Tag: satellite communications
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US and Japan Elevate AST SpaceMobile, Rakuten Satellite Network to Sovereign Infrastructure Status
The designation follows bilateral discussions in Kyoto on October 4, 2026, between Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Toshiharu Furukawa, Japan’s Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy. The U.S. Department of State issued a joint protocol on October 5 formalizing the inclusion of the AST…
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Meridian Space Spins Out of SpinLaunch with Plan for 250-Satellite Reflect-Array Constellation
On Sept. 28, 2026, satellite communications developer Meridian Space announced its spin-out from kinetic launch provider SpinLaunch to operate as an independent commercial space company. Led by Chief Executive Officer Massimiliano Ladovaz, who has managed SpinLaunch’s satellite development unit since 2020, the standalone entity is advancing a plan to build and deploy a low Earth…
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Elon Musk Says Starlink Could Carry Most Global Internet Traffic Within a Decade
SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said on September 23, 2026, that Starlink could carry the majority of global internet traffic within ten years, an ambitious forecast tied to the deployment of higher-capacity Starlink V3 satellites and proposed Starmind spacecraft combining broadband connectivity with orbital computing. The projection would represent a fundamental change in internet infrastructure.…
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Viasat Wins First $42 Million Order Under $307 Million Marine Corps SATCOM Contract
Viasat has received an initial $42 million task order to provide fully managed global satellite communications to the U.S. Marine Corps under a seven-year contract with a ceiling of $307 million. The U.S. Space Force Commercial Satellite Communications Office awarded the Marine Enterprise Commercial Satcom Satellite Services contract, known as MECS2, through Viasat subsidiary Inmarsat…
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SES Signs Multi-Year Deal to Distribute JioStar Channels Across South Asia
SES and JioStar signed a multi-year agreement on September 21 under which JioStar will move its television-channel distribution to SES’s IS-20 satellite, extending delivery to cable systems, direct-to-home platforms and other broadcast networks across India and the wider Indian subcontinent. The companies did not disclose the contract’s value, capacity commitment or exact duration. The agreement…
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Commercial GEO Satellite Orders Rebound to 14 in 2026 as C-Band Transition Drives Fleet Renewal
Commercial geostationary communications satellite orders reached 14 spacecraft through September 21, up from 10 during all of 2025 and the highest annual total since 2020, according to market intelligence firm Novaspace. The recovery is being driven partly by satellite operators preparing for another U.S. C-band spectrum transition while replacing aging broadcast and connectivity assets. The…
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Aerospacelab Turns Profitable Before Securing €2.4 Billion IRIS² Satellite Contract
Belgian satellite manufacturer Aerospacelab said September 21 that it had reached profitability in early 2026, before winning a €2.4 billion ($2.75 billion) contract to design, manufacture and deliver 264 low Earth orbit satellites for the European Union’s IRIS² secure communications constellation. The contract, announced September 10, gives Aerospacelab responsibility for approximately 76% of the 348…
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FCC Sees More Than $100 Billion From Spectrum Auctions Through 2028
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said September 16 that a series of U.S. spectrum auctions planned over the next two years could generate more than $100 billion, as the agency prepares to release additional frequencies for terrestrial wireless networks, space-based broadband and future 6G services. The estimate covers a multi-year auction program beginning with…
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Space-Based Optical Communications Move From Flight Demonstrations to Operational Networks
Space-based optical communications are moving from experimental missions toward operational deployment as satellite operators seek higher-capacity alternatives to congested radio-frequency links. An industry assessment published September 20 said space-qualified laser terminals are now supporting data rates of up to 10 gigabits per second in orbital applications, while standardized optical inter-satellite links are becoming part of…
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Ku, Ka and Q/V Bands in Satellite Internet: What Are They, and Why Are Different Bands Used?
A ship is at sea. A phone connects to the vessel’s satellite terminal, and a webpage image finally appears. The image first travels from the terrestrial internet to a gateway, passes through a satellite and then reaches the ship. Following this transmission path helps explain why Ku, Ka, Q and V bands perform different roles.…