Satellite 2018
Japan to modernize spaceport launch pads to support H3 rocket
Seeking to double the number of launches it can conduct annually, Japan will add a second launch pad to the Tanegashima spaceport to support its next-generation H3 rocket.
Smallsat launch providers face pricing pressure from Chinese vehicles
Companies that are developing small launch vehicles or who provide rideshare launch services say they expect new Chinese launch vehicles to drive down launch prices, raising concerns among some of unfair competition.
Space situational awareness experts urge Russia to join orbital neighborhood watch
To prevent collisions in space, nations with advanced orbital monitoring abilities need to share data with each other. Russia, being skilled in space situational awareness (SSA), should be part of the global effort to protect the space environment, experts said March 15 at the Satellite 2018 conference here.
What would it take for SoftBank to invest in SpaceX?
Broadband megaconstellations are expensive propositions, with SpaceX’s Starlink constellation expected to cost $10 billion or more, and OneWeb expecting to spend $3 billion. The actual cost could ultimately be higher.
ULA to focus more attention on commercial launch market
United Launch Alliance plans to increase its activities in the commercial launch market using both the current Atlas and future Vulcan rockets, while acknowledging that the U.S. government will remain its major customer for the foreseeable future.
Space component suppliers endangered by GEO order slowdown
Satellite manufacturers say they are trying to protect their component suppliers from the drought of commercial telecom spacecraft that threatens to put such companies out of business.
Satellite capacity prices down 60 percent in some cases and still dropping
The downward trend of satellite capacity pricing, brought about largely by the increase in more powerful high-throughput satellites, has prices trending between 35 and 60 percent lower than where they were two years ago, according to Northern Sky Research.
Satellite communications industry prepares response to future disasters
“We can put a satellite phone in the hands of folks who don’t know how to use it and it won’t make a hill of beans difference,” said Ken Flowers, Iridium Communications vice president government.
St. Helena looks to unlikely patron to pay its subsea cable bill: the satellite industry
Inhabitants of the tiny tropical island pay through the nose for internet service that mainlanders would have considered painfully slow during the pre-Netflix era.
China’s Long March 5 heavy-lift rocket to fly again around November in crucial test
Long March 5's return to flight will carry an experimental, 300 Gbps telecommunications satellite named Shijian-20 based on a new, large DFH-5 satellite platform.
Orbital ATK unveils new version of satellite servicing vehicle
Orbital ATK announced March 13 it is developing a new version of a satellite life extension vehicle intended to provide more flexibility to customers while also moving the company closer to more advanced in-space servicing.
LEO and MEO broadband constellations mega source of consternation
The world’s biggest, best established satellite operators talk of broadband as an enormously lucrative opportunity. But in truth, nothing is causing them more frustration.
Satellite startup promises communications network that can’t be hacked
LeoSat sees itself as a disruptor in a military market where GEO satellite operators are the only commercial options.
Spaceflight raises $150 million for BlackSky constellation
Spaceflight Industries announced March 13 that it has raised $150 million to fund development of the next phase of its BlackSky Earth imaging constellation, with Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio taking minority stakes.
Air Force secretary raises space awareness inside Pentagon; Startups grab spotlight at satellite industry’s annual DC trade show
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson is using regular meetings with her Army and Navy counterparts to keep her colleagues up to date on space issues and on the emerging concept of “multi-domain” military operations that requires broader sharing of information.
SoftBank says GEO operators besides Intelsat can sell OneWeb capacity
OneWeb’s largest investor SoftBank expects to bring in several partners to help sell OneWeb capacity, including potentially other geostationary satellite operators.
