AST SpaceMobile has confirmed that each of their five BlueBird satellites launched by SpaceX in September have successfully unfurled their massive solar and transmission arrays. Each satellite carries 64 sq metres of array. AST is building follow-on satellites which are even larger in size and has ambitions to become a global connectivity supplier of satellite-to-cellular […]
The problems caused by the loss of Intelsat’s i33e craft on October 19th, which has now been declared a total loss, has highlighted the problems with other dangerous space junk. A report from Quartz says that there are now about 3,000 dead satellites littered across space, and some 34,000 piece of large space junk and […]
A research note from analysts at Bank of America says that Amazon could invest $16 billion (€14.8bn) to get its Project Kuiper satellite system up and running, with most of that going in rocket launch costs. Those launches, which were due to start during this fourth-quarter of 2024, will not now start until later in […]
Eight spaceports in six countries have signed a joint MoU to work together to address issues in the development and operation of their facilities. The signing took place on the sidelines of the International Astronautical Congress held last week in Milan. “This partnership demonstrates our collective commitment to underscore the importance of spaceports, supporting their […]
Mexico’s América Móvil is the seventh-largest mobile telco in the world in terms of subscribers with activity in Colombia, Peru, Eastern Europe, and Argentina. At its Q3 results statement on October 17th it said it is also exploring partnerships for satellite connectivity, including agreements with Starlink and AST SpaceMobile, to enhance service in rural areas. […]
A report from analysts at Quilty Space says that SpaceX has filed with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and requesting permission to modify Starlink’s architecture and establish what it calls SpaceX V3. The filing refers to SpaceX’s plans for a 30,000-satellite constellation (specifically, 29,988 satellites), of which the FCC has already authorised an initial […]
History was made the moment the SpaceX ‘mechazilla’ mechanical arms grabbed the returning Super Heavy Starship booster. Even Elon Musk hadn’t wholly expected this level of success for his rocket programme. The Starship’s upper stage continued on its orbital flight to a soft splashdown in the Indian Ocean and sufficiently on target for the landing […]
Up until now it is Elon Musk’s SpaceX that has added snappy names to its floating landing vessels. Musk’s fleet is named ‘Just Read the Instructions’, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ and ‘Of Course I Still Love You’. Now The Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin rocket business is getting into the act. For example, Blue Origin’s New […]
Analysts at investment business Sanford C Bernstein are less than optimistic about Jeff Bezos and Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband-by-satellite scheme. The launch dates for some of the first batches of satellites have slipped from Q4 this year to Q1 2025, but there’s more negative opinion now emerging. Sanford analyst Mark Shmulik has previously been overall […]
It seems, despite much confusion and the departure of Thierry Breton, the EC Commissioner with oversight of the scheme, a Plan B contract for the IRIS2 (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) highly secure mega-constellation could be signed by the end of this year. The reformed and much stripped-down consortium (comprising SES, Eutelsat […]