An Arianespace Soyuz rocket successfully placed 36 OneWeb satellites into orbit, and OneWeb says that contact has been made with each satellite and that they are healthy. The launch took place from Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome on April 25th at 23.14 BST. It took almost four hours to dispense the satellites in nine batches. The success […]
The news that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is now publicly committing to using the United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) giant Atlas 5 rocket was no great surprise. However, his decision allows a noticeably clear opportunity for a ‘contrast and compare’ between the Bezos-backed Project Kuiper and arch-rival Elon Musk’s Starlink scheme. The two rivals are also […]
Jeff Bezos has contracted nine rocket launches with the United Launch Alliance (ULA) to launch his initial Project Kuiper low Earth orbiting (LEO) broadband-by-satellite craft. The contract means that for the time being he is not depending on his own Blue Origin rocket system. “We’re determined to make affordable broadband a reality for customers and […]
The demand for broadband connectivity over both fixed and mobile broadband networks is increasing dramatically. However, despite network expansions and upgrades, only half of households worldwide currently have access to fixed broadband services. With the rollout of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations, satellite broadband services will improve broadband penetration significantly. Global tech market advisory firm […]
Ottawa-based Telesat is reportedly “racing” to launch its 298-craft Low Earth orbiting satellite platform. Even though Telesat is some two years behind Elon Musk’s Starlink, the Canadian company’s CEO, Dan Goldberg says Telesat’s Lightspeed LEO system will be the company’s “Holy Grail” and deliver a “sustainable competitive advantage in global broadband delivery”. Telesat is certainly […]
OneWeb has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kazakh government, along with what the satellite operator describes as “local partners”. The agreement is with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry: national satellite operator Republican Centre of Space Communications JSC, National Company Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary and Ghalam LLP, described as a spacecraft […]
Specialist satellite consulting and research firm Euroconsult forecasts further growth in the global supply and demand of government, commercial and academic satellites weighing up to 500 kg. The latest update of the Prospects for the Small Satellite Market report, now in its seventh edition, builds upon Euroconsult’s previous iteration that accurately predicted more than 1,000 […]
Saudi Arabia’s telecom regular, the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), says satellite technology is now emerging alongside fibre, microwave, WiFi and cellular as an exciting innovation and growing in mainstream availability. CITC has just held a webinar following on from its recent White Paper (Spectrum outlook for commercial and innovative use) which seeks to […]
South Korea, home of electronics giants Samsung and LG, also wants to join the low Earth orbiting satellite club. Hanwha Systems, part of the Hanwha conglomerate (and originally founded as Korea Explosives Co) but now better known as a financial services-to-retail business and very much with Aerospace in its sights, says it wants to develop […]
The US Space Force has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to the world’s emerging Low Earth orbiting (LEO) satellite operators (and would-be operators) for guidance on how the Space Force might buy broadband LEO services in the future. The Space Force’s Commercial Satellite Communications Office, acts as a centralised operation which acquires satellite-based communications […]