking at the Paris Air Show, firmly denied that the satellite operator was in financial difficulties. “Let me correct a misimpression: Eutelsat does not have financial difficulties: No. Eutelsat has a need for financing. There’s a difference,” Fallacher asserted. “We need financing to develop the constellation and continue our […]