Satellite News

Space Intel Report • Peter B. de Selding

Franco-German ministers endorse Iris2 as Europe’s “digital backbone,” seek reserved 2-GHz spectrum

At the July 17 Franco-German Council of Ministers in Brussels, Germany and France praised the Iris2 multi-orbit secure connectivity initiative and backed its strategic role as a European digital backbone. The governments also want a 2-GHz spectrum allocation reserved for Iris2, despite Germany’s prior skepticism.

1 Source

2026-07-23T09:05:45.643484-07:00

Space Intel Report

Thales’ space unit rebounds: sales and profit rise in 3Q ended June 30 despite SES canceling two geostationary telecom satellite

1 Source

2026-07-23T07:55:15.120102-07:00

Payload

US Intel Authorization Act targets commercial Earth-observation data sharing, proposing tighter controls on what operators can m

1 Source

2026-07-23T05:50:38.223321-07:00

Bloomberg

SpaceX to retry Starship Flight 13 after last week’s scrub—second test of Version 3, deploying first Starlink V3 satellites

8 Sources

2026-07-23T03:05:59.008736-07:00

Satellite Programs & Technology News Timeline

Space Intel Report

1 source

Franco-German ministers endorse Iris2 as Europe’s “digital backbone,” seek reserved 2-GHz spectrum At the July 17 Franco-German Council of Ministers in Brussels, Germany and France praised the Iris2 multi-orbit secure connectivity initiative and backed its strategic role as a European digital backbone. The governments also want a 2-GHz spectrum allocation reserved for Iris2, despite Germany’s prior skepticism.

2026-07-23T09:05:45.643484-07:00

Franco-German ministers endorse Iris2 as Europe’s “digital backbone,” seek reserved 2-GHz spectrum

Space Intel Report

1 source

Thales’ space unit rebounds: sales and profit rise in 3Q ended June 30 despite SES canceling two geostationary telecom satellite Thales’ space business—run largely through Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio—posted continued recovery in the three months ended June 30, with both sales and profit increasing. The improvement held even after a customer cancellation of two geostationary-orbit telecommunications satellites, costing €174.5M for Thales’ accounts.

2026-07-23T07:55:15.120102-07:00

Thales’ space unit rebounds: sales and profit rise in 3Q ended June 30 despite SES canceling two geostationary telecom satellite

Payload

1 source

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US Intel Authorization Act targets commercial Earth-observation data sharing, proposing tighter controls on what operators can m A proposed provision in the US Intel Authorization Act would treat commercial EO data access as a controlled privilege rather than a right, seeking to limit what Earth-observation satellite operators can publicly share. The measure frames data dissemination as something the government should govern for security reasons.

2026-07-23T05:50:38.223321-07:00

US Intel Authorization Act targets commercial Earth-observation data sharing, proposing tighter controls on what operators can m

SpaceNews.com

1 source

Airbus space turnaround positions company to capture rising European demand for satellite systems Airbus executives say the company’s space business turnaround arrived just in time to capitalize on growing demand for satellite systems, with Europe emerging as a key driver. The statement links improved execution to near-term market opportunity in the satellite segment.

2026-07-23T05:02:44.070623-07:00

Airbus space turnaround positions company to capture rising European demand for satellite systems

Bloomberg

8 sources

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SpaceX to retry Starship Flight 13 after last week’s scrub—second test of Version 3, deploying first Starlink V3 satellites SpaceX is scheduled to attempt Starship Flight 13 after abandoning takeoff last week, following fixes to an engine issue that caused the earlier abort. The flight is the second launch of the rocket’s Version 3 configuration and will deploy the first Starlink V3 satellites.

2026-07-23T03:05:59.008736-07:00

SpaceX to retry Starship Flight 13 after last week’s scrub—second test of Version 3, deploying first Starlink V3 satellites

SpaceWatch Global

1 source

Commercial Earth Observation’s ‘missing middle’ blocks scale: pricing isn’t the core bottleneck An analysis of commercial Earth Observation (EO) finds the sector’s biggest constraint is not pricing, but the absence of an “institutional layer” that reliably connects EO buyers with suppliers. The result is friction in contracting, onboarding, and repeatable procurement—slowing adoption of Earth data products.

2026-07-23T01:21:13.523167-07:00

Commercial Earth Observation’s ‘missing middle’ blocks scale: pricing isn’t the core bottleneck

SpaceWatch Global

1 source

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UK Space Agency launches up to £362M programme to develop UK homegrown satellite communications and space technologies, backed b At the Farnborough International Airshow, the UK Space Agency announced a new funding programme worth up to £362 million to develop domestic satellite communications and broader space technologies. The initiative is paired with a joint fund alongside Space Florida to accelerate collaboration and commercialization.

2026-07-23T00:13:47.405843-07:00

UK Space Agency launches up to £362M programme to develop UK homegrown satellite communications and space technologies, backed b

Reuters

17 sources

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RTX, Lockheed Martin and Thales lift outlook amid sustained defense demand and higher aerospace aftermarket activity RTX raised 2026 sales and profit forecasts, linking the outlook to continued commercial maintenance demand and military systems growth while the Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan supply challenge persists. In parallel, Lockheed Martin increased its 2026 guidance as the Pentagon seeks to restock weapons, and Thales booked stronger orders supported by defense and satellite programs.

2026-07-22T22:19:42.168035-07:00

RTX, Lockheed Martin and Thales lift outlook amid sustained defense demand and higher aerospace aftermarket activity

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