E-letter: Briefs

There could be over 130 million active monthly direct-to-cell (D2C) users by 2031, according to a new report from Juniper Research, “Direct to Cell Market 2026 – 2031.” Juniper estimates […]

Mexico’s low-cost airline Viva has selected SES to provide multi-orbit connectivity to 100 Airbus aircraft under a deal announced Monday. SES will equip 60 Airbus 320s and 40 Airbus 321s […]

Northrop Grumman said it is on track to deliver on-orbit space-based interceptor (SBI) capability in 2027, announcing a partnership with space startup Apex on Monday.  Northrop Grumman was one of […]

Viasat will equip two aircraft in NOAA’s “Hurricane Hunter” program with a hybrid satcom solution under a new award from Lockheed Martin.  Hurricane Hunters are specialized planes that fly directly […]

PLD Space, one of Europe’s up and coming launch providers, is making a large investment into one of the most historic and important launch facilities. The company will invest 35 […]

Two days after the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC) awarded SpaceX a nearly $2.3 billion contract for the Space Data Network Backbone, a proliferated Low Earth Orbit communications […]

Sateliot, the Spanish based satellite company has announced IoT partnership with Telenor IoT. Telenor IoT is part of the Telenor Group, one of the largest telcos In the Nordic region. […]

The European Union is seeking proposals for innovative and cost-effective user terminal technologies for the IRIS² constellation under a new tender opened on Wednesday.  According to the call for proposals, […]

BlackSky Technology has received a large contract renewal focused on non-Earth imagery services — in which its satellites capture imagery of other objects in orbit. BlackSky said this award comes […]

Virgin Media O2’s direct-to-device (D2D) service O2 Satellite now supports iPhones, the telco announced this week. The service, which uses SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile constellation, went live earlier this year for […]

Swissto12 is growing its leadership team as the company targets global expansion, appointing a new chief commercial officer (CCO) and execs focused on government affairs and partnerships.   The company’s CTO […]

Archangel Lightworks has completed field tests of its deployable optical ground station Terra-M, transferring data between the ground station and a satellite in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).  Archangel Lightworks, based in […]

Anuvu has signed a multi-year agreement with Eutelsat for satellite capacity on the Eutelsat 10B satellite, which will support in-flight connectivity (IFC) services.  Eutelsat 10B, positioned at 10 degrees East, […]

The European Commission has decided on a process to select which entities will hold the licenses to use critical mobile satellite services (MSS) spectrum in Europe. The proposal deals with […]

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command has awarded SpaceX a $2.29 billion Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contract for the Space Data Network (SDN) Backbone, a proliferated Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) […]

Two rideshare operators — SEOPS and Exolaunch — have purchased dedicated SpaceX Falcon 9 missions to run their own rideshare missions.  Both companies announced the deals on Tuesday during Smallsat Europe, […]

American Airlines is adding SpaceX’s Starlink service to its in-flight connectivity (IFC) lineup with a deal Tuesday to equip more than 500 narrowbody Airbus aircraft with Starlink.  American said it […]

U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command has awarded Viasat and Intelsat General, the U.S. division of Luxembourg’s SES, a nearly $438 million contract for satellites under the Protected Tactical Satellite-Global […]

A new space domain awareness (SDA) software for the U.K. government is now operational, six months ahead of schedule. The new software, called Borealis, improves tracking of satellites and space […]

Rocket Lab has secured its first orders for two Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites from the U.S. Space Force for a space domain awareness (SDA) mission. Rocket Lab announced a $90 million […]

Viasat has completed a direct-to-device (D2D) demonstration in the republic of Uzbekistan, featuring application-based messaging on an Android smartphone. The demonstration showcased smartphones sending and receiving messages over Viasat’s L-band […]

LatConnect 60 is working to raise between $5 million to $20 million in an accelerated growth round to fund its short-wave infrared (SWIR) satellite constellation.  On May 21, the company […]

The Space Force‘s Space Systems Command (SSC) and the service’s SpaceWERX innovation arm are to launch an In-Domain Orbital Logistics Challenge to find and advance commercial technologies to sustain satellites. […]

Planet is building an agentic AI geospatial query, where users could ask a question like “Where are new construction sites appearing in Florida?” and get an answer.  The agent is […]

Amadeus IT Group, a travel technology provider that supports airlines and airports, will integrate Spire Global’s aviation intelligence and data into its cloud platform used in airport operations.  Under a […]

Redwire has awarded Voyager Technologies a subcontract for the Otter mission for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to supply its high-precision Acceleration Measurement System (AMS). The Otter mission […]

Iceye is targeting the international banking sector with a key new launch. It is bringing to market natural catastrophe monitoring solutions designed for the global banking sector. The offering will […]

After serving as the acting director of the Space Development Agency (SDA) since last September, Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo was named director of the agency effective May 11, SDA said on […]

Eutelsat’s U.S. government service provider Eutelsat Network Solutions has added the Get SAT Aero Blade terminal to its lineup, to give more multi-orbit options to government and defense customers.  Aero […]

Sky Perfect JSAT is investing in Astroscale as part of a strategic partnership between the companies to work together on on-orbit servicing initiatives.  Through the partnership announced Tuesday, the companies […]