EchoStar's application for review of the out-of-band emissions (OOBE) limit waiver granted to SpaceX (see 2504080029) makes a "fact-free argument" and overlooks the FCC Space and Wireless bureaus' rationale, SpaceX said Wednesday (docket 23-135). SpaceX said the waiver, for its supplemental coverage from space operations in the PCS G block, was based on technical evidence in the record, but EchoStar never submitted any technical analysis of its own. EchoStar’s insistence that the FCC setting an OOBE limit precludes a waiver in appropriate circumstances would do away with the waiver rule itself, SpaceX said. The company also recapped conditions put on the waiver to protect adjacent-band terrestrial networks.
The first commercial launch of Amazon Kuiper satellites is now scheduled for April 28, the company said Monday. An April 9 launch of the batch of 27 satellites (see 2504020044) was postponed.
Updating the spectrum sharing framework between geostationary orbit (GSO) and non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite systems now, instead of waiting for pending international proceedings, would get Americans enhanced satellite broadband faster, SpaceX and Telesat said Tuesday (docket 25-157). They suggested changes to the draft NPRM regarding GSO/NGSO sharing in the 10.7-12.7, 17.3-18.6 and 19.7-20.2 GHz bands on the FCC's April meeting agenda (see 2504070054). Those changes included proposing that current GSO protections ultimately sunset so NGSO systems aren't unduly limited. The companies also called for the NPRM to propose backstop short-term and long-term interference protection criteria.
Geostationary orbit (GSO) satellite system operators risk ceding the in-flight connectivity market to low earth orbit operators if they don't come up with a meaningful competitive differentiation to LEO's lower latency and better data rates, Quilty Space wrote Monday. It said GSO industry talk about focusing on multi-orbit solutions is running up against such issues as Airbus becoming increasingly LEO-friendly in its hardware vendors and managed service providers.
Expect to see as many as 30,000 in-flight connectivity terminals in business jets by 2033, Valour Consultancy said Tuesday. It said small jets increasingly rely on low earth orbit connectivity, even as larger jets continue using multiple, redundant offerings. While SpaceX's Starlink has first-mover advantage in the LEO space, it could be challenged by Gogo's OneWeb-powered Galileo service and the technical support and customer service Gogo can offer, it said.
The FCC Space Bureau should sign off on Globalstar's C-3 constellation petition without a new 1.6/2.4 GHz spectrum bands rulemaking, company representatives told bureau staff and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's office, said a filing Tuesday. Globalstar said the 1.6/2.4 GHz mobile satellite service licensing framework "has been an extraordinary success," adding that it "has made the most" of its small bit of spectrum and the framework isn't in need of modification. SpaceX has argued for a 1.6/2.4 GHz rulemaking before a C-3 approval (see 2410020029). Meeting with the bureau and Carr's office, Globalstar reiterated its argument about the lack of room for a new operator in the 1.6/2.4 GHz band (see 2503180022). It said SpaceX's mega-constellation or another new entrant "would inevitably cause extensive harmful interference to Globalstar’s licensed services," and initiating a rulemaking could discourage the planning and investment needed to develop C-3.
Amazon's Kuiper broadband satellite constellation is a capital-intensive effort, but eventually it "will be a meaningful operating income and [return on invested capital] business," Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in a letter to shareholders Thursday. Amazon intends to have upward of 3,200 satellites in orbit "over the next few years" to provide connectivity to the 400 million-500 million mostly rural households globally lacking access, he added.
One of Astranis' four recently launched MicroGEO satellites headed to geostationary orbit seems to have suffered a failure, leaving it stuck in transfer orbit as orbital debris, space situational awareness expert Jim Shell posted on X late Tuesday. The four MicroGEOs were launched in December and were intended to enter into service this summer. Shell said one of the four seemingly hasn't maneuvered since early February. Astranis didn't comment Wednesday.
SpaceX's revenues -- an estimated $13.1 billion in 2024 -- should hit $18.2 billion this year, Payload said Wednesday. Driving that is the customer base for SpaceX's Starlink growing from 4.6 million to 8.4 million, it said, adding that the consumer market is particularly powering Starlink's growth. It said average monthly revenues per user are declining, due to a higher international mix: While a Starlink subscription is roughly $110 a month in the U.S., it's only about $40 a month in France and Brazil.
Intelsat 901 saw five additional years of use via Northrop Grumman's life-extension mission, which just concluded, Intelsat said Wednesday. It said Northrop Grumman's vehicle -- which docked with the satellite in February 2020 -- detached from 901 after moving the satellite to a graveyard orbit, marking the milestone of being the first completed satellite life-extension mission.