The proposed modification of the Kuiper non-geostationary orbit satellite constellation authorization is an Amazon tactic to let it continue to delay launching commercial service while avoiding the consequences of that delay, SpaceX told the FCC Space Bureau Monday in a petition to deny. The modification would change the orbital parameters of the constellation and reduce it by four, to 3,232 satellites. SpaceX said Kuiper's proposing to include two prototype satellites in the commercial constellation is a means of "skirting build-out requirements" and letting it claim it has a built system. SpaceX said Kuiper's proposed reorganization of its constellation needs to be accompanied with an explanation of how the reconfiguration can avoid collisions with other operators in similar orbits. With a Chinese mega-constellation beginning to launch, "just crossing fingers is no longer a sufficient strategy -- if it ever was," SpaceX said. It said granting Kuiper the same authority to operate during the launch and early orbit phase that SpaceX received is fine, as the two constellations are similarly situated, but that also reinforces the need to impose on Amazon all the space sustainability conditions applied to SpaceX. Kuiper didn't comment Tuesday.
As part of its eventual goal of a "superhighway" between the Earth and the moon featuring third-party services such as spacecraft space situational awareness, edge computing and communications, Quantum Space wants to launch and operate one Sentry non-geostationary orbit cubesat. In an FCC Space Bureau application Friday, Quantum said the Sentry NGSO would do space-based optical observations and be used for training personnel on satellite integration, data collection and operations. It said it hopes to launch Sentry on SpaceX's February 2024 Transporter-10 mission.
EchoStar's Jupiter 3, intended to supplement the company's satellite-delivered broadband connectivity in the U.S. and Latin America, successfully launched Saturday, the company said. It said the geosynchronous orbit satellite will bring more than 500 Gbps of additional capacity to the Jupiter fleet and should enable download speeds of up to 100 Mbps in some markets.
A draft order about making spectrum available in the 2025-2110 MHz band on a secondary basis for space launches is circulating among FCC commissioners, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel's office said Friday. “These rules will ensure commercial space launches have the necessary spectrum resources for reliable communications no matter their mission [and] promote economic strength, safety, competitiveness, and innovation," she said. The draft order also would expand the spectrum available for commercial space operations on a secondary basis in the 2200-2290 MHz band from four channels to the entire band, and amend the 399.9-400.05 MHz band allocation to allow deployment of federal satellites, her office said.
Commercial space operators need to consider the ethical and fiduciary issues of how having the DOD as a customer could make them targets in a space conflict, Even Rogers, CEO of space intelligence startup True Anomaly, said Wednesday on a Hudson Institute panel. The Russia-Ukraine war highlighted how commercial operators become targets when they support DOD, and they easily could be targeted before DOD or intelligence community space assets since it's unclear if the U.S. would defend commercial providers in space, he said. Redwire Executive Vice President-National Security Space Dean Bellamy said artificial stovepipes in space traffic management, like DOD vs. Commerce, are breaking down as the agencies are working better among themselves, with commercial operators and allies. He said that increased collaboration between Commerce and the Space Force resulted in better space traffic management and safety in space.
Broadband connectivity and mobile supplemental coverage from space should drive demand for satellite-delivered telecom services to be a $124.6 billion annual business by 2030, ABI Research said Wednesday. It said the satellite/mobile segment alone could have up to 200 million connections by 2031 with a market value of $18 billion.
Activations of the Iridium-enabled Android emergency messaging service via Qualcomm's Snapdragon Satellite platform likely won't come until 2024, Iridium CEO Matt Desch said Tuesday as the company announced its Q2 earnings. The Iridium service has done its qualification work with Qualcomm, but there's integration work to be done by smartphone makers, he said. The Iridium service will start with emergency SOS service, then expand to real-time messaging, and the Apple/Globalstar service likely will do the same, he said. He said the company sees notable opportunities in L-band services such as connectivity services for small aircraft, helicopters and drones.
New Viasat withdrew subsidiary Inmarsat's 2021 petition seeking U.S. market access for its planned V-band Orchestra constellation (see 2111030008), it said Tuesday in docket 22-153.
HawkEye 360, with its constellation licensed to operate from 500 km to 615 km, asked the FCC Space Bureau to amend that operational altitude to 400 km-615 km, extending its operation capabilities as their orbits decay. In an application Monday, the company said its Cluster 4 satellites are operating at an orbital altitude of about 477 km due to propulsion system failures and increased solar activity.
Hyped for years, shipments of flat-panel satellite antennas are ratcheting up and manufacturers are moving from design and development to being production-ready, Valour Consultancy said Friday, forecasting a total of 100,000 units being shipped by year's end for connectivity applications like aviation, maritime and land mobility. It said non-geostationary orbit satellite capacity growth will drive antenna demand.