April 29, 2020 – Following the measures presented by the French government on April 28 as part of the gradual resumption of activity planned from May 11, and the announcement of a restart of operational activities at the Guiana Space Center, Arianespace confirms its following launch objectives: Flight VV16/SSMS – The first “rideshare” Vega launch,…

April 28, 2020 – Inmarsat has announced that it will provide further enhanced support to the vital aid and NGO sector during the Covid-19 pandemic. These new initiatives will enable enhanced offerings across both platforms and come as a direct response to the additional challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring emergency responders can continue…

NSR Webinar: Satcom Pricing in 2020 and Beyond Join the NSR Free Webinar on Satcom Pricing in 2020 and Beyond on May 13, 2020 (10:00AM EDT)   April 24, 2020 – Pricing has been a soft spot for the satcom industry over the past 4 years, as OTT pressure on video and data segment competition…

April 23, 2020 – SES has announced that the number of global TV households it reaches directly or indirectly via satellite has increased by 12 million to 367 million in 2019. Findings from the company’s annual Satellite Monitor market research validates, once again, SES’s position as the world’s leading video content distributor via satellite and…

April 23, 2020 – NEC Corporation has received an order from Sumitomo Corporation for the manufacture and launch of the “LOTUSat-1” Earth observation satellite system for the Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC). The order also includes development of a ground system and local human capacity building programs related to satellite development processes, and is expected…

April 20, 2020 – The French Space Agency (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, CNES) has recently signed a contract with Airbus Defence and Space for the development and manufacture of the thermal infrared instrument for the TRISHNA satellite. TRISHNA (Thermal infraRed Imaging Satellite for High resolution Natural resource Assessment) will be the latest satellite in the…

April 17, 2020 – Intelsat announced that Intelsat 901 has returned to service following the successful docking with the first Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV-1) from Northrop Grumman Corporation and the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, SpaceLogistics LLC, on February 25 – the first time that two commercial spacecraft docked in geostationary orbit. Since the February rendezvous, MEV-1…

April 14, 2020 – Hughes, in partnership with Virtual Network Communications, Inc. (VNC), will create new solutions to extend mobile network connectivity to support various global applications for government, militaries, first responders, and commercial Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). The joint solutions will integrate VNC’s deployable LTE technology with Hughes JUPITERTM and HM satellite systems. The…

April 9, 2020 – Omnispace, the company that is reinventing mobile communications by building a global hybrid network, announced it has selected Thales Alenia Space to develop the initial component of its satellite-based Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure. This will advance Omnispace’s vision to deliver a global hybrid communications network based on 3GPP standards. Thales…

April 9, 2020 – Thuraya, the mobile satellite services subsidiary of the UAE-based global satellite company, Yahsat, has announced that Thuraya MarineStar, its best in class, affordable maritime voice solution with advanced two-way tracking and monitoring capabilities is a bestseller, especially in the Asian maritime markets. This versatile solution was sold out within a month…

April 7, 2020 – Public broadcaster BVN TV has signed a long-term worldwide distribution agreement with SES for the use of its satellite capacity and services. SES is delivering BVN TV via the company’s premium neighbourhood at ASTRA 19.2 degrees East across Europe and on the SES-5 satellite at 5 degrees East across Africa. In…

April 6, 2020 – Comtech EF Data has received $1.6 million in orders for satellite ground station equipment from the world’s largest Mobile Network Operator (MNO) based in China. This equipment will be utilized to support the upgrade of its existing mobile backhaul and teleport technologies. After a competitive Request for Information (RFI) process was…

March 30, 2020 – Hughes Network Systems announced its selection by the U.S. Naval Air Systems (NAVAIR) to provide SATCOM systems integration for the U.S. Coast Guard on its HC-27J aircraft. Under the agreement, Hughes will integrate Beyond Line of Sight (BLoS) systems to strengthen the Coast Guard’s missions requiring airborne Communications-on-the-Move (COTM), including Intelligence,…

March 30, 2020 – Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that it has been designated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as the contractor of the Global Observing SATellite for Greenhouse gases and Water cycle (GOSAT-GW), the third in the GOSAT series, and has already initiated development activities. GOSAT-GW will have two missions: greenhouse gases observation…

March 27, 2020 – OneWeb announced that the Company and certain of its controlled affiliates have voluntarily filed for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The Company intends to use these proceedings to pursue a sale of its business in order…

March 27, 2020 – NASA has selected SpaceX as the first U.S. commercial provider under the Gateway Logistics Services contract to deliver cargo, experiments and other supplies to the agency’s Gateway in lunar orbit. The award is a significant step forward for NASA’s Artemis program that will land the first woman and next man on…

March 18, 2020 – SpaceX launched its sixth Starlink mission. Falcon 9 lifted off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Falcon 9’s first stage previously supported the Iridium-7 NEXT mission in July 2018, the SAOCOM 1A mission in October 2018, the Nusantara Satu mission in February 2019, and the…

March 17, 2020 – Intelsat has selected SpaceX as its launch partner for Intelsat 40e (IS-40e). The launch is planned for 2022 on SpaceX’s American-built Falcon 9 launch vehicle. Intelsat 40e is an advanced geostationary satellite that will provide Intelsat’s government and enterprise customers across North and Central America with high-throughput, “coast-to-coast” services. The satellite’s…