Runway Girl
• Mary Kirby
VietJet plans to equip an initial 120 aircraft with Starlink inflight connectivity, even though the satellite operator lacks landing rights in China and India. The selection underscores the operational and regulatory constraints airlines face when deploying satellite-based passenger connectivity across international networks.
Satellite
Latest source-backed stories
VietJet plans to equip an initial 120 aircraft with Starlink inflight connectivity, even though the satellite operator lacks landing rights in China and India. The selection underscores the operational and regulatory constraints airlines face when deploying satellite-based passenger connectivity across international networks.
The European Parliament has begun reviewing the European Commission’s proposed licensing procedure for S-band mobile satellite services, criticizing the Commission for initiating the process at the last minute. The review could shape how satellite operators access and use mobile-satellite spectrum across the European Union.
Beeline Kazakhstan is partnering with Starlink Mobile to provide satellite-based mobile connectivity across Kazakhstan. The agreement will extend access to Starlink connectivity for the country’s population, marking a commercial deployment of satellite communications through a local telecommunications operator.
High activity
The Pentagon is accelerating munitions output with a provisional multiyear RTX-Raytheon contract worth $20.7 billion to nearly double AMRAAM production and replenish stocks depleted by conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Separate awards advance Boeing’s JDAM Long Range into initial production and fund Northrop Grumman’s F-35 APG-85 radar components.
As space systems become more software-defined, cloud-connected and reliant on enterprise identity infrastructure, shared data is emerging as a foundation for cybersecurity. The approach would help protect navigation, communications, intelligence and emergency-response services that now depend on resilient space architectures.
Meridian Space is becoming an independent commercial space company focused on flat, reflect-array satellites that could launch as many as 250 at a time on a Falcon 9. It is targeting governments, regional satellite operators and telecom companies with integrated networks priced below $1 billion.
Star Catcher says its prototype orbital power node is prepared for launch on a SpaceX Transporter mission targeted for no earlier than Oct. 1. The mission will demonstrate the company’s power-beaming technology in orbit.
Astronomers are calling for action through the United Nations and International Court of Justice to address the unchecked growth of satellite constellations in Earth orbit. They warn that proliferating spacecraft could increasingly obscure astronomical observations and alter humanity’s view of the night sky.
Create a free account to see more recent Satellite stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
