Featured Stories

John Deere’s work with SpaceX to equip thousands of agricultural machines with Starlink connectivity lays the groundwork for the future of autonomous farming, John Deere leaders said recently at SATELLITE and in conversation with Via Satellite.  John Deere announced its selection of Starlink in January after a long RFP process that launched in 2022. Deere...

The Defense Department on Tuesday released its first Commercial Space Integration Strategy that outlines priorities for pursuing commercial solutions and describes the national security space mission areas where these capabilities have a role. The strategy is essentially meant to strengthen ongoing efforts within the department to leverage commercially-developed capabilities to meet DoD missions. “I think what this...

We have a special On Orbit episode from SATELLITE 2024 this week, a fireside chat with Impulse Space CEO Tom Mueller. Mueller is considered one of the world’s leading spacecraft propulsion experts. As one of SpaceX‘s founding members, he led the development of propulsion systems for the Falcon 1, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, as well...

In-flight connectivity (IFC) developers are working to balance cost with capabilities while offering an in-flight internet experience to match what is available at a consumer’s home. A panel of experts from Intelsat, Gogo Business Aviation, Viasat, Hughes Network Systems, Anuvu, and Gilat Satellite Networks took stock of evolving IFC expectations this month at SATELLITE 2024....

Telesat is seeing a decline in revenue in its Geostationary Orbit (GEO) business in broadcasting with the increase in cord-cutting, and enterprise competition from SpaceX’s Starlink constellation. Yet Telesat is bullish on its own Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation Lightspeed, and CEO Dan Goldberg told investors on Thursday that the operator is in conversation with the...

The FCC dismissed SpaceX’s request to use certain mobile satellite services (MSS) spectrum authorized to Globalstar and Dish in the Gen2 Starlink constellation, according to a March 26 FCC order.  In February 2023, SpaceX filed a modification for its Gen2 Starlink constellation application, petitioning to introduce an MSS component that would use 1.6/2.4 GHz bands,...

Varda Space’s mission is to expand “the economic bounds of humankind,” but despite co-founder, CEO and President Delian Asparouhov’s self-described “deep passion” for aerospace, you’re more likely to find him at a pharmaceutical trade show than a NASA conference. The company, which was co-founded in late 2020 by Asparouhov, Will Bruey, and Daniel Marshall, is...

In the next half-century, a plethora of tech sectors currently stationed here on Earth are poised to move up to space, and the U.S. government and its commercial partners want to be at the forefront. From pharmaceutical development in microgravity to the manufacture of new minerals, to space tourism, to military superiority, the promise of...

Ensuring the world’s 8.5 billion mobile phones never lose coverage isn’t a new idea, but it’s becoming increasingly viable, thanks to more powerful antennas and the arrival of Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations. But before the satellite-to-device market can truly take off, experts say the industry must align around proprietary versus open standards, address the...

In 2024, more than 45 people wrote to Via Satellite celebrating the contributions of their colleagues, mentors, friends, and bosses. It was more than we could fit in the March edition for Celebrating Women in Satellite, so we are bringing you Part 2 in the April edition. Now in its third year, Celebrating Women in Satellite recognizes the...