SpaceX is expected to join Space Command’s ‘commercial integration cell’ in the near future. WASHINGTON — To get intelligence about what is happening in orbit, U.S. Space Command works with a close-knit group of allies and private companies. The command is now looking to expand its network of data-sharing partners […]
Xtar
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WASHINGTON — Xtar, a company that provides satellite communications services to the U.S. government, has sold its only satellite to Hisdesat, one of its shareholders. Virginia-based Xtar signed a leasing agreement that allows it to retain the same amount of capacity on the satellite, Xtar-Eur, despite the change in ownership, […]
To receive FIRST UP Satcom, a weekly SpaceNews newsletter for satellite and telecom professionals, sign up here. TOP STORIES Japanese satellite operator Sky Perfect JSAT is delaying its annual financial report by seven weeks, citing the coronavirus. The company said it needs extra time for employees and auditors to finalize the results […]
WASHINGTON — Xtar may achieve a long-sought goal of adding Asia-Pacific coverage by keeping its pair of aging satellites in service well after their already-ordered replacements launch. Xtar CEO Jay Icard said the company, which provides satellite capacity exclusively to government and military customers, is deciding with its partner Hisdesat […]
Commercial orders of geostationary communications satellites have reached double-digits for the first time since 2016, but a return to former buying rates remains unlikely, experts say. As of Aug. 30, commercial operators had ordered 10 multi-ton GEO communications satellites this year, up from five for all of 2018 and seven […]
This article originally appeared in the May 6, 2019 issue of SpaceNews magazine. Executives from satellite operators Eutelsat, Hughes, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Iridium Communications, SES, Viasat, Xtar, sat down in December with Air Force Space Command leaders in Colorado Springs to talk about the holy grail of military communications: a seamless […]
Two new satellites dubbed SpainSAT NG 1 and SpainSAT NG 2 will replace the existing SpainSAT and Xtar-EUR WASHINGTON — Spain’s government satellite operator Hisdesat has agreed to buy two satellites from Airbus to replace aging military communications spacecraft. The contract, whose value was not disclosed, was awarded to a […]
To receive FIRST UP Satcom, a weekly SpaceNews newsletter for satellite and telecom professionals, sign up here. TOP STORIES China is allegedly using a startup to gain access to advanced American satellite technology. Global IP, a U.S.-based company, ordered a high-throughput satellite from Boeing in 2016, with financial backing from Chinese investors. The […]