News Analysis

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 Virgil Labrador

Los Angeles, Calif., January 6, 2020--Here we are in the new decade of the 2020s. The recent history of the satellite industry have been highlighted by key developments that have had a profound impact on the industry.  The 1970s and 80s saw the rise of C-Band which facilitated the distribution of video to various networks.  The 1990s gave us Ku-Band technology that brought about the explosion in Direct-to-Home (DTH) services.  The new millennium of the 2000s brought Ka-Band to the fore enabling broadband services.  

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. 

by Blaine Curcio

Hong Kong, January 3, 2020--A lot happened in the Chinese space industry in 2019. So much, that my friend and collaborator Jean Deville recently recorded a podcast on the year that was, with our conversation going nearly 2 hours, and we still felt like there was much more to say.  To capture everything that happened in China in space in 2019 in a single article would make for an incredibly long article, so for the sake of brevity, I’ve distilled our nearly 2 hours, plus everything else we did not get to, into a 2019 in review on the Chinese space industry, from my perspectives.

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.

Antwerp, Belgium, December 20, 2019- 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.

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.