News
Daily coverage of the global space industry with an emphasis on business and political news.

Speedcast posts 136 percent revenue jump, seeks debt refinancing
Speedcast’s revenues more than doubled in 2017 as the satellite network operator began leveraging its acquisitions of U.S. companies Harris CapRock and UltiSat.

To keep foothold in government market, satellite imaging companies have to gain trust
NGA Director Cardillo: “I want the market to work … but government shouldn’t be their first customer. We should be their second customer.”

Bridenstine sworn in as NASA administrator
NASA’s new administrator said he’s “very excited” about leading the space agency as he takes office after an extended confirmation process.

Defense intelligence chief: ‘A lot of technology remains untapped’
USD Kernan: "we really haven’t taken all the advantage we can of technology.”

With Hylas-4 in orbit, Avanti hopes to take lead in African HTS
In the months preceding the launch of Avanti’s Hylas-4 satellite, the British operators didn’t mince words when it described the importance of a successful mission as “critical.”

NGA assembles jigsaw puzzle of diverse commercial, government geospatial data sets
"We are trying to effectively link air, land, sea and space. The geospatial context on the ground may give you some type of indications and warning of something happening in space," said Chirag Parikh, director of NGA's Office of Source Strategies.

Space industry expresses support for Bridenstine’s confirmation
NASA’s next administrator, Jim Bridenstine, is set to be sworn into office April 23 as the space industry breathes a sigh of relief that his extended confirmation process is finally over.

Boeing, Lockheed, ULA corner the government-funded space market. SpaceX moving up
Within the top five space contractors, from 2011 to 2017, ULA surpassed Boeing and became the top overall vendor.

A test for Air Force space technology buyers: Fast prototyping
"Other transactions authorities" allow the Air Force to go faster to prototyping.

Single space payload seeking shared condo, orbital slot
GEOShare, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary matching missions with orbital slots in an effort to boost satellite sales, has signed up over 150 missions and over 100 orbital locations, said Lon Levin, GEOShare president and chief executive.

Lockheed Martin working to lower Orion costs
As Lockheed Martin prepares to complete assembly of the Orion spacecraft flying on the first SLS mission, the company says it’s making progress in lowering the costs of the future spacecraft, including through reuse.

Air Force and NRO forge close ties overall and for SSA
Air Force and NRO leaders emphasized their close ties at the 34th Space Symposium here and offered proof the relationship is helping them share capabilities.

Global VSAT Forum’s David Hartshorn resigning
David Hartshorn, one of the satellite industry’s most vocal advocates and a prominent defender of its spectrum rights, is resigning from the Global VSAT Forum.

Blue Origin expects BE-4 qualification tests to be done by year’s end
Blue Origin's CEO says he expects the company’s BE-4 engine to complete qualification testing by the end of the year as the company ramps up work on its New Glenn orbital rocket.

One way to measure China’s rise as a space power: Patent applications
The number of space-related technology patent applications filed in China over the five-year period grew by 13.3 percent.

Eutelsat completes $373 million Hispasat divestiture
WASHINGTON — French fleet operator Eutelsat finished a lengthy 302 million euro ($372.9 million) sale of its stake in Spanish fleet operator Hispasat after gaining long-awaited approval from Spain’s government.