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.
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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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India’s GSLV-F18 placed the NVS-03 navigation satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit on Oct. 30, restoring the NavIC constellation to its minimum operational configuration of four satellites. The launch strengthens India’s indigenous satellite-navigation capability; one report notes the system’s full operational status depends on the new satellite avoiding the fate of its predecessor.
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MDA Space will supply antennas for the first 66 IRIS² satellites Thales Alenia Space aims to deliver in 2029. Eutelsat forecasts $11 billion in IRIS² revenue from 2032 to 2040 against a $3.8 billion investment, while OneWeb revenue grew 30%; Telesat’s Lightspeed global service slipped to mid-2028.
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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.
MDA Space will build digital phased-array antennas and antenna controllers for the first 66 satellites in Europe’s IRIS² secure-connectivity constellation, under an agreement with Thales Alenia Space worth more than $100 million. The satellites are due to launch in 2029.
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