Constellation operator OneWeb, itself in the process of merging with Paris-based Eutelsat, has booked a $229 million (€230.9m) impairment charge caused by the ending of its six-launch contract with Russia’s Soyuz rockets because of “geo-political” problems. OneWeb has also seen 36 of its costly satellites stuck at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, and now unlikely to be […]
Wars and international conflicts are increasingly targeting orbiting satellites, says a report from Aerospace Corp. The report says that as space-based services become ever more integrated with life and society on Earth, the international community will have to consider how commercial actors affect and are affected by crisis and conflict in space. Unfortunately, there are […]
Finnish satellite operator ICEYE is supplying access to its 21 satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) craft to Ukraine. The move is funded by $16 million of donations made to the Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation. Serhiy Prytula is a Ukrainian TV presenter, who normally hosts the TV show Faina Yukraina (“Nice Ukraine“) but since the Russian […]
Dmitry Rogozin, head of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency has been fired. The Kremlin issued a decree on July 15th saying his position had been terminated, effective immediately. Rogozin’s replacement is Yuri Borisov, a former deputy prime minister whohas followed a very similar path to Roscosmos as Rogozin with his demotion. Both men served as deputy […]
André Lange, co-ordinator of the Denis Diderot Committee which campaigns against war propaganda, has said: “It’s not normal that a French satellite is used for war and incitement of genocide. Eutelsat should truly embrace neutrality and not just take one side.” The comments were reported in the The Times newspaper, with claims that Eutelsat is […]
A few months after the start of the Ukraine invasion, regional TMT companies started publishing their periodical reports, giving more insights on how current political circumstances have affected them. The most significant impact of the war is reflected on revenues, as Russia suffered an unprecedented depreciation of the ruble which reached a peak in early […]
A new non-profit YouTube channel created specifically for Ukrainian children displaced by the war will launch across the UK and Europe this summer. Featuring up to 200 hours of Ukrainian and British content, Sunflower TV has been designed to offer entertainment and respite for the children of Ukrainian refugees who have been forced to flee […]
Arianespace has been silent on any launch delays for its important Ariane 6 rocket. However, the director general of the European Space Agency, Josef Aschbacher, told the BBC that the new rocket will not fly until some time next year. Critics have suggested that Aschbacher did not attempt to disguise his words with phrases like […]
Russia’s Express AM3 (officially Экспресс-АМ3/Ekspress-AM3) communications satellite has been moved to a ‘graveyard’ high orbit and safely away from the normal orbital heights of fellow-geostationary satellites. The craft was operated by Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC). Express AM3 was built by Information Satellite Systems Reshetnev (NPO PM) for Kosmicheskaya Svyaz. The communications payload was built […]
A report from Berenberg on Eutelsat’s current position does not make the best reading. The investment bank says that Eutelsat’s share price has underperformed when compared to SES and unlikely to improve given new CEO Eva Berneke’s statement that Eutelsat’s planned return to growth in 2022-2023 was no longer achievable. Blunt though the bank’s opinion […]