SpaceX is working its way across the FCC's 10th floor discussing how the agency should assess short-term interference among non-geostationary orbit satellite systems. In a docket 21-456 filing Thursday, it recapped meetings with the offices of FCC Commissioners Nathan Simington, Geoffrey Starks and Brendan Carr, where it argued its technical study of spectrum sharing among NGSO systems (see 2407220021) justified using an absolute change in link availability as the right interference metric.

Facing the prospect that it won't meet its 50%-launched milestone for its 7,500 V-band payloads by the Nov. 19 milestone date, SpaceX is asking the FCC Space Bureau for a modification of its V-band system authorization. In an application posted Wednesday, SpaceX requested that the V-band payloads launched by Nov. 19 on its second-generation satellites be considered its first V-band processing round system. It also asked that it still be allowed to deploy additional V-band payloads on second-gen satellites, up to the 7,500 authorized, after Nov. 19, but for those satellites to be considered part of the second V-band non-geostationary orbit satellite processing round. Those post-Nov. 19 V-band payload deployments would be subject to new milestone requirements, SpaceX said. The company has deployed its second-gen satellites "at a blistering pace" since getting the V-band payload deployment authorization (see 2310160053), it said. SpaceX expects to have more than 1,530 V-band capable satellites in orbit by Nov. 19.

Clarify whether imaging operations for space domain awareness missions make a space vehicle an in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing vehicle under the FCC's proposed ISAM definition, True Anomaly representatives told FCC Space Bureau staffers, said a filing Tuesday (docket 22-271). They also discussed the need for clarity around information submitted in ISAM applications, given that some ISAM missions might arise suddenly, in response to a customer's needs. TA urged that the FCC's proposed ISAM licensing framework be optional, not required, for eligible applicants. That would provide agency staff and applicants flexibility on authorizations for novel space activities, it said.

If all the mega-constellation proposals come to pass, then as many as 29 tons of satellites could reenter the atmosphere daily, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group said last week. Before that happens, the environmental impacts must be understood, PIRG added. "We need to look before leaping" and require an environmental review as well as an upper limit on how many satellites can be deployed, PIRG said.

Space Norway's ASBM-1 and ASBM-2 satellites, which include Viasat's GX10A and GX10B Ka-band payloads, successfully launched Sunday from Vandenburg Space Force Base in California, Viasat said. The two satellites will deploy in a highly elliptical orbit, and Viasat said it will use them to extend its broadband network to Arctic region coverage. It said the Ka-band payloads are expected to enter service in early to mid 2025.

Intelsat agreed on a $160,000 penalty to end an FCC investigation into the company's unauthorized operation of its Galaxy 35 satellite, the agency's Enforcement Bureau said Monday. While the satellite was authorized to operate at 95.05 degrees west, Intelsat instead parked it at 94.85 degrees west in early 2023 and conducted telemetry, tracking and control transmissions during and after the satellite's move to the unauthorized orbital location, the bureau said. Subsequently, Intelsat received permission to relocate the satellite to 93.1 degrees west, where it currently operates.

SpaceX asked the FCC to start a proceeding to revise the U.S.' geostationary/non-geostationary orbit spectrum sharing methodology for NGSO fixed satellite service downlinks. In its petition Monday, SpaceX called the existing equivalent power flux density (EPFD) limits "critically out of date" and said they are "significantly overprotective of GSO networks." SpaceX cheered 2023's World Radiocommunication Conference calling for studies of higher EPFD limits ahead of WRC-27 (see 2312200046). But in its petition, SpaceX said studies "will leave American consumers waiting for years after they have already had their broadband service unnecessarily restricted for decades. The American people should not have to wait any longer." The petition said GSO operators have used the EPFD limits as a competitive cudgel, "sandbag[ging] Commission staff in licensing proceedings based on speculative claims of interference from NGSO systems [and using] these inefficient rules to prevent U.S.-licensed NGSO systems from entering new markets abroad." The agency should seek comment on short-term and long-term GSO protection criteria and identify realistic GSO links that can be used to demonstrate compliance with those short-term and long-term limits.

Eutelsat expects to close in Q1 2026 on a partial sale of its passive ground infrastructure assets to a fund that EQT Partners investment firm manages, the satellite operator said Friday. Those assets would be incorporated into a stand-alone ground-station-as-a-service business, with EQT owning 80% and Eutelsat taking a 20% stake, it said. The ground station business would be operator neutral, it said. Eutelsat said proceeds from the $862 million deal would help finance its multi-orbit fleet.

Viasat ended its FY 2025 Q1 with 257,000 U.S. broadband subscribers, the company said as it announced earnings Wednesday. The number marked a notable drop from the 603,000 it had in 2020 -- the last time it reported that number, space consultant Tim Farrar posted Wednesday on X. "Between the emergence of Starlink, Viasat's delays with bringing new capacity online, and the 90% failure of ViaSat-3 F1 due to a botched antenna, this really was a perfect storm that sent consumer broadband subscribers packing," Quilty Space analyst Caleb Henry posted on X. Viasat said it ended the quarter with 3,750 connected aircraft customers, up 16% year over year, and a contracted backlog of another 1,460. In an earnings call with analysts, CEO Mark Dankberg said Viasat expects it will have 4,200 connected aircraft in service by the end of the fiscal year. Asked about the company's aims in direct-to-device service, Dankberg said it already supports emergency location and signaling devices and similar chips will be rolling out soon in handsets. President Guru Gowrappan said Viasat expects FY 2025 revenue will be flat compared with FY 2024's $4.5 billion and would have been up a handful of percentage points if not for the expected decline in U.S. fixed broadband associated with the ViaSat-3 F1 antenna anomaly. Viasat announced this week that the satellite began offering commercial service (see 2408050002). Dankberg said the company expects it can access about 10% of the satellite's capacity. He said when the other two ViasSat-3 satellites are launched, they will deploy to cover the Americas and East Asia and the impaired one will move to cover the Middle East and Africa. William Blair analyst Louie DiPalma wrote Thursday that while aviation and government customer revenue remains strong, SpaceX's Starlink is pressuring Viasat in residential and maritime.

Amazon's Kuiper continues to lobby the 10th floor, urging the FCC to wrap up its proceeding on spectrum sharing among earlier and later round non-geostationary orbit satellite systems. In a docket 21-456 filing posted Tuesday, it recapped a meeting with Commissioner Anna Gomez. Amazon previously discussed the same issue with Commissioners Geoffrey Starks and Nathan Simington (see 2408020034).