E-letter: News Feed

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 […]

Eutelsat Communications confirmed a successful launch for 2o new OneWeb satellites launched over the weekend. SpaceX launched the satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California […]

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 […]

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) last Friday awarded SpaceX task orders worth $733.6 million to launch spacecraft for the Space Development Agency (SDA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) […]

Comtech‘s Board of Directors and management team announced late Thursday its intention to divest its Terrestrial & Wireless Networks (T&W) business, which provides “NG911” 911 emergency call solutions for state […]

Hydrosat, a climate tech company, has won a near $2 million contract with the US Air Force. The contract worth $1.9 million will see Hydrosat provide cloud and weather prediction […]

SpiderOak launched its core technology platform as an open-source offering on Thursday as it looks to expand the reach of its platform and technology. The company said that its ‘Aranya’ […]

True Anomaly on Thursday said it has selected Firefly Aerospace to launch its Jackal spacecraft for the U.S. Space Force’s VICTUS HAZE Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission expected to occur no later […]

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 […]

Arkadia Space is getting closer to launching its propulsion module in space thanks to a new collaboration with the space transportation company D-Orbit. Arkadia Space announced on Oct. 16 that […]

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.  […]

Space42 wants to bring AI to the oil & gas (O&G) industry. It has teamed up with nybl, a science-based AI company, to launch a satellite-enabled AI solution for O&G […]

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 […]

Celestia Antwerp, the Belgian satellite ground segment company, has launched Virtual Integrated Baseband (V-IBB), a new solution for satellite Tracking, Telemetry and Command (TT&C). The V-IBB is a virtual baseband […]

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 […]

Vast is targeting a contract to build the successor to the International Space Station (ISS), unveiling Haven-2 on Monday, its proposed space station design. Vast said it developed Haven-2 to […]

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 […]