LEOSatcom

A-Rod Will Take Satellite-to-Phone Firm Lynk Public

Lynk, which operates satellites that connect directly to mobile phones to provide emergency connectivity, laid out its plans to go public later this year by merging with a blank check firm run by former baseball star Alex Rodriguez.

SatcomStartups

Quantum Reveals First Mission, Sentry

Quantum Space is building a mesh communications infrastructure that spans from LEO to cislunar space and beyond to meet growing data needs as humanity expands its reach into the cosmos.   This morning, the company unveiled details of Sentry, its first mission. Sentry will launch on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 rideshare, currently slated for no earlier than March, […]

LEOSatcom

Chinese Satellite Achieves High-Speed Space-to-Ground Laser Comms

Chang Guang, a Chinese satellite operator, successfully achieved 10 Gbps satellite-to-ground laser communication via a Jilin-1 satellite, the company announced last week. The downlink speed surpassed a previous record of 1 Gbps via radio frequency connectivity.  The first laser demonstration downlink included a satellite picture of Doha, Qatar.  Beam me down, Scotty: Laser communication’s higher […]

EquitiesLEOSatcom

AST SpaceMobile Raises $59.4M, Stock Craters

AST SpaceMobile ($ASTS) stock plunged nearly 30% this week after the cash-strapped company announced Tuesday it had raised $59.4M in a steep discount public offering.  The satellite manufacturer sold 12.5M shares at ~$4.75 a pop, well below the ~$6.50 price tag the shares were trading at before the offering. Space → Mobile: The Odessa, TX-based […]

InternationalSatcom

Airbus, SES, Eutelsat, Hispasat, and Thales Band Together for IRIS2

In the ultimate example of competitors coming together, Europe’s largest satellite companies announced yesterday that they are joining forces to bid on the EU’s IRIS2 program contracts.  Airbus, SES, Eutelsat, Hispasat, and Thales said the partnership will “leverage the expertise and capabilities in the field of secure satellite communications solutions,” according to a joint press […]

Satcom

FCC Launches Space Bureau

The FCC opened its new space office on Tuesday to help the agency better consider the thousands of applications it receives each year for satellite approval and authorization of novel space activities.  The agency is currently considering more than 60,000 applications for new satellites—the largest backlog in the FCC’s history. “This effort is part of […]

Satcom

Everywhere Adds Integrations for Emergency Communications Platform

Everywhere Communications, a seven-year-old company providing satellite-enabled emergency comms for teams operating in extreme environments, has announced new integrations in its emergency notification and messaging platform. Everywhere, all at once: The Annapolis, MD-based software company aims to provide a “single pane of glass” for companies to communicate with teams operating out in the field, wherever […]

BroadbandBusinessSatcom

Rivada Contracts Aalyria Spacetime for Network Coordination

Earlier this week, Rivada Space Networks announced that Aalyria will help manage and optimize communications across its planned LEO constellation. Aalyria emerged out of stealth late last year, with a trove of valuable IP it acquired from Google parent Alphabet.  Rivada 101 Last year, Rivada announced itself to the world with a splashy plan to […]