Finance

SpaceX has postponed its Falcon 9 launch originally scheduled for early Tuesday morning, citing high winds. In a tweet, the company said it was working toward the next available launch opportunity, expected to be Thursday, March 16, at 1:35 a.m. EDT. Standing down due to high winds; working toward next available launch opportunity. — SpaceX...

Throughout SATELLITE 2017, a major point heralded by speakers was the need to cooperate to ensure the satellite industry’s survival in the coming years. In that respect, Tuesday’s closing general session, which featured an international gamut of satellite CEOs, had a much different feel. Though cordial, the tension on stage was palpable as the speakers...

The launch market is entering an unprecedented era of diversity. This was one of the main conclusions of the highly anticipated launchers panel Wednesday afternoon at SATELLITE 2017. Executives from all the major launch providers all seemed to agree that smaller satellites will become more popular as demand for connectivity ramps up. SmallSat Market Explosion Immediately,...

The Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) named the first annual Rising Five, the five NewSpace companies in the satellite industry that have made the most substantial progress over the past year. The 2017 Rising Five are Kymeta, OneWeb, Planet, Spire Global and Virgin Galactic. “The Rising Five represent the society’s assessment of the progress...

Blue Origin CEO and founder Jeff Bezos stunned SATELLITE 2017 before the Opening General Session by bringing Eutelsat CEO Rodolphe Belmer on stage to announce Eutelsat as the first customer of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket set to debut in 2020. “We think that the role of an industry leader is to stimulate competition so...

Kymeta plans to tackle both the issues of limited coverage and capacity in the mobile space with its long-awaited mTenna product line, which the company intends to release this coming May. Nathan Kundtz, chief executive officer of Kymeta, also told Via Satellite that the company plans to go one step further by partnering with Intelsat...

International Launch Services (ILS) announces the availability of a 5 meter diameter Payload Fairing (PLF) for use with both the Proton Breeze M and Proton Medium launch systems for commercial launch services beginning in first quarter of 2020. The 5 meter PLF addresses the increased volume of today’s larger satellites required to satisfy High-Throughput Satellite...

Virgin Galactic has announced that its family of space companies now numbers three. Virgin Galactic will continue to provide commercial human spaceflight services and The Spaceship Company will continue to offer design, manufacturing and testing services to build vehicles for Virgin Galactic. But its small satellite LauncherOne team will become a new company: Virgin Orbit, led by President Dan...

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket carrying a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) lifted off from Space Launch Complex-3 March 1. Designated NROL-79, the mission is in support of national defense. This mission was launched aboard an Atlas 5 Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) 401 configuration vehicle, which includes a 4-meter-diameter...

Aerojet Rocketdyne announced that recently acquired Coleman Aerospace unveiled its new Space Coast Integration and Test Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The U.S. Air Force previously used the new facility’s location for rocket processing. The Air Force Space Command’s 45th Space Wing made the facility available to Space Florida to sublease to a...