satellite manufacturing
Companies are flying old satellites longer, study finds
Nearly a third of commercial geostationary communications satellites in orbit are operating beyond their design lives, a far higher figure than previous years, according to a study.
Manufacturers worry about smallsats getting too hot, literally
As small satellites become more powerful, manufacturers say they need better ways to manage excess heat generated by their electronics systems.
Thermal materials startup Carbice finds foothold in space industry
“Space and semiconductor manufacturing, which we view as niche markets, are perfect for us to go to market, mainly because they have the most difficult environmental and reliability requirements,” Cola said.
Argentine operator Arsat revives plans for third satellite
Martin Fabris, Arsat’s space division manager, said by email March 18 that the contract signing will likely take about a month to close, partly because of the coronavirus pandemic, during which about 80% of Arsat employees are working remotely.
Four fears satellite manufacturers can’t shake
Satellite manufacturers expressed optimism about market demand, but also listed challenges they face amid market and technological changes.
Kepler’s decision to build its own cubesats surprises manufacturers
It came as a surprise to many cubesat manufacturers when Kepler Communications announced plans in January to manufacture its constellation of 140 Internet of Things satellites in-house.
Airbus, citing weak space market, to cut more than 2,300 jobs
Airbus Defence and Space will shed about 7% of its workforce because of weak sales, Airbus Group said Feb. 19.
IAI anticipates additional satellite orders from Israeli government
“I’m very glad for the Dror-1 initiation, and I’m sure it will be followed by Dror-2 and others,” Levy said. “It will give us the right momentum in our space activities.”
Kepler decides to build its 140-satellite cubesat constellation in-house
The company said Jan. 28 it will build its constellation of 140 cubesats in a 5,000-square-foot facility it commissioned late last year at its Toronto headquarters.
Manufacturers say wider range of satellites they build is stressing mission assurance
Manufacturers speaking Oct. 10 at the Satellite Innovation conference here said they are trying to evolve their approaches to mission assurance — making sure what they build doesn’t fail in orbit — so that they can respond to a wider swath of customers.
Argentina, Turkey wade into tough GEO manufacturing market with joint venture
Gsatcom Space Technologies, a joint venture of Argentina’s state-run technology company INVAP and Turkey’s partly state-owned Turkish Aerospace Industries, formed last year with the goal of building and selling small GEO satellites at home and abroad.
Thales Alenia Space hedges bet on serially built, reprogrammable small GEOs
Thales Alenia Space is shedding around 6% of its workforce while rolling out a new line of reprogrammable satellites it says will benefit from an Iridium Next-style production.
To do business, reprogrammable satellites now the requirement for manufacturers
Manufacturers say software-defined satellites that can redesign beams and capacity have shifted from a wish-list feature to a requirement for operators.
Boeing unveils small GEO product as part of new 702X satellite lineup
Boeing has joined the growing list of manufacturers offering smaller satellites for geostationary orbit, saying new digital payload technology can reduce the weight of its typical communications spacecraft by half.
Thales Group to restructure space business as order gap drives losses
The global slowdown in geostationary satellite orders is dragging on longer than it expected, causing Thales Alenia Space revenues to contract.
Glass-ceramics company, with eyes on space, raises $12 million
“The closure of this round is really allowing us to accelerate the ability to move into higher levels of production for these tip of the spear type of customers, and those are the space-related defense contractors.”
