Megaconstellations
Intelsat sues OneWeb, SoftBank citing breach of contract, fraud, conspiracy to steal information
Intelsat filed a lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court alleging OneWeb Ltd. and its largest investor SoftBank Group Corp. breached contracts, committed fraud and conspired to steal confidential and proprietary information.
SpaceX plans 24 Starlink launches next year
SpaceX’s Starlink launch cadence will likely average “two a month,” in addition to customer launches, Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer, said.
SpaceX says more Starlink orbits will speed service, reduce launch needs
SpaceX is asking federal regulators to allow it to spread out Starlink satellites in more rings around the Earth.
Amid $5 billion buyout, Cobham in hot pursuit of megaconstellation work
SpaceNews spoke with Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions President Shawn Black to find out what’s in store for CAES’s spacecraft component business and where it sees itself in the growing small satellite market.
Kubos and Ruag partner to provide computer systems for megaconstellations
Open source spacecraft software developer Kubos is working with Ruag Space to offer high-performance and scalable computer systems to meet the growing demands of satellite megaconstellations.
Cobham, chasing megaconstellation business, plans $5 billion privatization
The British aerospace firm said July 25 that its board voted unanimously to accept an offer from Advent International Corp. for 165 pence a share.
Canadian government pledges $521 million for Telesat LEO constellation
The Canadian government is investing 85 million Canadian dollars ($64.7 million) into research and development for Telesat’s broadband satellite constellation, and has agreed to spend up to 600 million Canadian dollars ($456.6 million) more on capacity.
FCC outlines proposed smallsat licensing rules
Under newly proposed rules, smallsat operators will be able to choose a licensing path — for authorization as a domestic operator or for U.S. market access as a foreign operator — for $30,000 instead of the $472,000 fee required today for satellites in non-geosynchronous orbits.
FCC to introduce new simplified licensing regulations for smallsats
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, speaking at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event here, said the regulations will make licensing small satellites cheaper and faster in order to better match cost and pace at which smallsat operators often function.
Amazon lays out constellation service goals, deployment and deorbit plans to FCC
Amazon released more details on its plan to deploy 3,236 broadband satellites, telling U.S. telecom regulators the constellation can start service in limited areas with less than a fifth of the total constellation.
SpaceX says all 60 Starlink satellites functioning so far
The 60 satellites SpaceX launched eight days ago for its Starlink broadband megaconstellation have powered up and contacted ground stations, the company said.
SpaceX launches 60 Starlink satellites, begins constellation buildout
The rocket took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 10:30 p.m. Eastern, and deployed the satellites into a low Earth orbit a little over an hour later.
Musk says Starlink “economically viable” with around 1,000 satellites
SpaceX shared details about its largely secretive Starlink constellation program March 15, providing updated targets for commercial service, details about satellite design and the thought process behind why the company’s upper target is 12,000 satellites.
Telesat’s LEO plan: dedicated satellite factory, bulk launch contracts and a variety of antennas
Telesat wants a factory capable of building 20 to 25 large LEO satellites a month so that it can have monthly launches. The company is also working with several antenna builders to have user terminals ready for broadband services.
ITU wants megaconstellations to meet tougher launch milestones
Regulators worry that the ITU’s current bring-into-use rules make it too easy for companies to warehouse spectrum, potentially tying up valuable non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) frequencies for years without introducing new satellite services.
SpaceX to launch “dozens” of Starlink satellites May 15, more Starlink launches to follow
Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer, said the launch will carry “dozens of satellites,” adding more prototypes to the two currently in low Earth orbit.
