SpaceNews.com
• Jeff Foust
Eutelsat, OroraTech, Planet Labs, Hanwha and a separate consortium are advancing thermal, broad-area and AI-enabled Earth-observation capabilities, including plans for new satellite constellations and faster deployment. HAVELSAN and Egypt’s AOI are also expanding adjacent autonomous sensing capabilities through a HAMZA-1 UAV sales agreement.
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Eutelsat, OroraTech, Planet Labs, Hanwha and a separate consortium are advancing thermal, broad-area and AI-enabled Earth-observation capabilities, including plans for new satellite constellations and faster deployment. HAVELSAN and Egypt’s AOI are also expanding adjacent autonomous sensing capabilities through a HAMZA-1 UAV sales agreement.
SpaceX is positioning Starlink beyond broadband and space infrastructure, promoting ambitions in mobile telecommunications. The expansion is drawing investor attention to the potential for the satellite operator to compete more directly with terrestrial telecom providers and reshape the connectivity market.
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MBDA and Safran won approval to supply France’s new long-range land-strike capability, while the U.S. expanded military connectivity with 21 PWSA Tranche-1 satellites. Separate awards include up to $4.84 billion for Northrop Grumman’s CIRCM system, $4.7 billion to L3Harris for PAC-3 MSE propulsion and $343.2 million for T56 sustainment.
The inaugural International Space Summit in Paris produced 51 announcements, including the first detailed look at the IRIS² low-Earth-orbit architecture. Former ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet was also named commander of Vast’s PAM-6 commercial mission to the International Space Station.
Two Belarusian nationals and a Lithuanian company they controlled were convicted of fraudulently obtaining European Union funding to develop high-precision satellite-navigation receivers. The case highlights legal and oversight risks surrounding publicly funded European space-technology development and procurement.
The Arctic security debate is expanding beyond bases, ships and submarines as space infrastructure becomes part of the region’s strategic competition. The shift highlights the growing importance of northern approaches to space-enabled security and defense planning.
SpaceX has doubled the price of its unlimited worldwide Starlink coverage, while OpsGroup details newly established regional service areas. The changes indicate a shift in how Starlink’s global and regional connectivity offerings are structured and priced.
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Arianespace announced orders for 10 additional Ariane 6 launches, including six linked to Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite deployment plans, while ICEYE agreed to evaluate the rocket for sovereign SAR missions. Separately, NASA added Relativity Space’s Terran R to its NLS II launch-services contract.
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