ST Engineering iDirect’s EU Satcom Centre of Excellence, ST Engineering iDirect Europe, located in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, which specialises in the development of ground segment technology and equipment for the EU, is leading a consortium of leading satellite industry players to develop the European Protected Waveform (EPW) for the European Defence Fund (EDF). The aim is […]
SpaceX delivered a textbook launch of Hispasat’s Amazonas Nexus in the early hours of February 7th (at 03.32 GMT). The satellite, weighing some 4500 kgs, will serve Hispasat’s Americas clients. The satellite also carries an additional element to serve the US Space Agency in the form of a “high-bandwidth protected communications transponder” as part of […]
Elon Musk’s team of engineers at SpaceX are maintaining an impressive launch cadence. On January 31st they successfully launched 49 Starlink satellites which, says Musk, will mostly help provide connectivity over higher latitudes. On February 2nd the team in Florida will launch 53 more Starlinks. The February 2nd launch (officially Launch 5-3) will deliver 53 […]
Thales Alenia Space has been awarded the lead contract to develop quantum technology-based satellites and their ground links. The development will mean much-improved cybersecurity benefits. Thales and its consortium members are looking to build satellites and matching optical ground stations by the end of 2026 to demonstrate the planned long-distance quantum satellite connectivity. The project […]
Eutelsat has decommissioned its 5WA satellite. The craft, designed for a 15-year mission, actually lasted more than 20 years. Launched in 2002, it has now been repositioned to a high ‘graveyard’ orbit some 400 kms higher than the usual geostationary arc which is the normal position for giant communications satellites. Eutelsat described the long lifetime […]
Built by Thales-Alenia Space, Hispasat’s Amazonas Nexus satellite is ready at Cape Canaveral for launch. The satellite left Nice Airport on the Cote d’Azur having been delivered from Thales’ facility at Cannes. SpaceX will be handling the launch currently scheduled for February 1st. Amazonas Nexus is a 4500 kgs satellite and the launch will place […]
Indonesia’s important 150 Gb/s broadband satellite, Satria-1, is already late in being delivered from its manufacturers with delays caused by component shortages from Covid-related problems. The craft was due for launch in March 2022, then March 2023 which will be missed. Now, Indonesia is asking the ITU in Geneva to permit a delay of its […]
Thales Alenia Space has praised the European Space Agency (ESA) and its $16.9 billion (€15.9bn) – up 17 per cent – budget for the next three years. Against this backdrop, Thales Alenia Space, the joint company between Thales (67 per cent) and Leonardo (33 per cent) said it would be building on 2022’s success where […]
Ottawa-based satellite operator Telesat, which is planning a low Earth orbiting constellation called Lightspeed, and says it has signed with Liquid Intelligent Technologies for a strategic cooperation agreement for Telesat’s Lightspeed services in Africa. Liquid Intelligent Technologies is part of Cassava Technologies, a pan-African fibre network group. As part of the agreement, the companies will […]
Dataxis has published its latest report on the Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) civil communications market. After years of significant growth, the decline in traditional video activity in the most developed countries is being sustained, resulting in a limited but steady decline in the turnover of FSS operators. The outlook for the future is equally becoming […]