Satellite News

SpaceNews.com

Airbus and Thales to build SpainSat NG-III secure military communications satellite

Airbus Defence and Space will lead the development and construction of SpainSat NG-III for Hisdesat, with Thales Alenia Space as partner. The satellite will replace Spain’s existing military communications capability and is described by Airbus as Europe’s most advanced secure communications satellite.

Bloomberg

High activity

SpaceX’s first earnings report puts Starlink profitability and Elon Musk’s AI ambitions under scrutiny

SpaceX is preparing to report results publicly for the first time, with investors focused on whether Starlink is profitable and how its cash generation could fund Musk’s artificial-intelligence and space initiatives. The report arrives after a post-IPO share-price decline, ahead of lockup expirations and amid heightened scrutiny of Musk’s capital-allocation plans.

SpaceWatch Global

High activity

Planet expands Berlin headquarters with first European production facility

Planet is expanding its headquarters into the BERLIN DECKS innovation campus in Berlin, acquiring space for its first European production facility. The site will add manufacturing capacity to the satellite company’s European presence and marks a significant expansion of its headquarters footprint.

SpaceWatch Global

Earth Observation’s “Dual-Use” Promise Is a Cost Function, Not an Opportunity

Earth observation companies increasingly present defense and security applications as a second market alongside climate and commercial work. But framing the capability as “dual-use” may leave governments controlling when and how it is deployed—potentially pushing commercial customers behind state priorities when strategic demands intensify.

Bloomberg

EchoStar’s Hughes Satellite Systems Files for Chapter 11 Ahead of $1.5B Debt Maturity

Hughes Satellite Systems, an EchoStar subsidiary, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after warning it lacked the cash to meet $1.5 billion in debt obligations due Aug. 1. The filing adds pressure to EchoStar’s broader balance-sheet restructuring across its satellite broadcasting and wireless businesses.

SpaceNews.com

U.S. Space Force awards K2 Space $22.9 million to demonstrate satellite-to-satellite laser communications

The U.S. Space Force awarded K2 Space a $22.9 million contract to test optical communications terminals that transmit data directly between satellites in orbit. The demonstration will assess laser-based crosslinks, a technology intended to support faster and more resilient space-based data networks.

Ars Technica

Engineers plan a satellite-capture attempt to save NASA’s Swift mission

Engineers are preparing a capture—or attempted capture—of NASA’s Swift satellite in an effort to preserve the mission. The operation would rely on another spacecraft sent specifically to assist Swift, underscoring the technical complexity of extending the life of an established space observatory.

SpaceNews.com

China launches secretive TJS-27 satellite pair into new orbit, upgrades Tianlian relay network

China launched two TJS-27 satellites into a previously unused orbit while advancing its on-orbit communications relay capabilities with a next-generation Tianlian satellite. The mission highlights Beijing’s continued investment in classified spacecraft and resilient space-based communications infrastructure.