A planned launch from Vandenburg Space Force Base of 21 Starlink satellites on February 15th 2024 will contain the first batch of Elon Musk’s ‘direct to cell’ craft. Six of the 21 satellites are described as “trailblazers” and are equipped to handle direct to device communications including cellphones. The remining 15 craft are conventional Version […]

SpaceX is looking to raise more than a half-billion dollars in fresh equity by selling so-called ‘insider shares’ priced at about $95 per share, according to a Bloomberg report. If successful, the tender offer would result in a valuation for SpaceX of some $175 billion (€162.4bn). This move underscores SpaceX’s growing prominence in the commercial […]

Communication permissions for Elon Musk’s third test flight of the SpaceX Starship has been issued by the FCC. The communications licence covers a period from December 1st to January 6th 2024. The formal communications licence was issued to SpaceX on November 28th, but is not permission to actually launch. Those final permissions will come from […]

Elon Musk made a high-profile and controversial visit to Israel on November 27th, meeting Bibi Netanyahu and touring some of the war-affected areas. Musk’s visit also saw Israel’s Ministry of Communications confirm an agreement on Starlink operations over Israel – and potentially including the Gaza region providing the Ministry gives its specific approval for coverage. […]

SpaceX plans to sell new shares in December to investors, according to reports. Elon Musk raised around $750 million (€686.9m) in July this year for SpaceX. SpaceX is a closely held business and is expected to issue a tender offer which values the company at about $1.5 billion. The cash raised in July gave the […]

Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke, in an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP), has said that Eutelsat OneWeb intends to form a viable competitor to Elon Musk’s Starlink and provide superfast internet and broadband from space. She told AFP: “We have a lot of customers who want us to get there quickly. They tell us they took […]

The United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint-venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin (L-M), is up for sale. The rocket builder now has potential bidders emerging. The three names currently being reported on include a private equity business, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin rocket company and an unnamed aerospace firm which is said to be well-capitalised. The […]

SpaceX could launch its second test flight of its Starship rocket on Novembr 17th. However, the rocket company says that it is still – as at November 13th – awaiting formal permission to come from the Federal Aviation Administration and other regulatory agencies. Elon Musk, in a Tweet/X on Novembr 14th said: “Was just informed […]

A combination of commercial launches with its Falcon 9 rocket plus the growing subscription income from its Starlink broadband-by-satellite service will propel SpaceX to sales in 2024 of around $15 billion (€14.07bn) according to a report from Bloomberg. SpaceX’s rocket and broadband business is forecasted achieve sales this year of some $9 billion. The report […]

Elon Musk’s broadband-by-satellite system, Starlink, has achieved “cash-flow breakeven” according to a company statement. There are more than 5,000 Starlink satellites in orbit. Privately held, it is valued at some $150 billion (€140.9bn). While the claim is useful and anticipates the next ‘reveal’ of Starlinks global subscriber base (likely to be around 2.5 million ‘active […]