Finnish startup ReOrbit secured its first GEO order to build a communications satellite for Malaysian energy and tech company Uzma Berhad, in a development the company hopes will open the door to further GEO business.  The satellite is based on ReOrbit’s flagship GEO platform, which recently passed an internal system design review. Smaller than traditional...

Astranis, Axient, L3Harris Technologies, and Sierra Space are to submit design concepts for the Resilient Global Positioning System (R-GPS) to U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) to launch up to eight R-GPS satellites by 2028, the command said on Tuesday. “Following this initial phase, a subset of the awardees will continue to a Final Design Review and build...

PARIS — SpaceX’s Starshield now looms large over the Earth observation (EO) market as industry players look to grow revenues in a market that has not always lived up to the potential and hype.  SpaceX announced plans for its Starshield business line in late 2022, including building EO satellites to support national security efforts. Then...

PARIS — International Space Command leaders are pushing for more cooperation in space as the domain becomes more contested. Speaking at the Space Defense and Security Summit this week in Paris, Maj. Gen. Philippe Adam, Space Commander, French Space Command, hailed French efforts here, building up the French Space Command over the last five years....

PARIS — After years of delays, new launch vehicles are finally coming online in 2024 with the first flights of United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket and the Ariane 6. Blue Origin is set to launch its inaugural New Glenn vehicle later this year, adding another layer of intrigue and competition to the market. Europe...

PARIS — The direct-to-device (D2D) market has been the subject of excitement and hype in the satellite industry in the past few years, with the promise of expanding satellite’s market share and offering connectivity to phones and devices everywhere.  It’s early days for this market, as Apple was an early-mover in offering the service to customers....

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—The Space Development Agency (SDA) continues to advance the communications capabilities of its first batch of satellites on orbit as part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), demonstrating sustained linkage between two satellites for more than a day at a time, the agency’s top official said on Monday. Two weeks ago, the...

PARIS — The satellite industry is undergoing massive change as many of the largest satellite operators consolidate to deal with competition from SpaceX’s Starlink constellation.  During the operator panel in Paris at World Space Business Week on Sept. 16, Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg described the current environment as a “quantum period of change” unlike anything...

PARIS — In an address at the World Space Business Week (WSBW) event in Paris, European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher told attendees that the ESA Directorate for Commercialization he launched in 2021 has now signed 47 individual agreements with venture capitalists worth 460 million euros ($511.8 million). According to Aschbacher, who established the...

United Airlines tapped Starlink as its in-flight connectivity (IFC) provider, announcing a deal on Friday to equip the airline’s entire fleet with Starlink and offer the service to passengers for free.  United said this deal covers all aircraft, both mainline and regional, which is more than 1,000 planes. Installation will take place over the next...

Japanese startup Synspective has had a busy summer as the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) company ramps up its constellation deployment. In June, Synspective announced a $44 million Series C round, and it became Rocket Lab’s largest launch customer to date, purchasing a block of 10 launches. Last month, Synspective saw the launch of its fifth...

Neo Space Group (NSG) is a new player in the space industry in the Middle East, looking to champion Saudi Arabia’s space industry. Backed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Neo Space Group has ambitions to bring the benefits of the latest satellite technology throughout Saudi Arabia. In this week’s Thursday Morning Conversation, Neo Space...