Satcoms

Globalstar Europe Satellite Services Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Globalstar Inc., and the leader in satellite messaging and emergency notification technologies, today announced the launch of SPOT X two-way satellite messenger with Bluetooth in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. This new model allows users to connect SPOT X to …

Thales Alenia Space, a Joint Venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), announced on 4 December 2019 that it has signed a contract with the Egyptian operator Nilesat to build the Nilesat-301 geostationary communications satellite, winning the contract against an international field of competitors. Positioned at 7° West, Nilesat-301 will …

The team from Universidad del Valle de Guatemala have completed the development of their first satellite under the KiboCUBE programme run by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The winners of the second round of the programme handed over the …

As it readies for its first satellite launch next week, Kacific Broadband Satellites Group (Kacific) announced on 6 December 2019 that it has closed credit facilities totalling U.S.$160 million with a group of financial institutions including the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and GuarantCo. The financing from ADB comprises a loan …

By Blaine Curcio As part of the partnership between SpaceWatch.Global and Blaine Curcio, we have been granted permission to publish selected articles and briefs. This is ‘Satellites for Nations: The Dawn of a New Era – The Key to New Markets?’, originally published at WestEastSpace.com on 24 November 2019. For decades, …

The UAE has great ambitions in space and is advancing rapidly, reaching impressive milestones all the time. This year, the UAE sent Hazza Al Mansouri, their first astronaut into space and the UAE Space Agency is developing a hyperspectral satellite as well as planning the Emirates Mars Mission. SpaceWatch.Global Editor, …

The Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, has said that Denmark intends to strengthen its surveillance capabilities over the Arctic Sea and airspace – to include space-based Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) – in response to Russia’s growing and expanded presence there. “We see increasing Russian presence around the Arctic,” Frederiksen said …

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $50 million financing package on 2 December 2019 with Kacific Broadband Satellites International Limited (Kacific) to provide satellite-based, low cost, high-speed, wholesale broadband internet connections to countries in Asia and the Pacific, especially in remote areas of small island nations in the Pacific, …

On 3 December 2019 the Australian Space Agency (ASA) signed with French aerospace giant Thales Group an agreement to develop Australian space capabilities. The agreement with the ASA will see Thales provide its know-how and expertise in developing satellite systems. Thales already has a large presence in Australia, providing a …

The Enhanced Polar System Recapitalization (EPS-R) Payload program reached a major program milestone completing a successful Delta Critical Design Review (CDR), Oct. 9. Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (NGAS) is the EPS-R Payload developer via an approximately $410 million contract awarded in February 2018 that runs through December 2023. The CDR …