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Inside Satellite

Chris Forrester

Chris Forrester is one of the most experienced and highly regarded journalists in the field. His insight and analysis, particularly in the satellite and pay-TV arena, is highly prized. He has written for all the major business journals in the sector as well as several national newspapers.

UK U-turns on OneWeb for sat nav

The UK government is rethinking its commitment to an independent satellite navigation system. The review could mean that UK will not use OneWeb for its independent satellite navigation system. The UK’s access to the European Space Agency’s Galileo system ends on December 31st with the UK’s exit from the European Union. The British government has […]

September 28, 2020By Chris Forrester

Bank: Covid continues to benefit video games sector

Despite Europeans youths returning to schools, colleges and universities, the new widespread adoption of tighter lockdown rules is likely good news for the video games sector. A report from investment bank Jefferies says: “In demand terms, we believe that surveys support a significant and lasting increase in the market for games. Our global survey of […]

September 25, 2020

Gogo protects shareholder assets – and losses

In-Flight communications and broadband business, Gogo, says its directors have adopted a tax-efficient ‘Rights Plan’ to utilise and take its net operating loss forward. Gogo, which is in the process of selling its Commercial Aviation division to Intelsat for $400 million, says as at December 31st last year it had approximately $580 million of federal […]

September 24, 2020

OneWeb rejects Wyler in bankruptcy action

A Chapter 11 bankruptcy reconstruction allows the affected business to accept or reject some of the contracts and leases that were in place prior to the bankruptcy. OneWeb has delivered to its bankruptcy court a long list of contracts, some it will be happy to respect or amend but others it wants to be rejected. […]

September 23, 2020

OneWeb success not guaranteed

The UK will own about 45 per cent of OneWeb which it will formally buy once the satellite operator emerges from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Bharti of India is the other major investor in OneWeb. However, a meeting of the influential UK parliamentary all-party Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) committee has been held […]

September 21, 2020

8K on track

The world might have seen examples of 8K video had the Tokyo Olympic Games happened on schedule. However, the 8K Association says that UHD development is on track and is echoing the 7-year transition timeframe suggested by Samsung as to when Standard Definition migrated to HD, and the 7-year transition for HD to Full HD, […]

September 18, 2020

Phased Array antennas are satellite’s Holy Grail

The normal buyers of Phased Array satellite antennas are usually the military or public-service operators, or aircraft, train or bus operators. Their budgets can afford the thousands of dollars for a single installation. But if the plans of SpaceX (and rivals OneWeb and Project Kuiper) are to have any mass-market consumer impact, these costs must […]

September 17, 2020

Sea Launch modernisation starts soon

Russian space agency Roscosmos says the modernisation of the Sea Launch rocket platform will start in November. Sea Launch is now based in the Russian Far East and Roscosmos director general Dmitry Rogozin says the reconstruction of the launch platform also meant that other problems including legal issues needed to be solved. Rogozin made his […]

September 16, 2020

Bank: “SES not ready to play”

A major report on satellite operator SES from analysts at investment bank Berenberg is blunt and expresses doubt in the growth of its ‘Mobility’ division which the bank expects to suffer “materially” slower growth in its coming Q4 numbers and not aided by the pandemic hitting some of SES’s major clients (IFE operators Gogo and […]

September 15, 2020

Virgin Orbit looking for more cash?

Virgin Orbit, the satellite launch business headed by Sir Richard Branson, has reportedly hired a couple of investment banks. Normally this suggests the company is looking for strategic investors or perhaps even a sale or merger. According to Space Intel Report (SIR) the Branson company has hired Lion Tree Advisors as well as Perella Weinberg […]

September 14, 2020