Aerospacelab, a Belgian start-up, has commenced building a factory designed to produce up to 500 satellites annually. The new company, financed in part by national and regional aid, plans to start building satellites weighing from 150 kgs each up to one tonne. It already has eight satellites in orbit, four of which were launched on […]
The Canadian-based Kepler mega-constellation has been working with a pair of prototype ‘pathfinder’ craft operating in low Earth orbit in order to prove its system, and has released data which shows how powerful the concept could be. Mina Mitry, Kepler’s CEO, said it had moved terabytes of data across its pair of demo-craft and extensively […]
VIAVI Solutions has announced the availability of SecurePNT 6200 with SecureTime services, a resilient timing clock solution that delivers the most comprehensive assurance of positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services used in critical infrastructure operations worldwide. SecurePNT and SecureTime build on VIAVI’s proven assured PNT solutions with the addition of the Fugro AtomiChron timing service, […]
SES has announced that O3b mPOWER, its second-generation software-enabled satellite system, is now operational and can provide high-performance connectivity services around the globe. With the first six O3b mPOWER satellites operating at medium Earth orbit (MEO) or 8,000km away from the Earth and with extensive ground infrastructure built around the world, SES will be introducing […]
Swiss-owned MSC Cruises has completed equipping two-thirds of its fleet with Starlink onboard terminals. MSC says the whole fleet will be equipped with Starlink by May this year. The low earth orbit solution is currently providing faster internet speeds, improved wi-fi in cabins and public spaces, reduced latency levels and lower operational costs for 15 […]
For the best part of 20 years, under the tenure of successive CEO’s Romain Bausch, Karim Michel Sabbagh and Steve Collar, the accepted mantra was that SES did not need a Low Earth orbiting (LEO) fleet of satellites. That position might now be very different under new CEO Adel Al-Salah who has been in post […]
Most observers in the industry agree that there are far too many smaller would-be low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite operators chasing broadband delivery and the ‘holy grail’ of direct-to-smartphone business. One consultant, Dr Tim Farrar (of TMF Associates) is blunt in saying “It’s quite plausible that rationality won’t return until the industry is in a […]
Forbes has declared that 2024 will be the ‘Year of Low Earth Orbit satellite services’ and expects the likes of Elon Musk’s Starlink to make significant inroads but with competition from other players. That competition could make the LEO segment a “crowded place”. February will see Mobile World Congress take place in Barcelona where satellite-based […]
Ottawa-based satellite operator Telesat says it is ramping up its investment in its Lightspeed low Earth orbiting fleet and helped by C$2 billion (€1.3bn) of funds coming from Canadian government and provincial sources. Lightspeed, an initial 156-craft fleet and which could be extended by an extra 100 craft, is costed at C$3.5 billion. Telesat says […]
Washington, DC-based satellite operator, Lynk Global, has started what it describes as an “initial” direct-to-device service in the Solomon Islands. The service is in partnership with bmobile, which serves the Islands with a population of about 70,000. The first service will be for SMS and Text messages. bmobile subscribers can use their existing mobile phones […]