Satellite operator Viasat, in a letter to the FCC, says there is growing evidence of the need to perform an environmental review before approving SpaceX’s Starlink application to launch another 30,000 low Earth orbiting satellites. Viasat’s Jarrett Taubman (VP/deputy chief of Government Affairs), in his letter, claims that SpaceX should not be allowed to expand […]
Inmarsat has warned that space is getting increasingly crowded with “dangerous levels of space debris from satellite constellations planned by Elon Musk’s Starlink, Amazon, Chinese operators and others”. Inmarsat CEO Rajeev Suri welcomed innovation in satellite constellations in low Earth orbit but added that there should be better industry and regulatory co-ordination as they are […]
California-based Viasat, in a formal proxy filing to Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), says it will soon be calling a special meeting of stockholders to approve its planned purchase of London-based Inmarsat for $3.95 billion (€3.75bn) comprising $850 million in cash, plus 46.36 million shares of Viasat common stock. Viasat started its acquisition process on […]
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which grants and regulates spectrum and frequency usage for satellite operators, has cautioned US-based Viasat that the clock is running on its plan to use Israeli frequencies for one of its planned satellites. The ITU had approved Viasat’s use of the 13.8 degrees East orbital slot, and its Ka-band frequencies, […]
NASA has selected London-based satellite operator Inmarsat as a delivery partner for its Communications Services Project (CSP). Under the Funded Space Act Agreement (FSAA), NASA will partner with Inmarsat to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of providing commercial satellite communications (satcom) capabilities as a service for future spacecraft users in near-Earth orbit. Inmarsat’s government division […]
The images of a destroyed Antonov aircraft (registered number An-225), and one of the planet’s very largest aircraft, went around the world showing it destroyed in a hanger at an airfield near Kyiv. Its loss will have an immediate impact on the delivery of some urgently needed satellites. AN-225, dubbed Mriya (Dream) was blown to […]
ViaSat is currently testing its next satellite – its first ViaSat-3 craft, and part of a three-satellite geostationary broadband constellation. It is due to launch later this summer and should supply 1TB/second of throughput. It will launch on a SpaceX rocket. ViaSat is also in the process of acquiring Inmarsat and ViaSat’s executive chairman, Mark […]
London-based Inmarsat, itself in the process of being acquired by Viasat of California, turned a 2020 loss of $182.9 million (€166.4m) into a profit for last year of $17.7 million. The profit might seem modest but coming out of the Covid pandemic with many of its core client connectivity services being badly hit, it is […]
California-based Viasat’s chairman Mark Dankberg, speaking at the Washington Satellite 2022, told delegates that the satellite industry should expect more attempts to compromise networks. Viasat’s European KA-SAT was hit by a deliberate cyber-attack on February 24th. “There will be worse cyber attacks than that if we’re not really vigilant,” Dankberg warned. He said that Viasat […]
Monterosa has raised £3.5m (€4.2m) of growth capital to accelerate development of its real-time engagement (RTE) platform and drive the company’s expansion into new global markets. The funding was led by 24Haymarket and included existing investor ACF Investors, plus a trio of new investors including Jeremy Darroch, former CEO and Executive Chair at Sky, Chris […]