It has been determined that the space particle that hit the SpainSat-NG II satellite struck it in a vital area, meaning that it cannot perform its mission as planned. Hisdesat, the government-focused division of Hispasat, has already given the go-ahead to build the SpainSat-NG III satellite to replace it. The 6,000 kgs satellite is likely […]
Russia’s Roscosmos space agency has repeated its promise to launch around 300 broadband satellites by 2027, and that local manufacturers will supply 200,000 user terminals this year. However, observers say that with Russia’s aging Soyuz rockets are only able to carry about 15 satellites per rocket launch, consequently it would take 20 launches to carry […]
AST SpaceMobile’s next BlueBird satellite (#7/FM2) launch will be aboard a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket. There had been speculation that a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket would be used, but it seems that SpaceX will be used for a slightly later Q1 flight and launch in February. The New Glenn launch date will be “no […]
Satellite operator SES already serves dozens of airlines and thousands of aircraft with its solution for in-flight Wi-Fi and broadband. The company has seen a slew of airlines switching from SES (and rival geostationary operators Viasat and Eutelsat) to Starlink. SES says these airlines are risking their in-flight service by selecting Starlink and its ‘all […]
Eutelsat has ordered “multiple launches” from MaiaSpace to deploy a portion of the 440 new OneWeb satellites. Launches are scheduled from late 2027 to 2029. MaiaSpace was founded in 2022 as a wholly owned subsidiary of ArianeGroup. The company is developing a two-stage, partially reusable launch vehicle called Maia, designed to deliver up to 4,000 […]
Ireland-based Ryanair has firmly declined adding in-flight WiFi from SpaceX’s Starlink. The low-cost airline argues that adding the exterior antenna to its aircrafts’ fuselage adds extra drag to the aircraft’s efficiency and thus costs more in fuel. “You need to put antenna on fuselage [and[ it comes with a 2 per cent fuel penalty because […]
The spectrum regulator in Liechtenstein has granted key high-priority Ka-band radio frequencies to UK-based Open Cosmos. It means that Rivada Space Networks is denied avccess to the spectrum. Hubert Büchel, Minister of Home Affairs, Economy and Sport of Liechtenstein, commented: “This decision underscores Liechtenstein’s commitment to making use of the frequencies allocated to us. We […]
Airbus UpNext, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Airbus, has launched a new demonstrator called Airbus UpNext SpaceRAN (Space Radio Access Network). Its mission is to enable standardised global connectivity by exploring advanced 5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) capabilities. This demonstrator aims to explore the 5G NTN, a versatile connectivity technology compatible with all types of business applications. […]
South African–born Elon Musk has worked hard over the past few months in attempts to gain permission to launch SpaceX’s Starlink broadband–by–satellite service in South Africa. But far from nearing those permissions, there are signs that he still has a mountain to climb. Local reports say that political party Rise Mzansi’s leader, Songezo Zibi, and […]
The Lufthansa group of airlines will start installing Starlink in–flight broadband kit this year across its complete fleet.The group, which also includes Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Swiss, said the new Starlink service would start being installed on the first of its 850 aircraft later this year. Lufthansa says that the in–flight WiFi service […]