Runway Girl
• Mary Kirby
Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are introducing Starlink-powered inflight Wi-Fi, expanding high-speed connectivity options for passengers. Both airlines are cautioning travelers that service will be unavailable or limited over China, underscoring the geographic constraints that can affect satellite-enabled connectivity on international routes.
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Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are introducing Starlink-powered inflight Wi-Fi, expanding high-speed connectivity options for passengers. Both airlines are cautioning travelers that service will be unavailable or limited over China, underscoring the geographic constraints that can affect satellite-enabled connectivity on international routes.
The European Union’s antitrust chief said a proposed satellite venture intended to provide a regional answer to SpaceX will face normal scrutiny from competition authorities. The warning contrasts with strong political support from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and signals that strategic importance will not override competition rules.
Falling launch costs and a rising launch cadence are turning orbital data centers from a speculative idea into a potential commercial business. The concept is also creating unsettled intellectual-property questions as companies consider how ownership and protection of data-center technologies would work in orbit.
Boeing Defence Australia has selected U.S. company Lite Coms to provide beyond-line-of-sight satellite communications terminals for an Australian program. The agreement adds a U.S. supplier to Australia’s military SATCOM architecture, though the available details do not specify terminal quantities, platform integration or delivery timelines.
Fredrik Gustavsson of SWISSto12 discusses the company’s approach to profitable growth and the use of 3D-printed payloads in the space industry at WSBW 2026. The conversation highlights the intersection of commercial performance and advanced manufacturing in space hardware.
High activity
Planet Labs plans to launch its first German-built satellite on a German-built rocket in early 2027, while Exolaunch has contracted a dedicated SpaceX Starship mission for 2029. China, meanwhile, completed four orbital launches in 45 hours to accelerate its Qianfan and SatNet broadband constellations.
High activity
ESA signed an MoU with Axiom Space to expand Europe’s access to low Earth orbit, selected Sateliot for the consolidation phase of its IRIS² low-LEO program, and extended its cooperation agreement with ISRO through January 8, 2032, while setting out priorities for IAC 2026.
Marble Imaging and msg Systems have signed a memorandum of understanding to combine Earth-observation data, artificial intelligence and secure IT infrastructure for European intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance applications. The partnership targets sovereign ISR capabilities built around European data, technology and infrastructure.
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