Megaconstellations
ITU sets milestones for megaconstellations
The International Telecommunication Union on Nov. 20 said the world’s spectrum regulators had reached consensus on milestones for constellations of satellites outside of the geosynchronous arc to preserve their spectrum rights.
LeoSat, absent investors, shuts down
Mark Rigolle, CEO of LeoSat, told SpaceNews Nov. 13 that the company laid off all 13 employees — himself included — in August after its earlier investors decided not to fund the company any longer.
SpaceX launches second batch of Starlink broadband satellites
SpaceX completed its second launch of 60 Starlink satellites Nov. 11, making its own system the largest commercial telecommunications satellite constellation in orbit.
Megaconstellation milestones high on U.S. WRC-19 priority list
Finding international consensus on deployment milestones for constellations of non-geosynchronous satellites is a top space-related priority for the U.S. delegation attending the 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference, officials said Nov. 1.
Army eyes commercial megaconstellations to support its future battlefield network
Maj. Gen. Gallagher: The problem today is insufficient capacity and high latency in satellite links.
SpaceX submits paperwork for 30,000 more Starlink satellites
The FCC, on SpaceX’s behalf, submitted 20 filings to the ITU for 1,500 satellites apiece in various low Earth orbits, an ITU official confirmed Oct. 15 to SpaceNews.
Inflection point within the year for megaconstellations?
An inflection point is coming in the next six to twelve months for the multibillion dollar satellite megaconstellations, when it will become apparent which ones are likely to succeed and which ones “will take a pause or exit,” Chris Baugh, Northern Sky Research president, said Oct. 9 at the Satellite Innovation 2019 conference.
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.
