Space.com
• Mike Wall
SpaceX sent 27 Starlink broadband satellites to orbit from California just after midnight on Oct. 31. The launch adds another batch to the constellation, extending the company’s ongoing deployment of its satellite internet network.
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SpaceX sent 27 Starlink broadband satellites to orbit from California just after midnight on Oct. 31. The launch adds another batch to the constellation, extending the company’s ongoing deployment of its satellite internet network.
United Launch Alliance is scheduled to launch 40 Amazon satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Nov. 13, pending range approval and favorable weather. The mission would use Vulcan to deploy spacecraft for Amazon’s low-Earth-orbit constellation, while SpaceX is separately adding 27 Starlink satellites in a Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg.
The U.S. Department of Justice argues that Ligado Networks’ L-band license does not grant protected property rights, asking a federal judge to dismiss the bankrupt satellite operator’s roughly $50 billion lawsuit over its derailed wireless network plans. The filing marks another effort by the government to end the case.
K2 Space is positioning its satellite manufacturing business to address growing demand for high-powered spacecraft as communications and computing increasingly move into orbit. The company’s CEO outlined an expansive growth plan, though the available report provides no specific production targets, investment figures or customer commitments.
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ISRO placed the NVS-03 navigation satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit on a GSLV-F18 rocket, bringing India’s NavIC constellation back to its minimum operational configuration of four satellites. The launch is intended to strengthen the country’s independent satellite-navigation capability, though reports note the system’s restoration depends on NVS-03 avoiding its predecessor’s fate.
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MDA Space won an initial antenna contract for 66 IRIS² satellites Thales Alenia Space aims to deliver in 2029, as Eutelsat forecasts $11 billion in IRIS² revenue for 2032–40 and OneWeb approaches EBITDA break-even. Telesat, meanwhile, pushed global Lightspeed service back three months to mid-2028 amid falling revenue and looming debt maturities.
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Analysts warn that the looming launch crisis is worse than previously understood. They also find no evidence that SpaceX’s Starship will be used to launch traditional satellites, challenging assumptions that the vehicle will soon provide additional capacity for conventional satellite deployment.
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