Advanced Television

spacex

Starlink vs AST SpaceMobile: Tortoise or Hare?

SpaceX’s Starlink has managed to launch 349 of its Direct-To-Cellular (D2C) satellites in less than a year. While this is an admirable achievement the fleet is currently only able to manage simple Text/SMS messages to users in remote areas. The 349 launched craft represent some 90 per cent of the target constellation. The first Starlink […]

December 12, 2024

SpaceX raising $1.25bn in new shares

SpaceX’s Tender Offer is for $1.25 billion (€1.19bn) of new shares and is priced at $185 per share. It values the rocket-to-broadband company at about $350 billion, according to Bloomberg Business. The Tender Offer is open to ‘Accredited Investors; or to existing employees. The share price of $185 is well ahead from the $112 set […]

December 11, 2024By Chris Forrester

SpaceX to offer Tender, business valued at $350bn

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is going ahead with a tender offer that would value the company at around $350 billion (€330.3bn). The news, reported by Bloomberg, has not been confirmed but if accurate the $350 billion is around $95 billion more than rumoured in November. The tender offer is a sale of insider shares and would […]

December 3, 2024By Chris Forrester

SpaceX gains FCC approval for D2C

Direct-to-Smartphone satellite communications have been approved – with some conditions – by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for SpaceX. This permission applies to US consumers using T-Mobile’s services. The approval was granted on November 26th and covers 7,500 of SpaceX’s Second generation Starlink satellites which will operate at lower orbits (Very Low Earth Orbits, VLEO), […]

November 27, 2024By Chris Forrester

Rivada: ‘SpaceX contracts still in place’

It was previously reported that would-be satellite operator Rivada Space Networks might have lost its important launch contracts with SpaceX. That is not the case says Rivada. A Rivada spokesman told Advanced-Television that the SpaceX contract is still valid and in place. “Final launch windows have not been set,” said Brian Carney, SVP/Corporate Communications. Rivada […]

November 21, 2024By Chris Forrester

SpaceX to mount Tender Offer?

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is reportedly set to mount a Tender Offer this December. The plan is to sell existing shares at around $135 (€128m) each. The end result would be to value SpaceX at around $250 billion. A Tender Offer, usually taken up by existing shareholders, means new shares are not issued. Therefore, the move […]

November 18, 2024By Chris Forrester

Rivada loses SpaceX launches

Rivada Spec Networks, already suffering much negative press about missed financial deadlines, is now reported to have lost 12 dedicated launch slots on SpaceX. It is not said whether Rivada has paid ‘deposits’ on the launches when the contracts were signed. If deposits were paid then it is said that they will have been forfeited. […]

November 18, 2024By Chris Forrester

SpaceX Starship to fly 25 launches in 2025

SpaceX’s giant 400 ft tall Starship will make a sixth test flight on November 19th, subject to the usual weather and last-minute technical checks. The fifth flight saw the ‘super heavy’ booster stage captured by a pair of ‘chopsticks’ upon its return to Earth at Elon Musk’s Starbase. The next Starship flight test aims to […]

November 13, 2024

Starlink oversubscribed in Africa

Starlink is pausing its subscriber drive in several African countries because of “soaring demand for its broadband service”. SpaceX says too many users are trying to access the Starlink service in those regions which are currently at network capacity. One local commentator said that Starlink demand has been “skyrocketing”. One source said that Starlink’s network […]

November 7, 2024By Chris Forrester

AST SpaceMobile satellites fully deployed

AST SpaceMobile has confirmed that each of their five BlueBird satellites launched by SpaceX in September have successfully unfurled their massive solar and transmission arrays. Each satellite carries 64 sq metres of array. AST is building follow-on satellites which are even larger in size and has ambitions to become a global connectivity supplier of satellite-to-cellular […]

October 28, 2024