https://spacewatch.global/tag/starlink/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Fri, 30 Oct 2026 10:51:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4 https://spacewatch.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SpaceWatchGlobal-Sign-90x90.png https://spacewatch.global/tag/starlink/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-gray-space-halloween-special-trick-or-trade-how-flipping-the-starshield-kill-switch-over-ukraine-eventually-backfired/ Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79601
Written by Christophe Bosquillon.
A sudden restriction on Ukraine’s Starshield access exposed an uncomfortable question about battlefield connectivity: who ultimately controls critical space infrastructure? Christophe Bosquillon examines the political fallout in Washington, Europe’s alternatives and the risks of relying on commercial systems in wartime.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/washington-throttles-starlink-and-starshield-over-ukraine-renewing-calls-for-european-solutions/ Fri, 16 Oct 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=79058 Services provided by Starlink and its military counterpart Starshield have been curtailed over Ukraine, with devices moving above certain speeds losing connectivity. Who ordered the restriction is disputed, and European observers have pointed to the episode as fresh impetus for sovereign satellite capability.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/10/spacewatchgl-recap-iac-2026-day-four-crowded-orbits-open-interfaces/ Fri, 09 Oct 2026 07:30:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=78823 On the last plenary day of IAC 2026, ESA’s Holger Krag warned that today’s disposal rules legally leave a thousand dead satellites a year in orbit, Astroscale admitted there is no debris removal market yet, and Japan, ispace, SpaceX and ESA debated how open the Moon’s infrastructure should be. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/spacewatchgl-opinion-leo-economics-are-decided-in-the-chipset-not-the-launch-bay/ Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77515
Written by Ian Lankshear
Launch cadence may dominate the headlines, but the economics of LEO connectivity are increasingly decided on the ground. Ian Lankshear argues that custom silicon, common terminal architectures and scale will determine which networks can reach mass-market adoption.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/09/spacewatchgl-opinion-governing-a-crowded-orbit-requires-more-than-regulatory-approval/ Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=77348
Written by Masse Melvin
As Low Earth Orbit becomes increasingly crowded, regulatory approval alone is no longer enough. Masse Melvin argues that making orbital risks and trade-offs visible must become part of space governance.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/08/spacewatchgl-analysis-which-side-of-the-road/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=76597
Written by Valentin Eder & Torsten Kriening
As orbital data centres converge on the same valuable dawn-dusk sun-synchronous orbits, a fundamental question remains unanswered: who decides the rules of the road? SpaceWatch.Global examines the emerging traffic, safety and governance challenge, and why Europe should help shape the answer.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/07/spacewatchgl-opinion-the-space-economy-now-wears-a-uniform-is-europe-ready/ Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=75794 Fifty-three percent of the world's government space spending now goes to defence. Analysing ESA's Report on the Space Economy 2026, SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening argues the space economy has become a defence economy - and that Europe, an order of magnitude behind the US and China, must now decide whether it will be a shareholder or a customer. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/a-second-starlink-satellite-has-unexpectedly-disintegrated-in-orbit-within-three-months/ Fri, 03 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=72604 A second Starlink satellite has disintegrated in orbit within three months. LeoLabs detected dozens of debris fragments at 560km - days before Artemis II's crewed launch.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/03/high-throughput-satellite-market-set-to-reach-76b-as-starlink-drives-paradigm-shift-in-new-novaspace-report/ Fri, 27 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=72384 Novaspace has published its latest High Throughput Satellites report, disclosing a new HTS market phase of scale, driven by the rapid expansion of NGSO constellations – led by Starlink – and a step change in performance, pricing, and global adoption. The new report projects that global High Throughput demand will reach 218 Tbps by 2034 with 98% of the supply coming from, Non Geostationary systems (NGSO), while service revenues are set to more than double to $76 billion over the same period.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/03/telekom-to-close-white-spots-in-europe-with-starlink-satellite-to-mobile-connectivity-option/ Tue, 10 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=71851 Deutsche Telekom is expanding its network coverage through satellite-based direct connectivity in partnership with Starlink to bring mobile communications to areas where network expansion is particularly challenging. By integrating satellite-based mobile connectivity, Telekom aims to increase the robustness of its mobile network and providing additional safety for customers, particularly in exceptional or infrastructure-constrained situations such as natural disasters or prolonged power outages.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/02/spacewatchgl-interview-espis-recipe-for-strategic-relevance-with-hermann-ludwig-moeller/ Wed, 18 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=71312
