Space Intel Report
• Peter B. de Selding
Thaicom has returned to the International Telecommunication Union with additional evidence that the delay to its Thaicom-9 geostationary satellite followed a March incident at manufacturer Astranis. The operator says the cause was beyond its control as it seeks more time to meet the satellite’s regulatory deadline.
Policy & Regulation
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Thaicom has returned to the International Telecommunication Union with additional evidence that the delay to its Thaicom-9 geostationary satellite followed a March incident at manufacturer Astranis. The operator says the cause was beyond its control as it seeks more time to meet the satellite’s regulatory deadline.
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The US Transportation Department says dozens of Air France and KLM flights operated in the Baghdad flight information region between 2022 and 2025 below the minimum altitude intended to protect aircraft from ground threats. The $425,000 penalty covers flights marketed under Delta’s code as well as the European carriers’ own operations.
The Swiss business charter operator has received FAA Operations Specifications approval under Part 129 for its Dassault Falcon 6X and Falcon 2000LXS, according to an announcement on social media. The approval enables Haute Aviation to operate the two aircraft on services subject to the FAA’s foreign-air-carrier requirements.
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The FAA could explore using a supplemental type certificate to reenable single-pilot operations in Citation aircraft, according to the available report. The possibility points to a regulatory route for changing operating requirements, but no decision or implementation details are provided.
The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority will withdraw temporary measures introduced to preserve connectivity after the European Commission barred all airlines certified in Tanzania from EU airspace in June last year. The change takes effect Nov. 1, 2026; the articles do not specify what measures will be withdrawn.
Rolls-Royce is close to securing up to £200 million ($267.9 million) in British government support to develop an engine for short-haul aircraft, the Financial Times reported. An announcement could come as early as next week, but the report does not identify the engine program or provide further details.
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FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said additional pilot training and aircraft modifications could support consideration of a new single-pilot operating path for Citation aircraft. He also said the proposed SMART traffic management system could give on-demand operators better visibility into airspace availability, as he discussed safety, access and air traffic control modernization at NBAA-BACE.
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