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 […]
Charlie Ergen’s EchoStar share price rocketed 43 per cent on June 13th on news that Donald Trump has intervened with FCC chair Brendan Carr over the dispute between the FCC and EchoStar. June 16th saw EchoStar’s share price (Nasdaq:SATS) finish the day at $25.11 (€21.72). A week ago they were $15.99. In a nutshell, the […]
Despite missiles raining down – and perhaps to ensure connectivity – Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX’s Starlink broadband-by-satellite is now active in Iran. On June 13th, Iran’s communications ministry announced that “temporary restrictions have been imposed on the country’s internet” in response to Israel’s wave of attacks on military and nuclear facilities. The ministry […]
Novaspace, the space consulting and market intelligence firm, has released the 13th edition of its Prospects for Maritime Satellite Communications report, assessing the key trends and developments impacting this rapidly growing market. As the number of vessels using satcom services grows to 125,000 by 2034, reliance on GEO capacity will decrease. Vessels are moving their […]
AST SpaceMobile will pay around $550 million (€474.9m) to Ligado for its L-band spectrum over North America. The news was confirmed late on June 13th. The payment will allow Ligado itself to pay the $535 million it owes to Viasat/Inmarsat. The Viasat payment will then see the end of its objections it has over Ligado’s Chapter […]
The European Space Agency (ESA) is expected to ask its 23 member governments to fund a new constellation of high-resolution satellites and budgeted at some €1.5 billion. This sum is over and above the normal budget requests which will be discussed at the upcoming November 26th-27th meeting between Ministers and ESA, and where ESA’s budget […]