E-letter: Briefs

Northrop Grumman reported a strong Third Quarter (Q3), led by double-digit sales increase in its Space Systems segment. Space Systems sales increased 17% from Q3 2019, to about $2.2 billion. […]

Data analytics company Aspectum has joined Planet’s partner network, and will now offer its users customized maps that feature analytics and high-resolution data from Planet’s satellites. Financial details of the […]

Launch and in-space service provider Firefly Aerospace was contracted by imagery and sensing satellite operator Spire Global to send multiple Lemur spacecraft into orbit on Firefly’s Alpha rocket spread out […]

Telesat’s U.S. subsidiary has joined the Lockheed Martin team for the Tranche 0 contract of the Space Transport Layer. Lockheed Martin received a $187.5 million contract in September to build […]

Inmarsat and Hughes Network Systems confirmed that they have been secretly collaborating on a new satellite connectivity solution that will allow commercial airlines to offer free, in-flight Wi-Fi. The service, […]

Lockheed Martin Space continues to benefit from increased government spending, as the company reported a 6% increase in 2020 Third Quarter (Q3) net space sales totaling $163 million. Approximately $90 […]

Virginia-based satellite operator Iridium Communications is raising its full-year 2020 guidance after turning in a better-than-expected Third Quarter (Q3) result for investors. Despite facing headwinds from a pandemic-fueled recession, Iridium […]

Intelsat has hit back at SES for a claim filed in its bankruptcy case earlier this year that Intelsat owes SES $1.8 billion for an alleged breach of contract, arguing […]

SpaceX launched another batch of 60 Starlink satellites on Sunday, Oct. 18 as it builds out its Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation to provide internet service.  A Falcon 9 rocket carrying […]

The U.S was the first nation to test Anti-Satellite (ASAT) weapons in 1958 with bomber-launched ASATs, and three other nations have demonstrated the ability to destroy orbiting satellites — Russia, […]

Orbital Sidekick, a San Francisco-based analytics and hyperspectral payload startup, received a $16 million multi-year contract from the U.S. Air Force‘s commercial investment group, AFVentures, to accelerate the deployment of […]

Gilat Satellite Networks will provide satellite cellular backhaul services to Southern Linc, a wireless communications provider owned by Southern Company, under the terms of a new three-year contract announced October […]

SES revealed Tuesday that Mercy Ships will be using SES Networks’ connectivity solutions to provide better healthcare services. Mercy Ships is a humanitarian mission delivering healthcare and medical training in […]

AAC Clyde Space will acquire Virginia-based small satellite tech company SpaceQuest, Ltd. to grow operations in the U.S. and to expand Space-as-a-Service offerings. This follows after AAC Clyde Space, a […]

Kabelio AG chose Eutelsat Communication‘s Hotbird video neighborhood for the launch of a new Swiss Direct-to-Home (DTH) High Definition (HD) platform. This multi-year contract will allow Kabelio to launch a […]

Airbus will design and build the Earth Return Orbiter (ERO) for the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA’s joint ESA-NASA campaign Mars Sample Return (MSR), the next step in Mars […]

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rolled out a new rule on Thursday that it says takes a new, streamlined approach for commercial spaceflight.  The biggest change is that it allows […]

NASA has chosen 14 companies for contract awards to develop technologies for Artemis operations on the Moon, including about $260 million to a group including Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance […]

Inmarsat revealed Thursday that it was awarded a new contract with Cobham Satcom to connect 732 fishing vessels in the Maldives to Inmarsat’s Fleet One maritime broadband services. The five-year […]

SmartSky Networks on Tuesday revealed that David Helfgott was named CEO. Helfgott most recently was president and CEO of Phasor, which went bankrupt in May. South Korean defense company Hanwha […]

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Telesat a further contract worth $18.3 million to develop and test it’s Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation as part of DARPA’s Blackjack program. […]

Spacecom revealed Wednesday that the company is teaming up with Ignite Power, a Pan-African infrastructure developer, to install e-Health connectivity solutions in remote clinics across sub-Saharan Africa. The solutions aims […]

Via Satellite’s Thursday Morning Conversation (TMC) goes in a slightly different direction this week. We talk to a doctor on the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis. Dr. Beth Healey of […]

USSI Global last Thursday revealed that Anthony Morelli was named Chief Operating Officer (COO). Morelli will report to CEO and President David S. Christiano, and oversee daily USSI Global business […]

Maxar Technologies revealed Tuesday that Esri signed a multi-million dollar contract extension to continue licensing data for the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World. The expanded agreement ensures that ArcGIS […]

Astroscale Holdings Inc. has closed its Series E funding round with additional funding of $51 million. This round puts Astroscale’s total investment raised at $191 million, making it the most-funded […]

Blue Origin successfully launched its New Shepard suborbital rocket on Tuesday, and in doing so, set a reusability record for the rocket, and tested a lunar landing system for NASA. […]

Accion Systems will host its propulsion system, TILE 3, onboard a NanoAvionics rideshare mission. Accion Systems procured this flight as part of a U.S. government-sponsored propulsion program, and launch is […]

Spaceflight Inc. has signed a Multiple Launch Services Agreement (MLSA) with Earth Observation (EO) company HawkEye 360. Spaceflight announced Oct. 7 that it will provide capacity, engineering, and mission management […]

KSAT reports that it delivered more than 20,000 passes on its smallsat network KSAT LITE in September, marking an all-time high. At the beginning of the year the KSAT LITE […]