E-letter: Briefs

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has granted Rivada Space Networks request to waive the requirement to put 10% of its constellation into orbit this year.  The decision came from the […]

Hughes Network Systems’ long-awaited Jupiter 3 satellite is now at Cape Canaveral in Florida, ready to launch. SpaceX will launch Jupiter 3 on an upcoming mission, set for the night […]

Momentum is teaming up with OneWeb to better enterprise connectivity solutions to the oil & gas sector. The two companies announced the partnership, June 29. Momentum offers these solutions in […]

The U.S. Space Force has awarded iRocket $1.8 million in further funding on a Phase II SBIR contract to develop its reusable rocket engine. iRocket — Innovative Rocket Technologies Inc. […]

Cailabs will host Astrolight’s laser communications terminal on an upcoming satellite mission, the companies announced June 28. Astrolight’s lasercom terminal ATLAS-1 will demonstrate pointing, acquisition, and tracking capabilities at gigabit […]

The Space Development Agency (SDA) issued a solicitation for 100 satellites for its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) on June 28. The SDA is looking for industry proposals for 100 […]

OroraTech is expanding its partnership with Spire Global to build, launch, and operate an eight-satellite constellation dedicated to global temperature monitoring. The two companies announced the partnership on June 28. […]

Two satellites that will provide high-speed broadband in the Arctic for the Global Xpress service have completed vacuum testing. The two satellites are part of the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission, which […]

Lockheed Martin has signed a deal to launch a tech demonstration on a Firefly Aerospace Alpha launch vehicle. This is the first deal between Lockheed Martin and the launcher.  Firefly’s […]

Space computing company Ramon.Space has raised $26 million from Ingrasys, a subsidiary of Foxconn Technology Group, Abu Dhabi-based strategic investment firm Strategic Development Fund, and existing investors Grove Ventures, Deep […]

OneWeb has initiated service across Europe and much of the United States as the Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation is working toward global service.  The satellite operator announced Wednesday that it […]

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awarded SES Space & Defense a five-year X-band Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with an estimated value of $134 million.  The contract announced Wednesday is […]

Google connectivity-focused spinoff Aalyria has a new contract from the Office of Naval Research and Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to develop over-the-horizon connectivity for the Navy’s sea, air, and land […]

Airmo, another climate and space-based start-up, has closed a pre-seed funding round of 5.2 million euros ($5.69 million). The company announced the funding round June 27. This pre-seed round will […]

Intelsat is helping bring more connectivity to Indonesia, one of Asia’s biggest markets by expanding its partnership with some key players in the region. Intelsat is working with Lintasarta, an […]

The Biden Administration is investing $42.45 billion in a high-speed broadband program with the goal of connecting every resident and small business with high-speed internet by 2030, the White House […]

SES’s recently-launched C-band satellite SES-18 is now providing service, the operator announced Tuesday. The satellite replaced SES-3 at the 103 degrees West orbital position.  SES-18 was launched alongside SES-19 in […]

Aarti Holla-Maini will lead the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) as its director, the UN announced Monday. Holla-Maini succeeds Simonetta Di Pippo of Italy.  Holla-Maini lives in […]

SES and NorthStar Earth & Space have signed an agreement to collaborate on the implementation of next-generation commercial Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services. The deal was announced June 26. The […]

The European Space Agency (ESA) awarded GMV a contract worth more than 200 million euros ($218 million) to develop the ground segment for in-orbit control and validation of the Galileo […]

SpiderOak has demonstrated its OrbitSecure cybersecurity software in space on a Ball Aerospace prototype payload, the company announced June 22.  The OrbitSecure cybersecurity software uses encryption and distributed-ledger software to […]

India has signed the Artemis Accords, a multinational agreement with a common vision for space exploration. India and the U.S. announced the signing on Thursday while India’s Prime Minister Narendra […]

Qualcomm Technologies, one of the biggest names in the telecoms world, is releasing two new modem chipsets with satellite capability, the company announced June 22. The two modems: the Qualcomm […]

Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) has already shipped the recently announced Telesat LEO demonstration satellite, and it will launch on a Rocket Lab mission set for July.  Just last month Telesat […]

Lynk Global has started initial satellite-to-cell service in Palau, an island nation in Oceania with mobile network operator PNCC. This  is the first MNO in the world to launch Lynk’s […]

The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45, Space Systems Command (SSC), and United Launch Alliance (ULA), launched the NRO’s NROL-68 satellite on June 22 from Cape […]

Mynaric will supply Raytheon Technologies with optical communication terminals for the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 1 Tracking Layer program under a deal announced Wednesday.  Raytheon is building seven satellites […]

AST SpaceMobile reports that it has demonstrated 4G capabilities from its satellite direct to unmodified cell phones on Earth. The company said Wednesday it demonstrated 10 Mbps download speeds and […]

Inmarsat Maritime, now a Viasat business, has won a new contract with one of its long-standing maritime customers. It will look to implement its Fleet LTE solution across Atlantic Offshore’s […]

Satellite Industry Association (SIA) President Tom Stroup testified before Congress on Wednesday, calling for funds and grants to support satellite broadband and IoT projects focused on serving rural areas. Stroup spoke […]