Stories about the broadband industry.
Can you believe 2022 is nearly over? It’s been a jam-packed year for the space industry, full of groundbreaking moments in science, turbulence in the markets and world order; substantive policy developments; and historic mission firsts. We’re kicking off our year-end coverage by looking at objects closest in the rear-view mirror. Payload combed through the […]
A satellite launched earlier this year is now one of the single brightest objects in the night sky. AST SpaceMobile ($ASTS) has plans in the works to build a constellation of ~100 satellites in LEO that would be akin to “cell towers in space.” In September, the Odessa, TX company launched BlueWalker 3, its long-awaited […]
A common question we get here at Payload is how much money SpaceX is making. Unfortunately—but unsurprisingly—SpaceX doesn’t break out any annual revenue data from launch or Starlink, its two core verticals. But that didn’t stop us. We’ve decided to give it our best shot and estimate what SpaceX’s 2022 revenues will look like. All […]
The e-commerce giant behind Project Kuiper has changed its travel plans for Kuipersat-1 and Kuipersat-2. On Wednesday, Amazon said its first two demo satellites will launch on United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket in early 2023. In late 2021, Amazon said it would launch the two demo birds with ABL Space Systems in Q4 […]
The Starlink mobile app has 2M+ downloads in 2022, per third-party estimates from 42matters, a Swiss mobile intelligence provider. The tally includes both installs on Android’s Google Play marketplace and the iOS App Store. Starlink saw ~90,000 downloads over the weekend, 42matters’ Alexander Braelow told Payload. The spike occurred shortly after SpaceX activated Starlink in […]
Protests in Iran reached their 10th night and 50 cities over the weekend, following the death of Mahsa Amini in custody. A digital curtain descends… In response to anti-government protests, Tehran has throttled internet access and mobile networks and blocked WhatsApp and Instagram, popular Western services within the country. NetBlocks, Cloudflare, and OONI are documenting […]
Microsoft is scaling up its presence in space, in a figurative rather than literal sense. Azure, the company’s cloud computing arm, is focused on building out software tools and partnerships within the industry, rather than launching its own hardware into space. Azure Space launched in Oct. 2020. It’s apparently been quite busy since then. The […]
If you thought that T-Mobile and SpaceX’s Thursday announcement would scare the H-E-🏒🏒 out of other players working on direct-to-phone connectivity from space, think again. AST SpaceMobile ($ASTS) execs welcomed the extra attention on their business brought by the T-Mobile/SpaceX technology partnership. So too did Lynk Global, a Virginia startup putting “cell towers in space” […]
Atlas Space Operations has raised a $26M Series B led by Mitsui. The ground-software-as-a-service provider is turning its attention to growth. Atlas 101: Though the Michigan-based startup provides service from a network of 13 ground stations across the globe, its key value lies in its software, CEO Sean McDaniel told Payload. “We solve the hard […]
Gone are the days of switching off your phone and laptop before takeoff and living a lonely, analog life until landing. The in-flight connectivity (IFC) industry has seen rapid growth over the past year, and the number of connected airplanes is expected to double within the next decade, per a new Euroconsult report on the […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has rejected SpaceX’s bid for $866M in subsidies to roll out Starlink in the rural US, according to a press release issued yesterday. “Consumers deserve reliable and affordable high-speed broadband,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “We must put scarce universal service dollars to their best possible use […]
Viasat ($VSAT) kicked off another busy week of space earnings after the bell Monday. The satellite operator reported Q1 FY23 revenues of $678M (+2% YoY), with a GAAP net loss of $22M (vs. $17M of net income last year). Viasat reported total consolidated awards of $783M (+32%YoY) for the quarter, good for a book-to-bill ratio […]
