The Cost of Satcom Has Fallen Dramatically Thanks to Starlink
The cost of data from space has fallen 77% since 2019.
Satcom
Stories about the satellite communication industry.
Viasat Is Still In Building Mode After Inmarsat Deal
Less than a year after acquiring European rival Inmarsat, ViaSat ($VSAT) management told investors Tuesday night that the two companies’ operations had been integrated successfully.
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.
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
CesiumAstro Announces IFC Plans
CesiumAstro announced this morning that it is officially getting into the in-flight connectivity (IFC) market. The company is planning to test a flat active phased array payload that can connect with satellites in orbit more easily and effectively than current systems, and has several demonstrations aboard Airbus craft set for the coming year. Active phased […]
Terran Orbital Wins $2.4B Rivada Contract
Live long and prosper… Another day, another three-comma space contract. Terran Orbital said Wednesday that it won a $2.4B contract to design, build, and deploy a 300-bird constellation for Rivada Space Networks. The Rivada constellation will consist of 288 LEO satellites and 12 spares. They’ll be linked by lasers, packing on-board data routers, and tasked […]