Space-based hyperspectral monitoring firm Orbital Sidekick again is seeking FCC OK to launch and operate its six-satellite low earth Global Hyperspectral Observation Satellite constellation. In an International Bureau application Friday, it said the first two GHOSt satellites are to go up in Q2, with the entire constellation in orbit by Q4. The bureau ejected an application in September (see 2105210001) as incomplete.

Median Starlink download speeds in the U.S. in Q3 were 87.25 Mbps, down roughly 10 Mbps from Q2, which could be a function of additional customers, Ookla blogged Monday. It said HughesNet and Viasat median download speeds, each less than 20 Mbps, were essentially flat. Starlink median upload speed was 13.54 Mbps, while Viasat and HughesNet at around 3 Mbps were flat, it said. Ookla said there's adequate Q3 data to analyze SpaceX's Starlink performance in 304 U.S. counties, with the fastest in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, at 146.6 Mbps and slowest in Drummond Township, Michigan, at 46.63 Mbps.

Commercial remote sensing company Umbra Lab's proposed six-satellite earth exploration satellite service constellation (see 2106170003) received a partial FCC International Bureau grant last week, signing off on the first two satellites and deferring action on the remaining four.

Momentus hopes to launch its non-geostationary orbit Vigoride-3, containing customer payloads for deployment, in June, it said in an FCC International Bureau application Thursday for special temporary authority for launch and operation. It said the mission is expected to last 180 days.

Dish Network said Thursday it’s working with FreedomFi on what it calls the “world's first community-driven” neutral host 5G hotspot network, using citizens broadband radio service spectrum. “This collaboration furthers DISH's position that the next generation of wireless networks can be cloud-native open source platforms, leveraging” open radio access network technology, Dish said. FreedomFi, meanwhile, said it's making available a consumer-deployable cellular base station, which uses CBRS spectrum.

There were a variety of threats to satellite-based precision navigation in 2021, and timing services issues became "endemic" in parts of the world, blogged Guy Buesnel, Spirent Communications' technical marketing engineer. Citing jamming or suspected jamming incidents from this past year, Buesnel said Tuesday that 2022 is likely to bring development of resilience standards for global navigation satellite system cybersecurity, and more focus on technology for positioning authentication and proof of location.

The FCC non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) spectrum sharing NPRM adopted 4-0 Tuesday (see 2112140062) and released Wednesday includes an added question about use of a throughput analysis that considers unavailability, per our side-by-side comparison with the draft NPRM. Also added were questions about how the agency could encourage NGSO operators to deploy systems capable of sharing beam-pointing data and how it can modify its NGSO sharing rules "to incentivize flexible and efficient deployment." The NPRM includes new questions about how sunsetting NGSO protections would better promote competition and if the sunset trigger should start at the date of license grant, the beginning of the license period or some other time.

Myriota wants to amend its pending petition for U.S. market access (see 1911190002) to increase the planned number of non-voice non-geostationary (NVNG) mobile satellite service (MSS) satellites operating in the VHF band from 26 to 36. In an FCC International Bureau application Monday, Myriota said the amendment would also cover its use of Spire's CubeSat platform, which includes active propulsion capabilities, for those satellites. The company also asked to modify its U.S. market access grant to provide NVNG MSS service in the 399.9-400.05 MHz and 400.15-401 MHz bands to reflect such changes.

Four Starlink broadband satellites have failed since April 2, SpaceX told the FCC International Bureau Monday. Causes ranged from flight computer failure to a series of independent faults while deorbiting. It said responses include identifying sensitive components that were then removed from future designs. The reporting was a condition of a license modification (see 2104270027).

Intelsat asked U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Richmond to sign off on its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan, filing on Tuesday a proposed answer confirming the reorganization plan (docket 20-32299). Intelsat said it's "particularly compelling" that the plan has support including more than 90% of its pre-bankruptcy capital structure, groups representing more than 80% -- or $11.9 billion -- of its funded debt, the unsecured creditors' committee and satellite operator SES. The company's U.S. operations would receive the $1.2 billion for meeting the FCC's accelerated C-band cleaning deadline.