Space Intel Report
• Peter B. de Selding
French in-orbit servicing startup Infinite Orbits has raised €52 million ($58.4 million) across two financing rounds. It also has four firm launch contracts with Impulse Space, using its orbital transfer vehicle on Falcon 9 rockets through 2029.
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The Federal Communications Commission has authorized Globalstar to operate its third-generation C-3 constellation in mobile satellite services spectrum. The system is intended to provide direct-to-device connectivity for smartphones, advancing Globalstar’s satellite service plans under the regulatory authority granted by the FCC.
French in-orbit servicing startup Infinite Orbits has raised €52 million ($58.4 million) across two financing rounds. It also has four firm launch contracts with Impulse Space, using its orbital transfer vehicle on Falcon 9 rockets through 2029.
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At NBAA-BACE 2026, Gogo outlined a long-term roadmap for its Galileo business-aviation connectivity service, including significant performance improvements by 2032 with minimal hardware changes. The company also said it is prioritizing supply-chain readiness to support customer installations and protect the value of existing investments.
Lithuanian authorities are investigating an attempt to set fire to Starlink infrastructure in Vilnius, with Russian sabotage suspected. The incident follows reported attacks on similar sites in Poland and Bulgaria, raising scrutiny of the security of satellite-service infrastructure across the region.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy discussed accelerating Patriot system supplies with Lockheed Martin representatives as Kyiv faced separate concerns over its military’s Starlink access. Officials in Lithuania described a fire at a Starlink facility as sabotage, following reported incidents in Bulgaria and Poland; Zelenskiy also spoke with Trump envoys amid accusations that Washington was restricting Ukrainian forces’ satellite links.
International regulators have yet to reach consensus on how to govern satellite direct-to-device (D2D) services near national borders, where multiple countries’ networks overlap. The dispute centers on interference risks when satellite providers use spectrum assigned to mobile network operators, with agreement still elusive 13 months before the ITU’s WRC-27.
Textron Aviation has received FAA certification for Gogo’s Galileo HDX connectivity system, enabling OneWeb-powered low Earth orbit service on Citation Latitude and Longitude business jets. The approval adds a new satellite connectivity option to two aircraft models, linking cabin connectivity deployment to regulatory clearance.
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