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New Glenn will challenge SpaceX

January 6th should see the Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin-built New Glenn recoverable rocket make its debut flight. The business received its Commercial Space Transportation Licence from the Federal Aviation Administration on December 27th. The New Glenn rocket had a successful test engine firing and ‘wet’ dress rehearsal on the same day. Blue Origin has several […]

January 2, 2025

Credit agency downgrades Eutelsat

Credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has lowered Eutelsat’s credit ratings. S&P says it expects Eutelsat’s loss-making LEO satellites division (OneWeb) and hefty capital expenditure (capex) needs will result in sustained negative cash flow in the next three to five years. S&P adds that it now considers Eutelsat’s risk profile to be ‘Weak’ (down […]

December 23, 2024

SES hints Dividend uplift

For the past few years satellite operator has kept a very trimmed Dividend for shareholders of an annual €0.50 per annum, for each ‘A’ share held by shareholders. This past year this has been split into two separate €0.25 payments made in October 2014 and with the next due in April 2025. However, this low […]

December 20, 2024

Analyst: Starlink at 5m users

According to analysts at Quilty Space the SpaceX/Starlink ‘broadband-by-satellite’ system has now hit 5 million subscribers/users. “From its debut announcement of 60,000 subscribers in 2021 to hitting 5 million this month, Starlink’s growth trajectory is not only accelerating at a rapid clip — but the timeline of milestones continues to narrow. After reaching its first […]

December 19, 2024

Bank: AST SpaceMobile valued at $53 per share

Analysts at Deutsche Bank have re-examined prospects for would-be global telco ‘space tower’ business AST SpaceMobile (AST) as being worth $53 (€50.51) per share. They recommend clients ‘BUY’ AST. “We currently expect AST will begin broad commercial service in northern Latitudes during 2026. We expect that by 2030, AST will generate nearly $3 billion from […]

December 18, 2024

AI: Devil and Deep Blue Sea

Remember Deep Blue, the IBM computer that beat a Grandmaster at chess? Sometimes seen as the moment Artificial Intelligence entered the public consciousness? These days, it is front and centre in both the tech and the creative industries. Uniquely, you can find protagonists in both who regard it as humankind’s next great step, and those […]

December 17, 2024

Report: AST SpaceMobile has $519m war chest

Texas-based AST SpaceMobile wants to become the world’s ‘tower in space’ for its partner telcos. IT has the first five satellites in orbit, and a report from investment firm Hennessey Focus Fund says that steady cash-raising exercises during the past year has created a war chest of some $519 million (€494.9m) to spend on the […]

December 17, 2024

Starlink vs AST SpaceMobile: Tortoise or Hare?

SpaceX’s Starlink has managed to launch 349 of its Direct-To-Cellular (D2C) satellites in less than a year. While this is an admirable achievement the fleet is currently only able to manage simple Text/SMS messages to users in remote areas. The 349 launched craft represent some 90 per cent of the target constellation. The first Starlink […]

December 12, 2024

Analysts upgrade Eutelsat

By and large, the recent newsflow for Paris-based satellite operator Eutelsat has been negative. But good news came on December 9th from market analysts at financial research specialist CFRA, which has upgraded Eutelsat from ‘Sell’ to ‘Hold’, and issued a price target of €3.50. Eutelsat’s share price closed on December 9th at €3.21, up on […]

December 10, 2024

Scotland loses a Spaceport

Orbex, a main contractor and backer of the Sutherland, Scotland spaceport is moving its activity to rival Scottish launch site at SaxaVord in the Shetland Isles. Orbex says it has suspended construction at Sutherland. SaxaVord said cryptically via X: “SaxaVord Spaceport today welcomes Orbex to its growing stable of clients after the spaceflight company decided […]

December 9, 2024