Laurent Jaffart, Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications at the European Space Agency (ESA), has spoken encouragingly about the UK participating in the EU’s IRIS2 super-constellation being assembled by the SpaceRISE consortium. Jaffart was questioned on the possibility of the UK participating directly in IRIS2 during the Westminster Forum’s ‘Next steps for UK space policy, […]
Following on from a four-day air-journey on a giant Antonov aircraft ended in being unloaded on October 16th at Chennai airport. The aircraft carried the first of AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird second-generation satellites (FM1). The satellite was then transferred by a simple truck to the Indian ISRO launch site where it will undergo final tests in […]
It probably doesn’t surprise many but the much promised – although much delayed – debut launch flight of Arianespace’s powerful Ariane 64 has again been delayed to 2026. The delay was hinted at during the Paris World Space Business Week in September. Arianespace confirmed the delay last week and declined to give a launch date […]
Novaspace’s 32nd edition of the Satellite Connectivity and Video Market report reveals a significant shift in satellite service economics. Data applications are set to overtake video services by 2033, with their share of total service revenues rising from 21 per cent in 2024 to 55 per cent by 2034. This transformation marks a fundamental rebalancing of the […]
Using Speedtest data, Ookla has taken a look at the early usage of T-Mobile’s T-Satellite service across T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and FirstNet users in the US. Speedtest data highlights the early usage of T-Mobile’s T-Satellite service, which works on most new iOS and Android smartphones released in the past 2-4 years. The service is available […]
Satellite operator ABS has relocated its head office (‘Redomiciliation’) to Dubai. It also has offices in the Philippines and Indonesia as well as Brazil and Virginia, US. The move has been completed with the help of Dubai’s Development Authority (DDA). ABS says the move aligns with its strategy under private ownership and a new management […]
Telesat has purchased a land plot from the City of Timmins (in Ontario, Canada), which will serve as a landing station to connect data from the advanced Telesat low Earth orbiting Lightspeed satellite network to terrestrial Points of Presence and fibre in Northern Ontario. Construction of the satellite antennas and networking equipment will commence in […]
Oman’s Civil Aviation Authority (OCAA) has given the go-ahead for extra space launches from its new Etlaq Spaceport. One launch took place in December last year (NASCOM’s suborbital Duqm-1 rocket). The new facility is also open to foreign direct investment. The OCAA says it can fast-track launch approvals in as little as 45 days and […]
United Airlines has started offering Starlink WiFi and In-Flight connections on some of its Denver-based fleet. United plans to install Starlink on up to 15 of its 737-800 planes each month, with more than half of the United’s regional Embraer fleet already equipped with Starlink. Reports say that United is installing two Starlink antennas on […]
Local reports in South Africa say that Communications Minister Solly Malatsi is poised to give a policy direction which will permit SpaceX’s Starlink broadband-by-satellite system to operate in the country. Malatsi’s move will have to be approved by the nation’s regulator Icasa and will likely to require Starlink to invest in local businesses in order […]