News Analysis

Listen to audio podcasts with key satellite industry executives including: Mitja Lovsin, General Manager-STN;Jack Waters, CEO-Xiplink;  Alvaro Sanchez, CEO-Integrasys;  Dan Zajicek, CEO-Spacecom; Dave Rehbehn, VP-Intnernational Division, Hughes Newtwork Systems; Krystal Dredge, Marketing Director-AvL Technologies;  Carl Novello, CTO-NXTCOMM; Alexander Mueller-Gastell, CEO-ND SatCom;  Vagan Shakhgildian, CEO-UHP Networks; David Gelerman, CEO, Spacebridge; Lou Dubin, SVP-Product Marketing, Comtech EF Data;  Bob Hansen, VP-Sales and Marketing, Terrasat; Steve Richeson, VP-Sales, Mission Microwave and Semir Hassanaly, Head of Cellular Backhaul and Trunking, ST Engineering iDirect.  Click here to listen to the podcasts.

Carlsbad, Calif., February 4, 2021--Viasat released third quarter Fiscal Year 2021 Financial results today in a letter to shareholders .  The quarterly company revenues were US$ 575.6 million versus US$ 588.2 million last year. Quarterly revenues were down 2.2% year on year (YoY) and EBITDA was up 20.6 % YoY.  The results were 6.6% above consensus.

Sydney, Australia, January 25, 2021–Speedcast International Limited (ASX:SDA) today announced that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas has confirmed Speedcast International Limited and certain of its affiliates’ Plan of Reorganization. The confirmation definitively clears the path for the company to successfully complete the Chapter 11 process after receiving final regulatory approvals and satisfying customary closing conditions, which is expected by the end of the first quarter of 2021.

Cape Canaveral, Fla., January 24, 2021--At 10:00 a.m. US EST, SpaceX 's Falcon 9 rocked successfully launched its first dedicated SmallSat Rideshare  mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.On board the Falcon 9 rocket were 133 commercial and government spacecraft (including CubeSats, microsats, and orbital transfer vehicles) and 10 Starlink satellites – the most spacecraft ever deployed on a single mission.

Jacksonville, Fla., January 19, 2021--Redwire, a provider of  mission critical space solutions and high reliability components for the next generation space economy, announced today that it has acquired Oakman Aerospace, Inc. (OAI) a provider of cutting-edge products and services related to digital engineering, spacecraft and satellite design and development, mission payload development, and data distribution services. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Mojave, Calif., January 17, 2021—Virgin Orbit, the California-based satellite launch company, confirmed that its LauncherOne rocket reached space during the company’s second launch demonstration today, successfully deploying 10 payloads for NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP) from a rocket launched from a Boeing 747.

by Omkar Nikam

Strasbourg, France, January 15, 2021--Ever since satellites have been launched in outer space, both opportunities and risks have increased in the various earth orbits. For more than 50 years, more than 5000 rockets have been launched carrying multiple space objects, mainly satellites into orbit. Today most of these objects are either turned backed to earth or continue to revolve in earth orbits, ultimately increasing the risks for existing and future space infrastructure in low earth- (LEO), medium earth- (MEO), and geosynchronous earth (GEO) orbits.

by Robert Bell

New York City, NY, January 15, 2021--Cellular backhaul via satellite is a big sector for the satellite industry.  It is also a vanishingly small percentage of total backhaul.  In 2020, the arrival of 5G has offered a similar paradox: hundreds of megahertz of C-band capacity have gone to feed the bandwidth appetite of 5G, yet 5G is the first cellular standard that is incorporating satellite as a native backhaul option. Our industry could be forgiven for feeling some whiplash.

by Virgil Labrador, Editor-in-Chief

Los Angeles, Calif., January 15, 2021--The new year is finally here and it certainly is more promising than the very challenging year that was 2020.   To say that the past year was a challenge is a huge understatement, but despite it all, there were some bright spots that bodes well for 2021 and beyond.

Oslo, Norway, January 13,  2021--Marlink Group, backed by Apax Partners (France), has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of ITC Global,a provider of satellite communications solutions, from Panasonic. Upon completion of the acquisition, ITC Global will become a cornerstone of the Marlink Group, supporting the expansion of Marlink's global leadership in the energy and enterprise markets.