Via Satellite
• Mark Holmes
As airlines embrace free in-flight connectivity, Starlink has made significant inroads over the past two to three years. Four airlines compare offerings spanning low-Earth-orbit, geostationary and multi-orbit systems, reflecting a market at an inflection point.
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As airlines embrace free in-flight connectivity, Starlink has made significant inroads over the past two to three years. Four airlines compare offerings spanning low-Earth-orbit, geostationary and multi-orbit systems, reflecting a market at an inflection point.
ThinKom Solutions says Northrop Grumman has chosen its ThinAir SATCOM antenna system for the U.S. Navy’s E-130J Phoenix II aircraft. The aircraft are intended to assume the Navy’s TACAMO mission, making the antenna selection a component decision for a military communications platform.
The Rheinmetall-Iceye Space Solutions joint venture has started production at its Neuss, Germany, site after securing an order for 40 satellites from the German military. The Bundeswehr can task its SPOCK 1 satellites independently, using imagery to support forces in Lithuania and monitor NATO’s eastern flank.
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Day two of the International Astronautical Congress featured Aselsan’s planned 198-satellite low Earth orbit network, Fergani’s navigation constellation, a proposed spaceport in Somalia and Türkiye’s Moon mission. Together, the announcements span satellite infrastructure, navigation, launch access and exploration, presenting a broad national space agenda.
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KSAT and Xoople will expand ground infrastructure to support Xoople’s satellite constellation and speed delivery of high-volume Earth observation data. The partnership centers on the ground segment needed to receive and distribute the constellation’s output; the announcement provides no deployment timeline or capacity figures.
High activity
At the 77th International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, Turkish officials and aerospace leaders highlighted plans for a 198-satellite constellation and construction of a launch site in Somalia. Roketsan is seeking international partnerships in launch systems and orbital technologies, while ESA used the congress for high-level discussions with global partners.
The Pentagon is funding technology to beam solar power from orbit to Earth, pursuing a potential electricity source for military installations that rely on vulnerable fuel supply lines. The effort positions space-based energy as a possible way to reduce dependence on ground-based fuel deliveries.
York Space Systems will integrate a government space domain awareness payload into a spacecraft bound for geostationary orbit, supporting the Space Force’s Tetra 3 and 4 missions. The work marks the company’s first integration of a satellite for GEO.
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