News Analysis

Ottawa, Canada, February 27, 2020--Telesat today announced its financial results for the three-month and one-year periods ended December 31, 2019. All amounts are in Canadian dollars and reported under International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) unless otherwise noted. For the year ended December 31, 2019, Telesat reported consolidated revenue of $911 million, an increase of 1% ($8 million) compared to the same period in 2018.

McLean, Va, February 25, 2020–Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM)  today reported financial results for the fourth quarter of 2019 and issued its full-year 2020 guidance. Net loss was $107.9 million, or $0.82 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to net loss of $7.6 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2018.

Luxembourg, Feb. 20, 2020-- Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), today announced financial results for the three months and full-year ended December 31, 2019. Intelsat reported total revenue of $517.0 million and net loss attributable to Intelsat S.A. of $115.0 million for the three months ended December 31, 2019. For the year ended December 31, 2019, Intelsat reported total revenue of $2,061.5 million and net loss attributable to Intelsat S.A. of $913.6 million.

Melville, NY, January 29, 2020--Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (Nasdaq: CMTL)  and Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (Nasdaq: GILT; TASE: GILT)  announced today that Comtech has agreed to acquire Gilat in a cash and stock transaction for US$ 10.25 per Gilat ordinary share of which 70% will be paid in cash and 30% in Comtech common stock, resulting in an enterprise value of approximately US$ 532.5 million.

Kourou, French Guiana,  January 16, 2020--For its first launch of the year from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, Ariane 5 placed two satellites in geostationary transfer orbit (GTO): the EUTELSAT KONNECT satellite for Eutelsat and the GSAT-30 satellite for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The January-February 2020 issue of  the Satellite Executive Briefing magazine sponsored by Spacebridge is now available.  Featuring:

Trends to Watch in the New Decade by Virgil Labrador

The Most Significant Satellite Stories of 2019  by Elisabeth Tweedie

2019: The Year in China's Space Industry by Blaine Curcio

The Maritime Satellite Market by Bernardo Schneiderman

Satellites and the Cloud: A 20:20 View  by Martin Jarrold

Is Big Data a Big Deal for Teleports? by Robert Bell

Show Report: InterBee 2019 by Naoakira Kamiya

PLUS Mergers and Acquisitions, Executive Moves, Market Briefs, Vital Statistics, Satellite Markets 20 Stock Index and many more. Click here to read or download the file

by Robert Bell

New York City, January 3, 2020--Big Data is information on steroids.  It is generated at high volume, high velocity and with enormous structural variety from billions of devices flooding the world’s data centers with bits.  But the same term encompasses an even more radical development: the data analytics that can turn this explosion of digital content into business insights and actionable intelligence. 

Westminister, Colo., January 1, 2020--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.

by Elisabeth Tweedie

Los Angeles, Calif., December 30, 2019--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.

December 16, 2019, Cape Canaveral , Fla.-- 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.