Aerospace giant Airbus has hired Goldman Sachs to advise it on forming a European space and satellite company to compete with Elon Musk’s dominant SpaceX, according to Bloomberg News. Discussions are in an early stage to create the company with support from French aerospace company Thales and Italy’s Leonardo. The range of services for the […]
According to a recent Bloomberg broadcast, SpaceX is now valued at about $350 billion (€336.2bn). This value has been suggested to split with the Starlink broadband system representing about 65 per cent of SpaceX’s valuation at $227.5 billion and the rocket launch side of the business accounting for 35 per cent at $122.5 billion. SpaceX […]
SpaceX’s Starlink broadband-by-satellite services has been chosen by airline Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). SpaceX, posting on X, said: “Next-gen Wi-Fi is coming onboard! With SpaceX Starlink, you can enjoy high-speed internet – even over remote areas like the North Pole or Atlantic Ocean. Rolling out fleet-wide in late 2025, and free for EuroBonus members.” SAS said: […]
SpaceX’s Starlink broadband-by-satellite system could soon be legitimately be available to South African residents. Local reports say that the nation, which requires incoming businesses to have a shareholding which includes a 30 per cent ‘black’ ownership (officially Historically Disadvantaged Groups), is close to approving Starlink’s availability. South Africa recently announced that it would introduce new […]
SpaceX lost a Starship on its seventh test flight in a fiery explosion over the Turks & Caicos Islands in the Caribbean. However, the rocket’s booster was successfully captured back at the launch site by the Texas pad’s ‘chopsticks’. Launch was at 5.37pm Texas time on January 16th. SpaceX said: “Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled […]
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is having a hard time getting some of its member states to observe its regulations. Two problems are paramount: The first is the regulation of so-called ‘space debris’ whether dying satellites or collision avoidance obligations. The second concerns the deliberate jamming of certain TV signals which includes the rules governing […]
SpaceX has delayed the attempted launch of its massive Starship to January 15th with anxieties about the weather off the Texas coast. The Jeff Bezos-backed New Glenn rocket (NG-1) planned launch from Florida in the early hours of January 13th was also scrubbed. The delay to Elon Musk’s giant Starship was made because of bad […]
Telstra has announced a new collaboration with SpaceX’s Starlink to bring Satellite-to-Mobile (direct-to-handset) text messaging to customers in Australia. Telstra says the deal will enable them to provide better coverage from coast to coast, especially for those in regional and remote areas. The collaboration will initially focus on testing and refining a Satellite-to-Mobile text messaging […]
US satellite operator Viasat has filed a further objection to SpaceX’s plans to start using some of its satellites for Direct-to-Cellular services. The filing, ‘Petition for Reconsideration regarding SpaceX SCS Order’, was made on December 27th to the FCC. SCS refers to the FCC’s ‘Supplementary Coverage from Space’ guidelines. Amongst other statements, Viasat said: “More […]
United Airlines has announced an accelerated timeline to bring Starlink connectivity to United travellers around the world. The airline now expects to begin testing Starlink this February with the first commercial flight anticipated to take off this spring on a United Embraer E-175 aircraft. United now plans to outfit its entire two-cabin regional fleet by the end […]