Advanced Television

spacex

More satellites from O3b in 2022

SES is just a few weeks away from launching its next – and significantly more powerful – batch of O3b satellites. SES is anticipating the launch of three new satellites in Q1 to join the existing O3b fleet of Medium Earth orbiting (MEO) craft. The second batch of another three will launch in Q2. These […]

January 11, 2022

SpaceX: 145,000 Starlink users

Elon Musk’s Starlink broadband by satellite system already has some 145,000 users and has been adding customers at a rate of about 11,000 per month, according to CNBC. That customer base is spread over 25 countries, said the broadcaster. However, new additions have slowed in recent months and by only 5000 from early November. CNBC […]

January 10, 2022By Chris Forrester

SpaceX adds another 49 Starlinks

January 6th saw Elon Musk’s SpaceX launch an extra 49 satellites into his broadband fleet and the first launch of 2022 for the business. The launch, from the Kennedy Space Center at 16.49pm ET, went flawlessly – as did the landing of the rocket’s booster some nine minutes after launch. Falcon 9’s first stage booster […]

January 7, 2022By Chris Forrester

India: Starlink must refund deposits

Elon Musk’s Starlink broadband by satellite service is to return deposits paid by would-be subscribers in India. The satellite operator has been directed by India’s Department of Telecom (DoT) to refund these pre-order deposits until such time as the company is permitted to operate in India. At the moment, while it has applied for an […]

January 5, 2022By Chris Forrester

SpaceX plans Jan 6 Starlink launch

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is planning to launch a batch of Starlink satellites this week. The launch, subject to the usual weather considerations, is scheduled for 16:49 EST (21.49 GMT), with a backup time available at 18:47 EST (23.47 GMT) on January 6th. The SpaceX mission, officially dubbed Starlink 4-5 is looking to place the batch […]

January 4, 2022By Chris Forrester

FAA delays Starship environmental review

Elon Musk is preparing his giant Starship at its Boca Chica, south Texas launch site, but an expected approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is not now expected before the end of February. There have been more than 18,000 comments filed into the FAA in regard to its draft comments on the launch of […]

January 4, 2022By Chris Forrester

Starlink speeds under pressure?

Data from internet speedtest provider Ookla show a decline of around 100 Mb/s over the past quarter for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband by satellite system. Ookla says that during Q2 this year the median download speed for Starlink users was 97.23 Mb/s. During Q3 the median speed had dropped to 87.25 Mb/s. Ookla’s head of content, […]

December 22, 2021

Starlink: 1880 satellites in orbit

December 18th saw two SpaceX launches; the first, from California saw the successful launch of an additional 52 Starlink satellites from the Vandenberg Airforce Base, meaning that Elon Musk’s broadband constellation now has some 1880 satellites in orbit, and mostly working. The second, from SpaceX’s traditional launch site in Florida, saw the successful placing of […]

December 20, 2021By Chris Forrester

Musk changes launch targets for Starlink

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is scheduled to launch 52 of its Starlink craft into circular orbits today (December 17th). This is an unusual move from Musk’s team but is designed to fill gaps in the constellation’s existing coverage. The launch will take place from SpaceX’s facility at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California (at 09.26 […]

December 17, 2021By Chris Forrester

Report: Decline in turnover of FSS operators

Dataxis has published its latest report on the Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) civil communications market. After years of significant growth, the decline in traditional video activity in the most developed countries is being sustained, resulting in a limited but steady decline in the turnover of FSS operators. The outlook for the future is equally becoming […]

December 15, 2021