North American pay-radio operator SiriusXM has ordered two powerful geostationary satellites to be built by Maxar Technologies. The new craft (SXM-11 and SXM-12) now join two other satellites (SXM-9 and 10) already under construction by Maxar. SXM-9 and 10 were ordered in 2021. SXM-11 and 12 will launch around 2026-27. The new craft will have […]
Rocket company Arianespace has received orders for five launches from the European Commission (EC). The orders come from the EC’s Director General for Defence, Industry & Space. The French group said it will launch five Sentinel satellites between 2024 and 2026 for the Copernicus programme to provide Europe with reliable access to earth observation data. […]
Vivacom, part of the United Group network, and OneWeb have announced the development of a dedicated Satellite Network Portal (SNP), or ground station, for OneWeb in Bulgaria. The facility will expand communications services and increase access for EU territories to OneWeb’s constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites. This will increase system resilience and improve broadband coverage […]
The EU has demanded that Eutelsat and SES curtail their carriage of Russian channels. But the demands, which affect Eutelsat more than SES, are extremely tough to resolve. Almost all broadcasters have taken down RT, the former Russia Today, following on from decisions by the likes of the UK’s media regulator Ofcom. Eutelsat has also […]
Construction of the SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland, where the UK’s first vertical rocket launches will take place next year, is ahead of schedule. History was made earlier in November when the first concrete base for a launch stool at the Lamba Ness site in Unst was completed. Rocket stage testing is expected to begin there […]
France has agreed with other major European nations and is the prime supporter in cash terms for the EU’s request for extra funding for the proposed European Union’s medium Earth orbiting satellite broadband system. France will pay “up to €300 million” for the broadband system although the commitment is somewhat dependent on which consortium wins […]
Thirty-nine members of the European parliament have written to the EU’s top legal officials demanding that Europe’s two giant satellite operators immediately take down Russian-backed channels from their portfolios of broadcasts. Various EU officials have already complained about Eutelsat’s carriage of Russian channels. Eutelsat has said it wants to be politically neutral and in addition […]
French, German and Italian officials have agreed that their governments will help support the EU’s proposed IRIS² broadband low Earth orbiting satellite mega-constellation. The agreements came on November 22nd at the start of a Ministerial meeting to examine EU and European Space Agency (ESA) projects and future financing. France, Germany and Italy said public funding […]
SpaceX managed to avoid a major threat from Floridian weather in order to launch Eutelsat’s 10B satellite from Cape Canaveral late at night on November 22nd. A Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket carrying the satellite lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 9:57 PM EST. […]
EchoStar has announced an amended agreement with Maxar Technologies for production of the EchoStar XXIV satellite, also known as JUPITER 3. The satellite, designed for EchoStar’s Hughes Network Systems division, is under production at Maxar’s facility in Palo Alto, CA. The amended agreement compensates EchoStar for past production delays by providing relief on future payments and […]