The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued its Public Notice inviting comments from interested parties on the proposed 1 million satellite scheme by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The FCC comment from Chairman Brendan Carr which said he “welcomed” the proposal and now seeks comment on the SpaceX application. “The proposed system would serve as a first […]
Intelsat, now owned by Luxembourg–based SES, is looking to take control of an old Eutelsat satellite. The craft, known as Eutelsat 50 WA was launched on December 20th 2008 and is licensed by France. The satellite was recently relocated from its orbital slot at 12.5 degrees West to 50.3 West. Intelsat is asking the FCC […]
SpaceX has filed an ambitious application with the FCC to launch and orbit 1 million new satellites. The filing was dated January 30th. The new fleet, if approved, would orbit at between 500 and 2,000 kms altitude and be spaced 50 kms apart from one another. Each satellite would be equipped with laser links for […]
The FCC has suggested selling off as much as 180 MHz of satellite upper C-band spectrum in its upcoming auction. However, satellite operator SES, which now controls the bulk of the spectrum likely to be auctioned, is appealing to the FCC to keep the auction to no more than 160 MHz. “Clearing the maximum 180 […]
AST SpaceMobile, which is just a few weeks away from launching its seventh satellite (BlueBird FM2) into orbit on a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket, has issued a statement saying that it is currently producing approximately six satellites per month from its Midland, Texas facilities. However, AST’s ambitions are considerable. It has previousely stated that […]
January 9th saw the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approve a batch of major requests from SpaceX to increase the size of the Starlink broadband-by-satellite fleet. The decision is notable in that the FCC has wasted no time in coming to its decision, and the benefits to SpaceX are considerable. The FCC said that it has […]
SpaceX currently dominates satellite activity with over 9,000 satellites in orbit and ambitions to deliver ‘Direct-to-Consumer’ telephony. AST SpaceMobile has just six satellites in orbit but has dozens of major telcos signed up to its Direct-to-Consumer cellular plan and this year will have 45-60 satellites in orbit. SpaceX, on January 6th, has written to the […]
As the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) considers next steps on the transition to ATSC 3.0 television broadcasting in the US, Pearl TV has announced the NEXTGEN TV Converter Box Programme, an industry-led effort focused on ensuring that over-the-air TV households have an affordable and user-friendly way to access NEXTGEN TV services while continuing to rely […]
The FCC’s Space Bureau has opened a consultation period into a SpaceX modified application to launch 15,000 satellites into a Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO). According to the FCC’s Public Notice DA 25-1018 (released December 5th) the Space Bureau confirmed the application meets the baseline technical requirements for consideration. This procedural milestone triggers a 30-day […]
Denver-based satellite operator EchoStar has told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that it had no intention of selling off its valuable spectrum, but said it did so due to uncertainty fuelled by the FCC’s investigation into its usage. EchoStar sold spectrum to AT&T and SpaceX. The FCC filing confirmed a meeting between EchoStar founder and […]