News Analysis

Paris, France, April 27, 2021--Satellite operator Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) has entered into an agreement with OneWeb for the subscription of approximately 24% equity stake, becoming a leading shareholder of the company alongside the UK Government and Bharti Global. Eutelsat will invest US$ 550 million in OneWeb, with closing expected in H2 2021 subject to regulatory authorizations.

Stellenbosch, South Africa, April 27, 2021--Space and information-technology entrepreneur Dr. Max Polyakov today announced the completion of his acquisition of a majority stake in Dragonfly Aerospace, a South African NewSpace company with over 20-year track record in high-performance imaging satellites and payloads.

Ottawa, Canada, April 20, 2021 –C-COM Satellite Systems Inc., (TSXV: CMI and OTCQB: CYSNF) al provider of commercial grade mobile auto-deploying satellite antenna systems, announced today its financial results for the first quarter ended February 28, 2021. The company has generated revenues of CDN$ 4,719,279 and net income after taxes of CDN$ 1,466,580, or four cents per share. This compares with revenues of CDN$ 1,240,630 and a net loss after taxes of CDN$ 186,573, or 0 cents per share as reported in 2020. This Q1 2021 performance represents gains of 280% and 886%, respectively, over Q1 2020’s levels.

McLean, Va., April 20, 2021 – Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM) today reported financial results for the first quarter of 2021 and reiterated its full-year 2021 outlook. Net loss was US$ US 5.2 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2021, as compared to net loss of US$ 31.7 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2020. This decrease in net loss was primarily the result of the absence of debt extinguishment costs, which were incurred in the year ago period with Iridium’s refinancing of its senior unsecured notes.

Houston Tex., , April 12, 2021--Marlink Group, backed by Apax Partners sas, has obtained final regulatory approvals to acquire 100% of ITC Global from Panasonic. The Marlink and ITC Global management teams are preparing for a swift closing of the transaction in the coming weeks.

Rochelle Park, NJ, April 8, 2021--Orbcomm, a global provider of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by GI Partners, a leading US-based investor in data infrastructure businesses, in an all-cash transaction that values Orbcomm at approximately US$ 1.1 billion, including net debt.

Toronto, Canada, April 7, 2021--MDA Ltd., a provider of advanced technology and services to the burgeoning global space industry, today announced the successful closing of its previously announced an initial public offering (IPO) of common shares of the company. Pursuant to the Offering, MDA issued 28,571,500 Common Shares at a price of CDN$ 14.00 per Common Share for gross proceeds to the company of approximately CDN$ 400 million.

The April 2021 issue of  the Satellite Executive Briefing magazine focusing on the Non-GEO Satelllite Market is now available.  Featuring:

Is 2021 the Year Smallsat IoT Takes Off?  by Hub Hurlings

Prospects in the Cubesat Market by Mayank Halmare

Space Tourism: Fueling Commercial Demand Across Space Market Verticals by Omkar Nikam

Executive Spotlight: Bart Van Poucke, VP-Product Management, ST Engineering iDirect

TECHBrief: Retrofiting ACU 7200 with sat-nms ACU2-19V2 by Michael Ulbricht

Company Spotlight: Mission Microwave Continues Growth and Moves into a New State-of-the-Art Facilty

In the Land of Virtual by Robert Bell

10,000 Viewers and Counting: Dubai, Singapore and DC Calling by Martin Jarrold

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

by Omkar Nikam

Strasbourg, France, April 5, 2021--The dream of today is the reality of tomorrow, and space tourism is a classic example of how the human race is unlocking the full potential of its capabilities to learn and explore outer space. A decade ago, space tourism consisted of a handful of companies, with Space Adventures at the forefront of this emerging market. One of the early triggering factors of the space tourism investment was the joint success of Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities (Roscomos) and Space Adventures. In the early 21st century both Space Adventures and Roscomos achieved success in short tourist flight to the International Space Station (ISS). And these commercial movements developed huge interest among the investors, which also ultimately led to the rise of companies like the Virgin Galactic.

Cypress, Calif., April 5, 2021–Mission Microwave Technologies, LLC, a manufacturer of highly efficient Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPAs) and Block Upconverters (BUCs) has moved from their original offices in Santa Fe Springs to a larger facility in Cypress, California.