Recently it was asked if AST SpaceMobile, the would-be Direct-to-Cellular satellite business, could beat off competition from Space X’s Starlink and other rivals. It now seems that Verizon, along with AT&T, believes AST can make a very major impact on North American cellular connectivity. Verizon put $100 million into AST’s business and in the process […]
The EU is reportedly looking to “haggle down” the cost of its planned IRIS² mega-constellation of broadband satellites. Reports suggest that the EU Commission looking after the already delayed project wants the end costs to be around €8 billion instead of the current rumoured €12 billion. But tough as this decision is, there are also […]
AST Space Mobile has just one satellite currently in orbit which itself something of a test prototype for a planned global satellite-based ‘direct-to-cellular’ service. AST’s follow-up BlueWalker 3 satellites are expected to be ready for launch in batches of five craft starting in July or August (according to the company) and continuing in batches throughout […]
May 23rd saw Amazon announce that it had reached the ‘final milestone’ with its Project Kuiper prototype satellites, and is deorbiting the two craft. “That mission achieved a 100 per cent success rate and helped us practice safe satellite operations,” says the company. “Now, we’re gradually bring those prototypes down as part of our commitment […]
Europe’s very much-delayed Ariane 6 rocket should enjoy its debut test flight in the first two weeks of July. Good as this news is, it represents yet another delay by about one month. ESA, in its latest update, says that the actual target launch date would be unveiled at the major ILA Berlin Airshow on […]
Elon Musk congratulated his staff and SpaceX technicians on May 20th for topping 3 million Starlink customers in 99 countries. But behind the scenes there could be serious problems ahead for Starlink, and in particular for its ‘direct-to-smartphone’ ambitions. The background focuses on recent transmissions carried out on a UK-registered satellite by SpaceX. The satellite […]
Elon Musk’s Starlink broadband-by-satellite system has now equipped the entire Carnival Corporation cruise fleet of more than 90 ships with its equipment. Carnival operates its ships under its own name and also AIDA Cruises, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises, Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises and Cunard. Carnival Corporation CEO Josh Weinstein said Starlink’s […]
Terran Orbital has released its Q1 numbers, and reported that it has received a major order from Lockheed Martin for “18 space vehicles for the US Space Development Agency” – taking its Q2 portfolio of orders received to beyond $100 million. However, there has been no interim payment during the quarter-year from its major client, […]
Analysts from Quilty Space say that Starlink’s progress is exceeding expectations and will generate a $6.6 billion (€6.1bn) in revenues in 2024. “Back in 2015, when SpaceX and OneWeb announced these mega-constellations, many industry veterans scoffed,” said Chris Quilty, founder of Quilty Space. “They remembered past satellite broadband ventures failing in the 1990s.” Quilty’s failing […]
The long-running litigation between SES and Intelsat over the FCC’s C-band compensation payments, and running since May 2020, is being held in abeyance with the agreement of both parties and Intelsat’s bankruptcy court. A joint motion presented to the court on May 6th said that if the now agreed sale of Intelsat to SES is […]