
Facebook, Hughes start Colombian Wi-Fi service • Ariane 6 supplier GKN Aerospace cutting 1,000 jobs
Facebook has partnered with Hughes Network Systems to launch a satellite-enabled Wi-Fi hotspot service in Colombia.

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.

FIRST UP Satcom | First OneWeb satellites shipped for launch • Laser ground stations linked to Facebook
OneWeb and its manufacturing partner Airbus Defence and Space have shipped the first six satellites of OneWeb’s broadband smallsat constellation from Toulouse, France, to French Guiana.

FIRST UP Satcom | India to reduce foreign satellite use • Boeing revenues up • Facebook internet satellite in the works
FIRST UP Satcom is a weekly SpaceNews newsletter for satellite and telecom professionals.

SES points to Facebook deal as example of redefined enterprise market strategy
Global satellite fleet operator SES expects to turn around its enterprise connectivity business by focusing on more deals like the one it signed with Facebook last year.

Yahsat’s Mahmood on Brazil, Africa, Facebook and future satellites
When Yahsat decided to invest in its first satellite for Brazil, the the Dubai, UAE-based operator probably didn’t foresee the triple-whammy of a Zika virus outbreak, presidential impeachment, and double-digit unemployment

Eutelsat recommits to Africa broadband without Facebook, and to 2-year revenue turnaround
Satellite fleet operator Eutelsat on Oct. 27 reassured a nervous stock market by reconfirming the company’s revenue and profit forecast and showing concrete results from its design-to-cost strategy.

ANALYSIS | Disaster on the launch pad: Implications for SpaceX and the industry
Veteran satellite industry analyst Chris Quilty says SpaceX could be looking at a six-month stand down if its accident investigation reveals that internal tankage or plumbing on the Falcon caused the Sept. 1 pre-flight failure.

Shares in some satellite companies fall after Falcon 9 explosion
Shares in some satellite operators who were customers of SpaceX fell sharply Sept. 1 after a Falcon 9 rocket was destroyed in a launch pad incident.

Facebook reports successful flight of full-scale Internet-delivery drone
Facebook on July 21 said the first flight of its full-scale Aquila solar-powered aircraft designed for regional internet connectivity was a success, lasting longer than expected despite an unspecified “structural failure” just before landing.

EchoStar: Hughes S. American broadband starts this summer, European mobile service faces delay
EchoStar Corp.’s Hughes division on May 10 said a recent consumer satellite broadband contract with the Turkish government and a combined Eutelsat/Facebook deal in Africa are just the start of the company’s ambition of replicating its U.S. success elsewhere.

SES announces Facebook order for African satellite capacity
Satellite fleet operator SES on April 27 said Internet social-media giant Facebook had leased capacity on three in-orbit SES satellites to provide Wi-Fi connectivity in sub-Saharan Africa.