21st Annual Global MilSatCom

SMi Group are proud to announce the 21st annual Global MilSatCom conference and exhibition will return to London on the 5th, 6th and 7th November alongside a Small Satellites and Disruptive Space Technology focus day on the 4th November.

As…

Viasat selected to develop military Link 16 communications satellite in low Earth orbit

Viasat will build a small satellite equipped with a Link 16 radio that will serve as a network relay.

Discarded Atlas 5 upper stage breaks up in orbit • Viasat, China Satcom partner on IFC • Hughes signs Jupiter-3 customer

The reason for the Atlas 5 upper stage break up, believed to have occurred between March 23 and March 25, is not yet known.

First Ariane 6 to carry 30 OneWeb satellites • Viasat seeking to raise $500 million • Hispasat trials Wi-Fi hotspots in Colombia

Arianespace’s first Ariane 6 mission will carry 30 OneWeb satellites to low Earth orbit. The launch, slated for the second half of 2020, will use the “62” version of the rocket, which has two side boosters.

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.

Eutelsat, amid revenue decline, says year will rebound

A slow start for Eutelsat’s Konnect Africa broadband venture and losses in activities beyond the fleet operator’s core business contributed to a 4.4 percent decline in revenue during the last half of 2018.

Viasat orders Asia Pacific ViaSat-3 from Boeing amid record revenue

Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg said the company has executed an agreement with Boeing for a third ViaSat-3 satellite, securing the last spacecraft needed for global Ka-band coverage.

Viasat shrinks MEO constellation plans

As the U.S. Federal Communications Commission prepares to vote on satellite constellations from four companies in mid-November, another satellite operator is reducing the size of its proposed constellation.

Viasat books Falcon Heavy for ViaSat-3 launch

Fleet operator Viasat of Carlsbad, California, plans to launch a large telecom satellite on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket between 2020 and 2022.

Viasat, ULA insist ViaSat-3 launch was competitively procured

United Launch Alliance and satellite operator Viasat are defending the “competed” status of a launch contract that other launch companies say they had no part in.

Satellite operators spar on spectrum sharing

Chief executives of satellite operators took sharply divergent views on working with terrestrial mobile operators on access to spectrum, with some advocating for negotiations while another warned of making any deals.

Viasat books ULA Atlas 5 for a ViaSat-3 satellite launch

United Launch Alliance beat out SpaceX and Arianespace to win a launch contract for an upcoming Viasat satellite.

FIRST UP Satcom | Viasat wins $122.5M FCC subsidy • Gilat suppling ground equipment for Yamal-601 • Avanti eyes DoD business with Comsat

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Viasat’s Dankberg explains medium Earth orbit thinking, global expansion strategy

Viasat is still working on a medium-Earth-orbit satellite constellation idea revealed almost two years ago, but has not finalized what that system would look like, Mark Dankberg, CEO of Viasat, said Aug. 9.

FIRST UP Satcom | Arabsat refutes World Cup piracy involvement • Court lifts ban on Telebras-Viasat deal • Spanish MoD to buy two satellites

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Satcom companies willing to partner with China to gain market access

Multiple satellite communications companies say they are willing to team up with Chinese companies in order to sell into its sizeable but regulatorily challenging market.