Russian news agency Interfax reports that the size of Russia’s operating satellite constellation should be increased drastically, but Russian President Vladimir Putin said believes the cost of space launches should decline. “As part of such close cooperation between the state and business, it is necessary to drastically enlarge the composition of the existing Russian satellite […]
A much-delayed but ultimately successful launch by SpaceX of 24 Project Kuiper satellites on August 11th takes the total of Amazon craft launched to 102. This was the fourth launch, but there’s a long way to go. This mission (KF-02) saw the satellites separated from the rocket at an altitude of 289 miles (465 kilometers) […]
The Luxembourg government is to invest $350 million (€298.6m) in its joint-venture GovSat-2 project with SES. The government will also put in place $233 million for a “strategic capacity reserve”. The investments will be made over the next 12 years. The extra “strategic reserve” of €200 million could be used between 2025 and 2040 if […]
AST SpaceMobile (AST), which is planning a global broadband-capable direct-to-device satellite service to ordinary smartphones, supplied some answers to analysts on its Q2 results statement late in the afternoon of August 11th. Top of the list concerned its much-delayed launch of its second-generation FM1 satellite. It will be delivered to the launch site in India […]
The Indian space programme is expanding and its rocket building and launching capabilities are now matching the best from the rest of the world. In a month or two India’s Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will loft AST SpaceMobile’s heavyweight low Earth orbiting FM1 satellites – and which weighs around 6,500kgs – into orbit. Chairman of […]
Charlie Ergen’s EchoStar has signed a $1.3 billion (€1.1bn) initial contract with Canada-based MDA Space to build 100 or so low Earth orbiting ‘MDA Aurora’ satellites for its proposed global Direct-to-Device scheme, addressing a potential “350 million Americans” and “more than 7 billion additional people globally”. EchoStar says the total cost of its initial constellation […]
A new wave of partnerships between telcos and satellite/non-terrestrial network (NTN) players is reshaping the connectivity landscape, but the market remains far from mature, analyst house STL Partners has reported in its satellite tracker report Skywatch. STL Partners’ analysis of 74 announcements since January 2024 reveals a striking trend: only 20 per cent of the […]
The Video Services Forum (VSF) has further enhanced the Reliable Internet Streaming Transport (RIST) protocol by incorporating a new feature, RIST Satellite-Hybrid: In Band Method. This feature can be used to augment satellite distribution, using the Internet as a recovery mechanism for data that is corrupted or lost in the space segment. This is important […]
The Board of Directors of Eutelsat has approved the hiring of Eric Labaye as a Board member and his appointment as Chairman of Eutelsat Communications and Eutelsat SA. He succeeds Dominique D’Hinninwho had announced his decision not to seek the renewal of his mandate on February 14th. Labaye’s appointment is effective immediately. The Board of […]
Thaicom, the Asian satellite operator and space tech company, has announced its financial results for Q2 2025. In the quarter, the company reported revenue from sales and services of Baht 535 million (€14.2m), representing an increase of Baht 35 million or 7 per cent from Baht 500 million in Q1 2025 (QoQ). This growth was […]