Ever since satellites have been launched in outer space, both opportunities and risks have increased in the various earth orbits. For more than 50 years, more than 5000 rockets have been launched carrying multiple space objects, mainly satellites into orbit. Today most of these objects are either turned backed to earth or continue to revolve in earth orbits, ultimately increasing the risks for existing and future space infrastructure in low earth- (LEO), medium earth- (MEO), and geosynchronous earth (GEO) orbits.

Cellular backhaul via satellite is a big sector for the satellite industry.  It is also a vanishingly small percentage of total backhaul.  In 2020, the arrival of 5G has offered a similar paradox: hundreds of megahertz of C-band capacity have gone to feed the bandwidth appetite of 5G, yet 5G is the first cellular standard that is incorporating satellite as a native backhaul option. Our industry could be forgiven for feeling some whiplash.

The new year is finally here and it certainly is more promising than the very challenging year that was 2020.   To say that the past year was a challenge is a huge understatement, but despite it all, there were some bright spots that bodes well for 2021 and beyond.

Marlink Group, backed by Apax Partners (France), has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of ITC Global,a provider of satellite communications solutions, from Panasonic. Upon completion of the acquisition, ITC Global will become a cornerstone of the Marlink Group, supporting the expansion of Marlink's global leadership in the energy and enterprise markets.

Integrasys and NSR are collaborating in a fascinating Webinar about The Revolution of Capacity Price and Network Deployment. The webinar will be on January 19^th at 16:00 h (GMT+1) / 10:00 h (EST). The panelists will be Richard Hadsall, Vice President Global Network Operations at Kymeta, Morten Skisland Director VSAT Antenna and RF at Marlink, Alvaro Sanchez CEO at Integrasys, and Lluc Palerm, Senior Analyst at NSR, the moderator will be Jose del Rosario, Research Director at NSR.

The space industry is increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to push and redefine the boundaries of what is possible in space exploration. AIxSPACE, an event dedicated to AI applications in the space industry, has therefore been launched by Euroconsult and Innovitech, experts in space and innovation respectively, to address these challenges.  For this first edition, the event will be held virtually on January 18 and 19, 2021.

Kymeta Corporation announced that Hanwha Systems a global solutions company that provides differentiated smart technologies in defense electronics and information infrastructure, has signed an agreement to invest US$ 30 million to back the development of Kymeta’s next generation solutions, the Kymeta u8™ and Kymeta Connect™.

UltiSat, a systems integrator and communications services provider to the defense, federal civilian, humanitarian-aid, and critical infrastructure markets, announced today the realignment of its organization and leadership to better position for evolving customer mission landscapes. The move includes several senior leadership appointments and a reorganization around four primary lines of business – Managed Network Services, Airborne ISR Services, Specialized Wireless Services, and Engineering & Technical Services.

The December 2020 issue of  the Satellite Executive Briefing magazine  sponsored by The SpaceConnection is now available.  Featuring: The Satellite Industry in a Post-Pandemic World by Elisabeth Tweedie Constellation Watch: China's Incubating Answer to Starlink by Blaine Curcio Satellite's Year 2020:  Virtually Experienced... by Martin Jarrold And Yet... by Lou Zacharilla Better Satellite World Series: Mission to the Future PLUS Product and Services Spotlight, Mergers and Acquisitions, Executive Moves, Market Briefs, Vital Statistics, and many more.tics, and many more.

From the beginning, with Arthur C. Clarke’s 1945 Wireless World article proposing that just three “geostationary” satellites would cover the entire surface of the Earth from their (relative to a point on the surface below) stationary positions, the idea of using satellites for communications was conceived to achieve global wireless connectivity.