With the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference finished, Viasat told the FCC in docket 22-273 Friday that it has no objection to further FCC action on possible non-geostationary orbit operations in the 17 GHz band. The company had urged the commission to avoid acting on the band prior to WRC-23, as the ITU was evaluating the feasibility of NGSO fixed satellite service in the 17.3-17.7 GHz band segment in ITU Region 2 (see 2301250024).
Tariff classification rulings
Finnish hyperspectral satellite operator and analytics company Kuva Space is expanding, establishing its Kuva Space US subsidiary in Fairfax, Virginia, it said Wednesday. Its aim is broadening its market reach into U.S. commercial customers and the U.S. government.
Viasat's ViaSat-3 Flight 1 satellite is being configured for operations, and should begin providing commercial in-flight connectivity service in Q1 2025, CEO Mark Dankberg said Tuesday as the company announced Q3 2024 results. He said the company is adjusting the Flight 2 antenna to avoid the malfunction that struck Flight 1 (see 2307130003), with Flight 2 to be launched in the first half of next year. Flight-3 is set for launch late this year, he said. Dankberg said the Airbus-built Inmarsat 7, 8 and 9 satellites are expected to be finished early in 2026.
PlanetiQ hopes to launch GNOMES-5 by June, it said in an FCC Space Bureau application Monday seeking authorization to launch and operate the non-geostationary orbit satellite. The company said the S- and X-band GNOMES-5 is part of a larger plan for a constellation for weather forecasting, with its GNOMES-4 satellite currently orbiting and generating data.
Silence from New EchoStar and its Dish Network about allegations of financial impropriety (see 2401230015) should serve as "writing on the wall" for investors, Buxton Helmsley Group said Monday. Apparently tongue in cheek, the investment fund called EchoStar's cancellation of multiple debt exchange offers (see 2401300003) after its last letter "shocking." It said debt exchange offers that weren't canceled were more evidence of fraud. Warning that the company is stripping assets, BHG said creditors "should take immediate action to protect their interests, as they have a real apparent problem (seemingly, ballooning by the day) on their hands with this present Board and management." EchoStar didn't comment.
Eutelsat's 113 West A geostationary orbit satellite halted operations following a Jan. 31 anomaly, the company said Friday. Launched in 2006, the satellite was approaching its end of life, Eutelsat added. The satellite provided C- and Ku-band coverage in the Americas. Eutelsat said it's transferring capacity to other geostationary satellites.
Loft Orbital hopes to have its YAM-7 microsatellite launched as soon as June, it said in an FCC Space Bureau application posted Monday. It asked the bureau for permission to launch and operate the satellite in low earth orbit, with the satellite carrying a payload for customer Hydrosat intended to provide earth exploration satellite services. Its YAM-6 is scheduled to launch March 1, it said.
Satellite operator Lynk Global's business combination with special purpose acquisition company Slam Corp. is expected in the second half of 2024, Slam said Monday. The deal will take Lynk public, with the two operating as Lynk Global Holdings, said Slam, established by former MLB star Alex Rodriguez and Antara Capital founder Himanshu Gulati. The transaction still needs approval of both companies' shareholders. It was announced in December (see 2312190004).
The 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference was the scene of a number of clashes in the growing tension between geostationary and non-geostationary orbit operators, Disruptive Analysis' Dean Bubley wrote on LinkedIn Wednesday. The most important such clash was over proposed changes to equivalent power flux density limits, with NGSOs seeking changes losing that fight "although they may get another bite of the cherry in 2027 or 2031," he said. The clashes mean terrestrial mobile network operators "now have two groups to fight for future spectrum rights," he said. They also may hinder in the short term the scope of some supplemental coverage from space plans, he said. Bubley predicted relatively modest terrestrial/space integration and more satellite-only services.
SpaceX likely saw revenues of $8.7 billion last year, and should hit $13.3 billion this year, Payload Research said Wednesday. It said that growth will likely be driven by Falcon 9 launches and Starlink's user base going from 2.2 million subscribers to 3.8 million. It said Starlink will likely add 600,000 U.S. subs this year, same as it did in 2023, while its international sub base will grow hugely, by 900,000, due to geographic expansion including an impending approval in India. It said SpaceX faces "a jam-packed schedule" for launches, with 148 targeted this year. It completed 96 launches in 2023.