The FCC AWS-3 spectrum auction, its first for four years, ended on June 23rd, having raised more than $3.5 billion (€3.08bn) from US cellular operators. The total came from 72 rounds of the auction and the licensing of transmission frequencies in 200 markets. Up to $3.3 billion of the proceeds will be used to reimburse […]
June 22nd saw SpaceX’s share price tumble 16.4 per cent, and an overall fall of 31 per cent since the IPO’s all-time high. This fall represented a $927 billion (€816.5bn) fall over just three days of trading. SpaceX issued a Bond offering on June 22nd which didn’t help market confidence. The Bond is looking to […]
Small satellite specialist Open Cosmos has recently announced a partnership with Infinite Orbits, a European player in in-orbit servicing and Rendezvous & Proximity Operations (RPO). Open Cosmos is now asking the ITU to extend its satellite launch obligations by at least a year. Open Cosmos original deadline of June 10th, which required that the company […]
Chinese commercial satellite operator Shanghai SpaceSail Technologies is seeking to raise as much as 15 billion yuan (€1.94bn) to fund its satellite megaconstellation project. SpaceSail, widely viewed as a leading domestic challenger to Elon Musk’s Starlink network, has launched a new fundraising round to support its ambitious expansion plans. According to a report by Securities […]
The GSMA has launched its new Satellite Regulatory Playbook, a practical guide designed to help policymakers develop clear, consistent and future-ready policy frameworks for the ever evolving satellite connectivity sector. As Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite services expand globally and begin to complement terrestrial mobile and broadband networks, the Playbook provides governments with a structured framework […]
Namibia’s communications regulator has firmly rejected SpaceX’s Starlink presence in the Southern African country. The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) has rejected an appeal made by Starlink saying that the Elon Musk-controlled business has not complied with local ownership requirements. The initial rejection was made in March. “Starlink’s application remained non-compliant with the ownership […]
The Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin rocket business is saying that it will fly its powerful New Glenn variant more than 50 times annually by 2030 and building to more than 120 flights annually by 2035. Currently, Blue Origin is rebuilding its Florida launch pad which was seriously damaged in an explosion on a pre-flight static […]
Thailand’s state-owned National Telecom (NT) should give up its 126 degree East orbital satellite slot, says a local consultancy. The advice is that NT should pass the satellite position to the country’s National Broadcasting & Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). The 126 degrees slot expires in December. Because of financial and operational headwinds, the planned offering of […]
SpaceX has launched its first Starfall mission. The test flight will carry a new cargo return vehicle. The return vehicle is designed to bring materials back to Earth from orbit. Unlike SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon, which primarily returns cargo from the ISS, Starfall is being developed as a dedicated cargo return system that could provide a […]
Moody’s Ratings have issued a Baa1 rating for SpaceX, which is slightly higher than that issued to Tesla (which is Baa3). “SpaceX’s Baa1 issuer rating reflects the company’s exceptional franchise strength as the world’s leading orbital launch provider and operator of the largest low earth orbit satellite broadband network, Starlink. The company benefits from robust […]