E-letter: Briefs

The final Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military satellite, which was launched in March, is now under the control of Space Operations Command. The U.S. Space Force Space and Missile […]

Arianespace revealed Monday that it signed a contract with Airbus to launch four optical observation satellites for the Composante Optique 3D (CO3D) constellation. These Earth Observation (EO) satellites are being […]

Several Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) companies revealed Dec. 3 the formation of a coalition called the Open PNT Industry Alliance, which includes Iridium Communications, infiniDome, Jackson Labs Technologies, NAVSYS […]

A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft autonomously docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday afternoon at about 1:40 p.m. ET. Dragon carried with it the first commercially owned and operated […]

Axess Networks is working with one of the largest Mobile Network Operators (MNO) in Mexico to expand its coverage to the entire Mexican territory, the satellite operator announced Dec. 3. […]

EchoStar Mobile is partnering with Jersey Telecom (JT) to offer a cellular roaming network for its new SYNERGY service suite. EchoStar Mobile will be combining its European S-band mobile satellite network […]

Momentus and Australian rocket company Gilmour Space Technologies have reached a multi-million dollar agreement for launch and orbital transport services, the companies announced Nov. 30. Gilmour Space has the option […]

Satcom Global has added the NSS-6 satellite to its Ku-band Aura Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) network to expand network coverage and capacity across the North Pacific. In a Dec. […]

ThinKom Solutions is supplying its ThinAir Ka2517 aero satellite antennas to GDC Technics, the company revealed Thursday. The Ka2517 antenna will be used to enable Inmarsat’s GX Aviation broadband satellite In-Flight Connectivity […]

According to data pulled from the U.S. Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) online database, a solid majority — roughly 75% — of individual donations to politicians from employees working at U.S.-based […]

The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a $105 million (86.2 million euro) service contract with Swiss startup ClearSpace to remove orbital debris. The contract, announced Dec. 1, finalizes the […]

Viasat has integrated Link 16 cryptographic modernization capability into its KOR-24A Small Tactical Terminal (STT), the company announced Thursday. The terminal has been National Security Agency (NSA) certified for Link […]

Totum Labs, a satellite Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity company, revealed Monday the completion of a $13 million Series A financing round. Heroic Ventures and Space Capital co-led the investment […]

Two space scientists — Naia Butler-Craig and Hannah Kerner — have made Forbes 30 Under 30 2021 list for science. Butler-Craig is a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research fellow at the Georgia […]

Gerry O’Sullivan, Eutelsat’s executive vice president of Global TV and Video is leaving the company, according to an internal memo shared with Via Satellite. O’Sullivan, who has held the role […]

Arianespace launched an Earth Observation (EO) satellite for the United Arab Emirates on Dec. 1. An Arianespace Soyuz rocket took off from the Spaceport in French Guiana at 10:33 p.m. […]

SES revealed Wednesday that it extended its distribution partnership with Germany’s Televisionsklub for a five-year term. Additionally, Televisionsklub will upgrade to a full transponder on SES’ ASTRA 4A satellite to […]

Marlink will provide Inmarsat FleetXpress service on eight vessels for Turkish shipping service provider Manta Shipping. The agreement, announced Tuesday, was signed through Marlink’s local partner Ozsay Satellite to support […]

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has approved Sateliot’s plan to launch a constellation of 100 nanosatellites for Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity. Sateliot announced in November that it is now […]

KBR received a $300 million recompete contract to provide scientific, engineering and technical services for the U.S. Geological Survey‘s (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, the company revealed […]

Virgin Galactic and Masten Space Systems won contracts with NASA to provide flight and integration services for payloads chosen by the Flight Opportunities program, the agency revealed Monday. The two […]

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will step down from his position leading the commission when President-elect Joe Biden takes office, Pai announced in a statement Monday. Pai will step down on […]

Kymeta’s next-generation u8 antenna is now commercially available, the company announced Monday. Kymeta is pitching the land mobility Ku-band antenna as a communication solution for government, defense, and first responder […]

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) contributed funding to MDA Space under the smartEarth initiative to develop next-generation Earth Observation (EO) technologies, the company revealed Monday. The monetary value of the […]

SES Government Solutions was awarded an Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) tests contract from the U.S. Air Force, the company revealed Monday. The contract is part of an effort to […]

SpaceX plans to expand its Starlink beta tests in a notable way in early 2021, the company announced with its latest launch of Starlink satellites on Nov. 24.  A Falcon […]

Euroconsult reports increased competition and a strong impact from the COVID-19 pandemic on Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) companies in its annual publication, FSS Operators: Benchmarks & Performance Review, released in […]

African telco Paratus has signed a capacity agreement with Spacecom for its AMOS-17 satellite, the companies announced Nov. 25. Paratus South Africa has contracted services to provide connectivity for remote […]

Gilat Satellite Networks has named Adi Sfadia as new CEO, the company announced Monday. Sfadia has served as interim CEO since July and has been CFO for the past five […]

The Zed Factor Fellowship is a new fellowship for aerospace professionals from underrepresented groups. The fellowship, announced Tuesday, is described as a program to engage and empower aspiring aerospace professionals […]