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 […]
Es’hailSat, Qatar Satellite Company, has announced that Viasat Energy Services, a business unit of Viasat, has added satellite capacity on Es’hail-1 satellite located at the 25.5⁰ East hotspot and will use this capacity to provide VSAT services across Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Viasat Energy Services empowers industrial companies to unlock the full […]
EchoStar, the communications and connectivity provider, has selected MDA Space as the prime contractor for EchoStar’s new non-terrestrial network (NTN) low Earth orbit (LEO) direct-to-device (D2D) satellite constellation. The initial contract, valued at approximately $1.3 billion (€1.1bn) includes the design, manufacturing and testing of the first tranche of over 100 software-defined MDA AURORA D2D satellites. The […]
Satellite technology is emerging as a critical complementary solution to terrestrial networks, enhancing coverage and resilience, according to an Omdia research report titled Satellite IoT Market Landscape – 2025. The report indicates that technological advancements, standardisation efforts, and decreasing costs are creating new opportunities for service providers in consumer, enterprise, and IoT markets. Satellite broadband and […]
California-based satellite operator Viasat wanted to extend a deadline to Ka-band frequencies it holds at 28 degrees West. The frequencies, held by Viasat, were obtained via the Norwegian regulator. However, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has declined Norway’s extension request submitted on behalf of Viasat. The original plan was to place Viasat’s GX7 satellite into […]