Americas Markets - Latest Developments


New York City, January 7, 2022 -- by Lou Zacharilla

 A man receives a telegram reporting the death of his mother-in-law and asks for instructions. He immediately replies back: “Embalm, cremate, bury at sea. Take no chances!” One defining feature of the space and satellite industry is that it knows how to take risks but does not take chances. 

New Delhi, India, January 4, 2022

Hughes Communications India Pvt Ltd, (HCIPL), a majority-owned subsidiary of Hughes Network Systems, LLC and Bharti Airtel Limited, India’s premier communications solution provider, today announced the formation of a joint venture to provide satellite broadband services in India.

Long Beach, Calif., December 28, 2021

NextGen Acquisition Corp. II (NASDAQ: NGCA) ) stockholders today approved the previously-announced business combination with Vieco USA, Inc., the parent company of Virgin Orbit, at a special meeting of stockholders held today. A Form 8-K disclosing the full voting results is expected to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Paris, France, December 18, 2021--by Elisabeth Tweedie

Unlike the IBC, which was canceled at the last minute, World Satellite Business Week organized by Euroconsult, went ahead in December 2021 in Paris as planned.  Normally an in-person only event, held in September, the December event was both in-person and online, resulting in close to normal attendance.  Euroconsult took extraordinary precautions, including making on-site Covid-19 testing available.

Los Angeles, Ca., December 9, 2021 -- by Virgil Labrador, Editor-in-Chief

We're finally near the end of 2021 and for most people, it couldn't come fast enough. It's been a very challenging   year not only for the satellite industry but for pretty much the global economy.

As I've pointed out in several previous articles in this publication (The Satellite Industry in a Post-Pandemic World," September 2021 and The Satellite Industry in the Time of Covid-19, April 2020), some sectors may not have been impacted by the pandemic as others, but impacted nonetheless.

Pandemics are Here to Stay

Singapore, December 8, 2021

ST Engineering today announced that its Corporate Venture Capital unit, ST Engineering Ventures Pte Ltd led a US$ 30 million Series A round in Israel-based hiSky Ltd., a  developer and provider of affordable and agile satellite Internet of Things (IoT) networks and solutions, with participation from SDF (Strategic Development Fund), the investment arm of Tawazun Holding, and hiSky’s existing shareholders.

December 7, 2021 -- By Robert Bell

In the Terminator films, an artificial intelligence system called Skynet is put in charge of the US nuclear deterrent.  After some consideration, it reaches the not-unreasonable conclusion that human beings are dangerous.  Cue Armageddon, followed by a long mopping-up operation to ensure that humans will never pose a threat to a world now run by machines.