Space Norway, the Northern European satellite operator, has announced the contract for a new geostationary satellite to join its THOR fleet at 1° West. Following the successful finalisation of an agreement with Thales Alenia Space for the design, construction, testing and delivery of THOR 8, the satellite is scheduled for launch in 2027. THOR 8 is designed […]
On February 6th, the Head of Russian Space Agency Roskosmos, Yuri Borisov, was dismissed from his position after just two and a half years years in the post, and the former Deputy Minister of Transport, Dmitry Bakanov, was appointed as the new Director General of the Roskosmos State Corporation, the Kremlin announced. Bakanov was born […]
Kathy Grillo, SVP, public policy & government affairs at US telco Verizon, speaking on reports that the US government wanted to access more C-band spectrum for terrestrial use, said Verizon welcomed the news. “We are now years past the last auction of mid-band spectrum and we are far from where we need to be as […]
Armand Musey, a well-regarded financial and valuation consultant at Summit Ridge Group, speaking on February 5th at the Smallsat Symposium held at Mountain View, California, was blunt in his view of recent mergers involving European satellite operators. He delivered a pessimistic report, saying: “The big, large space companies are entering into a deep, dark desert […]
Satellite operator Thaicom has announced its financial results for 2024. Despite what it describes as “a challenging macroeconomic environment”, the company generated a core profit of Baht 109 million (€3.12m). Nevertheless, the company’s satellite business generated Baht 175 million in core profit excluding non-satellite business and share of loss from the telecommunications business, surpassing normal […]
Ligado Networks is in Chapter 11 restructuring, and is fighting to block attempts from Inmarsat and Viasat to halt its financial rescue and refinancing. Inmarsat, now part of Viasat, is looking to recover its former L-band frequencies and capacity from the restructuring. Inmarsat had previously leased the L-band spectrum to Ligado in 2007 for a […]
Starlux, based in Taipei, Taiwan, has extended its contract with Viasat and launched and enhanced service with Viasat’s high performance in-flight connectivity (IFC) solution, marking an expanded relationship for the airline and Viasat. The phased rollout of Viasat’s high-speed, in-flight Wi-Fi service will span Starlux’s entire active fleet. In total, 48 aircraft, including Airbus A330-900s, […]
While Europe may not represent the largest market for satellite solutions compared to other large landmass regions with lower fibre density and a greater share of the population living in rural areas, low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations have emerged as an important part of the connectivity toolkit in the region. SpaceX’s Starlink has secured a […]
SpaceX currently cannot operate in South Africa despite some apparent enthusiastic support from Cyril Ramaphosa, the nation’s president. SpaceX has formally asked for local telecoms regulator ICASA to modify its requirements. ICASA is to hold consultations starting on February 5th and 6th with interested stakeholders and the public. The filing is by SpaceX Internet Services […]
Eutelsat’s CEO Eva Berneke has made a high-profile visit to Nilesat’s Cairo headquarters. In a joint communique from Eutelsat and Nilesat’s chairman and CEO Sameh Katta, the pair discussed expanding cooperation between the two satellite companies. During the meeting, Katta reaffirmed Nilesat’s dedication to creating strong partnerships with global satellite operators. He emphasised the company’s […]