News Analysis

by Virgil Labrador, Editor-in-Chief

Los Angeles, Calif., September 6, 2021--As with many industries, the satellite industry has not been spared the effects of  the global COVID-19 pandemic which hit the world over a year and a half ago. The pandemic has drastically disrupted supply chains and practically shut down key market segments for satellite such as in-flight connectivity and some key segments of the maritime sector such as  the cruise ship business.  Some key installations and contracts were delayed due to travel restrictions. However,  the satellite industry  has fared better than most industries during the pandemic due to several factors inherent in the key markets that the industry serve and the prospects post-pandemic are encouraging.

The September 2021 issue of  the Satellite Executive Briefing magazine  is now available.  Featuring:

The Satellite Industry in a Post-Pandemic World by Virgil Labrador

The Military Satellite Market by Omkar Nikam

TechBrief: Reliable Battlefield Network Automation by Juan Manuel Martinez

Prospects in the Satellite Data Services Market by Lalit Katare

Interview with Cynthia Harty, Vice-President-Strategic Business Development, ST Engineering iDirect

Company Spotlight: AVEALTO's High Altitude Platform

Show Report: Space Symposium 2021

National Harbor Your Way: In-person or Virtual by Martin Jarrold

PLUS Products and Services Spotlight @SATELLITE 2021, Mergers and Acquisitions, Executive Moves, Market Briefs, Vital Statistics, Satellite Markets Stock Index and many more. Click here to read or download the file

MarketBrief report on the Internet of Things (IoT) Market sponsored by ST Engineering iDirect

Featuring:

The State of the Art of the Satellite Internet of Things (IoT) Market  by Elisabeth Tweedie

Interview with Cynthia Harty, Vice-President-Strategic Business Development, ST Engineering iDirect

Use Case: Satellite IoT for Agricultural Applications

To read or download the pdf of full report click here.

Melville, NY, Aug. 25, 2021—Kymeta and Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL), a leading global provider of next-generation 911 emergency systems and secure wireless communications technologies, announced today a technology and business development partnership. As a result, Kymeta has diversified its service offerings via network compatibility with Comtech’s UHP-200 Universal Satellite Router and the Kymeta™ u8 terminal, and Comtech has expanded distribution of its recently acquired UHP product line and strengthened its ability to offer integrated VSAT solutions to its customers.

Long Beach, Calif., August 20, 2021--Vector Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: VACQ), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company backed by leading technology investor Vector Capital, today announced that Vector’s shareholders voted to approve its proposed merger with Rocket Lab USA, Inc., at its annual general meeting of shareholders held on August 20, 2021. Vector also announced that holders of less than 3% of its Class A ordinary shares have properly exercised their right to redeem their shares in connection with the proposed merger. As a result, the gross amount of cash that that the combined company will receive from Vector’s trust account and concurrent PIPE financing upon the closing of these transactions, before transaction expenses, will equal approximately US$ 777 million.

Vienna, Va., August 16, 2021--Spire Global, a global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, today announced it has completed its previously announced business combination with NavSight Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NSH)  to take Spire public. The combined company has been renamed “Spire Global, Inc.” and its shares will commence trading on the New York Stock Exchange on August 17, 2021, under the ticker symbol “SPIR” for Spire common stock and “SPIRW” for Spire warrants.

Ottawa, Canada, August 13, 2021--Telesat today announced its financial results for the three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2021. Adjusted EBITDA was CDN$ 149 million, a decrease of 10% ($16 million) or, when adjusted for foreign exchange rates, a decrease of 3% (CDN$5 million). The Adjusted EBITDA margin1 for the second quarter of 2021 was 79.2%, compared to 79.1% in 2020.

London, UK, August 12, 2021--Hanwha, a South Korean Fortune 500, global technology and manufacturing company has announced a US $300 million equity investment by its subsidiary Hanwha Systems in OneWeb, the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications company.  This investment brings OneWeb’s total equity investment since November 2020 to US $ 2.7 Billion with no debt issuance. The investment is expected to be completed in the first half of 2022, subject to regulatory approvals.

London, UK, August 11, 2021: The SpaceTech sector experienced another record-breaking quarter of venture financing in Q2 2021, both in terms of amounts invested and deals done, according to the latest figures from the Seraphim SpaceTech Venture Capital Index (“the Index”) published today.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, August 11, 2021--Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC  listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (“ADX”) under (SYMBOL: YAHSAT) (ISIN: AEA007501017), oday announced its financial results for the period 1st half 2021 ended 30 June 2021. In its first announcement after the successful completion of its initial public offering (the "IPO")  on 14 July 2021, Yahsat reported robust financial performance for the first half of 2021, showing strong results across all operating segments.