Read all about a new trend with Low Earth Orbit constellations, Intelsat's new multi-orbit flat panel antenna, SpaceX launching Irelands first satellite and a South Korean spy satellite, and so much more!
In 2023, there were many new developments in the satellite industry, including the completion of Eutelsat's deal for OneWeb, the launch of Amazon's prototype satellites for Project Kuiper, and the swap of manufacturers for Telesat's Lightspeed network. These developments have led to a growing consensus that LEO is now part of mainstream satellite services. In 2024, we can expect to see the number of deals for LEO services from the existing providers increase, more progress on constellation build-outs, and more partnerships between GEO and NGSO operators.
Intelsat is expanding its satellite services with a new flat panel antenna that works with both geostationary satellites and low-Earth orbit networks. This will allow moving vehicles to have high-speed internet access from multiple providers. It has already partnered with SpaceX's Starlink and is in talks with Amazon's Project Kuiper. The antenna is currently being sold to the U.S. Department of Defense, which requires a ruggedized version for use on military vehicles.
Viasat announced on Wednesday that the GX LITE terminal is now available as a portable terminal for Global Xpress (GX) service. The GX LITE terminal is designed for land expeditionary users and can be easily transported. The terminal also has Get SAT's flat panel antenna technologies and can operate autonomously to transmit and receive high-bandwidth data rates.
Amazon has acquired three Falcon 9 launches from SpaceX to deploy its Project Kuiper satellite constellation. This follows a lawsuit against Amazon by shareholders alleging that the company did not consider SpaceX for the first round of launch contracts. The three Falcon 9 missions are slated to lift off starting in mid-2025. Amazon plans to deploy 3,236 satellites by 2026 as part of Project Kuiper.
Space.com | Elizabeth Howell | 12-01-2023 SpaceX launched Ireland's first satellite, EIRSAT-1, and South Korea's first reconnaissance satellite on December 1, 2023. The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellites lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. EIRSAT-1 was built by students at University College Dublin and includes a gamma-ray detector, an evaluation of protective coatings, and a rare kind of attitude control system. The South Korean satellite, called 425 Project EO/IR, is the first of five spy satellites that SpaceX has been contracted to launch by 2025.
The Space Development Agency (SDA) successfully demonstrated the ability to connect its satellites to radios on the ground through a signal known as Link 16. This milestone marks a significant step forward in the development of the agency's Transport Layer, a constellation of satellites designed to provide global connectivity for military users. The Link 16 demonstration utilized three satellites from SDA's Tranche 0 batch and transmitted signals from Low Earth orbit to a test site on the ground.
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) published a request for proposals (RFP) for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite-based services. The contract is worth up to $900 million and will be awarded over the next five years. The PLEO Satellite-Based Services contract is run by DISA on behalf of the Space Force’s Commercial Satellite Communications Office (CSCO).
