Satcoms

The 7th episode of Space Cafè Italy featured Gino Bucciol, co-founder and VP of Business Development Officer of Officina Stellare SpA, in conversation with Editor In Chief and radio host Dr. Emma Gatti.

Ovzon AB has learned that there will be additional delays in finalizing the satellite Ovzon-3. Ovzon has also shifted launch provider to SpaceX to accommodate an updated launch window, with liftoff on a Falcon 9 rocket targeted between July and September 2023.

Ploughshares Senior Researcher Dr. Jessica West spoke with Brian Gallant, the founding and current CEO of Space Canada, an association established in March 2022 to represent Canada’s outer space innovators and allied industries. Nine companies originally came together to found Space Canada (https://space-canada.ca), with the aim of “strengthen[ing] the Canadian space ecosystem.”

Our Space Café “33 minutes with Markus Fritz ” about Mobility and Space – is Europe too late to win the Race? took place on Tuesday, 31 January 2023. In the first part of the conversation, the two discussed the current state of the satellite industry and the challenges it faces. Fritz explained that the industry is in the midst of a transformation and is facing many challenges, such as the cost of launching satellites and the competition between traditional satellite companies and new players entering the market.

Airbus has signed a contract with the Belgian Ministry of Defense to provide tactical satellite communications services for a 15-year period. The Armed Forces will utilize channels of the Airbus UHF (Ultra High Frequency) military communications hosted payload on board a commercial telecommunications satellite manufactured by Airbus.

Spanish Government satellite operator Hisdesat has awarded GMV a contract to build and develop the ground segment of the SPAINSAT NG program satellites. These two new satellites, scheduled for launch in 2024 and 2025, will replace the operator’s current SpainSat and XTAR-EUR satellites and significantly improve their performance and capabilities. 

The 15th European Space Conference began today in Brussels, Belgium. Among other topics, it discussed the IRIS² project, a new highly secure, satellite-enabled connectivity system.

This Space Café WebTalk will feature Markus Fritz, owner and Managing Director of ADVISORIO, in conversation with Torsten Kriening, publisher of SpaceWatch.Global: “Mobility and Space” – is Europe too late to win the Race?”

The EUTELSAT 5 West A satellite has retired after more than 20 years of in-orbit operation. As a result, Eutelsat has successfully re-orbited the satellite to more than 400km above the geostationary arc. Likewise, the satellite operator has depressurized the propulsion system and passivated the electrical equipment on board. The final operation to deactivate the remaining Radio Frequency source (telemetry transmitter) came from the Issy-les-Moulineaux Satellite Control Centre on 13 January at 09:57 UTC.

Sateliot and Sensefinity have launched a global 5G-IoT satellite connectivity to facilitate the first data transmission technology from 1,000 smart containers, saving medium shipping companies up to a reported $1.4 million per year on container maintenance and repairs.