Space Intel Report
• Peter B. de Selding
Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg said the company has not abandoned Equatys, its direct-to-device mobile satellite service joint venture with UAE-based Space42. The partners still plan a constellation that could include co-owners, with securing satellite financing identified as the next step.
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Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg said the company has not abandoned Equatys, its direct-to-device mobile satellite service joint venture with UAE-based Space42. The partners still plan a constellation that could include co-owners, with securing satellite financing identified as the next step.
The National Reconnaissance Office awarded contracts to Capella Space, Iceye U.S. and Umbra to expand the U.S. government’s access to commercial synthetic aperture radar data. The awards reinforce the role of private satellite operators in supplying persistent, all-weather imagery for national-security missions.
Muon Space’s June ribbon-cutting for a new manufacturing facility in San Jose highlights continued investment in California’s satellite sector, even as companies face elevated operating costs and regulatory pressures. The expansion underscores the state’s enduring role in commercial space manufacturing and the broader supply chain.
LiveEO has secured a high-six-figure grant from the German Space Agency to assess a new class of multimodal “vision foundation” AI models for Earth-observation applications. The feasibility study will examine how such systems could support broader analysis of satellite imagery and related data.
High activity
Intuitive Machines has completed its previously announced acquisition of Goonhilly Earth Station and COMSAT LLC, following an agreement reached in May. The transaction adds ground-station and communications assets to Intuitive Machines’ portfolio as it positions itself as a vertically integrated space prime.
Europe risks becoming dependent on foreign orbital computing infrastructure as U.S. companies and China’s government-led programs advance space-based data centers, the European Space Policy Institute warns. The widening gap underscores Europe’s strategic and industrial exposure in a potentially important segment of future space infrastructure.
SpaceX launched and deployed three AST SpaceMobile BlueBird satellites on a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral on Aug. 5. President Gwynne Shotwell said the company’s next-generation Starlink Mobile satellites are expected to launch in 2027, positioning the service to compete for customers of AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.
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