Written by Tamara Blagojevic
At the 18th European Space Conference in Brussels, Herrmann Ludwig Moeller, Director of the European Space Policy Institute, joins Tamara Blagojevic of SpaceWatch.Global to examine Europe’s evolving space landscape — and to explain how ESPI has grown into a key policy voice beyond the traditional space bubble.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2026/02/spacex-announces-new-stargaze-space-situational-awareness-system-for-safer-leo-operations/ Mon, 02 Feb 2026 07:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=70838 SpaceX has announced its Space Situational Awareness (SSA) system, Stargaze, to significantly enhance the safety and sustainability of satellite operations in low Earth orbit (LEO). The system aims to deliver a several-order-of-magnitude increase in detection capability compared to conventional ground-based systems.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/06/novaspace-reports-shift-from-geo-to-ngso-connectivity-in-the-maritime-satcom-market/ Thu, 19 Jun 2025 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=65881 Novaspace discloses that the NGSO capacity market share is set to grow from 85% in 2024 to approx. 98% by 2034 in the newly released 13th edition of its Prospects for Maritime Satellite Communications report. Likewise, NGSO-based service revenues market share will also increase, reaching 93% by decade’s end.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2025/01/italy-engages-in-discussions-with-spacex-for-secure-satellite-connectivity/ Tue, 07 Jan 2025 07:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=63288 According to a Bloomberg recent report, Italian officials have been negotiating a €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) deal involving supplying Italy with a full range of top-level encryption for telephone and Internet services.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/11/riyadh-2024-aarti-holla-maini-director-unoosa/ Mon, 25 Nov 2024 15:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=62463 At the Connecting the World from the Skies Summit in Riyadh, Aarti Holla-Maini, Director of UNOOSA, discussed the importance of high-resolution satellite imagery for crisis management and climate change adaptation. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/10/novaspace-predicts-increased-ifc-services-in-new-report/ Thu, 03 Oct 2024 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=61456 Novaspace has released its 12th annual report ‘New Prospects for In-Flight Connectivity’ disclosing continued growth in the market. It highlights key global trends, including increasing connected aircrafts, the rise of NGSO-based satellite services and the growing impact of mergers and collaborations between service providers.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/03/spacewatchgl-opinion-cosmos-at-a-crossroads-navigating-astronomy-and-satellite-mega-constellations/ Thu, 21 Mar 2024 09:00:34 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=54227 Outer space presents myriad concepts for jointly creating inspiration and opportunity as well as challenges. With over 8,000 satellites currently in Earth orbit, reliance on satellite services for communications, imaging, and navigation has become ubiquitous to enhancing the quality of life on Earth. In fact, satellite communication has been deemed a public good since the early 1960s, which has enabled public reliance on space-based telecommunications. Other key satellite applications include weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and navigation support for global transportation.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/02/spacewatchgl-economy-a-review-of-2023-2024-investment-trends-by-space-capital/ Mon, 19 Feb 2024 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=53662 On 07 February 2024, we attended a review of the space economy hosted by Space Capital’s Chad Anderson and Justus Kilian. This follows the publication of their Q4 2023 report back in January 2024, which readers can download here. We have covered previous interventions by Chad Anderson at space conferences here and here.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/01/john-deere-partners-spacex-for-rural-farming-connectivity/ Thu, 18 Jan 2024 07:00:32 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=53265 Deere & Company has announced an agreement with SpaceX to provide cutting-edge satellite communications service to farmers. Utilizing the industry-leading Starlink network, this solution will allow farmers facing rural connectivity challenges to fully leverage precision agriculture technologies. This partnership will subsequently enable John Deere customers to be more productive, profitable, and sustainable in their operations as they continue to provide food, fuel, and fiber for their communities and a growing global population.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2023/09/paratus-sign-re-seller-agreement-with-starlink-for-africa/ Fri, 29 Sep 2023 06:00:15 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=51427 Paratus Group have announced that it has entered an agreement as a distributor for Starlink’s high-speed services across the African continent. This agreement will allow Paratus to provide Starlink to its customers across Africa, as Starlink received operating licenses in those countries. Initially, and with immediate effect, Starlink will be available from Paratus in Mozambique, Kenya, Rwanda & Nigeria before its services are available to more countries.]]>