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.
In a surprise move, Spain’s Startical j-v of Indra and Spanish air-navigation authority Enaire has returned to Sweden’s small-satellite builder GomSpace to build at least the initial satellites of the planned Startical air-traffic-management constellation. Just over a year ago the GomSpace contract was unexpectedly cancelled. The news propelled a significant uplift to GomSpace’s share price […]
Satellite builder Terran Orbital, already under considerable pressure from the NYSE because of its low share price, issued a statement (on a Form 8-K) to the SEC on December 11th which formally notifies shareholders that it is conducting a “formal strategic review” of its business. Reports suggest that Terran is seeking a buyer or partner […]
Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen is being accused of broadcasting without a licence. The channel is alleged to be transmitting “anti-Semitic and Holocaust denial statements” according to French observers. The influential Denis Diderot Committee has published an ‘alert report’ on Al Mayadeen TV. “This channel, broadcast to the Middle East, North Africa and Europe by two Eutelsat […]
Space Machines Company and Orbit Fab are joining forces to advance on-orbit servicing of satellites. The partnership joins together innovative technologies, most notably the installation of Orbit Fab’s space fiducial alignment markers on Space Machines Company’s Orbital Servicing Vehicle, Optimus. These markers will act like QR Codes in space, allowing Space Machines Company to work […]
Analysts at Quilty Space pose the question of whether Elon Musk’s plans for SpaceX’s all-new Starship giant rocket can achieve scale. For example, after November’s launch of its second-ever Starship vehicle, Musk posted a picture of four more Starships lined up in one stage or another of assembly, and which he described as “the last […]
Starlink is definitely going after the satellite ‘direct-to-device’ (D2D) market and this includes providing a cellular connection service for telephony. Details are still sketchy but what is known is that Starlink has been licensed by the FCC for testing of connections. Starlink is reportedly planning to include connectivity for users from 840 new satellites to […]
Having launched more than 5,000 satellites it is inevitable for SpaceX’s Starlink that some will fail. SpaceX has filed to the FCC its latest report on those failures over the past couple of months and gives the reasons. Starlink reference number 3337 suffered failed software. Remedial action was taken and the software updated but ultimately […]
Amazon’s Project Kuiper mega-constellation has surprisingly ordered three rocket launches from rival SpaceX. It seems the SpaceX launches are needed to ensure that Kuiper meets its ITU obligations to orbit 50 per cent of its 3,236 fleet by July-2026. Coincidentally, the order comes at the same time as a lawsuit from an institutional investor is […]
Munich-based Isar Aerospace, which specialises in small satellite launches, has modified its formal registration from a GmbH (‘Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung’, meaning ‘company with limited liability’) to an ‘SE’ (Societas Europaea) registered business. Rumours suggest the move could be a precursor to a move to an IPO. Isar Aerospace has raised significant funds over the […]
A media delegation from South Korea visited the Thales Alenia Space satellite production facility in Toulouse, France, to examine Koreasat 6A and its payload. The visitors heard that the launch is on schedule for the winter of 2024-2025. The satellite uses Thales Alenia’s flight-proven Spacebus 4000 system, and will replace Koreasat 6 currently in orbit. […]
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