Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR), announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell MDA to a consortium of financial sponsors led by Northern Private Capital (NPC), for CAD$1 billion (US$765 million), subject to customary adjustments. The company expects to use proceeds to reduce leverage and improve its capital structure to prioritize investments for growth in its core areas of Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure.

Trying to choose the most significant stories of the year, is always a challenge!  Is x more important than y and does z really have an impact?  Inevitably, the choice of topics to include will always be subjective.  So, here’s my short list.

Celestia Technologies Group has announced that it has acquired the satellite ground systems division of Antwerp Space, part of the Bremen-based OHB SE Group, in a deal that will boost Celestia’s existing expertise in EGSE and ground systems.

Spacex' Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched JCSAT-18/Kacific1 satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida at about 7:10 p.m. It will enter service several weeks after on-orbit tests and moving to its final geostationary orbit position over the Asia-Pacific region.

The Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) held the 55th International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition (InterBEE2019) for three days from November 13 to 15 at Makuhari Messe Convention Center located at Chiba City, near Tokyo. Under the slogan of “Conveying the Possibilities of New Media to the World,” a record number of 1,158 companies and organizations including 632 from 37 countries and regions overseas, exhibited at 2,125 booth spaces. JEITA proudly announced that the total visitors marked 40,375.

Hughes Network Systems and Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat), a satellite operator based in the United Arab Emirates and wholly owned by Mubadala Investment Company, today announced the commencement of a joint venture to provide satellite broadband services in Brazil. Now operational under the established Hughes do Brasil name, the new venture combines Hughes decades of experience delivering satellite networks and services in Brazil with Yahsat’s strong position and capabilities in the region.

ViacomCBS Inc. (Nasdaq: VIACA, VIAC) (“ViacomCBS”) today announced the completion of the merger between CBS Corporation and Viacom Inc. The combined company, which is renamed ViacomCBS, creates a premium content powerhouse with global scale, including leading positions in markets across the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL) today reported its operating results for the first fiscal quarter ended October 31, 2019 and updated its fiscal 2020 guidance.  Net sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2020 were US$ 170.3 million as compared to the US$ 160.8 million achieved during the first quarter of fiscal 2019, representing an increase of $9.5 million, or 5.9%.

Fiscal 2020 First Quarter Highlights

Small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT) has purchased leading RF antenna manufacturer, Antenna Development Corporation (AntDevCo).

Russia’s satellite communications operator Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) and Azerbaijan’s satellite communications operator Azercosmos signed a cooperation agreement pertaining to satellite communications and broadcasting services in Baku, Azerbaijan, as part of the international telecommunications and IT show BAKUTEL 2019. RSCC’s Deputy Director General – Head of the Business Development Kseniya Drozdova and Azercosmos’s Deputy BoD Chairman Rovshan Rustamov signed the document.