Commercial
Echostar’s take on high-throughput satellites: best bought one at a time
EchoStar wishes it ordered its latest satellite, Jupiter-3, sooner than it did, but won’t seek to play catch up by buying another copy of the satellite in order to meet surging demand for broadband connectivity, executives said Feb. 21.
Falcon 9 launch the final leg of Indonesian satellite’s roundabout journey
The Indonesian communications satellite that is SpaceX’s primary payload for its second Falcon 9 launch this year overcame a change of manufacturers and the loss of a U.S. Ex-Im Bank loan to reach the launch pad.
FIRST UP Satcom | Facebook, Viasat join forces on rural internet • Exotrail wins 1.55M euros • Es’hailSat to host BridgeSat lasercomm station
Facebook and Viasat are collaborating first in Mexico, but are open to expanding globally, Viasat said.
Virgin Galactic reschedules SpaceShipTwo flight for Feb. 22
Virgin Galactic scrubbed the Feb. 20 flight test for SpaceShipTwo, the air-launched suborbital spaceplane, due to high winds in Mojave, California. The flight test is now scheduled for Friday, Feb. 22.
New House space subcommittee chair plans to address commercial space issues
The new chair of the House space subcommittee says she’s looking forward to working with the commercial space industry on a number of issues, including oversight of non-traditional space activities.
SpaceShipTwo aims to reach space again
Virgin Galactic plans to conduct a fifth test flight Feb. 20 of its suborbital spaceplane SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity.
Eutelsat, amid revenue decline, says year will rebound
A slow start for Eutelsat’s Konnect Africa broadband venture and losses in activities beyond the fleet operator’s core business contributed to a 4.4 percent decline in revenue during the last half of 2018.
UK jump-starts OneWeb-ESA program with $23 million pledge
The multiyear investment begins with 18-month contract worth few million pounds.
LeoStella looks for more customers as it opens satellite factory
As LeoStella inaugurated the factory that will be used to produce a series of Earth imaging satellites, the joint venture of Thales Alenia Space and Spaceflight Industries continues to look for other customers.
NASA seeks to accelerate work on lunar missions
NASA is now emphasizing speed in its lunar exploration plans, including seeking to fly payloads on commercial lunar landers before the end of this year as it works with industry on lander concepts.
Australian startup Fleet prepares Series A to fund next 10 satellites
Fleet Space Technologies will begin raising money next week from investors in a Series A financing round after service launch immediately filled its four cubesats with customers.
Relativity adds former SpaceX executives to leadership team
Small launch vehicle developer Relativity has added three people, all of whom previously held key positions at SpaceX, to its leadership team as it refines the technologies it will use on its rockets.
FIRST UP Satcom | Six Protons and an Angara launching this year • Airbus invests $25M in German plant
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TOP STORIES
Gilat issues $25 million dividend while pumping R&D
CEO Yona Ovadia said Gilat had $104 million on hand as of Dec. 31 and will have sufficient resources for significant financial plays even after subtracting the dividend.
Spanish electricity company buys Hispasat for $1.1 billion
Spanish power company Red Eléctrica announced an agreement Feb. 12 to buy out Abertis’ 89.7 percent stake in domestic satellite operator Hispasat for 949 million euros ($1.08 billion).
Techstars and Starburst unveil space startup accelerator
Starburst Aerospace and Techstars announced plans Feb. 12 to begin accepting applications for a new space-focused accelerator based in Los Angeles and backed by the U.S. Air Force, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lockheed Martin, Maxar Technologies, SAIC and Israel Aerospace Industries.
