World Satellite Business Week
Euroconsult’s World Satellite Business Week brings together heavy-hitters from across the global satellite industry.
Coverage sponsored by China Great Wall Industry Corporation

Falcon 9 sets reuse milestone with Starlink launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a new set of Starlink satellites Dec. 18, setting a new reusability mark for the vehicle in the process.

Satellite Vu orders first satellite from SSTL
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) won a contract from British Earth observation startup Satellite Vu to build the first satellite in a constellation designed to provide thermal infrared imaging for climate change applications.

Satellogic nearing completion of SPAC merger
Earth observation company Satellogic expects to begin trading on the Nasdaq next week after completing a merger with special purpose acquisition corporation (SPAC).

Iceye to provide satellite for MDA radar constellation
Canada’s MDA is acquiring an X-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite from Iceye that will be part of its Chorus system intended to replace Radarsat-2.

No decision yet on where to build OneWeb second-generation satellites
A week after a OneWeb executive told British officials that the company would move production of its second generation of satellites to the United Kingdom, another executive said the company has yet to decide where it will build those satellites.

Viasat-Inmarsat deal remains on track
Viasat’s acquisition of Inmarsat is moving ahead, company executives said, despite ongoing work to secure approval from the British government as well as a drop in share price that has cut a billion dollars from the value of the deal.

Astranis unveils insurance package for Falcon Heavy launch
Startup Astranis unveiled more details Dec. 14 of the insurance package covering its first commercial small satellite, which SpaceX is slated to launch to geostationary orbit (GEO) as a secondary payload on a Falcon Heavy rocket next spring.

Satellite operators criticize “extreme” megaconstellation filings
Established satellite operators expressed their frustration at the wave of filings for enormous satellite constellations, arguing nations need to step forward and establish rules to curtail such systems.

New launch vehicles face schedule pressure
Executives of two launch companies insisted their vehicles will be ready for their inaugural flights in 2022 while a third acknowledged their new vehicle’s first flight will likely slip beyond the end of next year.

Op-ed | What could happen to the LEO broadband constellations?
LEO broadband constellations will greatly exceed their budgets. Still, because the titans of technology and institutions backing most of these systems have extremely deep pockets, we shouldn't expect any of these systems to disappear unless their backers decide to back out. Here's an overview of some of the hidden and not-so-hidden costs of putting up and operating thousands of satellites.

Welcome to fast space
Reconnecting the ecosystem. From December 13th to 16th Euroconsult will host the World Satellite Business Week in Paris, 822 days after the last one.

Ex-Im reviewing nearly $2 billion in applications for space industry projects
The Export-Import Bank of the United States is evaluating nearly $2 billion in applications to finance space industry sales as it seeks to return to a field that has changed significantly over the last few years.

Telesat remains optimistic about prospects for LEO constellation
As SpaceX prepares to extend its Starlink beta test program to Canada, Telesat remains optimistic its broadband low Earth orbit constellation will find enough business to be successful.

“Revolutionary change” expected from new Indian space policy
A draft policy on opening up India’s space sector will bring transformational change, the chairman of the commercial arm of the Indian space agency said Nov. 10.

Governments continue to dominate radar satellite data market
Radar satellite operators continue to see the long-term promise of commercial markets and near-term demand from government customers, according to panelists speaking Nov. 10 at the virtual World Satellite Business Week conference.

Virgin Orbit CEO Hart: Smallsat launchers need governments as anchor customers
Small satellite launch providers need governments to invest in a diversity of companies and to avoid creating monopolies, Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said.