Rachel Jewett

Revenue for Boeing’s Defense, Space & Security (BDS) segment was flat in the third quarter of 2024, but loss from operations more than doubled as Boeing took charges on fixed-price […]

Smallsat launcher Astra announced a new award from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) on Wednesday, months after taking the company private.  The DIU awarded Astra a contract worth up to […]

Umbra has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract by the Space Development Agency (SDA) to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating its commercial remote sensing capabilities into SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space […]

As the direct-to-device space picked up steam in 2024 with demonstrations and new partnerships with mobile network operators and device manufacturers, the business model is still being worked out.  Industry […]

New company in the satellite tech space Aptos Orbital debuted a terminal to allow satellites to run powerful AI on orbit. The Aptos terminal announced Tuesday is a device for […]

Intelsat confirmed on Monday the Intelsat-33e satellite is a “total loss” after a recent anomaly. Intelsat first reported a service outage on the satellite on Oct. 19.  U.S. Space Forces-Space […]

ETL Systems is acquiring SpacePath Communications, in a deal that brings together two U.K.-based satellite amplifier suppliers. ETL Systems announced the acquisition on Monday, financial terms were not disclosed.  ETL […]

This week’s On Orbit podcast is a topical look at space policy in the U.S. election. Host Rachel Jewett is joined by fellow editor Jeff Hill for a conversation with […]

Iridium Communications reported record third quarter total revenue of $212.8 million, with higher commercial service revenue and government engineering revenue. Total revenue increased 8% versus the comparable period of 2023. […]

The European Space Agency (ESA) ordered six more satellites from Thales Alenia Space and 15 satellites from Argotec for the Italian Earth observation IRIDE constellation. IRIDE is an Italian government […]

Viasat selected ST Engineering iDirect‘s hub infrastructure to bring Viasat’s satellite connectivity to the energy industry in Brazil.  According to the deal announced this week, ST Engineering iDirect will supply […]

NASA will stop onboarding new missions to its Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system in November. NASA announced the change on Wednesday, which is effective as of November 8.  […]

Airbus Defence and Space plans to cut up to 2,500 positions within the group as it reorganizes after financial troubles. Airbus announced the cuts on Wednesday and said they will […]

Kepler Communications will lead development of the European Space Agency (ESA) HydRON optical laser network under a new contract announced Wednesday. Kepler will lead a team supported by Tesat Spacecom […]

German wildfire-detection startup OroraTech raised 25 million euros ($27 million) in a Series B funding round to build out its predictive AI capabilities and orbital sensor network. OroraTech announced the […]

EarthDaily Analytics has acquired geospatial intelligence firm Descartes Labs, the company announced Tuesday. EarthDaily Analytics said the acquisition was attractive because of how Descartes Labs products apply geospatial data to […]

Viasat reported Tuesday that it demonstrated direct-to-device satellite connectivity in India, working with Indian telecommunications provider BSNL. Engineers successfully demonstrated satellite-powered two-way messaging services for attendees at India Mobile Congress […]

The Space Development Agency (SDA) awarded General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) and Iridium Communications a $491.6 million contract modification for their work to support ground systems for the SDA’s satellite […]

SpaceX submitted a request to the FCC to modify the second generation, Gen2, of its Starlink satellite system with changes that SpaceX said will allow the constellation to deliver gigabit-speed […]

French startup Constellation Technologies & Operations has raised 9.3 million euros ($10 million) to move forward on its plans for a satellite broadband constellation in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO).  […]

SpaceX hit an eye-catching milestone with its Starship test flight on Sunday from Texas, successfully catching the Super Heavy booster in the first attempt to recapture it. SpaceX followed up […]

Intelsat completed a year-long pilot program with the U.S. Army offering a fully managed satcom service. The pilot program, known as Satellite Communications as a Managed Service, or SaaMS, is […]

Defense tech company Anduril Industries is partnering with Impulse Space to integrate the companies’ technologies for national space security missions. Under a new agreement announced Friday, Impulse will provide the […]

While NASA’s TBIRD lasercom payload completed its mission in September, NASA is still sharing milestones it reached. Before the mission ended, a NASA optical ground station transmitted its first laser […]

Gilat Satellite Networks received a contract to provide rural connectivity, including supporting banking transactions in Latin America. Gilat announced the $4 million contract on Oct. 8, but did not name […]

The first Viasat-3 satellite has begun serving its first government customer, the U.S. Marine Corps, Viasat announced Thursday.  The Marine Wing Communications Squadron 38 (MWCS-38) and the 3rd Marine Littoral […]

Greenhouse gas monitoring nonprofit Carbon Mapper released the first images of emission detection from the Tanager-1 satellite on Thursday, showing methane plumes from energy plants. These first methane detection images […]

Iridium Communications has a new collaborator for its recently announced Iridium NTN Direct service. The operator is collaborating with Nordic Semiconductor for early integration of the NTN service into Nordic’s […]

Last week, UAE’s flagship satellite provider Yahsat and geospatial solutions company Bayanat completed a merger to form Space42. The company is targeting vertical integration and regional and international opportunities in […]

Viasat announced a series of improvements for its business aviation service Jet ConneX, uncapping speeds, expanding capacity and increasing network prioritization. Viasat Jet ConneX services are activated on more than […]