SpaceX’s Starlink broadband by satellite service is now connecting more than 200,000 customers and counting across Australia, says the Elon Musk-owned business. The news prompted a slew of comments on X from India, where potential subscribers are waiting for the service to be granted permission to operate. Starlink’s numbers – as at December 31st 2023 […]
Boca Raton-based Terran Orbital says it has been awarded a $15.2 million (€13.9m) contract to supply its Ambassador Class satellite platforms complete with solar arrays and support equipment to the US Air Force Research Laboratory AFRL. The contract, managed through Axient Corp, will integrate payloads onto these space vehicle platforms to support specific US Space […]
SpaceX has announced that the third test flight of its Starship giant ‘Super Heavy’ rocket, subject to the usual weather considerations, will happen on March 14th. Recent days have seen various final tests and rehearsals take place at the Boca Chica launch site and the FAA and other national agencies (for wildlife and environmental impact) […]
Thaicom Public Company Limited (Thaicom), an Asian satellite and space tech company, has announced the selection of Astranis, a satellite manufacturer and operator, to provide THAICOM-9, the newest addition to Thaicom’s fleet of high-throughput satellites at 119.5 degrees East. Thaicom’s subsidiary, Space Tech Innovation Limited (STI) and Astranis have signed an agreement for an Astranis […]
Satellite builder Terran Orbital has adopted a so-called ‘poison pill’ share reconstruction in its defence of a buy-out by its existing major shareholder Lockheed Martin (L-M). Officially, it is a limited period stockholder rights plan. The company stated: “An independent committee of the Board will review and evaluate the Lockheed Proposal as part of the […]
Eutelsat’s latest satellite has appeared in the list of craft due for launch by SpaceX. The satellite will launch towards the end of March. The launch is something of a surprise and has not formally been announced by Eutelsat. Eutelsat 36D is based on Airbus’ Eurostar-Neo satellite bus, and weighs approximately 5,000kg. It will be […]
Eutelsat’s OneWeb division will start connecting aircraft with its in-Flight Connectivity (IFC) in September. OneWeb’s low Earth orbiting satellites will be supplying broadband direct-to-seat services to a number of airlines. The news came from Dermot Cahalan, OneWeb’s Aviation Market Development Director, Europe, who was speaking at APEX (the Airline Passenger Experience Association) Tech conference in […]
SpaceX broke a batch of records on the March 3rd-4th weekend. In a 20-hour period it launched the Dragon ‘Crew-8’ group of astronauts to the International Space Station. It also launched a large batch of 53 scientific satellites on its latest Transporter mission, and placed another group of 23 of its own Starlink satellites into […]
UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has granted Munich-based Rivada Space Networks a licence for a non-geostationary earth station network. The licence covers Rivada’s planned Low Earth orbiting satellite network, which Rivada calls its ‘Outer Net’ system. Ofcom said: “Rivada is proposing to provide government communications, maritime and aviation connectivity, enterprise networking, and backhaul services for telecommunications […]
Swiss-owned MSC Cruises has completed equipping two-thirds of its fleet with Starlink onboard terminals. MSC says the whole fleet will be equipped with Starlink by May this year. The low earth orbit solution is currently providing faster internet speeds, improved wi-fi in cabins and public spaces, reduced latency levels and lower operational costs for 15 […]