China Kicks Off its First Mega Constellation
The global competition to field huge satellite networks has a new entrant—China
Jack Kuhr
AST SpaceMobile Stock Surges, Hits $5.6B Market Cap
Direct-to-cell provider AST SpaceMobile jumped another 18% yesterday, bringing its year-to-date market gains to a staggering 326%.
Tracking Next-Gen LEO Satcom Constellations: Payload Research
Out are the days of onesie twosies large GEO satcom birds, and in are the mega-constellations in LEO, consisting of an army of hundreds or thousands of smaller satellites that provide ultra-fast connectivity.
Iridium and the Satcom R&D Lifecycle: Payload Research
Iridium provides a good example of the sector’s R&D lifecycle.
UK Awards £33M for Space Tech Initiatives
To kick off the Farnborough Airshow, the UK Space Agency announced that it had awarded £33M ($42.6M) to 20 innovation-forward space projects.
Bill Weber Steps Down as Firefly Aerospace CEO
Firefly has tapped board member Peter Schumacher as interim CEO while leadership kicks off a search process.
Habitable Worlds Observatory and the Future of Space Telescopes in the Era of Super Heavy Lift Launch
With the emergence of Starship, New Glenn, and SLS rockets, NASA engineers are reimagining what is possible for future space telescopes and our search for life in the universe.
2024 Q2 Orbital Launch Attempts by Country
With Q2 in the rearview mirror, one thing is clear—global launch attempts are on the rise.
Charts Defining the Space Industry in Q2: Payload Research
There were 63 total global launches in Q2 2024, a 40% YoY increase. The usual suspects, SpaceX and China, are once again leading the charge.
Starlink Mini Impact and Rapid Terminal Iteration: Payload Research
Last week, SpaceX unveiled the Starlink Mini terminal, a laptop-sized device capable of delivering high speed internet nearly anywhere in the world.
LEO and GEO Satellite Operators Battle it out on EPFD Rules: Payload Research
Late last year, the World Radio communication Conference (WRC-23) approved a proposal to review EPFD (Equivalent Power Flux Density) limits, a critical juncture in rights negotiations between GEO and LEO operators that sets the stage for regulatory action by 2027 or 2031.
Lunar Infrastructure Startup Ethos Emerges from Stealth
If the Apollo era was all about “flags and footprints,” Artemis’ bid for a permanent presence on the Moon will center around lunar infrastructure—the era of “pads and gas pumps.”