Charlie Ergen’s EchoStar is reportedly looking to swap around $4.9 billion (€4.4bn) of debt for new bonds that will be backed by the company’s extensive portfolio of 5G wireless spectrum. The plan was announced after the market closed on January 12th and in essence said that holders of existing convertible debt – already significantly downgraded […]

Josef Ansbacher, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) director general, in its annual press briefing, said it is looking for ideas for missions and system concepts to help us reach our goal of long-term orbital sustainability. The new programme looks forward to 2050 and ESA is upping its budget by 10 per cent this year. However, […]

A new skills training programme to support creatives looking to break into behind-the-camera roles on scripted film and high-end TV productions made in the West of England will launch later this month. It comes after Bristol City Council’s Film Services have secured almost £300,000 (€348k) from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, led by […]

Following on from the granting of permissions by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Scotand’s SaxaVord rocket launch facility has raised an additional £2.25 million in funding and helping to pay contractors who quit the site back in July complaining of unpaid invoices. The CAA permission was crucial and allows SaxaVord to handle 30 launches […]

Texas-based AST SpaceMobile, which says it building the first and only global cellular broadband network in space to operate directly with standard, unmodified mobile devices based on our extensive IP and patent portfolio, has explained how its much-needed financing is shaping up. AST has already launched the massive ‘BlueWalker 3’ satellite. Each satellite comprises flat […]

Anxieties over Germany-based Rivada Space’s ability to pay certain milestone payments to satellite builder Terran Orbital have created serious headaches for Terran. A statement from Terrain on January 2nd said that “Rivada is up to date on invoices” for its order of 300 satellites. The news went down very well on the New York Stock […]

The Federal Communications Commission has reaffirmed the Wireline Bureau’s prior decision to reject the long-form application of Starlink to receive public support through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund programme, based on the applicant’s failure to meet the programme requirements. The programme, which uses scarce universal service funding collected from consumers, sought to expand access to […]

GB News, the right-leaning current affairs broadcaster, is reportedly in talks to raise millions of pounds as it contends with a number of Ofcom investigations and a dwindling number of advertisers. SGB News’ parent company, All Perspectives Limited, is targeting a fundraising worth in the region of £30 million (€35.08m) in the coming months, with […]

A review into how the BBC should be funded in the future has been launched by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, as new action is taken to reduce the impact of price rises on licence fee payers. The review, supported by a panel of independent experts soon to be announced from across the broadcasting sector and […]

Sir Richard Branson says he is not putting any more cash into the Virgin Galactic rocket space tourism venture. He told the FT that his business empire “does not have the deepest pockets” any more and that he had learned an expensive lesson with its Virgin Orbit business which went bust earlier in 2023. Virgin […]